Sukta 159
Sukta 1.159
Traditionally: Dīrghatamas (for RV 1.159) or a related Āṅgirasa line
Triṣṭubh (typical for such praise verses; verify)
This five-verse hymn praises Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven and Earth) as the great, truth-growing parents who uphold ṛta (cosmic order) and make the sacrificial vision effective in the assembly. It recalls their generative power—how from the Two Mothers arise the forces that establish stability and movement—and it concludes with a request for clear-guided prosperity (rayi), linked with Savitar’s divine impulsion.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
प्र द्यावा यज्ञैः पृथिवी ऋतावृधा मही स्तुषे विदथेषु प्रचेतसा । देवेभिर्ये देवपुत्रे सुदंससेत्था धिया वार्याणि प्रभूषतः ॥
मैं आकाश और धरती की तारीफ करता हूँ, यज्ञ के साथ। यह दोनों बड़े हैं और सच्चाई से बढ़ते हैं। सभा में मैं उनकी स्तुति करता हूँ, जो समझदारी रखते हैं। यह देवताओं में से दो हैं, अच्छी शक्ति वाले। यह सोच के अच्छे वरदान सजाते हैं।
Mantra 2
उत मन्ये पितुरद्रुहो मनो मातुर्महि स्वतवस्तद्धवीमभिः । सुरेतसा पितरा भूम चक्रतुरुरु प्रजाया अमृतं वरीमभिः ॥
मैं बाप की सोच समझता हूँ, वो धोखा नहीं देता। माँ की अपनी शक्ति बड़ी है, हम भेंट से उन्हें बुलाते हैं। अच्छे बीज से यह दोनों हमारे माँ-बाप बने। उन्होंने औलाद के लिए बड़ी जगह बनाई, वो अमर है।
Mantra 3
ते सूनवः स्वपसः सुदंससो मही जज्ञुर्मातरा पूर्वचित्तये । स्थातुश्च सत्यं जगतश्च धर्मणि पुत्रस्य पाथः पदमद्वयाविनः ॥
यह दोनों बेटे अच्छे काम करते हैं और उनमें बड़ी ताकत है। दोनों माँ से पैदा हुए, पुरानी सोच के लिए। इन्होंने सच्चाई को पक्का किया, जो खड़ा है और जो चलता है, दोनों का धरम। बच्चे के लिए रास्ता खोला, जो बंटा है दो हिस्सों में नहीं।
Mantra 4
ते मायिनो ममिरे सुप्रचेतसो जामी सयोनी मिथुना समोकसा । नव्यंनव्यं तन्तुमा तन्वते दिवि समुद्रे अन्तः कवयः सुदीतयः ॥
दोनों बड़े समझदार हैं और शक्ति में माहिर हैं। भाई-भाई हैं, एक ही जगह पैदा हुए, साथ में रहते हैं। बार-बार नया काम शुरू करते हैं, आसमान में भी और समुंदर के अंदर भी। रिशि लोग चमक के यह सब बना रहे हैं।
Mantra 5
तद्राधो अद्य सवितुर्वरेण्यं वयं देवस्य प्रसवे मनामहे । अस्मभ्यं द्यावापृथिवी सुचेतुना रयिं धत्तं वसुमन्तं शतग्विनम् ॥
आज हम सवितर की उस बरकत को याद कर रहे हैं जो सब को पसंद आती है। भगवान की शक्ति से हम यह सोच रहे हैं। आसमान और धरती, तुम दोनों साफ रास्ता दिखाओ। हमें वो धन दो, जिसमें बहुत कुछ हो, सौ गुना बढ़ के।
Inside Sukta 159
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn opens by praising Heaven and Earth with offerings as the great ones who grow through ṛta and shine with awakened intelligence in the sacrificial assembly.
- Development
It develops their parental/cosmic status: the Two Mothers generate mighty powers and establish the truth of what is fixed and the law of what moves, framing the universe as an ordered ritual field.
- Climax
The key revelation is their role in opening the path and ‘step’ for the child principle—often read as the solar/fire force moving in an undivided vision—linking cosmic structure with the successful movement of light and sacrifice.
- Where it settles
It resolves in a direct request: under Savitar’s divine impulsion, may Heaven and Earth place in us a rich, hundredfold-increasing prosperity through clear guidance.
The deity: Dyāvāpṛthivī
- In the VedaThey are praised in the vidatha (sacrificial assemblies) as luminous, order-bearing, and generous with desired boons.
- Cosmic functionThey form the foundational polarity of the cosmos: the upper expanse and the broad earth, establishing the arena in which ṛta operates—supporting what stands firm and regulating what moves, enabling generation, nourishment, and the pathways of the solar/fire principle.
- Inner significancePsychologically, they symbolize the stable ground of embodied life (Pṛthivī) and the expansive field of consciousness and inspiration (Dyauḥ); together they represent the harmonized ‘two poles’ in which right order, clarity, and fruitful action become possible.
The seer
- Dīrghatamas (traditional attribution)Āṅgirasa line (often associated with the Bṛhaspati/Āṅgiras tradition; precise gotra varies by Anukramaṇī listing) · A visionary poet-seer noted for profound cosmological and symbolic hymns, especially those exploring origin, order (ṛta), and the interdependence of divine powers.
Famous verses
ṛtāvṛdhā
ते सूनवः स्वपसः सुदंससो मही जज्ञुर्मातरा पूर्वचित्तये । स्थातुश्च सत्यं जगतश्च धर्मणि पुत्रस्य पाथः पदमद्वयाविनः ॥sucetunā rayiṃ dhattam
Attributes of the deity
- Truth-nourishing (ṛtāvṛdhā)
- Vast and great (mahī)
- Wise/awake in intelligence (pracetasā)
- Supporters of stability and movement (sthātu and jagat)
- Bestowers of prosperity (rayi) and desired boons (vārya)
Also by this seer
- Cosmological hymns and riddling verses traditionally linked with Dīrghatamas in the Rigveda (notably in Mandala 1, and—by later tradition—strong associations with Mandala 4’s Dīrghatamas corpus).
- Hymnic themes emphasizing the Two Worlds (dyāvā-pṛthivī), the path of the ‘child’/solar principle, and the establishment of truth and law in creation.
The rite, step by step
- Āvāhana (invocation): call Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as the great, truth-growing supporters of the rite.
- Stuti (praise in the vidatha): recite verses emphasizing their wisdom, vastness, and role in upholding ṛta.
- Smaraṇa of cosmic order: recall how they establish the truth of the stable and the law of the moving, opening the ‘path/step’ for the luminous child principle.
- Yācñā (petition): request rayi—substantial, increasing wealth—through their ‘su-cetu’ (clear guidance), aligning with Savitar’s prasava (divine impulsion).
- Śānti/niṣkṛti (settling): conclude with confidence in their beneficence and the rite’s ordered completion.
Offerings
- Ghee/ājya into the fire (Agni) accompanying the recitation
- Soma libation where applicable
- Oblations of grains/cakes according to the śrauta setting
Frequently Asked Questions
They are Heaven and Earth personified as a divine pair—the two great supporters of the world—praised for wisdom, vastness, and for sustaining cosmic order (ṛta).
That Heaven and Earth uphold the truth and law of the universe, make the sacrifice effective, and can grant prosperity and protection when invoked with right intention and offerings.
Savitar represents the divine impulsion (prasava) that sets life and ritual in motion; the hymn aligns the request for prosperity with that sacred impetus, asking Heaven and Earth to bestow wealth under clear guidance.
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