Sukta 160
Sukta 1.160
As RV 1.160
Triṣṭubh (probable; verify)
This hymn praises Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven and Earth) as the universal, truth-supporting Parents who uphold the mid-space and establish order and wellbeing. Sūrya is portrayed as the pure, lawful mover between them, while the hymn also hints at an inner, purifying fire-force that cleanses the worlds and yields luminous nourishment. The seer finally petitions the two for bṛhat (vast greatness), fame, kṣatra (protective power), and strengthening inner force for the community.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
ते हि द्यावापृथिवी विश्वशम्भुव ऋतावरी रजसो धारयत्कवी । सुजन्मनी धिषणे अन्तरीयते देवो देवी धर्मणा सूर्यः शुचिः ॥
आसमान और धरती सब को शांति देते हैं। दोनों रिशि जैसे हैं जो बीच की दुनिया को सच्चाई से संभालते हैं। दोनों के बीच में सूरज चलता है, साफ और पवित्र। भगवान और देवी दोनों समझदार हैं, धरम से चलते हैं।
Mantra 2
उरुव्यचसा महिनी असश्चता पिता माता च भुवनानि रक्षतः । सुधृष्टमे वपुष्ये न रोदसी पिता यत्सीमभि रूपैरवासयत् ॥
दोनों बहुत बड़े हैं, कभी थकते नहीं। बाप और माँ दोनों दुनिया की हिफाजत करते हैं। दोनों दुनिया अच्छी लगती है और पक्की है। बाप ने ही उनको अलग-अलग रूप में बसाया है चारों तरफ।
Mantra 3
स वह्निः पुत्रः पित्रोः पवित्रवान्पुनाति धीरो भुवनानि मायया । धेनुं च पृश्निं वृषभं सुरेतसं विश्वाहा शुक्रं पयो अस्य दुक्षत ॥
वो अग्नि का देता है, दोनों माता-पिता का बेटा। उसके पास एक ऐसी शक्ति है जो सबको साफ कर देती है। वो अपनी माया से पूरी दुनिया को क्लीन करता है। उस गाय से, उस स्पेकल्ड वाली गाय से, और उस ताकतवर बैल से लोग हमेशा दूध निकालते हैं। यह दूध चमकता है और बिल्कुल साफ है।
Mantra 4
अयं देवानामपसामपस्तमो यो जजान रोदसी विश्वशम्भुवा । वि यो ममे रजसी सुक्रतूययाजरेभिः स्कम्भनेभिः समानृचे ॥
यह देवताओं में सबसे ज़्यादा काम करने वाला है। उसने दोनों दुनिया बनाई सबके लिए। उसने आसमान और धरती को सही तरीके से नापा। उसने उन्हें ऐसे पिलर्स से पक्का किया जो कभी खराब नहीं होते। सब कुछ एक परफेक्ट बैलेंस में सेट कर दिया।
Mantra 5
ते नो गृणाने महिनी महि श्रवः क्षत्रं द्यावापृथिवी धासथो बृहत् । येनाभि कृष्टीस्ततनाम विश्वहा पनाय्यमोजो अस्मे समिन्वतम् ॥
जब हम दोनों की स्तुति करते हैं, तो आप दोनों हमें बड़ा बनाते हैं। आप हमें बड़ी बड़ाई देते हैं और राज्य की ताकत देते हैं। आप आसमान और धरती हो। उस ताकत से आप लोगों को फैलाते हो। वही ताकत हमारे अंदर भी डाल दो और उसें स्ट्रॉन्ग बना दो।
Inside Sukta 160
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Heaven and Earth are hailed as universal benefactors and ṛta-upholders, sustaining the mid-space; Sūrya moves between them by dharma (law).
- Development
The hymn deepens into images of purification and nourishment—an inner ‘vahni’ (carrier/fire) as child of the two Parents cleansing the worlds, with cow/bull imagery for luminous milk-like sustenance.
- Climax
The revelation of ordered cosmic mediation: the pure sun and the purifying fire-force operate within the parental frame of Heaven and Earth, yielding clarity and strength.
- Where it settles
A clear human petition: may the two establish vast greatness, fame, protective power, and admirable ojas within us and our peoples.
The deity: Dyāvāpṛthivī, with Sūrya as the lawful mover between them
- In the VedaBetween them moves the pure Sūrya ‘by dharma’ (by the established law), illuminating and linking the two realms.
- Cosmic functionThey form the foundational polarity of the cosmos—upper and lower worlds—supporting space (rajas/antarikṣa), enabling life, seasons, fertility, and the regular course of the sun and sacrificial order.
- Inner significancePsychologically, they symbolize the two supporting fields of experience (higher aspiration and grounded embodiment); Sūrya is the clarifying consciousness that moves lawfully between them, while the hymn’s purifying ‘vahni’ imagery suggests the inner fire that refines perception and yields luminous strength.
The seer
- Ascribed in the Anukramaṇī for RV 1.160Associated with hymns to the cosmic pair Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, emphasizing ṛta (truth/order) and the lawful movement of Sūrya between the two Parents.
Famous verses
devo devī dharmaṇā sūryaḥ śuciḥ
स वह्निः पुत्रः पित्रोः पवित्रवान्पुनाति धीरो भुवनानि मायया । धेनुं च पृश्निं वृषभं सुरेतसं विश्वाहा शुक्रं पयो अस्य दुक्षत ॥mahi śravaḥ kṣatraṃ
Attributes of the deity
- Dual cosmic Parents (dyauḥ/pṛthivī)
- Ṛta-supporting, order-establishing
- Sustainers of the mid-region (antarikṣa/rajas)
- Givers of bṛhat (vastness), śravas (fame), and kṣatra (protective power)
- Linked by Sūrya moving ‘by dharma’
- Sources of nourishment and increase for peoples
Also by this seer
- Attribution details depend on the Śaunaka Anukramaṇī listing for RV 1.160.
The rite, step by step
- Ācamana and sankalpa: intention for protection, order (ṛta), and communal flourishing.
- Kindling/attention to the sacred fire (or mental agni): establish purity and steadiness.
- Recite RV 1.160.1 to invoke Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as ṛta-bearing supports and to contemplate Sūrya’s lawful movement.
- Recite the central verses (including the ‘vahni’ purification imagery) as inner cleansing and offering of speech.
- Conclude with RV 1.160.5 as a direct petition for bṛhat, śravas, kṣatra, and strengthening ojas.
- Śānti/closing: silent contemplation of the two Parents and the sun’s steady path.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) into Agni (if a fire is present)
- Water libation (arghya) to Sūrya
- Barley or grains (optional, as a symbol of fertility and increase)
- Offer of speech (stuti/gīr) as the primary ‘oblation’ of the hymn
Frequently Asked Questions
The hymn primarily praises Dyāvā-Pṛthivī—Heaven and Earth as a divine pair. It also highlights Sūrya (the Sun) as the pure one who moves between them according to cosmic law (dharma/ṛta).
This points to a purifying power born within the cosmic frame of Heaven and Earth—often understood as an inner fire-force (vahni/agni-like) that cleanses and transforms. The imagery expresses spiritual purification and the steady production of luminous nourishment (clarity and strength).
It asks Heaven and Earth to establish “vast greatness” (bṛhat), wide fame (śravas), and protective power (kṣatra), and to increase admirable inner force (ojas) within the worshippers and their community.
Ask anything about Sukta 160 of the Rig Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
