Rig Veda 1.95.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 95, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.95
- Devata
- Enigmatic hidden ‘child/seer’ principle
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
क इमं वो निण्यमा चिकेत वत्सो मातॄर्जनयत स्वधाभिः । बह्वीनां गर्भो अपसामुपस्थान्महान्कविर्निश्चरति स्वधावान् ॥
ká imáṃ vo niṇyám ā́ ciketa vatsó mātṝ́r janayat svadhā́bhiḥ | bahvīnā́ṃ gárbho apásām upásthān mahā́n kavír níś carati svadhā́vān ||
कोई जानता है यह छुपा हुआ राज़, कि बच्चा माँ बनाता है? हाँ, पानी के अंदर से एक बड़ा रिशि पैदा होता है। वो अपनी शक्ति से बाहर आता है। बहुत काम उसके पेट में हैं, वो खुद से चलता है।
Word by Word
- कः
- who?Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot क (प्रश्न-प्रातिपदिक) / किम्
- इमम्
- this (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- निन्यम्
- hidden, secretAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (इमम् का विशेषण)Role KarmaRoot निन्य (प्रातिपदिक; √नी ‘नेतुम्’ से ‘निन्य’ = ‘गुप्त/अन्तर्हित’)
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- चिकेत
- has perceived/understoodVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), 3 पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √चित् (चेतयति/चिकेत) ‘जानने/ध्यान देने’
- वत्सः
- the calfNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
- मातॄः
- mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनयत
- generated, producedVerbलङ् (इम्परफेक्ट), 3 पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √जन् (जनयति) ‘उत्पादयति’
- स्वधाभिः
- with (his/their) own powers / by inherent mightNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
- बह्वीनाम्
- of manyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole SambandhaRoot बह्वी (प्रातिपदिक; बहु का स्त्री-रूप)
- गर्भः
- embryo, womb-childNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपसाम्
- of the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole SambandhaRoot अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जल/आपः’)
- उपस्थान्
- from the laps/abodes (near-places)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, बहुवचन (वेदिक रूप; ‘उपस्थेभ्यः’ अर्थे)Role ApādānaRoot उपस्थान (प्रातिपदिक; उप-√स्था ‘समीप-स्थितिः/आश्रय’)
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (कविः का विशेषण)Role KartāRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कविः
- seer, sageNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- निः
- out, forthIndeclinableअव्ययRoot निः (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- चरति
- moves, goes forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान), 3 पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √चर् ‘गमन/आचर’
- स्वधावान्
- possessing inherent power / self-sustainingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (कविः का विशेषण)Role KartāRoot स्वधावन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; स्वधा + वन्त्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (समाधान): कः | इमम् | वः | निन्यम् | आ | चिकेत | वत्सः | मातॄः | जनयत | स्वधाभिः || बह्वीनाम् | गर्भः | अपसाम् | उपस्थान् | महान् | कविः | निः | चरति | स्वधावान् || प्रमुख संधि/रूप-टिप्पणी: (1) ‘निन्यम् आ’ = निन्यम् + आ (संधि-रहित)
- (2) ‘उपस्थान्’ वेदिक पञ्चमी-बहुवचन रूप, अर्थतः ‘उपस्थेभ्यः/उपस्थात्’ (अपादान)
- (3) ‘निश्चरति’ = निः + चरति (उपसर्ग-संयोग; पाठ में ‘निश्चरति’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Who has understood this hidden thing for you: that the calf generates the mothers by his own powers? The embryo of many works, from the lap of the waters, the great seer goes forth, self-lawed.
Inner meaning
The ‘hidden thing’ (niṇyam) is the paradox of spiritual birth: the inner child (vatsa)—Agni concealed in the waters—does not merely arise from the mothers (the worlds/forces), but in his growth he ‘begets’ them: the awakened psychic fire reorganizes and recreates mind, life, and body around itself. ‘Svadhābhiḥ’ indicates an intrinsic power of self-formation; the divine within is not manufactured by outer circumstance, it shapes circumstance and the instruments. ‘Garbha of many works’ is the seed of all true actions (karmas) that proceed from the soul. From the waters (life/subconscient), the ‘great seer’ (mahān kaviḥ) emerges—vision and will become conscious and self-governed (svadhāvān).
Universal truth
When the inner divine awakens, it becomes the true parent of our nature: it recreates the instruments and gives birth to a new mind, life, and body aligned to truth. Real transformation proceeds from within outward.
Themes
mystic-birth, hidden-fire, self-law, gnosis
The seer
Significance
A classic Aurobindonian key-verse: the psychic being (inner Agni) once born becomes the generator of a new nature—‘the child begets the mothers’.
The deity
- Devata
- Hidden Agni / Solar child as Mahān Kavi (great seer)
- Epithets
- niṇya (hidden) (implied), mahān kaviḥ, svadhāvān, bahvīnām garbhaḥ
- Related deities
- Agni, Apas (Waters), Sūrya, Sarasvatī (inspiration/flow)
Cosmic role
Concealed in the waters, he is the seed of works and the revealer; he emerges to guide creation and sacrifice.
Inner power
Psychic fire that turns into vision; power of inner rebirth that reconstitutes mind-life-body.
In ritual
Where it is used
Riddle-verse used to awaken insight into hidden generation: the inner fire/consciousness emerging from the waters of life and producing its own sustaining matrices.
क इ॒मं वो॑ नि॒ण्यमा चि॑केत व॒त्सो मा॒तॄर्ज॑नयत स्व॒धाभि॑: । ब॒ह्वी॒नां गर्भो॑ अ॒पसा॑मु॒पस्था॑न्म॒हान्क॒विर्निश्च॑रति स्व॒धावा॑न् ॥
कः । इ॒मम् । वः॒ । नि॒ण्यम् । आ । चि॒के॒त॒ । व॒त्सः । मा॒तॄः । ज॒न॒य॒त॒ । स्व॒ऽधाभिः॑ । ब॒ह्वी॒नाम् । गर्भः॑ । अ॒पसा॑म् । उ॒पऽस्था॑त् । म॒हान् । क॒विः । निः । च॒र॒ति॒ । स्व॒धाऽवा॑न् ॥
kaḥ | imam | vaḥ | niṇyam | ā | ciketa | vatsaḥ | mātṝḥ | janayata | sva-dhābhiḥ | bahvīnām | garbhaḥ | apasām | upa-sthāt | mahān | kaviḥ | niḥ | carati | svadhāvān
44
4 × ~11
Interrogative opening then assertive revelation; strong visionary cadence.
Provokes insight; then seals it as a felt certainty of inner birth.
- निṇ्यम् (niṇyam)
- Literal: hidden, secret thing. Symbolic: Occult law of inner birth and reversal of causality (soul shaping nature)
- वत्स (vatsa)
- Literal: calf. Symbolic: Psychic/inner Agni, the growing divine child
- मातॄः (mātṝḥ)
- Literal: mothers. Symbolic: Powers/worlds that nourish: mind, life, body; night/dawn; two natures
- जनयत (janayat)
- Literal: begets, generates. Symbolic: The awakened soul recreates and reorders its instruments
- स्वधाभिः (svadhābhiḥ)
- Literal: by self-powers. Symbolic: Intrinsic law and power of the spirit; self-determining force
- गर्भः (garbhaḥ)
- Literal: embryo. Symbolic: Seed of true works; latent divine action-force
- अपसाम् उपस्थात् (apasām upasthāt)
- Literal: from the lap of the waters. Symbolic: From life/subconscient matrix into conscious manifestation
- महान् कविः (mahān kaviḥ)
- Literal: great seer-poet. Symbolic: Illumined consciousness emerging as guiding wisdom
- स्वधावान् (svadhāvān)
- Literal: self-lawed. Symbolic: Autonomous inner governance; soul-led nature
Riddle-verse used to awaken insight into hidden generation: the inner fire/consciousness emerging from the waters of life and producing its own sustaining matrices.
Recited for inner awakening; also symbolically at kindling fire (Agni in waters/araṇi)
Use as a mantra for psychological rebirth: invoke the inner child to become the new origin of habits, thoughts, and actions.
niṇyá ‘hidden’ from ni + √nī/√nīy ‘to lead down/in’ → concealed. √cit (ciketa) from PIE *ḱeyt- ‘notice’ (cf. English ‘heed’ is different; but Sanskrit cit- is central to ‘consciousness’ semantics). apás: polyvalent—‘waters’ and ‘works/active energies’; inner reading allows both: the matrix of dynamic becoming. kaví from √kū/√kavi? (traditional: inspired seer); functionally ‘one who sees’.
self-organization (svadhā), consciousness as knower (ciketa, kavi), manifestation from concealed potential (niṇya)
Svadhā as inner law aligns action with ṛta from within rather than external compulsion.
Mahān kaviḥ indicates emergence of truth-seeing consciousness.
Hidden fire in waters; reversal—spirit generates nature.
Integral Yoga/Vedāntic psychology: psychic emergence as transformative cause.
Waters = life/subconscient matrix; embryo = latent divine action; calf = psychic fire; mothers = formative powers/instruments.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The paradox of the ‘calf’ generating the ‘mothers’: the emergent consciousness/fire produces the very matrices (supports, fields) that will nourish and expand it. Mythically: the hidden embryo in the waters comes forth as the great seer.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √cit ‘perceive’ is a key IE cognition root cluster (often compared with Greek keîmai/Latin citus are not direct; but PIE *ḱeyt- ‘notice’ is plausible). The riddle’s generative paradox is a common archaic Indo-European poetic technique (self-begetting, reversal).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi challenges the audience to ‘see’ (ciketa) the inner process: the devatā is the very power of vision (kavi) emerging from life-waters (apas) and establishing svadhā—self-rule—within the seeker.
Psychic emergence: let the inner flame become the source that ‘begets’ a new mind and life.
anahata
slow
Heart-centered revelation; sense of a living presence rising from depth.
Focus in the heart as ‘vatsa’. Feel it drawing nourishment from the depths (waters) and then radiating outward to remake thought and impulse. Repeat ‘svadhāvān’ mentally to affirm inner governance; end with a resolve: ‘Let my works be born from the garbha of truth.’
Vedic svaras as marked; the opening ‘ka’ should be crisp; maintain udātta on accented syllables like ‘niṇyam’, ‘mātṝr’, ‘svadhābhiḥ’, ‘kavír’.
Treat the first pāda as a genuine question (slight lift), then shift to a firm, declarative tone from ‘bahvīnām garbhaḥ…’.
‘niṇyam’ with retroflex ṇ: ni-ṇyam, ‘mātṝḥ’ long ṝ (mātṝr) with clear retroflex ṛ sound, ‘upasthāt’ keep sth cluster clear, ‘niś carati’ separate: niḥ-carati (visarga assimilation may occur in chanting tradition)
Inward at the question; luminous and assured in the revelation.
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