Rig Veda 1.95.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 95, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.95
- Devata
- Enigmatic emergent power within the formative domain of Tvashṭṛ
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आविष्ट्यो वर्धते चारुरासु जिह्मानामूर्ध्वः स्वयशा उपस्थे । उभे त्वष्टुर्बिभ्यतुर्जायमानात्प्रतीची सिंहं प्रति जोषयेते ॥
āviṣṭyó vardhate cā́rur ā́su jihmā́nām ūrdhvó svayáśā upásthe | ubhé tváṣṭur bibhyatur jā́yamānāt pratī́cī síṃhaṃ práti joṣayete ||
वो दिखने लगता है और बढ़ता है, सबसे अच्छा लगता है। टेढ़े लोगों के बीच सीधा खड़ा है, खुद ही चमकता है। दोनों माताएँ उससे डरने लगती हैं जब वो पैदा होता है। वो शेर जैसा है, दोनों उसकी तरफ देख के खुश होती हैं।
Word by Word
- आविष्ट्यः
- having entered; settled withinAdjective (participial)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (as qualifier of the subject) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot आ-√विश् (प्रवेशने) / √विश्
- वर्धते
- grows; increasesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role Kriyā (main verb)Root √वृध् (वर्धने)
- चारुः
- beautiful; lovelyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (as qualifier of the subject) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आसुः
- in the laps/wombs (i.e., in the seats)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अस् (प्रातिपदिक: आसु- ‘lap, womb, seat’)
- जिह्मानाम्
- of the crooked/oblique (ones)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root जिह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊर्ध्वः
- upright; raisedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (as qualifier of the subject) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वयशाः
- self-glorious; of his own splendourAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (as qualifier of the subject) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot स्व-यशस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘self-glory/own fame’)
- उपस्थे
- in the lap; in the bosomNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- उभे
- both (two females)Pronoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, द्विवचनम्Role KartāRoot उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वष्टुः
- of TvaṣṭṛNoun (proper/title)पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root त्वष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- बिभ्यतुः
- fear; are afraidVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, द्विवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √भी (भये)
- जायमानात्
- from the one being born; from the newbornParticiple (verbal adjective)पुंलिङ्गः/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot √जन् (जन्मनि) + यमान (शानच्) → जायमान (present middle participle)
- प्रतीची
- turned toward (him); facing (him)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (as qualifier of one of the two) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot प्रतीच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सिंहम्
- the lionNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रति
- toward; in response toIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role Upasarga/Preverb (directional) / Kriyā-viśeṣaṇaRoot प्रति
- जोषयेते
- they two make (him) welcome; they two court/cherishVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, द्विवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √जुष् (प्रीतौ/सेवने) → causative √जोषय्
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: आविष्ट्यो → आविष्ट्यः (visarga before वर्धते)
- चारुरासु → चारुः आसु
- जिह्मानामूर्ध्वः → जिह्मानाम् ऊर्ध्वः
- स्वयशा उपस्थे → स्वयशाः उपस्थे (ḥ before vowel)
- बिभ्यतुर्जायमानात् → बिभ्यतुः जायमानात्
- प्रतीची सिंहं प्रति → प्रतीची सिंहम् प्रति. Accent marks retained in source but not encoded per-pada here
- forms are given in padapāṭha-style segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Manifest, he grows, beautiful among them, upright in the lap of the crooked, self-glorious. The two of Tvashṭṛ fear him as he is born; facing him, they take delight in the lion.
Inner meaning
The hidden child now becomes ‘āviṣṭyaḥ’—openly manifest. He grows upright (ūrdhvaḥ) even in the lap of the ‘crooked’ (jihmānām): within the twisted movements of the lower nature—desire, fear, habit—the inner fire rises straight, self-luminous (svayaśāḥ). The ‘two of Tvaṣṭṛ’ are the formative powers that shape the body-life-mind; they ‘fear’ because the birth of the soul’s fire compels a re-formation—old patterns cannot remain. Yet they also ‘delight’ when they turn toward him: when the instruments consent, they rejoice in the ‘lion’—the sovereign, courageous consciousness-force that leads and protects. The lion is Agni/Sūrya as kingly power: fearless, consuming falsehood, establishing mastery.
Universal truth
A higher consciousness can rise straight within a distorted nature. Transformation first disturbs the old formation, then becomes its joy when the instruments consent to be remade by the soul’s sovereign power.
Themes
emergence, rectitude-vs-crookedness, sovereign-force, mystic-birth
The seer
Significance
Describes the critical phase of sādhanā where the psychic/inner fire becomes manifest and begins to remake the formed nature (Tvaṣṭṛ’s domain).
The deity
- Devata
- Emergent Agni/Solar child within Tvaṣṭṛ’s formative realm
- Epithets
- āviṣṭyaḥ, cāruḥ (beautiful), ūrdhvaḥ, svayaśāḥ, siṃha (lion)
- Related deities
- Agni, Tvaṣṭṛ, Sūrya, Indra (lion-like heroism, thematic)
Cosmic role
Brings the concealed fire into manifestation; compels reformation of created forms; establishes sovereign energy.
Inner power
Courageous, upright consciousness-force that straightens the crooked nature and illumines the instruments.
In ritual
Where it is used
Mystic description of emergence of upright consciousness within crooked nature; supports inner discipline and rectification (ṛju vs jihma).
आ॒विष्ट्यो॑ वर्धते॒ चारु॑रासु जि॒ह्माना॑मू॒र्ध्वः स्वय॑शा उ॒पस्थे॑ । उ॒भे त्वष्टु॑र्बिभ्यतु॒र्जाय॑मानात्प्रती॒ची सिं॒हं प्रति॑ जोषयेते ॥
आ॒विःऽत्यः॑ । व॒र्ध॒ते॒ । चारुः॑ । आ॒सु॒ । जि॒ह्माना॑म् । ऊ॒र्ध्वः । स्वऽय॑शाः । उ॒पऽस्थे॑ । उ॒भे इति॑ । त्वष्टुः॑ । बि॒भ्य॒तुः॒ । जाय॑मानात् । प्र॒ती॒ची इति॑ । सिं॒हम् । प्रति॑ । जो॒ष॒ये॒ते॒ इति॑ ॥
āviḥ-tyaḥ | vardhate | cāruḥ | āsu | jihmānām | ūrdhvaḥ | sva-yaśāḥ | upa-sthe | ubhe | iti | tvaṣṭuḥ | bibhyatuḥ | jāyamānāt | pratīcī iti | siṃham | prati | joṣayeteiti
44
4 × ~11
Rising, forceful, with a turning point from fear to delight.
Energizes courage and consent to transformation; helps the listener feel an inner uprightness.
- आविष्ट्यः (āviṣṭyaḥ)
- Literal: manifest, made visible. Symbolic: Revelation of the inner divine in waking nature
- ऊर्ध्वः (ūrdhvaḥ)
- Literal: upright, upward. Symbolic: Aspiration and ascent; straightness of truth in the being
- जिह्मानाम् (jihmānām)
- Literal: of the crooked. Symbolic: Twisted lower nature—desire, ego, habitual distortion
- स्वयशाः (svayaśāḥ)
- Literal: self-glorious. Symbolic: Self-luminous consciousness not dependent on outer approval
- त्वष्टुः (tvaṣṭuḥ)
- Literal: of Tvaṣṭṛ (the shaper). Symbolic: Formative power shaping instruments; bodily-vital-mental moulds
- उभे (ubhe)
- Literal: the two (feminine). Symbolic: Two formative mothers/powers of shaping (dual nature)
- सिंहम् (siṃham)
- Literal: lion. Symbolic: Sovereign courage and mastery of the awakened fire-consciousness
- प्रतीची (pratīcī)
- Literal: facing toward, turned toward. Symbolic: Consent and orientation of nature toward the soul
Mystic description of emergence of upright consciousness within crooked nature; supports inner discipline and rectification (ṛju vs jihma).
Suitable at dawn practice or before transformative inner work; also symbolically at fire-kindling
Use when confronting resistance: chant to invoke the ‘lion’ force that rises straight within crooked habits and wins the instruments’ consent.
ūrdhvá ‘upright’ from PIE *h₃rdʰwó- (cf. English ‘arduous’ not cognate; but ‘orthos’ is different). jihmá ‘crooked’ contrasts ṛju ‘straight’; inner polarity of distorted vs right movement. siṃhá ‘lion’ emblem of mastery; in Vedic riddles, often the emergent power (Agni/Sūrya) that dominates lower nature. Tvaṣṭṛ is the shaper of forms: the ‘two of Tvaṣṭṛ’ can be two formative matrices.
rectification of crooked movements, self-glory (svayaśas) as intrinsic light, formation (Tvashṭṛ) and emergence of higher power
Ūrdhvaḥ within jihma suggests ṛta’s straightness establishing itself in distorted nature.
Svayaśāḥ indicates self-luminous truth not borrowed from appearances.
Birth of the divine within formed nature; re-creation of forms under higher law.
Integral transformation: spirit reshapes prakṛti (formed nature) from within.
dawn (implied by emergence/manifestation)
Lap/womb = subconscient/vital matrix; crooked = distorted impulses; upright flame = ascending aspiration; lion = mastery and fearless force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The birth of a ‘lion’ power—upright and self-glorious—within the lap of crooked forces; the formative matrices both fear and yet come to cherish it. Mythically: higher fire/light is born within lower nature and compels its acceptance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The upright/crooked opposition is an archaic IE ethical-spatial metaphor (straight = right). ‘Lion’ as sovereign emblem is widespread in IE poetics as a marker of heroic/divine dominance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi tracks an inner alchemy: even within distorted movements (jihma), the upward force (ūrdhva) can be born and grow until the very formative powers turn toward it and ‘enjoy’ it—i.e., nature consents to be reshaped by the higher consciousness.
Invoke the upright, lion-like inner fire to rise within distorted patterns; cultivate consent of the instruments to be reshaped.
manipura
moderate
Courageous clarity; energised steadiness.
Sit with spine upright (ūrdhva). On inhale, feel the flame rise from navel to heart; on exhale, offer the ‘crooked’ habit into that flame. When fear arises (bibhya-tuḥ), turn the nature ‘pratīcī’—face the inner fire—and allow joy in strength to replace resistance.
Vedic svaras as marked; keep udātta clarity on ‘āviṣṭyó’, ‘vardhate’, ‘ūrdhváḥ’, ‘svayaśā’, ‘síṃham’.
Make the rise audible on ‘ūrdhvaḥ’; pivot the emotional tone at ‘bibhyatur jāyamānāt’ (tighten) then open and brighten on ‘pratīcī… joṣayete’.
‘āviṣṭyaḥ’ as ā-viṣ-ṭyaḥ (retroflex ṭy cluster), ‘jihmānām’ with clear jih-mā-nām, ‘tvaṣṭuḥ’ with retroflex ṣṭ, ‘joṣayete’ as jo-ṣa-ye-te (ṣ not s)
Bright, upright, courageous; end with a warm release on ‘joṣayete’.
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