Ratri Sukta Sukta 127
Sukta 10.127
This hymn praises Rātrī (Night) as a divine power who manifests with many lights, gathers all splendors, and settles the world into stillness and safety. It asks Night to calm roaming beings and inner restlessness, to protect the household, and to accept the poet’s hymn as a seeker’s offering for peace and well-being.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
रात्री व्यख्यदायती पुरुत्रा देव्यक्षभिः । विश्वा अधि श्रियोऽधित ॥
रात आ गई है, चारों तरफ फैल गई है। अपनी रोशनी लेकर देवी की तरह आ रही है। वो सब चमक-दमक से ऊपर बैठ गई है। सारी चमक उसके नीचे आ गई है।
Mantra 2
ओर्वप्रा अमर्त्या निवतो देव्युद्वतः । ज्योतिषा बाधते तमः ॥
यह रात बहुत बड़ी है, कभी खत्म नहीं होती। देवी है यह, नीचे से भी आती है, ऊपर से भी। अपनी रोशनी से अंधेरे को धकेल देती है। अंधेरा पीछे हट जाता है।
Mantra 3
निरु स्वसारमस्कृतोषसं देव्यायती । अपेदु हासते तमः ॥
रात देवी की तरह आती है तो उसकी बहन सवेरा गायब हो जाता है। अंधेरा भी पीछे हट जाता है। रात सब संभाल लेती है।
Mantra 4
सा नो अद्य यस्या वयं नि ते यामन्नविक्ष्महि । वृक्षे न वसतिं वयः ॥
आज यह रात हमारी हो। इसके रास्ते में हम आराम करें। जैसे चिड़िया पेड़ पर जाके बैठ जाती है, वैसे हम भी इसमें सेफ महसूस करें।
Mantra 5
नि ग्रामासो अविक्षत नि पद्वन्तो नि पक्षिणः । नि श्येनासश्चिदर्थिनः ॥
गाँव-बस्ती सब चुप हो गई। चलने वाले रुक गए, उड़ने वाले भी। बाज़ भी जो शिकार ढूंढते थे, वो भी आराम करने लगे। सब शांत हो गया।
Mantra 6
यावया वृक्यं वृकं यवय स्तेनमूर्म्ये । अथा नः सुतरा भव ॥
हे रात्रि, बुरी चीज़ें और चोर लोगों को भगा दे। तू चल रही है, इसलिए हमारे लिए रास्ता आसान बना दे। हम रात में सेफ रहें, कोई तकलीफ न हो।
Mantra 7
उप मा पेपिशत्तमः कृष्णं व्यक्तमस्थित । उष ऋणेव यातय ॥
काली अंधेरी रात मेरे पास आ गई है। वो मेरे सामने खड़ी है। हे उषा, इसे भगा दे जैसे कोई कर्ज़ा चुका के भगाता है। ऐसा करके रोशनी ला दे।
Mantra 8
उप ते गा इवाकरं वृणीष्व दुहितर्दिवः । रात्रि स्तोमं न जिग्युषे ॥
हे रात्रि, तू आसमान की बेटी है। मैं तेरे लिए यह पूजा कर रहा हूँ। जैसे गाय को उसके घर ले जाते हैं, वैसे तू यह हमारी पूजा ले ले। हम तुझसे दुआ माँग रहे हैं, तू हमारी सुन ले।
Inside Sukta 127
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Night is revealed—approaching from many sides with divine lights and enthroned over splendor (a cosmic theophany).
- Development
The hymn observes Night’s universal governance: villages, walkers, birds, and even swift hunters withdraw; the world’s motions subside into her order.
- Climax
Night is invoked not merely as darkness but as a protective, organizing power that gathers energies and pacifies restlessness (outer and inner).
- Where it settles
The poet offers a crafted hymn to the ‘daughter of Heaven,’ asking her to accept it and continue granting the seeker safety, peace, and successful passage through the night.
The deity: Rātrī
- In the VedaShe brings rest to settlements, travelers, birds, and even swift predators, and is invoked to grant protection and calm.
- Cosmic functionShe orders the nocturnal phase of time, veiling and cooling the world, regulating activity and repose, and providing a protective interval in the daily cycle.
- Inner significanceNight symbolizes inwardness: the settling of sensory movement, the pacification of anxious or predatory impulses, and the recovery of strength through quietude, trust, and protected rest.
The seer
- Kūśika (traditional; attribution varies)Kūśika-gotra (traditional) · Associated in later tradition with hymns and priestly-poetic lineages linked to Viśvāmitra’s circle; for RV 10.127 specifically, the seer attribution is not uniform across recensions and is often treated as uncertain.
Famous verses
रात्री व्यख्यदायती पुरुत्रा देव्यक्षभिः । विश्वा अधि श्रियोऽधित ॥नि ग्रामासो अविक्षत नि पद्वन्तो नि पक्षिणः । नि श्येनासश्चिदर्थिनः ॥duhitar divaḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Daughter of Heaven (divaḥ duhitar)
- All-encompassing veil and shelter
- Bringer of rest and cessation of movement
- Protectress against fear and harm
- Bearer of many lights (stars/lamps; ‘divy akṣabhiḥ’)
- Gatherer of splendor into quiet power
Also by this seer
- Traditional association with parts of the Rigvedic Kūśika/Viśvāmitra-connected hymn milieu (attribution varies by Anukramaṇī and recension).
- In some listings, Kūśika names appear in relation to late Maṇḍala 10 hymns; however, verse-level certainty for RV 10.127 is low.
The rite, step by step
- Prepare a clean, quiet space (home hearth or simple lamp).
- Light a small fire or lamp as a token of ‘divine lights’ within Night’s vastness.
- Recite the hymn (or selected verses) with a protective intention: settling outer activity and inner agitation.
- Offer a simple oblation (if in a fire rite) or dedicate the light and breath to Rātrī.
- Conclude with a brief silence, aligning with Night’s stillness and protection.
Offerings
- Ghee oblation (in agnihotra-style domestic fire)
- Sesame/oil lamp or simple light offering
- Water or milk (as cooling, settling offerings)
- Stotra (hymn) itself as the primary offering
Frequently Asked Questions
The deity is Rātrī, the goddess Night, praised as a cosmic power who brings rest, safety, and quiet order.
Night is not just darkness; she is a divine protector who gathers energies, settles living beings, and helps both the world and the mind become calm and secure.
It is traditionally suited for evening or before sleep. You can recite it (or key verses) with a lamp or simple prayerful focus, asking for peace, protection, and steady rest.
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