Rig Veda 10.15.6: Mandala 10, Sukta 15, Mantra 6
Sukta 10.15
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Pitṛs
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Karuna (compassion)
आच्या जानु दक्षिणतो निषद्येमं यज्ञमभि गृणीत विश्वे । मा हिंसिष्ट पितरः केन चिन्नो यद्व आगः पुरुषता कराम ॥
ā́cyā jánu dakṣiṇató niṣádya imáṃ yajñám abhí gṛṇīta víśve | mā́ hiṃsiṣṭa pitaraḥ kéna cin no yád va ā́gaḥ puruṣátā kárāma ||
पितरों को बुलाते हैं यहाँ। वो घुटना मोड़ के राइट साइड में बैठ के यज्ञ के ऊपर बोलते हैं। पितरों से दुआ है कि वो हमें किसी तरह चोट न पहुँचे। अगर हमसे इंसानी वजह से कोई गलती हो गई हो, तो वो माफ कर दें।
Word by Word
- आ
- hither; towards (prefix/particle)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (अव्यय)Root आ (उपसर्ग) अथवा आ (निपात)
- च्याः
- may you come/approachVerbआशीर्लिङ्/विधिलिङ्, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप)Root च्य (धातु: च्यव्/च्युत् ‘चलने/पतने’), क्त्वा-आदेश/आशीर्लिङ्-प्रयोगः (वेदिक)
- जानु
- (at) the knee; kneeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः: ‘घुटने’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot जानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दक्षिणतः
- from/on the right sideIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/पार्श्ववाचक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
- नि
- down; in; (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (अव्यय)Root नि (उपसर्ग)
- षद्य
- sit downVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (वेदिक संक्षेप)Root सद् (धातु ‘उपवेशने’)
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice; ritualNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards; over; in regard toIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- गृणीत
- praise; singVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot गृ (धातु ‘स्तुतौ/गायने’)
- विश्वे
- all (of you)Adjective (substantive)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्यय (लोट्/विधिलिङ् सह)Root मा (निषेध)
- हिंसिष्ट
- harm (you all)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (वेदिक)Root हिंस् (धातु ‘हिंसायाम्’)
- पितरः
- O Fathers; ancestorsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- केन
- by what?; by any (means)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- even; at allIndeclinableअव्यय (एव/अपि/कदाचित्-भाव)Root चित् (निपात)
- नः
- us; ourPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role KarmaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- whatever; that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धक)Role KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- व
- indeed; or (Vedic particle)Indeclinableअव्यय (एव/वा/हि-न्यायेन वेदिक)Root व (निपात)
- आगः
- offence; sinNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot आगस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरुषता
- in a human way; through human agencyIndeclinable (adverbial abstract)अव्ययीभाव/भाववाचक तद्धित, अव्ययवत्: ‘मानुषतया’Role KaraṇaRoot पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (तद्धित: भाव/प्रकार)
- कराम
- may I do; I might have doneVerbविधिलिङ् (संभावना/आशीः), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (वेदिक रूप)Root कृ (धातु ‘करणे’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: आच्या॒ जानु॑ दक्षिण॒तो नि॒षद्ये॒मं य॒ज्ञम॒भि गृ॑णीत॒ विश्वे॑ । मा हिं॑सिष्ट पितर॒: केन॑ चिन्नो॒ यद्व॒ आग॑: पुरु॒षता॒ करा॑म ॥ पद-विच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): आ | च्याः | जानु | दक्षिणतः | नि | षद्य | इमम् | यज्ञम् | अभि | गृणीत | विश्वे | मा | हिंसिष्ट | पितरः | केन | चित् | नः | यत् | व | आगः | पुरुषता | कराम । मुख्य सन्धि: (1) निषद्येमम् → नि + षद्य + इमम् (इ-आगम/संहिता-संयोग)
- (2) चिन्नो → चित् + नः (त् + न् → न्न्/नः, संहिता-लोप)
- (3) यद्व → यत् + व (त् + व् → द्व्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Fathers are invited to sit on the right side of the sacrificial space and chant over the rite; the worshipper asks them not to harm the living for any humanly-made fault.
Inner meaning
The Pitṛs are the luminous powers of the ancestral attainment within us—former realizations, established inner formations (saṃskāras) that support the present yoga. “Sitting to the right” indicates taking the right-hand path of the Truth (dakṣiṇa = skill, rightness) and placing the higher, settled consciousness as witness and guide over the inner sacrifice (yajña). The plea “do not wound us” becomes an aspiration that past karmic formations and inherited limitations do not obstruct the current ascent; any “offence” is the inevitable friction of imperfect nature (puruṣatā) as it tries to embody the divine.
Universal truth
Progress is secured when we consciously align with the best of what has been realized before (tradition, inner lineage, accumulated wisdom) and humbly acknowledge human limitation, asking that the past become protection and guidance rather than a binding weight.
Themes
Appeasement, Ritual correctness vs inner sincerity, Forgiveness motif, Right-side auspicious seating
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa line, traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.33, RV 7.86, RV 7.88, RV 10.15 (Pitṛ-sūkta)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha is the archetypal seer of inner harmony with Ṛta (Truth-order) and of the ‘right’ formation of the sacrifice through inspired speech.
Significance
As a ṛṣi of ṛta and vāṇī, Vasiṣṭha frames the Pitṛs not merely as departed kin but as a continuity of realized consciousness that can ‘sit’ in the right place within the adhvaryu of the soul and protect the ascent.
The deity
- Devata
- Pitṛs
- Epithets
- viśve pitaraḥ (all Fathers), kavyāḥ (seer-ancestors, implied in the sūkta context)
- Related deities
- Agni (as carrier of offerings), Yama (lord of the path of the Fathers, later in the hymn), Uṣas (as illumination-seat, next mantra)
Cosmic role
Guardians of lineage and transmitters of the accomplished path; they uphold continuity between the worlds (past attainment → present growth).
Inner power
Stability of realized formations, protection from regression, and right guidance of the inner yajña through inherited light.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pitṛ-yajña / śrāddha-related ancestral offering within śrauta setting; also recitable in domestic remembrance
आच्या॒ जानु॑ दक्षिण॒तो नि॒षद्ये॒मं य॒ज्ञम॒भि गृ॑णीत॒ विश्वे॑ । मा हिं॑सिष्ट पितर॒: केन॑ चिन्नो॒ यद्व॒ आग॑: पुरु॒षता॒ करा॑म ॥
आ॒ऽअच्य॑ । जानु॑ । द॒क्षि॒ण॒तः । नि॒ऽसद्य॑ । इ॒मम् । य॒ज्ञम् । अ॒भि । गृ॒णी॒त॒ । विश्वे॑ । मा । हिं॒सि॒ष्ट॒ । पि॒त॒रः॒ । केन॑ । चि॒त् । नः॒ । यत् । वः॒ । आगः॑ । पु॒रु॒षता॑ । करा॑म ॥
ācya | jānu | dakṣiṇataḥ | ni-sadya | imam | yajñam | abhi | gṛṇīta | viśve | mā | hi ṃsiṣṭa | pitaraḥ | kena | cit | naḥ | yat | vaḥ | āgaḥ | puruṣatā | karāma
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Grave, forward-driving cadence with balanced pauses; suited for invocation and ethical supplication.
Creates a steady ‘upright’ inner posture—humility without weakness—supporting confession, alignment, and protection.
- दक्षिणतः (dakṣiṇataḥ)
- Literal: to the right / from the south-right side. Symbolic: the right-hand movement of right discernment and skill (dakṣa); alignment with the Truth-order
- यज्ञ (yajña)
- Literal: sacrifice, offering. Symbolic: the inner offering of thoughts, desires, and actions into the divine Fire of transformation
- पितरः (pitaraḥ)
- Literal: Fathers, ancestors. Symbolic: ancestral seers/powers: established attainments and guiding inner presences
- आगः (āgaḥ)
- Literal: fault, offence. Symbolic: misalignment with ṛta caused by ignorance or incomplete nature
- पुरुषता (puruṣatā)
- Literal: human-ness. Symbolic: the limitation of the embodied being—finite instruments trying to express the Infinite
Formula of seating the invited powers (dakṣiṇataḥ niṣadya) and requesting non-harm despite ritual/ethical lapses—fits appeasement and harmonization segments in pitṛ rites.
During invocation and seating of the Pitṛs; when offering piṇḍa/oblations and requesting non-harm
Invite the Pitṛs to take their place and ‘over-chant’ (abhi gṛṇīta) the rite; ask forgiveness for lapses
Before meditation or ancestral remembrance: consciously place the ‘best of one’s past’ (values, teachers, lineage) on the right side as inner support; offer one’s errors into a resolve for alignment.
ācyā (absolutive/gerundial sense) related to √ac/√añc ‘bend, move’ with ā-; niṣadya from ni-√sad ‘sit down’; gṛṇīta: 2pl imperative of √gṛ ‘sing, praise’; hiṃsiṣṭa: prohibitive with √hiṃs ‘injure’ (denominative/intensive); āgaḥ ‘offence’ (moral/ritual fault); puruṣatā abstract from puruṣa ‘human’ + -tā, ‘human condition/limitation’—used to frame error as finitude rather than malice.
Kṣamā/forbearance: higher powers asked to transform fault into learning, Human limitation (puruṣatā) as the condition to be perfected toward ṛta
The request ‘do not wound us’ is an appeal to restore harmony with ṛta when human action deviates.
Truth is approached through humility and right placement (dakṣiṇa) of consciousness around the sacrifice.
Not cosmogony but continuity: the ‘past powers’ sustain present becoming.
Proto-Vedāntic and yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): inner yajña as evolutionary transformation.
Bending the knee = ego-surrender; right side = right discernment; seated Fathers = settled higher formations presiding over the inner work.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ancestral tribunal that can bless or wound’: the Pitṛs are invoked as powers who can either harmonize the rite or react to offence. The hymn asks them to choose the benevolent function—turning human limitation into protected progress.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sad ‘sit’ and √gṛ ‘sing’ participate in inherited ritual-poetic actions: sitting as establishing a presence, singing as performative speech. The prohibitive mā + injunctive/imperative (mā hiṃsiṣṭa) is a classic Vedic syntactic strategy for averting harm.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acknowledges asymmetry: the Fathers have authority to sanction; humans are fallible (puruṣatā). Yet the rishi also claims a right to protection through humility and correct invitation—seeking a compassionate alignment rather than fear-based submission.
Reconciliation with one’s past and lineage; inviting supportive ancestral wisdom to preside over the inner offering.
Anahata (reverence/forgiveness)
Nadi-śodhana or slow exhale emphasis while repeating ‘mā hiṃsiṣṭa’ as a release of guilt/defensiveness
Witness-poise with humility; alignment to right will.
Visualize a luminous circle of ‘Fathers’ (past attainments/teachers) seated to your right; offer your present imperfections into the inner fire with a sincere resolve to realign with ṛta.
Vedic accent as per śākhā tradition: observe udatta on marked syllables, anudatta unmarked, svarita contextually; maintain steady triṣṭubh gait.
Keep the lift on accented syllables in ‘dákṣiṇato’, ‘gṛṇīta’, ‘pítaraḥ’; soften and lengthen the plea ‘mā hiṃsiṣṭa’.
Maintain clear retroflex in ‘dakṣiṇataḥ’, Distinct aspiration in ‘hiṃsiṣṭa’, Do not swallow visarga in ‘pitarāḥ’ when reciting in pausa
reverent, steady, slightly lowered pitch on the forgiveness-request
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