Rig Veda 10.40.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 40, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.40
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Karuna (compassion)
कुह स्विद्दोषा कुह वस्तोरश्विना कुहाभिपित्वं करतः कुहोषतुः । को वां शयुत्रा विधवेव देवरं मर्यं न योषा कृणुते सधस्थ आ ॥
kúha svíd doṣā́ kúha vástoḥ aśvinā kúhābhipitváṃ karatáḥ kúhoṣatuḥ | kó vāṃ śayutrā́ vidhávéva deváraṃ máryaṃ ná yóṣā kṛṇute sadhástha ā́ ||
अश्विनो, रात को कहाँ हो, सुबह कहाँ हो? कहाँ मिलके बैठते हो, कहाँ रेस्ट करते हो? कौन तुम्हारे लिए जगह तैयार करता है? जैसे कोई विधवा अपने देवर को ढूँढती है, जैसे कोई लड़का अपना प्यारा बुलाता है, वैसे कोई तुम्हारे लिए जगह सजाता है ताकि तुम उस घर में आ सको।
Word by Word
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (स्थान/काल-प्रश्न)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- स्वित्
- indeed? / prayIndeclinableनिपात (प्रश्न/अनिश्चितता-बल)Root स्वित् (निपात)
- दोषा
- nightNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot दोषा (प्रातिपदिक)
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- वस्तोः
- of dawn / of daybreakNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (वेदे ‘वस्तु’), षष्ठी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वस्तु/वस्तु (वस्तु/वस्तु-सम्बद्ध ‘वस्तु’ > ‘वस्तु’/‘वस्तु’), वस्तु-कालः ‘वस्तु’ = उषः/प्रभात (वेद.)
- अश्विना
- O AśvinsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन द्विवचन (हे अश्विनौ)Role SampradānaRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- अभिपित्वम्
- meeting / close companionshipNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अभि-पित्व (प्रातिपदिक; पि/पा ‘पान’ से ‘पित्व’ = पान/पान-सम्बन्ध; वेद. ‘अभिपित्व’ = सहवास/संगमन/निकट-वास)
- करथः
- you two make / doVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRoot कृ (धातु)
- कुह
- where?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कुह (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- उषतुः
- you two dwell / have stayedVerbलिट्/लुङ्-प्रयोगवत् वेदिक-रूप; मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपद (अर्थः: ‘वसथः/उषितवन्तौ’)Root वस् (धातु; वेद. ‘उष्/वस्’ = वसति/रात्रौ निवासः; रूप ‘उषतुः’ = वसथः)
- कः
- who?Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot क (प्रश्न-सर्वनाम)
- वाम्
- of you two / you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया द्विवचन (वेद. ‘वाम्’ = ‘युवयोः/युवाम्’)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- शयुत्रा
- with a bed / as a couchNoun/Adjectiveनपुंसक/स्त्री (वेद. प्रयोग), तृतीया एकवचन (अव्ययीभाववत् ‘शयुत्रा’ = शयनेन/शय्या-रूपेण)Role KaraṇaRoot शयुत्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शयु’/‘शय’ से, वेद. ‘शयुत्र’ = शयन-स्थान/शय्या-सम्बन्ध)
- विधवा
- a widowNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot विधवा (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- likeIndeclinableउपमार्थक-अव्ययRoot इव (उपमा-अव्यय)
- देवरम्
- a brother-in-lawNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot देवर (प्रातिपदिक)
- मर्यम्
- a young man / suitorNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- as / likeIndeclinableउपमार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (उपमा-अव्यय)
- योषा
- a young womanNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot योषा (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृणुते
- makes / fashionsVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot कृ (धातु)
- सधस्थे
- in the common seat / at the shared placeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot सधस्थ (प्रातिपदिक; वेद. ‘सधस्थ’ = सह-स्थान/सभा/आसन)
- आ
- hither / indeed (particle)Indeclinableनिपात (समाप्ति/आह्वान/प्रवृत्ति)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): कुह स्वित् दोषा | कुह वस्तोः अश्विना | कुह अभिपित्वम् करथः | कुह उषतुः || कः वाम् शयुत्रा | विधवा इव देवरम् | मर्यम् न योषा कृणुते | सधस्थे आ || 1) स्विद्दोषा = स्वित् + दोषा (द्-आगम/संयोग)
- 2) वस्तो॑र॒श्विना॒ = वस्तोः + अश्विना (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- 3) कुहा॑भिपि॒त्वं = कुह + अभिपित्वम् (अ-आ संधि)
- 4) कुहो॑षतुः = कुह + उषतुः (उ-आदि संधि)
- 5) वि॒धवे॑व = विधवा + इव (आ + इ → ए)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Where are you at night, where at dawn, O Aśvins? Where do you make close union, where do you rest? Who prepares your seat of companionship—as a widow seeks her brother-in-law, as a maiden prepares her beloved—so that you may come to the common dwelling?
Inner meaning
The repeated ‘where?’ is the seeker’s intense inquiry into the hidden movements of divine aid: in which states (night = ignorance, dawn = awakening) do the Aśvins operate? Where do they ‘unite closely’—where does the human consciousness most intimately join these powers? ‘Where do you rest?’ asks where they are established in us as a stable presence. The ‘seat of companionship’ is the prepared inner foundation (sadhastha): a purified vital-emotional space and a clarified mind where divine forces can sit and act. The widow/maiden images express longing and readiness: the soul’s urgent need (widow’s seeking) and the pure aspiration’s joyful preparation (maiden’s readiness) that invite the divine to the shared inner home.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress deepens when inquiry becomes intimate: we learn to recognize where divine help operates, and we prepare within ourselves a stable seat—through longing, sincerity, and inner readiness—so higher powers can dwell and work.
Themes
yearning inquiry, divine intimacy, preparation of the inner seat, threshold consciousness
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.40.1-14
Significance
This is a mantra of seeking and preparation: it turns devotion into a psychological question—where in me do the gods meet me?—and makes readiness (seat-making) central.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- aśvinā (twin lords of swift help)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (dawn), Rātri (night, as state-symbol), Agni (preparer of inner seat through purification)
Cosmic role
They move through night and dawn, bridging states; they unite with the sacrificer and take their seat in the rite.
Inner power
Capacity to enter intimate contact with the seeker and to establish a stable, healing presence across changing inner states.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin invocation with interrogative praise; used to draw attention to the deities’ hidden movements and invite their presence
कुह॑ स्विद्दो॒षा कुह॒ वस्तो॑र॒श्विना॒ कुहा॑भिपि॒त्वं क॑रत॒: कुहो॑षतुः । को वां॑ शयु॒त्रा वि॒धवे॑व दे॒वरं॒ मर्यं॒ न योषा॑ कृणुते स॒धस्थ॒ आ ॥
कुह॑ । स्वि॒त् । दो॒षा । कुह॑ । वस्तोः॑ । अ॒श्विना॑ । कुह॑ । अ॒भि॒ऽपि॒त्वम् । क॒र॒तः॒ । कुह॑ । ऊ॒ष॒तुः॒ । कः । वा॒म् । श॒यु॒ऽत्रा । वि॒धवा॑ऽइव । दे॒वर॑म् । मर्य॑म् । न । योषा॑ । कृ॒णु॒ते॒ । स॒धऽस्थे॑ । आ ॥
kuha | svit | doṣā | kuha | vastoḥ | aśvinā | kuha | abhi-pitvam | karataḥ | kuha | ūṣatuḥ | kaḥ | vām | śayu-trā | vidhavāiva | devaram | maryam | na | yoṣā | kṛṇute | sadha-sthe | ā
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4 × ~12
Interrogative and circling—repetition of ‘kuha’ creates a searching cadence.
Induces inward questioning and subtle yearning; the mind turns from external to internal location of the divine.
- दोषा (doṣā)
- Literal: night. Symbolic: state of obscurity/ignorance; subconscious heaviness
- वस्तोः (vastor)
- Literal: dawn. Symbolic: awakening, opening of light
- अभिपित्वम् (abhipitvam)
- Literal: close union/intimacy. Symbolic: inner conjunction of human and divine consciousness
- ऊषतुः (ūṣatuḥ)
- Literal: you rest/dwell. Symbolic: stable establishment of higher force in the being
- शयुत्रा (śayutrā)
- Literal: bed/seat of lying; couch. Symbolic: prepared foundation for divine presence; inner receptacle
- सधस्थ (sadhastha)
- Literal: common seat/dwelling-place. Symbolic: shared inner home where human nature and divine force meet
- विधवा-इव (vidhavā-iva)
- Literal: like a widow. Symbolic: intense need, sense of lack that turns wholly to the Divine
- योषा (yoṣā) / मर्य (marya)
- Literal: maiden / young man. Symbolic: aspiration preparing for union with the inner Beloved
Interrogative invitation hymn; used to intensify yearning and establish intimacy (abhipitva) with the Aśvins across night/dawn transitions.
Night-to-dawn junctions; also reflective recitation in evening sandhyā
Āvāhana through questioning; preparing the ‘seat’ in the rite (mentally and ritually)
A contemplation mantra for those who feel ‘Where is the help?’—used to shift from complaint to inner preparation and receptivity.
doṣā ‘night’ marks the dark interval; vastoḥ (from vas ‘dwell’, or the ‘dawn/evening’ turn in RV usage) indicates liminal times. abhi-pitva denotes nearness/intimacy (pitva related to ‘being together, companionship’ in Vedic). śayu-trā from √śī/śay ‘lie, rest’ indicates a resting-place/bed, metaphorically the prepared inner seat. sadhasthe ‘common place’ (sadha ‘together’ + stha ‘stand’) is the shared sacrificial ground—psychologically, the integrated field of the being.
liminality (threshold states of consciousness), union/abhipitva (divine-human conjunction), prepared receptacle (inner seat)
The gods’ movements across states imply an order (Ṛta) that can be discovered by inner inquiry.
To find where they ‘rest’ is to establish truth as a stable presence, not a passing experience.
Union (abhipitva) as a creative act—new consciousness is born from intimate conjunction.
Bhakti-tinged yoga of inquiry; anticipates Upaniṣadic inward turn (‘where is it seated?’).
night and dawn (explicit)
Night = ignorance/subconscient; dawn = awakening; seat = stable inner base; union = yogic conjunction.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The sought-after presence of the gods across night and dawn and the preparation of their ‘bed/seat’: a mythologem of divine intimacy expressed through human relational metaphors. Inner sense: the soul-nature prepares a receptive locus where the Aśvins can unite with and restore the being, especially through transitions from obscurity to light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The shared-place term sadhasthe uses stha ‘stand’ (PIE *steh₂-). The relational metaphors (widow/maiden/beloved) show archaic Indo-European poetics where social institutions supply spiritual imagery, though the lexemes themselves are specifically Indo-Aryan developments.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi dramatizes longing and unfulfilled contact to compel manifestation: the gods are not distant abstractions but intimate powers whose ‘resting place’ must be prepared. The reciprocity is: human readiness and yearning → divine closeness (abhipitva) and restorative presence.
Ask inwardly: ‘Where in me are you at night? Where at dawn?’ Observe the shift from dullness to clarity. Then consciously ‘prepare the seat’: relax the belly, soften the heart, quiet the mind, and invite intimate guidance.
svādhiṣṭhāna (relational longing purified) supported by anāhata (devotional receptivity)
Gentle bhrāmarī (5 rounds) to soothe the inner ‘night’, then silent breath; chant once, then sit with the question ‘Where do you rest in me?’
Yearning-to-receptive: from searching mind to intimate quiet.
Do not force an answer. Let the question refine attention. End by offering one inner place (heart or brow) as ‘sadhastha’—a shared dwelling for higher help.
Rigvedic accents; interrogatives ‘kuha’ naturally take a light udatta-like lift; keep the overall tone questioning, not agitated.
Each ‘kuha’ should be clear and slightly rising, then settle; soften on ‘sadhastha ā’ as an inviting landing.
kuha: clean ‘k’ and short ‘u’, abhipitvam: keep ‘bh’ aspirated; ‘tv’ cluster distinct, vidhaveva: articulate ‘dh’ and the ‘eva’ glide
Inquiring, intimate, slightly hushed (as at night turning toward dawn).
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