Sukta 5
Sukta 10.5
Dīrghatamas Āucathya (traditional for RV 10.5)
Jagatī (probable for RV 10.5; many verses are Jagatī in indices)
This enigmatic hymn contemplates a single hidden cosmic principle—experienced as Agni-Sūrya, the inner fire and the solar seer—who upholds abundance like an “ocean” and reveals the secret track placed within the fountain of life. It moves through the imagery of concealed nourishment, the pathways of Ṛta (truth-order), and the cosmogonic embrace of being and non-being in Aditi’s vastness, culminating in Agni as the first-born of Ṛta and the source of both force and plenty.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
एकः समुद्रो धरुणो रयीणामस्मद्धृदो भूरिजन्मा वि चष्टे । सिषक्त्यूधर्निण्योरुपस्थ उत्सस्य मध्ये निहितं पदं वेः ॥
समुंदर एक है, वो सब कुछ संभालता है। हमारे दिल से वो पैदा होता है, बार-बार जनम लेता है, और सब दिखा देता है। वो छुपा हुआ जगह में दूध का स्रोत लगाता है। उत्स के बीच में उसने मार्ग रखा है।
Mantra 2
समानं नीळं वृषणो वसानाः सं जग्मिरे महिषा अर्वतीभिः । ऋतस्य पदं कवयो नि पान्ति गुहा नामानि दधिरे पराणि ॥
सब मिलकर एक ही घोंसले में रहते हैं, बड़े बलवान पुरुष। वो अपने घोड़ों के साथ आए हैं। रिशि लोग सत्य के मार्ग की रक्षा करते हैं। उन्होंने छुप के सबसे बड़े नाम रख लिए हैं।
Mantra 3
ऋतायिनी मायिनी सं दधाते मित्वा शिशुं जज्ञतुर्वर्धयन्ती । विश्वस्य नाभिं चरतो ध्रुवस्य कवेश्चित्तन्तुं मनसा वियन्तः ॥
जो सच्चे नियम से चलता है और जो शक्ति से काम करता है, वो दोनों मिल जाते हैं। वो नाप के एक बच्चे को जन्म देते हैं और उसे बड़े करते हैं। यह पूरी दुनिया के बीच में चलते हैं, जो पक्का है। रिशि भी अपने मन से एक धागा बुन रहे हैं।
Mantra 4
ऋतस्य हि वर्तनयः सुजातमिषो वाजाय प्रदिवः सचन्ते । अधीवासं रोदसी वावसाने घृतैरन्नैर्वावृधाते मधूनाम् ॥
सच्चे नियम के रास्ते अच्छे पैदा हुए लोगों के पास जाते हैं। आगे की तरफ से ताकत आती है। दोनों दुनिया अपने आप को ढाक लेते हैं और घी और मीठी चीज़ों से बड़ी होती हैं।
Mantra 5
सप्त स्वसॄररुषीर्वावशानो विद्वान्मध्व उज्जभारा दृशे कम् । अन्तर्येमे अन्तरिक्षे पुराजा इच्छन्वव्रिमविदत्पूषणस्य ॥
जगा हुआ और जाननेवाला भगवान ने मीठी चीज़ों से सात बहनें ऊपर उठाई हैं। वो हमारी नज़र के सामने लाई हैं। यह पुरानी बहनें आसमान के बीच में थी। पूषण की छुपी हुई जगह ढूंढते हुए उसने उसे पा लिया।
Mantra 6
सप्त मर्यादाः कवयस्ततक्षुस्तासामेकामिदभ्यंहुरो गात् । आयोर्ह स्कम्भ उपमस्य नीळे पथां विसर्गे धरुणेषु तस्थौ ॥
रिशियों ने सात पक्की सीमा बनाई। इनमें से एक ही रास्ता इतना तंग है कि पार कर सकता है। वहाँ सबसे बड़े स्तंभ छुपा हुआ खड़ा है। वो रास्तों के खुलने में और पक्के बसे में टिका हुआ है।
Mantra 7
असच्च सच्च परमे व्योमन्दक्षस्य जन्मन्नदितेरुपस्थे । अग्निर्ह नः प्रथमजा ऋतस्य पूर्व आयुनि वृषभश्च धेनुः ॥
जो नहीं है और जो है, दोनों ऊपर आसमान में मिले हुए हैं। यह दक्ष के जन्म में और अदिति की गोद में है। वहाँ अग्नि हमारे लिए सच के पहले पैदा हुए में से एक है। वो बहुत पुराना है, और उसमें ताकत और खूबियों दोनों है।
Inside Sukta 5
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
A single sustaining reality is proclaimed—an ‘ocean’ of plenitudes—known from within the heart and indicated through secret symbols of nourishment and a hidden path.
- Development
The hymn elaborates the concealed mechanics of Ṛta: impulses and powers join the well-born order; Heaven and Earth are ‘clothed’ and grow through ghee, food, and sweetness—images of both ritual and cosmic nutrition.
- Climax
The paradox of asat and sat held together in the highest heaven, in Dakṣa’s birth within Aditi’s lap—cosmogony stated as a unity of opposites.
- Where it settles
Agni is affirmed as the first-born of Ṛta, ancient in life, simultaneously bull (force) and cow (abundance), leaving the listener anchored in a practical-theological certainty: the hidden source is accessible through Ṛta.
The deity: Hidden One
- Cosmic functionTo found and maintain Ṛta (truth-order), mediate between the worlds, and generate nourishment, light, and intelligibility—making the hidden source of plenitude accessible through the right path.
- Inner significanceThe inward flame of insight that turns the heart into a seer: it discovers the concealed ‘footing’ (pada) of truth within experience, reconciles opposites (asat/sat), and transforms desire and impulse into ordered understanding.
The seer
- Dīrghatamas ĀucathyaĀucathya (connected with the Ucathya/Angirasa-associated seer families in later tradition) · A visionary poet of highly symbolic, “riddle-like” hymns that probe cosmogony, Ṛta, and the hidden workings of speech and light; he is especially known for paradoxical formulations and layered imagery.
Famous verses
ekaḥ samudro dharuṇo rayīṇām
ऋतस्य हि वर्तनयः सुजातमिषो वाजाय प्रदिवः सचन्ते । अधीवासं रोदसी वावसाने घृतैरन्नैर्वावृधाते मधूनाम् ॥asac ca sac ca parame vyoman
Attributes of the deity
- One-yet-many (ekaḥ… bhūrijanmā)
- Hidden nourishment (udder in the secret seat)
- Ṛta-path maker (vartanayaḥ of Ṛta)
- Cosmogonic polarity-holder (asat and sat together)
- Agni as first-born of Ṛta
- Bestower of abundance (bull-force and cow-plenty)
Also by this seer
- Rig Veda Mandala 1 hymns traditionally linked to Dīrghatamas (notably the riddle/cosmogony cluster such as RV 1.164 in later attributions)
- Hymns and verses cited in later Vedic-Brāhmaṇa discussions as examples of cryptic (parokṣa) expression and symbolic theology
The rite, step by step
- Ācamana and sankalpa: establish intention to align with Ṛta and awaken inner Agni
- Kindle or attend the household/sacrificial fire (Agni), maintaining silence briefly for inward ‘heart-seeing’ (hṛdā dṛṣṭi)
- Recite RV 10.5 verses with attention to key symbols (ocean, fountain, track/pada, Ṛta-paths)
- Offer oblations while contemplating the ‘hidden udder’ as the concealed source of nourishment and clarity
- Conclude with a short prayer for Ṛta-guidance (right path), abundance, and steadiness of mind
- Śānti/closing: dedicate the fruit of the rite to universal order and well-being
Offerings
- Ghee (ghṛta) as primary oblation
- Milk or milk-products (symbolic resonance with udder/cow imagery, where appropriate)
- Grain or simple food-offering (anna) as ‘nourishment of Ṛta’
- Optional: soma-substitute offerings in later practice (where tradition permits)
Frequently Asked Questions
The hymn does not focus on a single named god in a simple way. It points to a hidden cosmic principle expressed through Agni (inner fire) and Sūrya-like seership, closely tied to Ṛta (truth-order).
It suggests that the highest reality holds together opposites that the ordinary mind separates. The hymn places both sat (manifest existence) and asat (unmanifest or not-yet) within the supreme expanse, in Aditi’s boundlessness.
These are symbols for concealed nourishment and guidance. The ‘udder’ represents the hidden source of plenty, the ‘fountain’ the wellspring of life, and the ‘track/pada’ the discoverable path of Ṛta that the seeker can follow through insight and right ritual.
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