Rig Veda 10.72.8: Mandala 10, Sukta 72, Mantra 8
Sukta 10.72
- Rishi
- Bṛhaspati / Angirasa-tradition
- Devata
- Aditi
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Karuna (compassion)
अष्टौ पुत्रासो अदितेर्ये जातास्तन्वस्परि । देवाँ उप प्रैत्सप्तभिः परा मार्ताण्डमास्यत् ॥
aṣṭáu putrā́so ádite r yé jātā́s tanvàḥ pári | devā́ṃ upa práit saptábhiḥ párā mārtā́ṇḍam ā́syat ||
अदिति के आठ बेटे थे, सब उसकी गोद से पैदा हुए। सात बेटे वो देवियों के पास ले गई। लेकिन आठवाँ बेटा मार्तंड था, उसको वो पीछे छोड़ दिया। वो अभी तक इंसान जैसा था, देवियों के बीच रहने के लिए तैय्यार नहीं।
Word by Word
- अष्टौ
- eightAdjective (Numeral)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचन (पुत्रासः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (पुत्रासः-कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्)Root अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुत्रासः
- sonsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अदितेः
- of AditiNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः) / GenitiveRoot अदिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- ये
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (पुत्रासः इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धी)Role Kartā (सम्बन्ध-कर्तृपद-निर्देशकः)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- जाताः
- bornParticiple (Past passive participle used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (पुत्रासः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (पुत्रासः-कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्)Root √जन् (जनि) → जात (क्त-कृदन्त)
- तन्वः
- from (her) bodyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (परि इत्यनेन सह: ‘तन्वः परि’ = ‘तनू-परितः/तनूतः’)Role Apādāna (परि-योगे ‘from/around the body’ इत्यर्थे) / SourceRoot तनू (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- from/aroundIndeclinable (Preverb/Adverb)अव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग-सम्बन्धः)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप
- towards, nearIndeclinable (Preverb)अव्ययRole (उपसर्गः)Root उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- प्र
- forthIndeclinable (Preverb)अव्ययRole (उपसर्गः)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ऐत्
- wentVerbलुङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)Root √इ (गम्-अर्थे) → एत्/ऐत् (लुङ्/इञ्ज्-अग्मेंटयुक्तः)
- सप्तभिः
- with sevenAdjective (Numeral)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन (देवान् इत्यस्य सहचर-निर्देशः)Role Sahakāri/Karaṇa (सह-भावः: ‘with seven’)Root सप्तन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- परा
- away, asideIndeclinable (Preverb/Adverb)अव्ययRole (उपसर्गः)Root परा (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
- मार्ताण्डम्
- MārtāṇḍaNoun (Proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मार्ताण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; आदित्य-विशेषः)
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinable (Preverb)अव्ययRole (उपसर्गः)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अस्यत्
- cast/put awayVerbलुङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)Root √अस् (क्षेपणे ‘to throw’) → अस्यत् (लुङ्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अष्टौ | पुत्रासः | अदितेः | ये | जाताः | तन्वः | परि || देवान् | उप | प्र | ऐत् | सप्तभिः | परा | मार्ताण्डम् | आ | अस्यत् || सन्धि-विशेषाः: (1) अदितेर्ये = अदितेः + ये (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः, यकारादौ)
- (2) जातास्तन्वस्परि = जाताः + तन्वः + परि (विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि-समास-प्रवृत्तिः; पदपाठे पृथक्)
- (3) देवान् उप प्रैत् = देवान् + उप + प्र + ऐत् (प्र + ऐत् → प्रैत्; उपसर्ग-संयोगः)
- (4) सप्तभिः परा = सप्तभिः + परा (विसर्गः पदान्ते)
- (5) मार्ताण्डमा॑स्यत् = मार्ताण्डम् + आ + अस्यत् (म् + आ → मा; उपसर्ग ‘आ’ धातोः पूर्वम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Aditi bears eight sons. With seven she goes to the gods; the eighth, Mārtāṇḍa, she casts away as not fit for the divine assembly.
Inner meaning
Aditi (the Infinite Consciousness) projects powers of her own substance. Seven are harmonized powers that can stand in the ‘assembly of the gods’ (the organized divine consciousness). The eighth, Mārtāṇḍa, is the still-mortal formation—an incomplete or unassimilated solar principle (ego-bound or death-bound individuality) that cannot yet enter the perfected divine order. The ‘casting away’ is not rejection but a necessary separation: the mortal element must be worked out in evolution before it can be integrated.
Universal truth
Spiritual manifestation proceeds by graded unfoldment: some powers of consciousness are immediately compatible with the higher order, while a residual mortal formation must undergo transformation. What is ‘not yet fit’ is not evil; it is unfinished and therefore temporarily set apart for further becoming.
Themes
Ādityas, Aditi mythology, Mortality and transformation, Cosmic selection
The seer
- Rishi
- Bṛhaspati (Angirasa-tradition)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 10.72 (creation/Āditya cycle), RV 2.23 (Bṛhaspati hymns; Angirasa illumination theme)
Family tradition
Angirasa/Bṛhaspatya line associated with the discovery of hidden light (cows) and the building of the inner Word (brahman) that opens the worlds.
Significance
In the Aurobindonian reading, the Angirasas are pioneers of the inner sacrifice: they recover the lost rays of knowledge and establish the divine order (ṛta) in the human being. This verse encodes a key evolutionary tension: the divine-born powers vs. the yet-mortal formation.
The deity
- Devata
- Aditi (with the Ādityas; Mārtāṇḍa motif)
- Epithets
- Anantā (boundless), Devamātṛ (mother of the gods), Aditir dyauḥ (as infinite heaven, in later identifications)
- Related deities
- Ādityas (Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, etc.), Sūrya (solar consciousness), Uṣas (illumination)
Cosmic role
Matrix of the Ādityas—upholders of cosmic law and wide order; source of luminous, law-bearing consciousness.
Inner power
Vastness, freedom from division, the capacity to birth and integrate higher powers while also holding the field for transformation of mortality.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aditi/Āditya contexts; explanatory myth for solar and immortality symbolism; used as reflective ground for rites aspiring beyond mṛtyu (death).
अ॒ष्टौ पु॒त्रासो॒ अदि॑ते॒र्ये जा॒तास्त॒न्व१॒॑स्परि॑ । दे॒वाँ उप॒ प्रैत्स॒प्तभि॒: परा॑ मार्ता॒ण्डमा॑स्यत् ॥
अ॒ष्टौ । पु॒त्रासः॑ । अदि॑तेः । ये । जा॒ताः । त॒न्वः॑ । परि॑ । दे॒वान् । उप॑ । प्र । ऐ॒त् । स॒प्तऽभिः॑ । परा॑ । मा॒र्ता॒ण्डम् । आ॒स्य॒त् ॥
aṣṭau | putrāsaḥ | aditeḥ | ye | jātāḥ | tanvaḥ | pari | devān | upa | pra | ait | sapta-bhiḥ | parā | mārtāṇḍam | āsyat
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, declarative, suited to cosmic statement and evolutionary drama.
Creates a steady ascent and emphasis on decisive turns (the ‘seven’ vs ‘eighth’ contrast), supporting contemplation of inclusion/exclusion and the work of transformation.
- अदिति (aditi)
- Literal: Aditi, the ‘unbound’ mother of the gods. Symbolic: Infinite consciousness; boundless being that births divine powers
- अष्टौ (aṣṭau)
- Literal: eight. Symbolic: Fullness of manifestation including a transitional/mortal remainder
- सप्तभिः (saptabhiḥ)
- Literal: with seven. Symbolic: Completed heptad of harmonized divine powers (ordered consciousness)
- देवान् उप प्र ऐत् (devān upa pra ait)
- Literal: approached/went forward to the gods. Symbolic: Entry of powers into the divine plane/organized illumination
- मार्ताण्ड (mārtāṇḍa)
- Literal: Mārtāṇḍa (often ‘dead egg’/mortal sun). Symbolic: Mortal solar formation: individuality still subject to death/limitation
- आस्यत् (āsyat)
- Literal: cast/put away. Symbolic: Separation for evolutionary working-out; postponement of divine integration
Aditi/Āditya contexts; explanatory myth for solar and immortality symbolism; used as reflective ground for rites aspiring beyond mṛtyu (death).
Creation/Āditya-themed recitations; reflective portions of Soma liturgy and pravargya-adjacent cosmological contemplation in some traditions (non-exclusive).
Recitation to invoke law-bearing powers and wideness; supports the ‘ordering’ intention in the sacrifice.
Meditation on the ‘unfinished part’ of oneself: recognize what is ready for higher alignment (the seven) and what must be patiently transformed (the Mārtāṇḍa element).
‘mortal’ from √mṛ ‘die’; Mārtāṇḍa traditionally interpreted as a ‘dead egg’/abortive embryo or mortal sun-form—mythically an excluded eighth Āditya. tanū ‘body’ indicates substance/being. The number symbolism (seven accepted + one rejected) encodes a transition from mortality to divinity.
immortality vs mortality, selection/refinement of powers, divine completeness with an excluded remainder
The Ādityas represent the powers that can stand in ṛta; Mārtāṇḍa symbolizes the portion not yet aligned with ṛta.
Truth is progressive manifestation: what is born of the Infinite may still appear in time as incomplete and must become true to its origin.
Emanation of divine powers and the evolutionary handling of mortality within manifestation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: manifestation as graded self-unfolding of the Infinite.
The ‘solar’ consciousness in us is partly luminous and partly mortal/obscured; the obscured portion is temporarily set aside for further maturation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘eighth son cast away’: Aditi brings forth eight powers; seven are received among the Gods, while Mārtāṇḍa—linked with mortality—is excluded. The myth encodes a spiritual discrimination: only the fully luminous powers enter the divine order; the mortal formation must be transformed before inclusion.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The mortality lexeme (mṛ/ martyá) reflects PIE *mer- ‘to die’ (Latin mori, English mortal). The solar genealogy motif parallels IE traditions where a solar figure mediates mortality/immortality.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi reads the myth as inner psychology: within the seeker, multiple divine capacities arise from the Infinite, but one element remains ‘mortal’—bound to decay and limitation—and must be set aside or reworked before the consciousness can dwell among the Gods.
Contemplate the Infinite (Aditi) as the ground of being and identify the ‘mortal formation’ in oneself that resists full alignment.
Anāhata–Ājñā axis (vastness of heart rising to illumined mind).
Nadi-śodhana (gentle) to balance the ‘seven’ harmonized currents before sitting in stillness.
Witnessing wideness with evolutionary patience; non-violent clarity toward inner resistance.
Journal two lists after chanting: (1) capacities already aligned with truth (seven), (2) one recurrent mortal pattern (Mārtāṇḍa). Offer the second into inner Agni as a long-term tapas, not a short-term self-attack.
Triṣṭubh recitation with standard Vedic accents: udatta peaks on key nouns (e.g., áṣṭau, áditiḥ/áditeḥ, devā́n), with anudatta support and svarita falls as marked in śākhā tradition.
Keep clear rise on udatta syllables; do not over-musicalize—let the cadence mark the contrast ‘saptabhiḥ … parā mārtāṇḍam’.
Maintain retroflex ṇ in mārtāṇḍa, Keep consonant clusters clean: saptabhiḥ with crisp -pt-, Lengthen ā properly: devān, prait, āsyat
Steady, spacious, slightly solemn; widen the tone on ‘aditeḥ’ and ‘devān’.
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