Sukta 82
Sukta 10.82
Viśvakarman (traditionally associated with RV 10.82)
Triṣṭubh (probable; standard for many cosmogonic and theistic hymns in Book 10)
RV 10.82 contemplates Viśvakarman as the hidden cosmic artisan who establishes the first boundaries and thereby lets Heaven and Earth widen into ordered space. The hymn moves between praise and inquiry: it honors the ancient seers’ offerings to the Maker, yet warns that mere recitation and speculation can miss the true Creator veiled behind appearances. Its purpose is to re-center ritual and thought on the single formative Intelligence that fashions multiplicity into a coherent whole.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
चक्षुषः पिता मनसा हि धीरो घृतमेने अजनन्नन्नमाने । यदेदन्ता अददृहन्त पूर्व आदिद्द्यावापृथिवी अप्रथेताम् ॥
जिसने नज़र दी, वो पिता है, मन से स्थित है। उसने घी जैसी चमक और अन्न पैदा किया, जब दोनों झुके हुए थे। पहले जब सीमा बनी, तब आसमान और धरती फैल गई।
Mantra 2
विश्वकर्मा विमना आद्विहाया धाता विधाता परमोत संदृक् । तेषामिष्टानि समिषा मदन्ति यत्रा सप्तऋषीन्पर एकमाहुः ॥
विश्वकर्मन, जो ऊपर से सब देखता है, वो ही सब ठीक करता है, सब रखने वाला है, सबसे बड़ा जो है उसे देख सकता है। वहाँ लोग जो माँगते हैं वो मिलता है, जहाँ सात ऋषि एक ही की बात करते हैं।
Mantra 3
यो नः पिता जनिता यो विधाता धामानि वेद भुवनानि विश्वा । यो देवानां नामधा एक एव तं सम्प्रश्नं भुवना यन्त्यन्या ॥
वो हमारा बाप है, हमारा पैदा करने वाला। वो हर जगह जानता है, सारी दुनिया को जानता है। सिर्फ वो एक है जिसने देवियों और देवताओं को उनके नाम दिए। सारी दुनिया उसकी तरफ जा रही है, उससे सवाल पूछने।
Mantra 4
त आयजन्त द्रविणं समस्मा ऋषयः पूर्वे जरितारो न भूना । असूर्ते सूर्ते रजसि निषत्ते ये भूतानि समकृण्वन्निमानि ॥
पुराने रिशि लोगों ने उसको अपनी पूरी ताकत दी। वो लोग जिससे भी मिली चीज़ दे रहे थे, वो सब जमा करके उसको समर्पित कर दिया। वो आसमान और धरती के बीच बैठे थे। उन्होंने यह सारी दुनिया बनाई और सब एक साथ जोड़ दिया।
Mantra 5
परो दिवा पर एना पृथिव्या परो देवेभिरसुरैर्यदस्ति । कं स्विद्गर्भं प्रथमं दध्र आपो यत्र देवाः समपश्यन्त विश्वे ॥
वो आसमान से भी आगे है, धरती से भी आगे है। देवियों और असुर से भी ऊपर है। पहले पानी में क्या था जहाँ सब देवता एक साथ आए थे? वो क्या गर्भ था जहाँ सबने देखा था?
Mantra 6
तमिद्गर्भं प्रथमं दध्र आपो यत्र देवाः समगच्छन्त विश्वे । अजस्य नाभावध्येकमर्पितं यस्मिन्विश्वानि भुवनानि तस्थुः ॥
वो पहला गर्भ पानी में था, जहाँ सब देवता एक साथ आए थे। जो पैदा नहीं हुआ, उसकी नावी पर एक टिकाया हुआ था। उसी पर सारी दुनिया खड़ी है।
Mantra 7
न तं विदाथ य इमा जजानान्यद्युष्माकमन्तरं बभूव । नीहारेण प्रावृता जल्प्या चासुतृप उक्थशासश्चरन्ति ॥
तुम लोग उसको नहीं जानते जिसने यह सब बनाया। तुमसे अलग हो गया वो। धुआँ सा छाया है, बातें भी वह चल रही हैं। जो लोग शब्द पढ़ रहे हैं, वो भटक रहे हैं, उन्हें सच नहीं मिल रहा।
Inside Sukta 82
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn opens with a cosmogonic image: the ‘Father of vision’ brings forth luminous insight and, once the first limits are fixed, Heaven and Earth expand.
- Development
Praise deepens into theological reflection: earlier seers offer gathered power to the Maker, who sits in both the unformed and formed realms and arranges beings into unity.
- Climax
A sharp turn to epistemic humility—humans may not truly know the one who birthed all; something ‘in-between’ veils him, and empty speech replaces tasted essence.
- Where it settles
The hymn resolves by redirecting the listener from mere recitation to inward grasp of the Creator’s essence—seeking true insight rather than mist-covered talk.
The deity: Viśvakarman
- Cosmic functionTo measure, join, and organize: establishing boundaries, separating and supporting Heaven and Earth, and integrating all beings into a single ordered arrangement (ṛta).
- Inner significanceThe formative intelligence in consciousness that turns undifferentiated potential into clear perception, meaningful structure, and integrated action; the ‘builder’ of inner order and right orientation.
The seer
- Viśvakarman (as ṛṣi; traditionally)Personifying the creative principle itself—both seer and deity—Viśvakarman is notable in Book 10 for cosmogonic reflection on how order, form, and measure arise from an unseen source.
Famous verses
चक्षुषः पिता (cakṣuṣaḥ pitā) / ‘Father of vision’त आयजन्त द्रविणं समस्मा ऋषयः पूर्वे जरितारो न भूना । असूर्ते सूर्ते रजसि निषत्ते ये भूतानि समकृण्वन्निमानि ॥नीहारेण प्रावृता (nīhāreṇa prāvṛtā) / ‘covered by mist’Attributes of the deity
- All-forming creator/architect
- Establisher of boundaries and measure
- Source of vision and insight
- Integrator of multiplicity into order
- Hidden/veiled beyond superficial speech
- Associated with ṛta (cosmic order) and skill (karman/śilpa)
Also by this seer
- RV 10.81 (Viśvakarman hymn; closely paired with 10.82)
- Later Vedic and Smṛti traditions expand Viśvakarman as the divine craftsman/architect (śilpin) of the worlds
The rite, step by step
- Saṅkalpa: state the intent—seeking ordered creation, clarity, and successful ‘building’ (inner/outer).
- Ācamana and prāṇāyāma (optional, later practice): settle mind and speech.
- Kindle/attend Agni: offer a small āhuti while reciting an opening verse.
- Recite the sukta (or select key mantras) in Triṣṭubh cadence with focused contemplation on ‘setting the boundaries’.
- Offer oblations with a concluding mantra, asking for integration of powers and removal of obscuring ‘mist’ (nīhāra).
- Śānti/closing: silent reflection on the hidden Maker beyond mere talk; dedicate merit to all beings.
Offerings
- Ghṛta (clarified butter) into Agni
- Soma (where applicable) or symbolic soma offering
- Havis (cooked oblation), grains, or sesame in simplified rites
- Water/flowers in domestic adaptations
Frequently Asked Questions
Viśvakarman is the ‘All-Former’—the cosmic intelligence or artisan who measures and shapes the universe, setting its first limits and ordering all beings.
Creation is not just a physical event but an act of ordering and insight: the true Maker establishes measure and coherence, and we should seek real understanding, not only words.
It warns that people can chant hymns yet remain ‘unsatisfied’ if they do not grasp the essence—being covered by ‘mist’ (confusion) and ‘idle talk’ instead of direct insight.
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