Rig Veda 10.87.15: Mandala 10, Sukta 87, Mantra 15
Sukta 10.87
- Rishi
- Kavya Uśanas
- Devata
- Collective Devas with Agni’s agency implied
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
पराद्य देवा वृजिनं शृणन्तु प्रत्यगेनं शपथा यन्तु तृष्टाः । वाचास्तेनं शरव ऋच्छन्तु मर्मन्विश्वस्यैतु प्रसितिं यातुधानः ॥
párādyá devā́ vṛjináṃ śṛṇantu prátyág enaṃ śápathā yantu tṛṣṭā́ḥ | vācā́stenaṃ śárava ṛ́cchantu márman víśvasyaitu prásitiṃ yātudhā́naḥ ||
आज देवता लोग बुरी हरकत को दूर करें। जो बुरा शब्द बोले उसका फल उसको मिले। बोली का तीर उस चोर के जोड़ों में लगे जो शब्द चुराता है। यातुधन फंस जाए जगह की जाल में।
Word by Word
- परा
- away, forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot परा (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अद्य
- today, nowIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकारण (काल)Root अद्य (अव्यय)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृजिनम्
- evil, sin, wrongdoingNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वृजिन (प्रातिपदिक)
- शृणन्तु
- let them hearVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot श्रु (धातु)
- प्रति
- back, againstIndeclinableअव्ययRoot प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अगेनम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (एनम्) — वैदिक रूप: अगेनम् = एनम् (अग्-आगम/प्रग्रह)Role कर्मRoot एन (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अ (प्राग्रह/अग्-प्रत्ययात्मक रूप)
- शपथाः
- oaths, cursesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot शपथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यन्तु
- let them go/comeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot या (धातु)
- तृष्टाः
- thirsting, parched (eager to strike)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; भूतकृत (PPP) — ‘तृष्’ सेRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot तृष् (धातु) → तृष्ट (कृदन्त, भूतकृत) / तृष्ट (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाचा
- with speech/wordNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तेनम्
- the thiefNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्तेन (प्रातिपदिक)
- शरवः
- arrows, missilesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot शरव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋच्छन्तु
- let them reach/strikeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot ऋच्छ्/ऋ (गम्-अर्थे; धातु)
- मर्मन्
- in the vital spot, in the joint/marrowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (वैदिक/छान्दस रूप; ‘मर्मणि’ का स्थानापन्न)Role अधिकारणRoot मर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वस्य
- of all, of the wholeAdjectiveपुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- एतु
- let (it/he) goVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष; एकवचनRoot इ (धातु)
- प्रसितिम्
- the binding/noose; snare; fetterNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रसिती/प्रसिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- यातुधानः
- the Yātudhāna (demon, sorcerer)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यातुधान (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved Vedic sandhi/pada-splitting: परा॒द्य → परा + अद्य
- प्र॒त्यगे॑नं → प्रति + अगेनम् (वैदिक रूप; अर्थतः ‘प्रति एनम्’ = ‘against him’)
- वा॒चास्ते॑नं → वाचा + स्तेनम्
- मर्म॒न्विश्व॑स्य → मर्मन् + विश्वस्य (छान्दस सप्तमी ‘मर्मन्’)
- एतु॒ प्रसि॑तिं → एतु + प्रसितिम्
- Accent marks (उदात्त/स्वरित/अनुदात्त) preserved in source but not re-applied per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let the gods drive away crooked evil today; let sharpened curses recoil upon him. Let the arrows of speech strike the thief of the Word in the vital joints; let the yātudhāna go into the universal snare.
Inner meaning
The collective Devas (powers of truth) are invoked to expel vṛjina (crookedness) from the field. Any misused curse-force is asked to return upon the source—psychologically, negative formations rebound to the egoic distortion that emitted them. The ‘thief of the Word’ (vācā-stena) is the power that steals authentic speech and replaces it with manipulation, self-deception, or false mantra. The ‘arrows of speech’ are precise truth-vibrations that strike at the marman—vital joints: key points where prāṇa and desire articulate. Finally the yātudhāna is delivered to ‘viśvasya prasiti’—the universal net/snare: the inescapable law of ṛta/karma that binds and neutralizes hostile formations when exposed.
Universal truth
Truth has a self-protecting law: distortions recoil, and when false speech is exposed by precise discernment, the universal order reabsorbs and neutralizes it.
Themes
Recoil of curses, Protection of mantra, Cosmic law as snare, Defeat of crookedness
The seer
- Rishi
- Kavya Uśanas
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (traditional association)
- Other hymns
- RV 10.87.1-17
Family tradition
Mastery of speech as force; emphasis on ṛta’s net and the recoil of falsehood.
Significance
Uśanas highlights the moral-energetic mechanics of truth: what is crooked is driven out; false speech is struck at its prāṇic joints; ṛta binds the hostile.
The deity
- Devata
- Collective Devas (with Agni’s agency implied)
- Epithets
- Guardians of ṛta, Powers of jyotis, Protectors of Satya
- Related deities
- Agni (executor/purifier), Varuṇa (law, binding), Indra (force of illumination)
Cosmic role
Maintain cosmic order; ensure that distortion is expelled and bound by universal law.
Inner power
A harmonizing pressure toward truth; collective illumination that exposes and neutralizes false formations.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective and corrective recitation in contexts of suspected harm, false speech, or ritual impurity; also imprecatory formulas where recoil is intended.
परा॒द्य दे॒वा वृ॑जि॒नं शृ॑णन्तु प्र॒त्यगे॑नं श॒पथा॑ यन्तु तृ॒ष्टाः । वा॒चास्ते॑नं॒ शर॑व ऋच्छन्तु॒ मर्म॒न्विश्व॑स्यैतु॒ प्रसि॑तिं यातु॒धान॑: ॥
परा॑ । अ॒द्य । दे॒वाः । वृ॒जि॒नम् । शृ॒ण॒न्तु॒ । प्र॒त्यक् । ए॒न॒म् । श॒पथाः॑ । य॒न्तु॒ । तृ॒ष्टाः । वा॒चाऽस्ते॑नम् । शर॑वः । ऋ॒च्छ॒न्तु॒ । मर्म॑न् । विश्व॑स्य । ए॒तु॒ । प्रऽसि॑तिम् । या॒तु॒ऽधानः॑ ॥
parā | adya | devāḥ | vṛjinam | śṛṇantu | pratyak | enam | śapathāḥ | yantu | tṛṣṭāḥ | vācāstenam | śaravaḥ | ṛcchantu | marman | viśvasya | etu | pra-sitim | yātu-dhānaḥ
44
4 × ~11
Judicial and declarative; strong cadence suitable for ‘recoil’ and ‘binding’ motifs.
Creates a sense of moral clarity and inevitability—falsehood cannot stand; it is driven and bound.
- वृजिनम् (vṛjinam)
- Literal: crooked evil. Symbolic: distortion, deviation from ṛta; twisted motives and falsehood
- देवाः (devāḥ)
- Literal: gods. Symbolic: powers of illumination and harmony in consciousness
- शपथाः तृष्टाः (śapathāḥ tṛṣṭāḥ)
- Literal: sharpened curses. Symbolic: concentrated negative formations that must recoil to their source unless purified
- वाचास्तेनम् (vācā-stenam)
- Literal: thief of speech/word. Symbolic: force that steals true expression; inner falsifier/manipulator of mantra and intention
- शरवः (śaravaḥ)
- Literal: arrows. Symbolic: truth-vibrations; precise discriminative speech-force
- मर्मन् (marman)
- Literal: vital joint, sensitive spot. Symbolic: key prāṇic nodes where desire and habit operate
- प्रसितिम् (prasitim)
- Literal: snare, net, binding. Symbolic: universal law of ṛta/karma that binds hostile movements when revealed
- प्रत्यक् (pratyak)
- Literal: back, returning. Symbolic: recoil of formations; reflexive return of misused force to its origin
Community protection: calling the devas to enforce recoil (pratyak) of hostile speech and intent
During protective sequences, especially when guarding speech/chant and the integrity of rite.
Recite to ‘turn back’ harmful formations; mentally consign the hostile to the net of ṛta.
For integrity in communication: before teaching, chanting, or important speech; to dissolve self-deception and manipulative impulses.
: ‘crooked, wrong’ (cf. √vṛj ‘to bend’). ‘thief’ (PIE *stey- ‘to steal’; cf. Lat. stāre?—more securely Eng. ‘steal’ via Germanic; Skt stena aligns with IE theft root). : from √mṛ ‘to die’? but marman in Skt is ‘vital spot’ (later medical usage). as above (snare/reach).
Karmic recoil / reversal (pratyak as ethical-cosmic return), Integrity of Vāc (truth-speech)
‘Universal snare’ is ṛta’s binding function—what deviates is constrained and returned to order.
Truth is defended by devas; false speech is theft against Satya.
Order is maintained through lawful binding and corrective return of forces.
Ethical-metaphysical ṛta doctrine with psychological application (Integral/Vedāntic resonance).
Net = law/conscience binding; arrows = precise thought/speech; joints = prāṇic articulation points.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘recoil’ mythologem: hostile speech returns upon the speaker; the cosmic order functions as a net that catches the wrongdoer—an ethical-cosmic mechanism dramatized as divine action.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- stena ‘thief’ is a transparent IE inheritance (PIE *stey-). The semantic field of ‘crooked’ for ‘wrong’ is a widespread IE metaphor (straight = right).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi appeals to the collective devas as guardians of Vāc and R̥ta, implying that true speech participates in a larger cosmic enforcement beyond individual effort.
Straighten inner intention; detect ‘theft of the Word’—moments where speech diverges from truth-feeling—and offer them to the devas/Agni for correction.
Viśuddha (truth in speech) with ethical support from Anāhata (sincerity)
Moderate: inhale feeling ‘straightness’; exhale on ‘pratyag’ imagining return of distortion to source and dissolution in law.
Clear, upright, vigilant; ethical luminosity.
1) Sit with spine erect. 2) Recall one recurring speech-distortion. 3) Chant and feel the ‘net of ṛta’ gently binding and dissolving it. 4) Conclude with a vow of satyam (truthfulness).
Keep the declarative tone stable; observe udatta rises on key verbs (śṛṇantu/yantu/ṛcchantu/etu) as per recension accents.
Slightly stress ‘pratyag’ (returning) and ‘prasitim’ (snare) to convey recoil and binding.
: ‘vṛ-ji-nam’ with vocalic ṛ, : ‘pratyag’ + ‘enam’; keep ‘ty’ conjunct crisp, : long ā in vācā; ‘st’ cluster clear, : ‘pra-si-tim’ not ‘pra-shi’
Firm, judicial, steady; less fiery than 10.87.14, more law-like.
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