Rig Veda 2.24.3: Mandala 2, Sukta 24, Mantra 3
Sukta 2.24
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati / Bṛhaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
तद्देवानां देवतमाय कर्त्वमश्रथ्नन्दृळ्हाव्रदन्त वीळिता । उद्गा आजदभिनद्ब्रह्मणा वलमगूहत्तमो व्यचक्षयत्स्वः ॥
tád devā́nāṃ devátamāya kártvam áśrathnan dṛḷhā́ ávradanta vīḷitā́ | úd gā́ ā́jad abhínad bráhmaṇā válam ágūhat támo ví acakṣayat svàr ||
यह काम देवताओं में सबसे बड़े ने किया। उन्होंने जो पक्का बंधा था उसको ढीला कर दिया। गाइयाँ ऊपर उठी। ब्रह्मणस्पति ने अपनी वाणी से वल को फाँक दिया। अंधेरा भाग गया और सूरज दिखने लगा।
Word by Word
- तत्
- that (deed/act)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवतमा॒य
- to the most divine (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot देवतमा (प्रातिपदिक; देव + -तम)
- कर्त्वम्
- deed, act, exploitNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot कर्त्व (प्रातिपदिक; कर्तृ/कृ-सम्बद्ध भाव)
- अश्रथ्नन्
- they loosened, unboundVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot श्रथ् (धातु)
- दृळ्हा
- firm, strongAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वलानि इत्यन्वयः)Role KarmaRoot दृळ्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
- व्रदान्त
- having barriers/closures; obstructingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वलानि इत्यन्वयः)Role KarmaRoot व्रद (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बन्ध/आवरण’ अर्थे) + अन्त (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समासान्त)
- वीळिता
- enclosed, shut inAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वलानि इत्यन्वयः)Role KarmaRoot वीळित (प्रातिपदिक; √वीळ/वील् ‘आवरणे/संवरणे’ क्त)
- उत्
- up, outIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot उत्
- गाः
- cows (rays/wealth)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- आजत्
- he drove forth, impelledVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot अज् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
- अभि
- towards, againstIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot अभि
- नदत्
- he roaredVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot नद् (धातु)
- ब्रह्मणा
- with sacred utterance/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वलम्
- Vala (the cave/obstruction)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वल (प्रातिपदिक)
- अगूहत्
- he concealedVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot गूह् (धातु) + अ (उपसर्ग)
- तमः
- darknessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot वि
- अचक्षयत्
- he made visible, revealedVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot चक्ष् (धातु) + वि (उपसर्ग)
- स्वः
- heaven, light (the sky)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्वचित् अव्ययीभाववत् ‘स्वर्गम्’)Role KarmaRoot स्वर्/स्वः (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठः: तद्देवानां देवतमाय कर्त्वमश्रथ्नन्दृळ्हाव्रदन्त वीळिता । उद्गा आजदभिनद्ब्रह्मणा वलमगूहत्तमो व्यचक्षयत्स्वः ॥ पद-विच्छेदः (मुख्य-सन्धि-निरसनम्): 1) तत् + देवानाम् → तद्देवानाम् (त् + द् = द्द्) 2) कर्त्वम् + अश्रथ्नन् → कर्त्वमश्रथ्नन् (म् + अ = म) 3) दृळ्हा + व्रदान्त → दृळ्हाव्रदान्त (आ + व = आव) 4) उत् + गाः → उद्गाः (त् + ग् = द्ग्) 5) आजत् + अभि → आजदभि (त् + अ = द) 6) अभि + नदत् → अभिनदत् (इ + न = इन) 7) वलम् + अगूहत् → वलमगूहत् (म् + अ = म) 8) तमः + वि → तमो वि (विसर्ग-लोपः, ओ-आदेशः) 9) अचक्षयत् + स्वः → अचक्षयत्स्वः (त् + स् = त्स्) टीका: ‘दृळ्हा व्रदान्त वीळिता’ इति विशेषणत्रयम् ‘(वलानि)’ इत्यध्याहृतं कर्म-पदम् विशेषयति।
The meaning
Outer meaning
This was the great deed for the most divine of the gods: they loosened the hard rocks and broke the firm fortresses. He drove out the cows, split Vala by the prayer (Brahma), hid the darkness, and revealed the Sun-world.
Inner meaning
Brahmanaspati, the Lord of the Word, acts on behalf of the supreme Divine within. He loosens the rigidities of the subconscient (the hard rocks) and breaks the stubborn resistance of the ego. By the power of the Mantra (Brahma), he splits the enclosure of Vala (the subconscient hoarder) to release the Cows (Rays of Divine Knowledge), dispelling the darkness of ignorance and manifesting the realm of Truth-Consciousness (Svar).
Universal truth
The vibration of the Divine Word (Logos) has the power to penetrate the inertia of matter and the subconscious mind, liberating the trapped light of knowledge and revealing the supreme Truth.
Themes
Vala-opening, cows-of-light, darkness dispelled, revelation of svar
In ritual
Where it is used
Mantric exemplar for ‘opening’ and ‘revealing’ functions of Bṛhaspati in soma contexts; also cited in traditions emphasizing brahman as victorious power.
तद्दे॒वानां॑ दे॒वत॑माय॒ कर्त्व॒मश्र॑थ्नन्दृ॒ळ्हाव्र॑दन्त वीळि॒ता । उद्गा आ॑ज॒दभि॑न॒द्ब्रह्म॑णा व॒लमगू॑ह॒त्तमो॒ व्य॑चक्षय॒त्स्व॑: ॥
तत् । दे॒वाना॑म् । दे॒वऽत॑माय । कर्त्व॑म् । अश्र॑थ्नन् । दृ॒ळ्हा । अव्र॑दन्त । वी॒ळि॒ता । उत् । गाः । आ॒ज॒त् । अभि॑नत् । ब्रह्म॑णा । व॒लम् । अगू॑हत् । तमः॑ । वि । अ॒च॒क्ष॒य॒त् । स्वरिति॑ स्वः॑ ॥
tat | devānām | deva-tamāya | kartvam | aśrathnān | dṛḷhā | avradanta | vīḷitā | ut | gāḥ | ājat | abhinat | brahmaṇā | valam | agūhat | tamaḥ | vi | acakṣayat | svar itisvaḥ
Mantric exemplar for ‘opening’ and ‘revealing’ functions of Bṛhaspati in soma contexts; also cited in traditions emphasizing brahman as victorious power.
√śrath ‘loosen’ marks the untying of inner bindings. Vala (enclosure/cave) is the archetype of the closed subconscient holding the luminous ‘cows’ (gāḥ). √cakṣ ‘see’ with vi- emphasizes revelation/manifestation (not mere looking). brahmāṇā instrumental: the Word is treated as an operative force, not description. svàr is the luminous world (cognate with ‘sun/shine’ semantic field), here the unveiled truth-plane.
Satya-Rita as revelation (vi-acakṣayat), Brahman (word) as creative/operative power, light (go/svar) released from tamas
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Vala-myth: the hidden cows (light/knowledge) are released when Vala is cleft by brahman; darkness is removed and svar is revealed. Psychologically it is the opening of the sealed inner cave so that the rays of knowledge rise into the waking mind.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √cakṣ ‘see’ relates to an Indo-European ‘see/show’ complex (cf. *kweks-/ *sekʷ). The ‘cow’ as ‘ray’ is a shared Indo-European poetic metaphor where pastoral terms encode luminous phenomena and cognitive illumination.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi attributes the decisive unveiling not to human effort alone but to the acting through brahman. The hymn models a collaboration: inspired speech calls, the divine Word-lord executes revelation and release.
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