Rig Veda 2.27.4: Mandala 2, Sukta 27, Mantra 4
Sukta 2.27
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
धारयन्त आदित्यासो जगत्स्था देवा विश्वस्य भुवनस्य गोपाः । दीर्घाधियो रक्षमाणा असुर्यमृतावानश्चयमाना ऋणानि ॥
dhāráyanta ādityā́so jágat-sthā́ devā́ víśvasya bhúvanasya gopā́ḥ | dīrghā́-dhiyo rákṣamāṇā asuryàm ṛtá-vānaś cáyamānā ṛṇā́ni ||
आदित्य देवता इस दुनिया को संभाले हुए हैं। यह सब जगह के रखवाले हैं। इनकी सोच बहुत आगे तक जाती है और यह हमारे अंदर जो शक्ति है उसको बचाते हैं। यह धरम के हिसाब से चलते हैं और जहाँ भी कोई गड़बड़ होती है, उसे ठीक कर देते हैं।
Word by Word
- धारयन्तः
- bearing, upholdingVerb (present participle)पुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययःRole कर्तृRoot √धृ (धारणे)
- आदित्याः
- the ĀdityasNounपुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (धारयन्तः इत्यस्य विशेष्यः)Root आदित्य (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- जगत्स्थाः
- standing in/established in the moving worldAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (आदित्याः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root जगत् + स्थ (प्रातिपदिकम्; बहुव्रीहिः/तत्पुरुषसमासः)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (आदित्याः इत्यस्य समानाधिकरणम्)Role कर्तृ (सम्बन्धेन)Root देव (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- विश्वस्य
- of all, of the wholeAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्गः षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- भुवनस्य
- of the world/creaturely realmNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root भुवन (प्रातिपदिकम्; √भू + यु/अन)
- गोपाः
- guardians, protectorsNounपुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (आदित्याः/देवाः इत्यस्य विधेयम्)Root गोपा (प्रातिपदिकम्; गो + √पा ‘पालने’)
- दीर्घाधियः
- of far-reaching thought, long-mindedAdjective/Noun (bahuvrīhi/compound adjective)पुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (आदित्याः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root दीर्घ + धि (प्रातिपदिकम्; समासः)
- रक्ष्यमाणाः
- being protected / guarding (in the sense ‘keeping safe’)Verb (passive present participle)पुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि शानच्-प्रत्ययःRole कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (आत्मनः/लोकस्य रक्षण-भावः)Root √रक्ष् (रक्षणे)
- असुर्यम्
- the asuric power/force (mysterious might)Noun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot असुर्य (प्रातिपदिकम्; ‘असुर-सम्बन्धि/असुर-तेजस्’)
- ऋतावानः
- possessing ṛta (cosmic order), righteousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (आदित्याः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root ऋतावन् (प्रातिपदिकम्; ऋत + वन्)
- चयमानाः
- gathering, collectingVerb (middle present participle)पुंलिङ्गः प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शानच्-प्रत्ययःRole कर्तृRoot √चि (चयने/सञ्चयने)
- ऋणानि
- debts, obligationsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot ऋण (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविच्छेदः): धारयन्तः | आदित्याः | जगत्स्थाः | देवाः | विश्वस्य | भुवनस्य | गोपाः || दीर्घाधियः | रक्ष्यमाणाः | असुर्यम् | ऋतावानः | चयमानाः | ऋणानि || 1) जगत्स्थाः = जगत् + स्थाः (समासे त् + स् → त्स्). 2) दीर्घाधियः = दीर्घ + धियः (समासः; दीर्घ-धि). 3) रक्ष्यमाणाः: RV-पाठे ‘रक्ष॑माणा’ इति दृश्यते
- पदपाठानुसारं कर्मणि-प्रयोगः ‘रक्ष्यमाणाः’ (√रक्ष् + य + मान) इति ग्रहणम्। 4) असुर्यम्: ‘असुर्य’ (नपुंसक) द्वितीया एकवचनम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Ādityas uphold the moving world; they are gods, guardians of all existence. With long-reaching thought they protect the asuryam; possessors of ṛta, they gather and set right the debts.
Inner meaning
The Ādityas are sustaining principles of order in the evolving being (‘the moving world’). As gopāḥ (guardians), they watch over all planes of our becoming—body, life, mind. “Long-reaching thought” is the far-seeing intelligence that anticipates consequences and protects the inner divinity (asuryam: the godhead/sovereign light within, not ‘demonic’). ‘Gathering the debts’ indicates karmic and psychological imbalances—unfinished movements, wrong relations, broken harmonies—being collected, accounted for, and rectified by the law of ṛta. The mantra is thus a prayer for inner governance that restores balance.
Universal truth
A stable life and a stable yoga require truth-based governance: a far-seeing intelligence that protects the inner divine and steadily corrects imbalance and debt—personal, relational, and collective.
Themes
cosmic maintenance, guardianship, restoration of balance, integral intelligence (dīrghadhī)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Āṅgirasa)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 2.27, RV 2.28, RV 2.29
Family tradition
The second maṇḍala frequently presents deities as cosmic-psychological governors; here the Ādityas are world-sustainers and inner ethical correctors.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s vision emphasises protection of the inner divine principle and restoration of ṛta—an early Vedic articulation of yogic self-governance under higher law.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Epithets
- gopāḥ (guardians), dīrghādhiyo (far-seeing), ṛtāvānaḥ (keepers of ṛta)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga
Cosmic role
Sustain the worlds and regulate the movement of becoming; rectify disorder and maintain lawful harmony.
Inner power
Establish inner sovereignty (asuryam) protected by far-seeing discernment; help resolve karmic-ethical imbalances and restore right relation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocations to Ādityas for protection and order; can align with rites of expiation/prāyaścitta themes (setting right).
धा॒रय॑न्त आदि॒त्यासो॒ जग॒त्स्था दे॒वा विश्व॑स्य॒ भुव॑नस्य गो॒पाः । दी॒र्घाधि॑यो॒ रक्ष॑माणा असु॒र्य॑मृ॒तावा॑न॒श्चय॑माना ऋ॒णानि॑ ॥
धा॒रय॑न्तः । आ॒दि॒त्यासः॑ । जग॑त् । स्थाः । दे॒वाः । विश्व॑स्य । भुव॑नस्य । गो॒पाः । दी॒र्घऽधि॑यः । रक्ष॑माणाः । अ॒सु॒र्य॑म् । ऋ॒तऽवा॑नः । चय॑मानाः । ऋ॒णानि॑ ॥
dhārayantaḥ | ādityāsaḥ | jagat | sthāḥ | devāḥ | viśvasya | bhuvanasya | gopāḥ | dīrgha-dhiyaḥ | rakṣamāṇāḥ | asuryam | ṛta-vānaḥ | cayamānāḥ | ṛṇāni
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Strong sustaining beat with expansive reach; suited to proclamations of cosmic support and law.
Creates a feeling of being upheld and regulated; encourages responsibility and calm strength to set life in order.
- धारयन्तः (dhārayantaḥ)
- Literal: upholding, sustaining. Symbolic: supporting the evolution; holding the being steady in truth
- जगत्स्थाः (jagat-sthāḥ)
- Literal: standing in the moving world. Symbolic: present in all change as stabilizing law-powers
- गोपा: (gopāḥ)
- Literal: cow-protectors/guardians. Symbolic: guardians of the rays of knowledge and of the planes of being
- दीर्घधियः (dīrghādhiyo)
- Literal: long-thoughted, far-seeing. Symbolic: wide temporal intelligence; integral foresight
- असुर्यम् (asuryam)
- Literal: the asura-ness/sovereign power. Symbolic: the inner lordly light (divine sovereignty) to be protected in us
- ऋतवानः (ṛtāvānaḥ)
- Literal: possessors of ṛta. Symbolic: powers established in right order and truth-action
- ऋणानि (ṛṇāni)
- Literal: debts/obligations. Symbolic: imbalances, karmic residues, psychological ‘owed’ corrections to restore harmony
Verses to establish cosmic guardianship and remove transgressions/imbalances; often resonant with Varuṇa’s domain of ṛta and ‘debts’ (ṛṇa) in expiatory contexts.
When seeking protection of the sacrificer and right performance; when acknowledging obligations and restoring balance.
Recitation with offerings; mental ‘accounting’ of faults and recommitment to ṛta.
Use during life re-ordering: debt (financial/relational/ethical) resolution, making amends, restoring routines; a mantra for ‘setting things straight’.
√dhṛ ‘to hold’ is PIE *dher- (cf. Eng. firm via Latin etc. in extended family). gopā ‘guardian’ literally ‘cow-protector’—in inner reading, guardian of rays of knowledge (go). asurya in early RV often denotes lordly life-power (asu ‘breath, life’), not demonic. ṛṇa ‘debt’ is imbalance/obligation; the Ādityas ‘gather’ (√ci) and restore order—psychologically, they integrate dispersed energies and correct disharmony.
ṛta as sustaining law, asurya as higher life-power, ṛṇa (debt) as imbalance needing restoration
Explicit: ṛtāvānaḥ; order is active correction of imbalance.
Truth as governance across ‘all planes of becoming’.
Worlds endure because conscious law-powers uphold and regulate movement.
Yogic-ethical cosmology: ṛta as both cosmic and psychological law.
Movement = life-force and mental change; guardianship = protection of knowledge-rays and planes; ‘debts’ = energetic/ethical imbalance seeking resolution.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Cosmic guardians who uphold the world and restore balance: the Ādityas as maintainers of ṛta, correcting ‘debts’ (ṛṇa)—a mythic-ethical image of rebalancing transgression and disorder.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhṛ ‘hold/support’ reflects PIE *dher-. The concept of ‘debt/obligation’ (ṛṇa) as moral-cosmic imbalance has broad IE parallels in juridical sacral language (though exact lexical cognates differ).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi invokes the Ādityas not merely for gifts but for governance of inner and outer order: they protect the asurya (higher life-force) in the seeker and rectify accumulated imbalances, enabling a stable foundation for spiritual progress.
Feel the being ‘upheld’ by ṛta; review where imbalance exists and offer a concrete correction.
maṇipūra (order, responsibility, right action)
slow diaphragmatic breathing; on inhale feel ‘dhārayanta’ (upholding), on exhale release disorder/avoidance.
steady, responsible calm; inner sovereignty protected.
After chanting, list 1–2 ‘ṛṇa’ (unfinished duties, apologies, neglected practices). Choose one small act today to restore balance; do it as an offering to ṛta.
Follow Rigvedic accenting; keep ‘dhārayanta’ and ‘ṛtāvānaḥ’ clearly lifted where udātta occurs; settle at pāda ends.
Mark a clear pause after ‘bhūvanasya gopāḥ’; let ‘dīrghādhiyo’ be elongated slightly to match meaning.
(dhārayanta): long ‘ā’, clear ‘y’ glide, (jagat-sthā): distinct ‘tsth’ cluster, avoid dropping ‘t’, (bhuvanasya): aspirate ‘bh’, light ‘v’, (dīrghādhiyo): long ‘ī’, retroflex ‘ḍh’ not present—keep dental ‘dh’ aspirated, (ṛtāvānaḥ): vocalic ‘ṛ’, long ‘ā’, (ṛṇāni): vocalic ‘ṛ’, retroflex ‘ṇ’
firm, sustaining, grounded chest resonance
3
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