Rig Veda 2.27.8: Mandala 2, Sukta 27, Mantra 8
Sukta 2.27
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
तिस्रो भूमीर्धारयन्त्रीँरुत द्यून्त्रीणि व्रता विदथे अन्तरेषाम् । ऋतेनादित्या महि वो महित्वं तदर्यमन्वरुण मित्र चारु ॥
tísro bhū́mīr dhārayant rī́ṃr uta dyū́n trī́ṇi vratā́ vidáthe antár eṣām | ṛténa ādityā́ máhi vo mahitváṃ tád aryaman varuṇa mitra cā́ru ||
यह तीन दुनिया और आसमान तुम संभाल के रखते हो। तुम्हारी सभा में तीन नियम चलते हैं। आदित्य देवता, तुम्हारा काम बहुत बड़ा है। अर्यमन, वरुण और मित्र, यह सब मिलकर अच्छा करते हैं।
Word by Word
- तिस्रः
- threeAdjective (numeral)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (कर्म/कर्मधारय-सम्बन्धः) भूमीः इतिRoot त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) → तिसृ
- भूमीः
- the earths / the three earth-realmsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
- धारयन्त्रीः
- supporting, upholdingAdjective (agent noun)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (भूमीः) — कर्मणि विशेषणम्Root धृ (धातु) → धारयन्तृ (कर्तृ-प्रातिपदिक, वर्तमान-प्रत्ययान्त)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/अन्वय-निपातRoot उत (निपात)
- द्यून्त्रीणि
- (those) sustaining the heavens / the luminous realmsNoun/Adjective (agent noun)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (व्रतानि इति विशेषण-सम्बन्धः) अथवा कर्म-समुच्चयःRoot द्यु (प्रातिपदिक ‘द्यौ/द्युन्’ ‘sky/day’) + -न्तृ (कर्तृ-प्रातिपदिक) → द्यून्तृ
- व्रतानि
- ordinances, sacred lawsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
- विदथे
- in the rite/assembly (vidatha)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (स्थान/अवसर) — ‘विदथे’ = ‘यज्ञ-सभा/विधि-समये’Root विदथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्तरेषाम्
- of/among them, between themAdjective/Pronoun-like (relational)पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — ‘among/between them’Root अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतेन
- by ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- आदित्याः
- the ĀdityasNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-कर्तृप्रयोगः) — ‘O Ādityas’Root आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- महि
- greatly, mightyIndeclinable (adverbial)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (स्तुति-प्रकारः) अथवा विशेषणम्Root महि (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रयोगः; ‘मह्’ भावे)
- वः
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) — ‘your’Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- महित्वम्
- greatness, majestyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विषय (स्तुत्य-वस्तु) — ‘your greatness (is)’Root महित्व (प्रातिपदिक; महत् + त्व)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole विषय/कर्म (अनुवाद्य-निर्देशः) — ‘that’Root तद् (सर्वनाम)
- अर्यमन्
- O AryamanNoun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अर्यमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNoun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्र
- O MitraNoun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- चारु
- fair, gracious, lovelyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (देव-विशेषणम्)Role सम्बोधन-विशेषणRoot चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): तिस्रः भूमीः धारयन्त्रीः | उत द्यून्त्रीणि व्रतानि विदथे अन्तरेषाम् | ऋतेन आदित्याः महि वः महित्वम् | तत् अर्यमन् वरुण मित्र चारु || 1) भूमीः+धारयन्त्रीः: विसर्ग/दीर्घ-सन्धि न
- केवलं पद-संयोगः। 2) द्यून्त्रीणि: द्यून्तृ-प्रातिपदिकस्य नपुंसक-द्वि.बहु. (व्रतानि इति कर्मपदस्य विशेषणत्वेन)। 3) ऋतेन+आदित्याः: स्वर-संयोगेऽपि रूपपरिवर्तनं न। 4) तद्+अर्यमन् → तत् अर्यमन् (द् → त् परसवर्ण/अनुस्वार-नियमेन पदान्त-व्यञ्जन-परिवर्तनः)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
You uphold the three earths and the three heavens; within your assembly your three laws are established. By ṛta, O Ādityas, great is your greatness—beautiful is this, O Aryaman, Varuṇa, Mitra.
Inner meaning
The ‘three earths’ and ‘three heavens’ indicate a triple foundation and a triple luminous range in our being: physical-vital-mental supports and their higher correspondences (mind of light, illumined mind, and supramental/overmind ranges in Aurobindonian mapping). The Ādityas uphold these levels by their triple vratāni—laws of right movement—operating in the inner ‘vidatha’ (the conscious gathering where powers meet). Their greatness is not arbitrary power but the majesty of ṛta: the intrinsic truth-order that makes consciousness coherent and ascending. The verse affirms that beauty (cāru) belongs to the action of truth: harmony and purity are aesthetically felt as well as ethically known.
Universal truth
Reality is structured by intelligible order; when life aligns to truth, the worlds—outer and inner—are upheld. The experience of rightness is simultaneously stabilizing (support) and beautiful (cāru).
Themes
Cosmic architecture, Law of ṛta, Divine governance
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (traditional later attribution)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.27.1-6 (Āditya invocations in the same sūkta), RV 2.28 (Varuṇa as upholder of ṛta)
Family tradition
The Gṛtsamada hymns often present a structured cosmology (levels/worlds) governed by ethical-spiritual powers (Ādityas), emphasizing right law (vrata) and ṛta as the engine of ascent.
Significance
The seer’s stress on ‘three’ suggests a yogic sense of graded planes; the Ādityas are seen as inner regulators ensuring the ascent does not break truth or harmony.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas (Aryaman, Varuṇa, Mitra)
- Epithets
- dhārayan (upholding), ṛtávan (of ṛta, implied), cāru-karman (beautiful working, implied)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Savitar, Sūrya, Bṛhaspati (law of right word/thought)
Cosmic role
World-sustainers: they hold the structural levels of cosmos and enforce the laws that keep the worlds coherent.
Inner power
They stabilize the seeker across multiple planes and install a triple discipline so higher light can descend without distortion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of Ādityas as upholdings of worlds and laws; recited for stability, truth, and right governance
ति॒स्रो भूमी॑र्धारय॒न्त्रीँरु॒त द्यून्त्रीणि॑ व्र॒ता वि॒दथे॑ अ॒न्तरे॑षाम् । ऋ॒तेना॑दित्या॒ महि॑ वो महि॒त्वं तद॑र्यमन्वरुण मित्र॒ चारु॑ ॥
ति॒स्रः । भूमीः॑ । धा॒र॒य॒न् । त्रीन् । उ॒त । द्यून् । त्रीणि॑ । व्र॒ता । वि॒दथे॑ । अ॒न्तः । ए॒षा॒म् । ऋ॒तेन॑ । आ॒दि॒त्याः॒ । महि॑ । वः॒ । म॒हि॒ऽत्वम् । तत् । अ॒र्य॒म॒न् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । मि॒त्र॒ । चारु॑ ॥
tisraḥ | bhūmīḥ | dhārayan | trīn | uta | dyūn | trīṇi | vratā | vidathe | antaḥ | eṣām | ṛtena | ādityāḥ | mahi | vaḥ | mahi-tvam | tat | aryaman | varuṇa | mitra | cāru
44
4×11 (approx.)
Architectonic and declarative; the triadic enumerations land with measured emphasis.
Induces a sense of ordered vastness—like stepping through levels; supports meditative clarity about inner structure.
- तिस्रः भूमीः (tisraḥ bhūmīḥ)
- Literal: three earths. Symbolic: Three foundational planes in us: body, life-force, ordinary mind (or three graded bases of manifestation)
- त्रीन् द्यून् (trīn dyūn)
- Literal: three heavens. Symbolic: Three luminous ranges of consciousness above mind—higher mind/illumined mind/intuitive or supramental gradations (as inner ‘heavens’)
- त्रीणि व्रता (trīṇi vratā)
- Literal: three laws/vows. Symbolic: Triple disciplines of truth: right thought, right will, right action (or knowledge-love-power in harmony)
- विदथे अन्तः (vidathe antaḥ)
- Literal: within the assembly/rite. Symbolic: Inner gathering of faculties where the sacrifice of consciousness is organized
- ऋतेन (ṛtena)
- Literal: by ṛta. Symbolic: By the truth-order; alignment that makes growth inevitable and protected
- महि महित्वम् (mahi mahitvam)
- Literal: great greatness. Symbolic: The vast effective power of truth-consciousness, not egoic dominance
- चारु (cāru)
- Literal: beautiful, pleasing. Symbolic: The felt beauty of harmony when consciousness is rightly ordered
Praise of Āditya-vrata in Soma ritual contexts; used to affirm cosmic order and stabilize the sacrificer’s inner and outer worlds.
General Āditya stotra contexts; also appropriate in rites seeking social order, vows, and protection through ṛta.
Recitation as a ‘stabilizing’ praise; may accompany offerings to solar deities in broader liturgical settings.
Use when establishing personal disciplines (vrata) and aligning life with truth—before beginning a new practice or vow.
dhārayant: √dhṛ ‘to hold, support’ (PIE *dʰer- ‘hold’). bhū́mīḥ: from √bhū ‘become, be’ → ‘ground of becoming’. dyū́n: dyu ‘sky, light’ (PIE *dyew- ‘sky/daylight’). vratā́: from √vṛ ‘choose/will’ → willed fixed law; in Veda ‘ordinances’ of gods. ṛténa: instrumental of ṛtá (√ar ‘fit, join’ → right arrangement); inner sense: truth-order that structures planes (earths/heavens). cā́ru: pleasing/beautiful; signals harmony as an aesthetic of ṛta.
Ṛta as structuring principle, Vrata as divine ordinance, Tripartite cosmos (three earths, three heavens)
Explicit: their greatness is by ṛta; ṛta is the sustaining principle.
Truth becomes operative as law (vrata) within the conscious assembly of the being.
Sustaining creation through stable laws across multiple planes; the cosmos as a graded harmony.
Integral/psychological Vedism: three worlds as planes of consciousness, upheld by truth-powers.
Grounding (earths) and illumination (heavens) are both maintained by inner truth-laws; discipline becomes the bridge between base nature and higher light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Ādityas as cosmic sustainers who uphold multiple planes and set vratas within the sacred assembly. The mythologem is ‘world-support by law’: the universe stands because ṛta is actively held and administered by these powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyū́n (sky/day) continues PIE *dyew-; dhṛ continues PIE *dʰer- ‘hold’; ṛta as ‘fitted order’ parallels IE notions of ‘right/true’ as ‘properly joined’ (semantic kinship with Latin rītus ‘rite’, though not a direct cognate, the conceptual field converges).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes the gods’ greatness as inseparable from ṛta, implying an inner discipline: to participate in their ‘vidatha’ one must accept their vratas as laws of consciousness, not merely external rules.
Contemplate the ‘three earths/three heavens’ as layers in you; invoke the Ādityas to establish a triple discipline aligned with ṛta.
Mulādhāra (earth/support) to Ājñā/Sahasrāra (heavens/light)
Three-part breathing (lower/middle/upper) with a pause after inhale to ‘set the vrata’.
Structural clarity and stable ascent; a quiet sense of being upheld.
On each pāda, place awareness: (1) grounding the base, (2) opening the higher light, (3) affirming inner laws, (4) feeling the beauty of truth in action (cāru).
Maintain Vedic accents especially on triadic numerals (tisráḥ, trī́n) and ṛténa; keep svarita transitions clean in compounds.
Mark the enumerations with slight rhythmic separation without breaking sandhi; emphasize ṛténa as the pivot of meaning.
Pronounce dyūn with long ū (dyūn), Keep cerebral ṇ in varuṇa, Distinctly articulate ṛ in ṛtena (vocalic r)
Clear, declarative, steady—like stating a law.
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