Rig Veda 2.28.10: Mandala 2, Sukta 28, Mantra 10
Sukta 2.28
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Shanta (peace)
यो मे राजन्युज्यो वा सखा वा स्वप्ने भयं भीरवे मह्यमाह । स्तेनो वा यो दिप्सति नो वृको वा त्वं तस्माद्वरुण पाह्यस्मान् ॥
yó me rájan yújyo vā sákhā vā svápne bhayáṃ bhīráve máhyam ā́ha | stenó vā yó dípsati no vṛ́ko vā tváṃ tásmād varuṇa pāhy asmā́n ||
हे राजा वरुण, कोई नौकर हो या दोस्त, जो सपने में मुझे डरा दे। चोर हो जो चोरी करे, या भेड़िया जैसा कोई, तुम हमें उससे बचाओ।
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- to me / for mePronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- राजन्
- O kingNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role SambodhanaRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- युज्यः
- yoked/attached; alliedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot युज् (धातु) → युज्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; यत्)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम्Root वा (निपात)
- सखा
- a friendNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम्Root वा (निपात)
- स्वप्ने
- in (a) dreamNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- भयम्
- fearNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot भय (प्रातिपदिक)
- भीरवे
- to the fearful oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot भीरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मह्यम्
- to mePronounचतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आह
- said / spokeVerbलिट् (परोक्श/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root अह् (धातु) / ब्रू (अर्थे ‘said’) — वैदिक परिपूर्ण-रूप
- स्तेनः
- a thiefNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot स्तेन (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम्Root वा (निपात)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दिप्सति
- wishes to harm / seeks to injureVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root दिप्स् (धातु; desiderative from दभ्/दप् ‘to harm/deceive’ in Vedic usage)
- नः
- usPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (enclitic) संदर्भे कर्मत्वम्Role KarmaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वृकः
- a wolfNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot वृक (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम्Root वा (निपात)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्मात्
- from that (one)Pronounपुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role SambodhanaRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- पाहि
- protect!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root पा (धातु) ‘to protect’
- अस्मान्
- usPronounद्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (वैदिक-सन्धि-निरसन): यो→यः
- मे (enclitic) स्वतंत्रम्
- राजन्युज्यो→राजन् युज्यः (सम्बोधन + विशेषण)
- स्वप्ने भयम् (सप्तमी + द्वितीया)
- भीरवे मह्यम् (चतुर्थी + चतुर्थी)
- मह्यमाह→मह्यम् आह
- स्तेनो→स्तेनः
- दिप्सति नो→दिप्सति नः
- वृको→वृकः
- तस्माद्वरुण→तस्मात् वरुण
- पाह्यस्मान्→पाहि अस्मान्
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet asks King Varuṇa for protection from fear that comes even through a close associate or friend in a dream, and from hostile forces like a thief or a wolf.
Inner meaning
Varuṇa, the power of vast, luminous Order (ṛta), is invoked to guard the inner being from subtle invasions: fear-suggestions entering through the subconscious (svapna), betrayal by parts of our own nature that are ‘near’ (yujya/sakhā), and forces that steal or devour the gained inner wealth (stena/vṛka). The mantra is a prayer for psychic security: protection of the sādhaka’s inner gains against anxiety, doubt, and predatory impulses.
Universal truth
The greatest dangers to spiritual growth are often subtle and intimate—fear-thoughts, inner betrayals, and predatory desires. Alignment with a higher law-consciousness (Varuṇa/Āditya order) provides protection, clarity, and moral-psychic immunity.
Themes
protection, fear-in-dream, hostile forces, inner discipline, Varuṇa as guardian of ṛta
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.28 (Varuṇa hymn sequence), RV 2.29 (Ādityas hymn), RV 2.1–2.7 (Agni-centered invocations within the same maṇḍala context)
Family tradition
The Bhṛgu-line seers are strongly associated with the Āditya powers of law and with the purification of the inner sacrifice; Gṛtsamada’s hymns often seek right order, protection, and the recovery of inner light.
Significance
Gṛtsamada voices the sādhaka’s need for an unbroken ethical-spiritual guard: not merely external safety, but protection of consciousness from subconscious fear and hostile impulses, by surrender to the law of the Vast.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa (Āditya)
- Epithets
- Rājan (King), Dhṛtavrata (holder of the law, implied in the sequence), Pātr̥ (protector/guardian, functional epithet here)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Aditi, Ādityas (collective), Indra (as illuminator in adjacent hymn)
Cosmic role
Upholder of ṛta (cosmic order) and satya (truth); guardian of moral law; binder and releaser through the ‘noose’ of law.
Inner power
Vastness and luminous conscience that detects falsehood, dissolves fear, and establishes an inviolable inner order.
In ritual
Where it is used
Varuṇa-prāyaścitta and protective recitation within Āditya-related offerings (general Varuṇa hymnal usage rather than a single fixed rite).
यो मे॑ राज॒न्युज्यो॑ वा॒ सखा॑ वा॒ स्वप्ने॑ भ॒यं भी॒रवे॒ मह्य॒माह॑ । स्ते॒नो वा॒ यो दिप्स॑ति नो॒ वृको॑ वा॒ त्वं तस्मा॑द्वरुण पाह्य॒स्मान् ॥
यः । मे॒ । रा॒ज॒न् । युज्यः॑ । वा॒ । सखा॑ । वा॒ । स्वप्ने॑ । भ॒यम् । भी॒रवे॑ । मह्य॑म् । आह॑ । स्ते॒नः । वा॒ । यः । दिप्स॑ति । नः॒ । वृकः॑ । वा॒ । त्वम् । तस्मा॑त् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । पा॒हि॒ । अ॒स्मान् ॥
yaḥ | me | rājan | yujyaḥ | vā | sakhā | vā | svapne | bhayam | bhīrave | mahyam | āha | stenaḥ | vā | yaḥ | dipsati | naḥ | vṛkaḥ | vā | tvam | tasmāt | varuṇa | pāhi | asmān
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Firm, forward-driving cadence suited to ethical resolve and protective invocation.
Builds a protective ‘mantric wall’: the repeated alternatives (vā…vā) create a scanning vigilance, ending in a decisive surrender: ‘tvaṃ…pāhi asmān’.
- rājan (राजन्)
- Literal: king. Symbolic: sovereign law of consciousness; governing power of inner order
- yujya (युज्यः)
- Literal: yoked/attached; bound in service. Symbolic: subordinate parts of nature tied to the ego’s service; habitual formations close to us
- sakhā (सखा)
- Literal: friend. Symbolic: intimate movements of mind/vital that appear supportive but can mislead
- svapna (स्वप्ने)
- Literal: in dream. Symbolic: subconscious plane; suggestion-world where fear-images arise
- bhayam (भयम्)
- Literal: fear. Symbolic: constriction of consciousness; shrinking away from the Vast
- bhīrave (भीरवे)
- Literal: to the timid/fearful. Symbolic: the nervous-vital nature prone to anxiety
- stena (स्तेनः)
- Literal: thief. Symbolic: forces/desires that steal tapas, peace, and inner riches
- dipsati (दिप्सति)
- Literal: seeks to harm/steal; desires to seize. Symbolic: covetous impulse that appropriates spiritual gains for ego
- vṛka (वृकः)
- Literal: wolf. Symbolic: devouring vital force; predatory appetite that consumes inner light
- pāhi (पाहि)
- Literal: protect. Symbolic: establish a guarding circumference of truth and wideness
Āditya/Varuṇa-focused recitations; protective (rakṣoghna) and expiatory (prāyaścitta) usage within Soma and daily rites; employed as a prayer for guarding the sacrificer’s mind and order (ṛta) against hostile forces.
In expiatory/protective moments: fear-omens, moral anxiety, or when seeking restoration of right order; also suitable for evening reflection (Varuṇa’s all-seeing order).
Recitation (japa/śastra) with water as a purifying support; mental confession and resolve to align with ṛta.
Use as a protection mantra against anxiety, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and ‘energy leaks’—paired with a brief truth-vow (satya-saṅkalpa) before sleep.
Key terms: Varuṇa (varuṇa-) often linked with binding/encircling; functionally the power that upholds ṛta and restrains disorder. yujyá- from √yuj ‘to yoke, join’ → one bound/attached (can be inner habit-energy). svapná from su-√ap ‘to fall asleep’ → dream-field, the subconscient. bhayá from √bhī ‘to fear’ → contraction of consciousness. sténa ‘thief’ (stealing radiance/wealth = rays of knowledge, rayi). vṛ́ka ‘wolf’ from PIE *wĺ̥kʷos (cf. Latin lupus, English wolf) → devouring, predatory force. pā́hi from √pā ‘protect, guard’. dípsati is a desiderative form ‘wishes to injure/steal’, commonly expressing an intent of hostile taking.
Ṛta (cosmic order upheld by Varuṇa), inner guardianship and restraint (bandha/mokṣa polarity within Varuṇa)
Varuṇa’s protection is the maintenance of ṛta in the human field—keeping hostile disorder at a distance.
Fear and predation are seen as movements of untruth; protection comes by returning to truth-consciousness.
Guardianship of the created order: the cosmos remains stable because law holds back chaotic ‘wolves’ and ‘thieves’.
Proto-Vedāntic and yogic ethics: inner purification through truth and wideness (Aurobindonian psychological reading).
night
Night/dream = subconscious field; wolf/thief = predatory vital forces; Varuṇa’s night-sky vastness = vigilant truth that sees and protects.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic action is not a cosmic battle but a protective binding/releasing dynamic: Varuṇa as the upholder of ṛta is invoked to ward off hostile agencies that enter even through svapna (dream). The 'thief' and 'wolf' are mythic figures for forces that steal light (knowledge/joy) or devour the ordered harmony of the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vṛ́ka- ‘wolf’ reflects PIE *wĺ̥kʷos (broad Indo-European inheritance). The prayer formula with relative clauses (yáḥ … vā …) enumerating threats is a common archaic Indo-European poetic strategy: listing possible agents, then concluding with a direct imperative to the deity (pā́hi).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Varuṇa as inner sovereign and protector: a reciprocal bond where the human offers truth-intent (alignment to ṛta) and asks in return for safeguarding of consciousness. The intimacy is sharpened by admitting vulnerability—fear can arise even from a 'friend' or from one’s own attached energies—so Varuṇa is asked to guard the whole inner polity.
Establish an inner ‘circle of truth’: observe fear-thoughts as external suggestions; invoke Varuṇa to widen the chest and mind into calm vigilance.
anahata (heart—fear release) and ajna (clear seeing/truth discernment)
Slow exhale-lengthening (e.g., 4–6 inhale, 6–8 exhale) while mentally repeating ‘varuṇa pāhi’.
From anxious/subconscious disturbance to wide, witness consciousness guarded by ethical clarity.
Before sleep: (1) brief self-review without self-blame, (2) offer fears to Varuṇa as untruth-movements, (3) chant once slowly, then 9 or 27 japa repetitions of ‘tvaṃ tasmād varuṇa pāhy asmān’.
Triṣṭubh with Vedic svaras; preserve udatta on marked syllables, svarita where applicable; cadence resolves strongly on ‘pāhy asmān’.
Keep each pāda clearly segmented; emphasize contrasts in the vā…vā series, then soften into surrender on ‘tvaṃ tasmād…’.
varuṇa: ‘ṇa’ retroflex; do not soften to ‘na’, vṛka: pronounce ‘vṛ’ with vocalic ṛ, not ‘vir/var’, stena: clear dental ‘t’, dipsati: keep ‘ps’ cluster crisp, svapne: ‘sv’ conjunct, light and quick
steady, protective, low-to-mid pitch with calm authority
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