Rig Veda 5.5.6: Mandala 5, Sukta 5, Mantra 6
Sukta 5.5
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Doṣā and Uṣas, as Mothers of Ṛta
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सुप्रतीके वयोवृधा यह्वी ऋतस्य मातरा । दोषामुषासमीमहे ॥
supratī́ke vayovṛ́dhā yahvī́ ṛtásya mā́tarā | doṣā́m uṣásam īmahe ||
रात और सुबह की देवियाँ बहुत खूबसूरत चेहरे वाली हैं। यह हमारी उम्र बढ़ाती हैं और हमारे लिए सही राह चुनती हैं। हम उन्हे बुला रहे हैं कि वो हमारे पास आएँ।
Word by Word
- सु-प्रतीके
- in/at the two fair-faced (ones), having good appearanceAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role Adhikaraṇa (विशेष्ययोः ‘मातरौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root सु (उपसर्ग/उपपद) + प्रतीक (प्रातिपदिक)
- वयो-वृधा
- in/at the two who increase life/vitalityAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role Adhikaraṇa (विशेष्ययोः ‘मातरौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root वयस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृध (वृध् ‘वर्धने’ धातोः कृत)
- यह्वी
- in/at the two mighty/impetuous (ones)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role Adhikaraṇa (विशेष्ययोः ‘मातरौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root यह्वी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महती/वेगवती’ अर्थे)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धः)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (मातरौ इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- मातरौ
- the two mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-द्विवचनम् (कर्म)Role Karma (मीमहे इत्यस्य)Root मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- दोषाम्
- NightNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (कर्म; उषासम् इत्यनेन सह द्वन्द्वार्थे)Role Karma (मीमहे इत्यस्य; उषासम् सह)Root दोषा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘रात्रिः’)
- उषासम्
- DawnNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (कर्म)Role Karma (मीमहे इत्यस्य; दोषाम् सह)Root उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईमहे
- we invoke / we seek / we worshipVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role Kriyā (वाक्यस्य मुख्यक्रिया)Root यम् (यमुँ ‘उपयमे/आदाने’); आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः, स्तुत्यर्थे ‘ईमहे’ (वेदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सु॒प्रती॑के | वयो॒वृधा॑ | य॒ह्वी | ऋ॒तस्य॑ | मा॒तरा॑ | दोषाम् | उषासम् | ईमहे । (१) ‘सु॒प्रती॑के’ = सु-प्रतीके (उपपद-समास/कर्मधारयभावः), द्विवचन-सप्तमी। (२) ‘वयो॒वृधा॑’ = वयः-वृधा (समास), द्विवचन-सप्तमी। (३) ‘दोषामु॒षास॑मीमहे’ इत्यत्र संधिः: दोषाम् + उषासम् + ईमहे → दोषामु॒षास॑मीमहे (म् + उ → मु; उषासम् + ईमहे → उषासमीमहे)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The hymn calls Night (Doṣā) and Dawn (Uṣas), described as beautiful-faced and life-increasing, as the two Mothers of Ṛta (cosmic order).
Inner meaning
Night and Dawn are twin movements of consciousness in the inner sacrifice: Night is the quiet covering that compels inwardness and gestation; Dawn is the luminous opening that reveals truth. As “Mothers of Ṛta,” they generate the right rhythm of inner growth—alternation of rest/assimilation and illumination/action—by which the seeker’s life-force (vayas) is increased and made fit for higher knowledge.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on a lawful rhythm: periods of obscurity and silence prepare the being, and periods of awakening disclose the path. When both are accepted as powers of Truth, they become nurturing forces rather than opposites.
Themes
dawn symbolism, night as incubation, mothers of ṛta, inner growth
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.5 (hymn sequence), Rig Veda 1.113 (Uṣas hymns), Rig Veda 1.92 (Uṣas), Rig Veda 10.127 (Rātri/Night)
Family tradition
Book 5 is largely associated with the Atri lineage; the hymn’s style fits the family’s emphasis on orderly invocation of deities as inner powers.
Significance
The seer-voice here is that of an aspirant who recognizes both darkness and light as educators of the soul, placing them under Ṛta rather than treating darkness as merely negative.
The deity
- Devata
- Doṣā (Night) and Uṣas (Dawn) as Mothers of Ṛta
- Epithets
- supratīke (beautiful-faced), vayovṛdhā (life-increasing), yahvī (mighty), ṛtasya mātarā (mothers of ṛta)
- Related deities
- Sūrya (Sun as fuller illumination), Agni (inner flame kindled at dawn), Soma (bliss that grows as light increases)
Cosmic role
They govern the diurnal rhythm: concealment/restoration (Night) and revelation/awakening (Dawn), sustaining the world-order.
Inner power
Night: inwardization, protection, integration of gains; Dawn: unveiling, inspiration, the first rays of knowledge that lead toward the solar truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dawn/Evening invocations within Agnihotra-type daily offerings; also suitable for prātaḥ-savana (morning pressing) atmosphere though not a Soma-pressing verse per se.
सु॒प्रती॑के वयो॒वृधा॑ य॒ह्वी ऋ॒तस्य॑ मा॒तरा॑ । दो॒षामु॒षास॑मीमहे ॥
सु॒प्रती॑के॒ इति॑ सु॒ऽप्रती॑के । व॒यः॒ऽवृधा॑ । य॒ह्वी । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । मा॒तरा॑ । दो॒षाम् । उ॒षस॑म् । ई॒म॒हे॒ ॥
supratīke itisu-pratīke | vayaḥ-vṛdhā | yahvī | ṛtasya | mātarā | doṣām | uṣasam | īmahe
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4 padas × ~11 syllables (approx.)
Steady, forward-moving cadence suited to invocation of orderly cosmic powers.
Creates a felt sense of alternating hush and opening—supporting meditative receptivity followed by aspiration.
- सु॒प्रती॑के (supratīke)
- Literal: with beautiful faces/appearances. Symbolic: auspicious forms of experience; the attractive, beneficent presentation of inner powers
- वयो॒वृधा॑ (vayovṛdhā)
- Literal: increasing vayas (life/strength). Symbolic: augmenting life-force and capacity of the being for sādhanā
- य॒ह्वी (yahvī)
- Literal: mighty, impetuous, strong. Symbolic: irresistible movement of the soul’s progression when ṛta is active
- ऋ॒तस्य॑ (ṛtasya)
- Literal: of Ṛta (cosmic order). Symbolic: truth-order; the right law of inner workings leading to illumination
- मा॒तरा॑ (mātarā)
- Literal: two mothers. Symbolic: nurturing powers that birth and sustain inner realization
- दो॒षाम् (doṣām)
- Literal: night. Symbolic: inward absorption, incubation, the veiling that prepares revelation
- उ॒षस॑म् (uṣasam)
- Literal: dawn. Symbolic: illumination, spiritual awakening, first openings of higher knowledge
- ई॒म॒हे (īmahe)
- Literal: we seek/implore. Symbolic: aspiration and invocation in the inner yajña
Aprī sequence: invocation of complementary time-powers ensuring rhythmic order for the rite; inner sense: harmonizing subconscious incubation (night) with conscious illumination (dawn)
At the junctions (sandhyā): night-to-dawn transition; also contemplative recitation before morning practice.
Invocation (āvāhana) of the powers of Night and Dawn; mental offering of attention and aspiration.
Use at waking: acknowledge the ‘night’ of unconsciousness and call the ‘dawn’ of clarity; set an intention to follow ṛta (right order) for the day.
uṣás ‘dawn’ from √vas/√uṣ ‘to shine/burn’; doṣā́ ‘night’ relates to the dark interval; paired as complementary rhythms. vayas ‘vitality, age, strength’ from √vi ‘to be lively/active’ (semantic: vigor). ṛtá from √ar ‘to fit, set in order’—truth as right arrangement. mātarā dual ‘two mothers’—generative powers. īmahe 1st pl. middle from √i ‘to go/seek’ with desiderative nuance in usage: move toward, invoke.
Ṛta (cosmic order), rhythm of concealment and revelation, growth of life-force (vayas)
Explicit: Night and Dawn are mothers who generate and maintain ṛta in human consciousness.
Dawn discloses satya; Night preserves and gestates it until it can be borne.
Creation as rhythmic emergence of light from concealment; manifestation through ordered alternation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-Vedic (Aurobindonian) reading: cosmic powers as psychological functions leading to supramental truth.
Night-to-dawn junction (uṣar-budh)
Alternation of subconscious assimilation (night) and conscious revelation (dawn) that increases the seeker’s capacity (vayas) under ṛta.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The paired Mothers Night-and-Dawn generating Ṛta: concealment that ripens the seed of light, and revelation that brings it into manifest clarity. This is the core Vedic rhythm of transformation—light born out of darkness in ordered succession.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- uṣás aligns with PIE *h₂ewsṓs ‘dawn’ (cf. Greek Ēṓs, Latin Aurōra, Lith. Aušrà). The persistence of the Dawn goddess across IE traditions supports the inherited poetic complex of dawn as renewer and awakener.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely observe nature; he invokes Night and Dawn as inner formative powers that increase vayas (vital being) and establish Ṛta in the seeker. The reciprocity is growth and right rhythm granted in response to aspiration (īmahe).
Contemplate the ‘two Mothers’: allow the mind to rest in receptive darkness, then invite a gentle inner dawn of insight.
Ājñā (dawn of perception) with support from Anāhata (quiet openness).
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) 6–12 rounds to embody the rhythm of night/dawn; then natural breath with mantra-japa.
From pratyāhāra-like inwardness to dhāraṇā with luminous clarity.
On waking, recite once slowly; pause in silence (night), then repeat with a felt sense of rising light (dawn). Offer the day’s movements into ṛta—right order and truthfulness.
Notated Vedic accents present (udātta/anudātta/svarita) on supratī́ke, vayovṛ́dhā, etc.; follow śākhā-specific recitation for exact svara.
Keep udātta syllables slightly raised; avoid flattening compound accents in supratīke, vayovṛdhā.
: ‘pratī’ long ī; keep retroflex ṭ in ‘tīke’ absent—here dental t (pratī-), : pronounce ṛ as vocalic ‘ri’ (vṛ-), not ‘ru’, : clear vocalic ṛ; light ‘t’, : short u, ṣ retroflex, final -am nasalized
Soft, maternal, flowing; slightly brighter tone on uṣasam.
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