Sukta 72
Sukta 5.72
Atri (Ātreya) explicitly referenced (atrivat)
Mitra-Varuṇa
Triṣṭubh
This brief Triṣṭubh hymn invokes Mitra and Varuṇa with the precedent of Atri, inviting them to “sit on the barhis” and partake of Soma in the sacrifice. It praises their steadfast governance through vrata (binding ordinance) and dharma, asking them to stabilize peace, restrain disruptive forces, and delight in the yajña for the worshipper’s chosen good (iṣṭi).
Mantras
Mantra 1
आ मित्रे वरुणे वयं गीर्भिर्जुहुमो अत्रिवत् । नि बर्हिषि सदतं सोमपीतये ॥
हम मित्र और वरुण को अपनी पुकार से बुला रहे हैं, जैसे अत्रि रिशि ने बुलाया था। आप दोनों हमारे पास आके बैठो। सोम पीने का टाइम हो गया है।
Mantra 2
व्रतेन स्थो ध्रुवक्षेमा धर्मणा यातयज्जना । नि बर्हिषि सदतं सोमपीतये ॥
अपने व्रत के साथ पक्के रहो, हिलना नहीं। धरम के हिसाब से लोगों को सही रास्ता दिखाओ। आप दोनों हमारे पास आके बैठो, सोम पीने के लिए।
Mantra 3
मित्रश्च नो वरुणश्च जुषेतां यज्ञमिष्टये । नि बर्हिषि सदतां सोमपीतये ॥
मित्र और वरुण हमारी पूजा में खुश हों। हमारी इच्छा पूरी हो। वो दोनों हमारे पास आके बैठें, सोम पीने के लिए।
Inside Sukta 72
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
A direct invitation to Mitra–Varuṇa with hymns, explicitly invoking Atri’s precedent and requesting the gods to sit on the barhis for Soma.
- Development
Their governance is described through vrata and dharma: firm establishment of stable peace and the checking of disruptive tendencies.
- Climax
The petition that Mitra and Varuṇa actively ‘enjoy’ and accept the yajña for the worshipper’s chosen aim (iṣṭi), implying full divine participation.
- Where it settles
A repeated, settling refrain—‘sit on the barhis for Soma-drinking’—closing the hymn in ritual certainty and hospitality to the deities.
The deity: Mitra-Varuṇa
- In the VedaA dual Āditya pair frequently praised as guardians of ṛta: Mitra embodies concord and right alliance, while Varuṇa embodies vastness, moral sovereignty, and the binding power of cosmic law. They are invited to the seat (barhis) to accept Soma and to “enjoy” (juṣ-) the offering.
- Cosmic functionThey uphold order in heaven and earth, stabilize peace and security (kṣema), and restrain what disrupts society and cosmos through their ordinances (vrata) and sustaining law (dharma).
- Inner significanceMitra-Varuṇa symbolize the harmonizing and conscience-bearing powers within: truthful alignment, ethical restraint, inner steadiness, and the capacity to receive the ‘Soma’ of clarity and delight without disorder.
The seer
- Atri (Ātreya)Ātreya (Atri-gotra) · One of the great Rigvedic seers; renowned for luminous insight and for calling the gods with potent speech—here explicitly recalled by the epithet atrivat (“as Atri did”).
Famous verses
atrivat; ni barhiṣi sadataṃ somapītaye
vratena sthaḥ dhruvakṣemā; dharmaṇā yātayatjanā
juṣetāṃ yajñam iṣṭaye
Attributes of the deity
- Guardians of ṛta (cosmic order)
- Vrata-holders (steadfast ordinances)
- Dharmic stabilizers of peace and security (dhruva-kṣema)
- Restrainers of disorder (yātayat-janā)
- Beneficent recipients of Soma and yajña
- Promoters of concord (Mitra) and moral sovereignty (Varuṇa)
Also by this seer
- Numerous hymns of Mandala 5 associated with the Ātreyas (Atri family)
- Rigvedic prayers to Agni, the Ādityas (including Mitra–Varuṇa), and Soma in the Ātreya corpus
- Later tradition remembers Atri among the Saptarṣis and as a foundational ṛṣi of Vedic revelation
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the vedi and spread the barhis (sacred grass/seat).
- Recite the invocatory verse calling Mitra–Varuṇa ‘as Atri did’ (atrivat), requesting their seating for Soma-drinking.
- Offer/press and present Soma with accompanying hymns, reaffirming their vrata and dharma as stabilizing powers.
- Conclude by asking the pair to ‘enjoy’ (juṣetām) the yajña for iṣṭi (the sought fulfillment), repeating the seating refrain.
Offerings
- Soma (pressed juice, offered and ritually ‘drunk’ by the gods)
- Gīr/śastras (hymnic praises)
- Barhis as the prepared sacred seat (ritual hospitality)
Frequently Asked Questions
They are a paired form of the Ādityas who protect ṛta (cosmic and moral order). Mitra emphasizes harmony and right agreement, while Varuṇa emphasizes vast law, restraint, and moral sovereignty.
It recalls the authority of the seer Atri’s earlier invocations, implying that the present worship follows a proven, ṛṣi-sanctioned way of calling the gods to the sacrifice.
Barhis is the sacred grass seat prepared on the ritual ground. Inviting the gods to sit there and drink Soma is the formal act of welcoming them to accept the offering and participate in the yajña.
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