Rig Veda 5.75.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 75, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.75
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अत्यायातमश्विना तिरो विश्वा अहं सना । दस्रा हिरण्यवर्तनी सुषुम्ना सिन्धुवाहसा माध्वी मम श्रुतं हवम् ॥
atyā́yātam aśvinā tiró víśvā áhaṃ sánā | dasrā híraṇyavartanī suṣúmnā síndhuvāhasā mā́dhvī mama śrutáṃ hávam ||
अश्विनी कुमार, जल्दी आओ। सारी दीवारें पार करो। हमने तुम्हे पहले भी बुलाया था। तुम्हारा काम सोना जैसा चमकता है। तुम नदी की तरह बहते हो। हमारी मीठी आवाज़ सुनो।
Word by Word
- अत्यायातम्
- (you two) come hither, come overVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया) —Root अति-आ-या (√या ‘गच्छ्’)
- अश्विना
- O AśvinsNoun (dual vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तिरः
- across, beyondIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकारण (गतिविशेष/दिशा)Root तिरस् (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ)
- विश्वाः
- allAdjective/Pronoun-likeस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (अहाः इति निहितम्)Role कर्तृ (निहितस्य ‘अहाः’ इत्यस्य)Root विश्व (सर्व)
- अहाः
- daysNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रियायाः ‘अत्यायातम्’ इत्यस्य कालव्याप्तिः)Root अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सना
- from of old, long sinceIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकारण (काल)Root सना (अव्यय) संभवतः *sanā* ‘पुरा/चिरात्’
- दस्रा
- O wondrous/skillful onesAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot दस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिरण्यवर्तनी
- O you two of golden paths/trackAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (ऋग्वैदिके -ई अन्तस्य द्विवचन-सम्बोधनरूपम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot हिरण्य-वर्तनी (समास; वर्तनिन्/वर्तनी ‘having a track/way’)
- सुषुम्ना
- O very gracious/bringing good fortuneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सु-षुम्न (समास; षुम्न ‘favour, grace, good fortune’)
- सिन्धुवाहसा
- O you two who bear/ride the rivers (or: whose conveyance is the river)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सिन्धु-वाहस् (समास; वाहस् ‘bearing, carrying’)
- माध्वी
- the honey-sweet (utterance/voice)Noun/Adjective (elliptic)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/कर्म (वाक्ये निहितक्रियासापेक्षम्; ‘श्रुतम्’ इत्यनेन संबद्धा)Root माध्वी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मधु-सम्बन्धिनी’, honey-sweet) संभवतः ‘माध्वी (वाक्/गीः)’ निहिता
- मम
- myPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- श्रुतम्
- heard, hearkened-toParticiple/Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सन्दर्भे: ‘श्रुतं हवम्’ = ‘heard call’)Role कर्म (हवम् इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण)Root √श्रु (शृणोति) → श्रुत (कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त) / अथवा ‘श्रुतम्’ (नपुंसक) ‘श्रवणम्/कीर्तिः’
- हवम्
- call, invocationNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक; √हू ‘आह्वाने’ से)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: अ॒त्याया॑तम् = अति + आयातम् (आ-√या, लोट् मध्यम-द्विवचन)
- ति॒रो = तिरः (अव्यय)
- विश्वा॑ अ॒हं = विश्वाः अहाः (अहन् नपुंसक प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘अहं’ पदपाठे ‘अहाः’)
- दस्रा॒ हिर॑ण्यवर्तनी॒ = दस्रा हिरण्यवर्तनी (सम्बोधन-द्विवचन)
- सिन्धु॑वाहसा॒ = सिन्धु-वाहसा (सम्बोधन-द्विवचन)
- माध्वी॒ मम॑ = माध्वी मम
- श्रुतं॒ हव॑म् = श्रुतम् हवम् (श्रुतम् ‘heard’ विशेषणम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The seer urges the Aśvins to come swiftly, crossing all obstacles, as he has called from ancient times; he praises them as wondrous, with golden tracks, bearing happy energies and river-bearing currents, and asks them to hear the honeyed call.
Inner meaning
Atyāyātam is the yogic cry for rapid descent. ‘Crossing all’ (tiraḥ viśvāḥ) points to passing beyond inner barriers—fear, inertia, habitual patterns. ‘From of old’ (sanā) indicates the soul’s perennial aspiration through lifetimes. Hiraṇyavartanī: golden courses are luminous pathways of right movement in the subtle being. Suṣumnā here resonates with “happy/auspicious energies” and (by later yogic echo) the central harmonizing channel; sindhuvāhasā are the flowing currents of life-force that can carry the divine movement into all parts of the nature.
Universal truth
When aspiration is ancient and sincere, higher helpers can traverse every obstruction; illumination establishes golden pathways, and the life-currents become carriers of auspicious force.
Themes
Swift arrival, Transcending obstacles, Luminous pathways, Grace and flowing force
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.74.8–10 (preceding sequence), RV 5.76–5.77 (Aśvin-related in Maṇḍala 5, traditional)
Family tradition
Ātreya Aśvin hymns often stress swift crossing and practical rescue; they link luminous movement (golden paths) with life-currents that must be purified and made carriers of the divine.
Significance
Atri represents persistent aspiration (sanā) and the knowledge of channels: how divine help moves through paths (vartanī) and streams (sindhu) into embodied existence.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- Dasrā, hiraṇyavartanī, sindhuvāhasā, madhu-associated (mādhvī call)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Swift traversers of worlds and obstacles; conductors of luminous movement and healing currents into mortal life.
Inner power
Opening of pathways and mobilization of life-currents for transformation; rapid rescue across resistance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin morning invocations; verses for overcoming obstacles and securing auspicious movement
अ॒त्याया॑तमश्विना ति॒रो विश्वा॑ अ॒हं सना॑ । दस्रा॒ हिर॑ण्यवर्तनी॒ सुषु॑म्ना॒ सिन्धु॑वाहसा॒ माध्वी॒ मम॑ श्रुतं॒ हव॑म् ॥
अ॒ति॒ऽआया॑तम् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । ति॒रः । विश्वाः॑ । अ॒हम् । सना॑ । दस्रा॑ । हिर॑ण्यऽवर्तनी॒ इति॒ हिर॑ण्यऽवर्तनी । सुऽसु॑म्ना । सिन्धु॑ऽवाहसा । माध्वी॒ इति॑ । मम॑ । श्रुत॑म् । हव॑म् ॥
ati-āyātam | aśvinā | tiraḥ | viśvāḥ | aham | sanā | dasrā | hiraṇya-vartanī itihiraṇya-vartanī | su-sumnā | sindhu-vāhasā | mādhvī iti | mama | śrutam | havam
44
4 × ~11
Urgent and propulsive; frequent ‘crossing’ and ‘swift coming’ feel in cadence.
Stimulates courage and forward movement; helps break inertia and summon decisive help.
- atyāyātam
- Literal: come very swiftly. Symbolic: rapid descent of divine assistance into the field of practice
- tiraḥ viśvāḥ
- Literal: across all (things). Symbolic: beyond every obstruction/limitation in mind, life, body
- sanā
- Literal: from of old. Symbolic: the timeless soul-aspiration; continuity of the quest
- dasrā
- Literal: wondrous doers. Symbolic: powers that accomplish what seems impossible to the surface nature
- hiraṇyavartanī
- Literal: having golden tracks/courses. Symbolic: luminous pathways of right movement; channels of light in the subtle being
- suṣumnā
- Literal: very gracious/auspicious, good-minded. Symbolic: harmonizing auspicious energy; (yogic echo) central channel of integration
- sindhuvāhasā
- Literal: river-bearing, carrying streams. Symbolic: life-currents/prāṇic flows that can transport higher force throughout the system
- mādhvī
- Literal: honeyed. Symbolic: ananda-tone that opens receptivity
Soma invitation: urging the Aśvins to ‘cross over’ all distances/obstacles and arrive on luminous tracks; aligns with the ritual motif of gods traversing realms to the pressing.
When seeking swift divine intervention—journeys, healing rites, transitions.
Calling the Aśvins to cross barriers and bring auspicious currents; sealing with ‘mādhvī’ sweetness.
Chant when stuck in patterns or during major life transitions; use as ‘obstacle-crossing’ invocation before action.
ati-āyātam: ā-√yā (to come/go) with ati- ‘over, beyond’ → ‘come crossing over’. dasrá is a traditional epithet of Aśvins (skillful/heroic wonder-workers), often linked to √dṛ/√daṃs semantic field of ‘marvelous skill’ in Vedic usage. hiraṇya ‘gold’ (luminous) + vartanī ‘track/turning’ from √vṛt (to turn, roll, proceed) → luminous courses. sumná (here in su-sumnā) is ‘favour, gracious happiness’ (often an inner felicity). síndhu ‘river/stream’ also denotes a strong flow; with vāhasā (bearing/carrying) from √vah (to carry) → currents of force.
Crossing coverings (tiraḥ) as removal of ignorance, Grace/favour (su-sumnā), Flow of life-force (síndhu) as streaming consciousness-energy
Golden courses signify ṛta’s luminous tracks through which right action proceeds.
The ancient call (sanā) is the soul’s truth persisting beneath changing personalities.
Worlds connected by paths and streams; descent travels via channels and currents.
Integral yoga resonance: channels (vartanī) and central harmonization (suṣumnā) as transformation-technology (echo, not anachronistic identity).
Dawn/morning transition
Gold = illumination; rivers = prāṇic currents; crossing = transcendence of habitual limits; suṣumnā = harmonizing integration-current.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine traversal ‘across all’ (tiraḥ viśvāḥ): gods moving on golden tracks and bearing river-like currents. Mythically it is the Aśvins’ rapid journey; psychologically it is the passage of luminous aid through the layers of limitation to reach the seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛt (in vartanī) continues PIE *wert- ‘turn, roll’ (cf. Latin vertere). √vah ‘carry’ (vāhasā) continues PIE *wegh- ‘carry/transport’ (cf. Latin vehere). These inherited roots support the archaic ‘movement/vehicle’ semantics central to Indo-European hymn style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi claims continuity of aspiration (sanā) and calls for a response that overcomes total limitation (viśvāḥ). The Aśvins are invoked as skillful agents who bring grace (sumná) and flowing force (síndhu) into the human journey.
Breaking barriers and opening luminous channels; invite the ‘golden course’ to establish itself in your day.
Ājñā (luminous path) with Suṣumnā/central axis (as yogic echo)
Brisk 9 breaths: inhale imagining golden track up the spine; exhale imagining rivers of force spreading through limbs; then chant once slowly to seal.
Dynamic aspiration, courageous receptivity.
Name one obstruction silently (‘this fear/this inertia’), chant, then act on one small step immediately—aligning human effort with the Aśvin crossing-force.
Keep urgency in first pādas (atyāyātam… tiraḥ viśvāḥ), then broaden and sweeten on mādhvī… havam; apply pitch accents if available from a svara text.
Slightly quicker on ‘atyāyātam’; pause after ‘tiraḥ viśvāḥ’; give resonance to ‘hiraṇyavartanī’ and ‘sindhuvāhasā’.
‘atyāyātam’ at-yā-yā-tam (clear ty cluster)., ‘hiraṇyavartanī’ hi-ra-ṇya-var-ta-nī (retroflex ṇ)., ‘sindhuvāhasā’ sin-dhu-vā-ha-sā (aspirate dh; long ā).
Bright, commanding, forward; finish with a honeyed softness on ‘mādhvī’.
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