Rig Veda 5.80.1: Mandala 5, Sukta 80, Mantra 1

Sukta 5.80

Rishi

Atri

Devata

Uṣas

Chandas

Jagatī

Rasa

Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

द्युतद्यामानं बृहतीमृतेन ऋतावरीमरुणप्सुं विभातीम् । देवीमुषसं स्वरावहन्तीं प्रति विप्रासो मतिभिर्जरन्ते ॥

Recitation with translationRig Veda 5.80.1

Transliteration

dyutá-dyāmānaṃ bṛhatīm ṛténa ṛtā́varīm aruṇá-psuṃ vibhātīm | devīm uṣásaṃ svàr-āvahantīṃ práti víprāso matíbhir jarante ||

Translation

उषा देवी आसमान में चमक रही है। वो बड़ी है और सच्चाई का पालन करती है। लाल-पीला रंग है उसका, और रोशनी फैला रही है। यह देवी स्वर्ग की रोशनी लाती है। रिशि लोग अपने सोच से उस्से जगाते हैं।

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Word by Word

द्युतद्या॑मानम्

shining in the sky / having a shining sky-courseAdjective (compound) · नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (स्तुत्य-वस्तु/उद्देश्य-रूपेण ‘उषसम्’) · Root द्युतत्- (कृदन्त, √द्युत् ‘दीप्तौ’) + द्यामन्- (प्रातिपदिक ‘आकाश/दिन’)

बृह॒तीम्

the great, loftyAdjective · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (उषसम् विशेषणम्) · Root बृहती- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महती/विस्तीर्णा’)

ऋ॒तेन॑

by/with ṛta (cosmic order, truth)Noun · नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (येन/यथा—‘ऋतेन’ = by/with ṛta) · Root ऋत- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ऋत/सत्य-नियम’)

ऋ॒ताव॑रीम्

the ṛta-guarding / true-orderedAdjective (epithet) · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (उषसम् विशेषणम्) · Root ऋतावरी- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ऋतस्य आवरी/पालयित्री’)

अरु॒णप्सुम्

of ruddy beauty / with ruddy formAdjective (compound) · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (उषसम् विशेषणम्) · Root अरुण- (प्रातिपदिक ‘रक्त/अरुण’) + प्सु- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘रूप/आकृति/शोभा’—वेदिक)

विभा॒तीम्

shining forth, dawningAdjective (present-participial sense) · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (उषसम् विशेषणम्) · Root वि-√भा (भा ‘दीप्तौ’) → विभाती (वर्तमान-कृदन्त/विशेषण) अथवा ‘विभाति’ से स्त्री-द्वितीया एकवचन विशेषणरूप

दे॒वीम्

the goddessNoun · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य-वस्तु = उषसम्) · Root देवी- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘देवी’)

उ॒षसम्

Uṣas, the DawnNoun · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (यां स्तुवन्ति/जपन्ति) · Root उषस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘उषा/प्रभात’)

स्व॑र-आ॒वह॑न्तीम्

bringing the light/brightnessAdjective (compound participle) · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उषसम् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (उषसम् विशेषणम्) · Root स्वर- (प्रातिपदिक ‘प्रकाश/स्वर/सूर्य-दीप्ति’) + आ-√वह् (वह् ‘वहने/आनयने’) → आवहन्ती (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, स्त्री)

प्रति

towards, in returnIndeclinable · अव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/दिशा) ‘towards, in response’ · Root प्रति (उपसर्ग/निपात)

विप्रा॑सः

the inspired seers/poetsNoun · पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (जरन्ते इति क्रियायाः) · Root विप्र- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ऋषि/कवि/प्रज्ञावान्’)

म॒तिभिः

with thoughts, with hymns/insightsNoun · स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करण (याभिः—by means of thoughts/hymns) · Root मति- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मति/धिया/विचार/स्तोत्र-प्रज्ञा’)

जरन्ते

they praise/celebrate (her)Verb · लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ = विप्रासः; कर्म = उषसम्) · Root √जर् (जर्/जॄ ‘स्तुतौ/क्षये’; वेदिक प्रयोगे ‘स्तुवन्ति/प्रशंसन्ति’)

Sandhi Notes

• पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): द्युतद्या॑मानम् (द्युतत् + द्यामानम्/द्या॑मानम्; समास) । बृह॒तीम् । ऋ॒तेन॑ । ऋ॒ताव॑रीम् । अरु॒णप्सुम् (अरुण + प्सुम्; समास) । विभा॒तीम् । दे॒वीम् । उ॒षसम् । स्व॑रा॒वह॑न्तीम् = स्वर + आवहन्तीम् (समास; आ-√वह् वर्तमान-कृदन्त) । प्रति । विप्रा॑सः । म॒तिभि॑ः । जरन्ते ।

The meaning

Outer meaning

The seers turn toward the divine Dawn: shining across the sky, vast through ṛta, an upholder of ṛta, crimson-flashing and breaking into light—toward the goddess Uṣas who brings the luminous world (svar) before us; the inspired ones praise her with their thoughts.

Inner meaning

Dawn is invoked as a law-filled illumination: not a random brightness but light that is “vast by ṛta” and itself a carrier of ṛta. She “brings svar” forward—she makes the higher luminous consciousness accessible in front of the mind. The vipras ‘kindle’ her with matis: awakened thoughts are the inner fuel; aspiration and attention collaborate with the descending light. The verse describes the yogic mechanism: right thought (mati) and inspired seeing (vipra) call down the dawn-force that opens the higher plane.

Universal truth

When thought aligns with truth (ṛta), illumination becomes stable and vast. Higher consciousness is approached not by strain but by awakened attention that invites and sustains the light.

Themes

Dawn as inner illumination, Truth-order guiding the soul, Transition from darkness to knowledge, Nature-praise as symbolic psychology

The seer

Rishi

Atri (Ātreya tradition)

Lineage

Ātreya

Other hymns

RV 5.80 (Uṣas hymn sequence), RV 5.78–5.81 (Atri cluster with dawn/light motifs)

Family tradition

The Atri hymns frequently celebrate the ascent into light and the establishment of ṛta; Uṣas is central as the awakener of the vipra-consciousness.

Significance

Atri represents the archetypal seer-intelligence that calls the dawn of higher truth; his approach is disciplined by ṛta—illumination as law and harmony, not mere vision.

The deity

Devata

Uṣas

Epithets

Bṛhatī (Vast), Ṛtāvarī (upholder of ṛta), Aruṇapsu (crimson-flashing), Devī (goddess), Svar-āvahantī (bringer of svar)

Related deities

Sūrya, Savitar, Mitra-Varuṇa, Agni

Cosmic role

She manifests the luminous order, leads beings from night to day, and opens the access to svar (the world of light).

Inner power

Widening illumination that organizes thought and life by truth-law; awakens intuition (vipra) and energizes aspiration.

In ritual

Where it is used

Dawn stotra/praise in morning sequences; supportive of rites that begin with awakening and orientation to ṛta.

Accents and Padapatha

Chandas Analysis

Key Symbols

Ritual Application

Etymology

Philosophical Concepts

Vedic Cosmology

Natural Symbolism

Academic Analysis

Yogic Application

Chanting Notes