Rig Veda 6.70.2: Mandala 6, Sukta 70, Mantra 2
Sukta 6.70
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja
- Devata
- Dyāvāpṛthivī
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
असश्चन्ती भूरिधारे पयस्वती घृतं दुहाते सुकृते शुचिव्रते । राजन्ती अस्य भुवनस्य रोदसी अस्मे रेतः सिञ्चतं यन्मनुर्हितम् ॥
ásaścantī bhū́ridhāre páyasvatī ghṛtáṃ duhāte sukṛ́te śúci-vrate | rā́jantī asyá bhúvanasya rodasī asmḗ rétaḥ siñcataṃ yán mánur hitám ||
धरती और आसमान कभी खाली नहीं होते। इनमें से दूध जैसा अमृत निकलता है। जो लोग अच्छे काम करते हैं, उनके लिए यह चमक देते हैं। यह दोनों दुनिया पर राज करते हैं। हमें भी वो शक्ति दो जो इंसान के लिए मंजूर है।
Word by Word
- असश्चन्ती
- not clinging (to anything), unattachedAdjective/Participleस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययः; नकार-निषेधः) — ‘न सश्चन्ती’Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root सच् (सचँ) / प्रातिपदिक: असश्चन्ती (< न- + सचन्ती)
- भूरिधारे
- having abundant streams/flowsAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root प्रातिपदिक: भूरि-धार (भूरि ‘बहु’ + धार ‘धारण/धारा’)
- पयस्वती
- rich in milk/refreshing sapAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root प्रातिपदिक: पयस् + वत् (पयस्वत्)
- घृतम्
- ghee, clarified butterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot प्रातिपदिक: घृत
- दुहाते
- they two milk/drawVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया) — कर्तृ: रोदसी; कर्म: घृतम्Root दुह् (दुहँ प्रपूरणे/दोहने)
- सुकृते
- well-doing, beneficentAdjective (epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root प्रातिपदिक: सु-कृत (सुकृत ‘पुण्य/सत्कर्म’)
- शुचिव्रते
- of pure observanceAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root प्रातिपदिक: शुचि-व्रत (शुचि ‘पवित्र’ + व्रत ‘व्रत/नियम’)
- राजन्ती
- shining, resplendentAdjective/Participleस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययः)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण रोदसी-कर्तृयोः)Root राज् (राजँ दीप्तौ) / प्रातिपदिक: राजन्ती (शतृ)
- अस्य
- of thisPronounपुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी) — ‘of this’Root सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: इदम् (एतद्-प्रकारः) → अस्य
- भुवनस्य
- of the world, of existenceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (षष्ठी) — ‘of the world’Root प्रातिपदिक: भुवन (भू + यु/अन) ‘जगत्/लोक’
- रोदसी
- Heaven and Earth (the two worlds)Noun (dual collective)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole KartāRoot प्रातिपदिक: रोदसी (द्यावापृथिव्यौ)
- अस्मे
- to us, for usPronounचतुर्थी/षष्ठी, बहुवचन (वैदिके ‘अस्मे’ = अस्मभ्यं/अस्माकम्; अत्र दातृ-अर्थः)Role SampradānaRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम) → अस्मे
- रेतः
- seed, generative fluidNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (वैदिके -अस्-शब्दस्य रूपम् ‘रेतः’)Role KarmaRoot प्रातिपदिक: रेतस्
- सिञ्चतम्
- pour (you two), sprinkleVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) — कर्तृ: रोदसी; कर्म: रेतः; सम्प्रदान: अस्मेRoot सिच् (षिञ्चँ स्रवणे/सेचने)
- यत्
- whichRelative pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (यत् = रेतः-विशेषणम्/सम्बन्धः) अथवा सम्बन्ध-चिह्नम्Root यद् (सर्वनाम) → यत्
- मनुः
- ManuNoun (proper/ancestral seer)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (हितम्-क्रियायाः कर्ता)Root प्रातिपदिक: मनु
- हितम्
- placed, appointed, ordainedPast participleनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (यत्/रेतः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) — ‘स्थापितम्/निहितम्’Role Karma (यत्/रेतः-विशेषणम्) / परिणामःRoot धा (धा॒ धारणे) → धि/हि; क्त-प्रत्यय: हित
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (वैदिक-सन्धि-निरसनम्): असश्चन्ती | भूरिधारे | पयस्वती | घृतम् | दुहाते | सुकृते | शुचिव्रते | राजन्ती | अस्य | भुवनस्य | रोदसी | अस्मे | रेतः | सिञ्चतम् | यत् | मनुः | हितम् । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) असश्चन्ती = अ- (निषेध) + सश्चन्ती (सच्-शतृ) → ‘न सश्चन्ती’। (2) अस्मे रेतः: विसर्ग/रेफ-सन्धिः—रेतस्-शब्दस्य वैदिकं कर्मरूपम् ‘रेतः’। (3) यन्मनुः = यत् + मनुः → यन् मनुः (तकारस्य नकारादेशः परे मकारे)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Unfailing, bearing abundant streams, rich in milk, Heaven and Earth milk out ghṛta for the well-doer of pure vow. Shining over the world, pour into us the seed-force that Manu established.
Inner meaning
When the seeker becomes ‘sukṛt’ (one who works rightly—inner sacrifice) and ‘śucivrata’ (pure vow: sincere consecration), the foundational powers of higher consciousness and embodied nature begin to ‘milk’ clarified light—luminous intelligence and purified substance—into the system. Their abundance is not intermittent (‘asaścantī’): the higher support becomes steady. The prayer for ‘retas’ is not merely fertility but the descending seed of spiritual power—creative potency for a new formation—aligned with the ‘Manu-path’: the true human way of conscious evolution and right living.
Universal truth
Sustained inner discipline and purity invite a reliable inflow of clarity and nourishment. True creativity—new life, new works, new self—comes when our energies are seeded by a higher order aligned with the deepest human vocation.
Themes
Inner nourishment, Discipline and purity, Transmission of seed-power, Heaven-Earth beneficence
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja (Bārhaspatya)
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.70.1, RV 6.70.4, RV 6.70.5
Family tradition
Bharadvāja’s lineage stresses purity of will (vrata) and right work (sukṛti) as conditions for receiving higher light and power.
Significance
The seer links cosmic supports with personal discipline: the universe responds to the yogin’s right vow by pouring clarity (ghṛta) and transformative potency (retas).
The deity
- Devata
- Dyāvāpṛthivī
- Epithets
- asaścantī (unfailing), bhūridhāre (many-streamed), payasvatī (milk-rich), rājantī (shining)
- Related deities
- Manu (as archetypal lawgiver), Varuṇa (law), Agni (sacrifice), Soma (delight-nourishment)
Cosmic role
They nourish and illuminate the worlds; as parents/supports they provide the ‘milk’ of life and the ‘ghṛta’ of clarity to sustain sacrifice and evolution.
Inner power
Steady descent of nourishment and light into mind-life-body when the seeker is purified; empowerment of creative transformation (retas) along the true human path.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dyāvāpṛthivī praise in Soma rites; also supportive verses for consecration and right action of the sacrificer (sukṛt).
अस॑श्चन्ती॒ भूरि॑धारे॒ पय॑स्वती घृ॒तं दु॑हाते सु॒कृते॒ शुचि॑व्रते । राज॑न्ती अ॒स्य भुव॑नस्य रोदसी अ॒स्मे रेत॑: सिञ्चतं॒ यन्मनु॑र्हितम् ॥
अस॑श्चन्ती॒ इति॑ । भूरि॑धारे॒ इति॒ भूरि॑ऽधारे । पय॑स्वती॒ इति॑ । घृ॒तम् । दु॒हा॒ते॒ इति॑ । सु॒ऽकृते॑ । शुचि॑व्रते॒ इति॒ शुचि॑ऽव्रते । राज॑न्ती॒ इति॑ । अ॒स्य । भुव॑नस्य । रो॒द॒सी॒ इति॑ । अ॒स्मे इति॑ । रेतः॑ । सि॒ञ्च॒त॒म् । यत् । मनुः॑ऽहितम् ॥
asaścantī iti | bhūridhāreitibhūri-dhāre | payasvatī iti | ghṛtam | duhāteiti | su-kṛte | śucivrateitiśuci-vrate | rājantī iti | asya | bhuvanasya | rodasī iti | asme iti | retaḥ | siñcatam | yat | manuḥ-hitam
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4 pādas of ~12 syllables
Smooth, generous flow with a nurturing cadence; suited to ‘milking’ imagery and steady abundance.
Induces receptivity and steadiness; supports a feeling of being inwardly fed by light.
- asaścantī
- Literal: not failing, unceasing. Symbolic: continuous support of higher and lower once alignment is achieved
- bhūridhāre
- Literal: bearing many streams. Symbolic: multiple channels of force/knowledge opening in the being
- payasvatī
- Literal: rich in milk. Symbolic: abundant nourishment—life-energy and supportive substance for growth
- ghṛtaṃ duhāte
- Literal: they milk ghṛta. Symbolic: they yield clarified light/essence—purified intelligence and subtle substance
- sukṛte
- Literal: to the well-doer. Symbolic: to one who performs the inner yajña rightly (right effort, right offering)
- śucivrate
- Literal: of pure vow. Symbolic: consecrated will, ethical clarity, and psychic sincerity
- rodasī
- Literal: the two firmaments. Symbolic: the paired supports (higher/lower) shining as a unified field
- retas
- Literal: seed, semen. Symbolic: creative spiritual potency; the ‘seed’ of new consciousness
- manurhitam
- Literal: set/placed by Manu. Symbolic: the archetypal human law/path—right measure of evolution toward the divine
Used as a blessing-invocation for nourishment, fertility of force, and right discipline in Soma contexts; thematically apt for consecratory moments emphasizing vrata/purity.
When invoking cosmic parents to grant nourishment, clarity, and generative power to the rite and the patron.
Recitation with offerings (ghee, milk) symbolically matching ghṛta/payas; prayer for ‘retas’ as prosperity and continuity.
For practitioners: chant after setting intention (vrata) to invite steady clarity and creative energy for study, healing, or new beginnings.
√duh ‘to milk’ extends from physical yielding to symbolic ‘drawing out essence’—the worlds yield ghṛta (clarified light) to the disciplined seeker (śuci-vrata). √sic ‘to pour’ indicates infusion of retas (creative seed-force) into the aspirant—psychologically, an implantation of higher potency enabling growth toward ṛta. manuḥ-hitam frames tradition as an archetypal ‘human ordinance’: Manu as the prototype of the ordered human life aligned with cosmic law.
vrata (discipline aligning with ṛta), transmission of creative potency (retas), Manu as archetype of ordered humanity
Right work (sukṛti) and pure vow align the individual with ṛta, enabling the lawful flow of nourishment and power.
Unfailing supports imply a truth-backed steadiness rather than fluctuating inspiration.
Milking of luminous essence into the human—cosmic parents feeding the evolving being; seeding a new formation.
Integral-psychological Veda (Aurobindo/Kashyap): cosmic forces as inner functions; Manu as the law of conscious evolution.
Milk = vital nourishment; ghṛta = clarified intelligence; streams = opened channels (nāḍī-like); retas = concentrated creative power descending into the system.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of cosmic parents ‘milking’ essence for the worthy: Heaven and Earth as inexhaustible givers who provide ghṛta (luminous essence) and retas (creative seed). In the inner reading, disciplined purity (śuci-vrata) allows the seeker to receive a higher generative impulse—an initiatory infusion that continues Manu’s archetypal human dharma.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh ‘milk’ has Indo-European parallels in yielding/extraction semantics (cf. Germanic *dugan ‘be of use’ is not a direct cognate but shows how ‘usefulness/yield’ can cluster; strict cognacy is uncertain). dyā́us/pr̥thivī again reflect PIE *dyew- and *pl̥th₂u-. √sic ‘pour’ corresponds to PIE *seyḱ- ‘to pour’ (cf. Latin siccus is not cognate; but Baltic/Slavic show related ‘pour’ roots).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions himself (and his community: asmē) as recipients conditioned by ethical-psychological readiness (sukṛta, śuci-vrata). The Devata responds by ‘milking’ and ‘pouring’—a reciprocal economy where right inner action draws down higher creative power.
Receive ‘ghṛta’ as a descent of clear light into the mind; receive ‘retas’ as concentrated creative power into the navel/heart for new formation.
Maṇipūra (creative power/retas) with Ājñā (ghṛta-clarity)
Inhale imagining golden clarity descending from above; exhale grounding into the body. After 9 rounds, repeat mantra mentally, feeling a ‘seed-drop’ settling at navel/heart.
Receptive clarity with quiet generative warmth.
Keep a simple pure vow (śuci-vrata) for a set period; let actions be ‘sukṛti’ (rightly done). Then chant to stabilize the inflow—do not force; allow steady ‘milking’ over time.
Jagatī—maintain long-breath phrasing; svara rises often on key adjectives (asaścantī, rājantī) and on ‘asme retaḥ’.
Slight emphasis on ‘ghṛtaṃ duhāte’ (the yielding); devotional lift on ‘asme retaḥ siñcatam’.
asaścantī: pronounce śc cluster distinctly, bhūridhāre: long ū; retroflex ḍh, payasvatī: keep ‘ya’ light; short a, śucivrate: śu-ci-vra-te, no slurring, rodasī: long ī at end, siñcatam: palatal ñc; not ‘sinchatam’
Nurturing, steady, slightly softened tone; clear consonants on clusters.
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