Sukta 43
Sukta 7.43
Vasiṣṭha (family book 7; hymn attributed to Vasiṣṭhas)
Tr̥ṣṭubh (probable)
This five-verse hymn of the Vasiṣṭhas opens by praising Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven-and-Earth) as the vast foundation strengthened by reverent speech in the yajña. It then shifts to the practical liturgy of inviting the Gods to the barhis, asking Agni to consecrate the rite and protect the sacrificer’s “divine becoming” from hostility. The close is a collective prayer for lasting welfare (svasti), steadiness, and uninjured participation in shared prosperity.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
प्र वो यज्ञेषु देवयन्तो अर्चन्द्यावा नमोभिः पृथिवी इषध्यै । येषां ब्रह्माण्यसमानि विप्रा विष्वग्वियन्ति वनिनो न शाखाः ॥
यज्ञ में रिशी लोग आगे बढ़ के गाना गाते हैं, भगवान के लिए। नमस्कार के साथ वो आसमान और धरती को मजबूत करते हैं। इनकी बातें अलग हैं, कोई के बराबर नहीं। पेड़ की तरह हर तरफ फैली हुई हैं।
Mantra 2
प्र यज्ञ एतु हेत्वो न सप्तिरुद्यच्छध्वं समनसो घृताचीः । स्तृणीत बर्हिरध्वराय साधूर्ध्वा शोचींषि देवयून्यस्थुः ॥
यज्ञ आगे बढ़ रहा है जैसे तेज़ घोड़ा दौड़ता है। सब मिल के सोचो, एक मन से। घी की ज्यालियाँ ऊपर उठो। आसन बिछाओ जो साफ हो, जैसे कोई सफर हो। अग्नि की ज्यालियाँ सीधी खड़ी हो, भगवान की तरफ जाती हो।
Mantra 3
आ पुत्रासो न मातरं विभृत्राः सानौ देवासो बर्हिषः सदन्तु । आ विश्वाची विदथ्यामनक्त्वग्ने मा नो देवताता मृधस्कः ॥
देवता आसन पर बैठे हैं जैसे बेटे माँ के पास बैठते हैं। वो माँ को संभालते हैं, ऊपर बिठा के। अग्नि, यह सब जगह को साफ कर। कोई बुरा शक्ति हमारे ऊपर न आए, हमारी भक्ति को न छूए।
Mantra 4
ते सीषपन्त जोषमा यजत्रा ऋतस्य धाराः सुदुघा दुहानाः । ज्येष्ठं वो अद्य मह आ वसूनामा गन्तन समनसो यति ष्ठ ॥
वो धारें आगे बढ़ रही हैं, खुशी से। सच्चाई की धारें हैं, दूध जैसी, सब देती हैं। आज तुम सब मिल के आओ, एक मन से। अपने बड़े स्वरूप में आओ, वसु देवताओं के साथ।
Mantra 5
एवा नो अग्ने विक्ष्वा दशस्य त्वया वयं सहसावन्नास्क्राः । राया युजा सधमादो अरिष्टा यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
अग्नि, हमारे लोगों में अपनी कृपा दिखा। तेरे साथ हम स्ट्रॉन्ग हो गए, कोई हमें नुकसान नहीं पहुँचा सकता। धन और समृद्धि के साथ, खुशी में, हम सेफ हैं। तुम देवता हमेशा हमारी रक्षा करो, शांति के साथ।
Inside Sukta 43
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Seers advance in sacrifice, praising and ‘strengthening’ Heaven-and-Earth through reverence and inspired speech.
- Development
The hymn moves from cosmic foundation (Dyāvā-Pṛthivī) to enacted ritual: the Gods are invited to take their seats, and the sacred assembly is prepared.
- Climax
Agni is asked to anoint the wide-ranging vidatha and to prevent hostile forces from harming the sacrificer’s divine participation (devatātā).
- Where it settles
A final benediction: with Agni’s strength and the Powers’ guardianship, the people remain unharmed, joined to prosperity, and protected by enduring svasti.
The deity: Dyāvāpṛthivī, with Agni as ritual consecrator and the invited Devāḥ
- Cosmic functionHeaven-and-Earth provide the stable cosmic frame—space above and ground below—within which ṛta (order) and yajña (sacrificial exchange) operate; Agni mediates between humans and gods, installing the rite and carrying offerings.
- Inner significanceDyāvā-Pṛthivī symbolize the harmonized polarities of consciousness (upper clarity) and embodied life (grounded support); Agni represents awakened will and discernment that consecrates one’s inner ‘session’ and guards it from disruptive forces.
The seer
- Vasiṣṭha (Vasiṣṭhas)Vasiṣṭha-gotra; the Vasiṣṭha family tradition of Maṇḍala 7 · Foremost among the Saptaṛṣis, celebrated as a paradigmatic Brahmarṣi whose hymns integrate precise ritual address with profound cosmic vision; closely associated with royal consecration and the prosperity of the Bharatas/Tr̥tsus in Vedic memory.
Famous verses
प्र वो यज्ञेषु देवयन्तो अर्चन्द्यावा नमोभिः पृथिवी इषध्यै । येषां ब्रह्माण्यसमानि विप्रा विष्वग्वियन्ति वनिनो न शाखाः ॥आ पुत्रासो न मातरं विभृत्राः सानौ देवासो बर्हिषः सदन्तु । आ विश्वाची विदथ्यामनक्त्वग्ने मा नो देवताता मृधस्कः ॥yūyaṃ pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Cosmic parents and universal support (Dyāvā-Pṛthivī)
- Strengthened by reverence and inspired speech (namas, brahman)
- Ritual hospitality: gods seated on barhis
- Agni as consecrator/anointer of the vidatha (sacred assembly)
- Protection from mṛdhaḥ (hostile forces) and bestowal of svasti (well-being)
Also by this seer
- Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 (many hymns attributed to the Vasiṣṭhas)
- Hymns to Agni, Indra, Varuṇa-Mitra, and other deities in Book 7 noted for ritual exactness and ethical-cosmic breadth
- Later Vedic/Itihāsa tradition attributes to Vasiṣṭha roles as priestly counselor and transmitter of dharmic-ritual knowledge (traditional attribution)
The rite, step by step
- Establish Agni and prepare the ritual ground; lay out the barhis (sacred grass seat).
- Open with praise to Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, offering namas and brahman to ‘strengthen’ the cosmic supports for iṣa (impulsion/nourishment).
- Invite the Devāḥ to sit on the barhis ‘as sons around a mother,’ affirming ritual hospitality and divine presence.
- Request Agni to anoint/consecrate the vidatha (sacred session) and to avert hostile interference with the sacrificer’s devatātā (divine participation/becoming).
- Conclude with a communal prayer for unshaken steadiness, shared delight (sadhamāda), prosperity, and enduring svasti from all assisting Powers.
Offerings
- Ghee/clarified butter (ājya) into Agni
- Soma or soma-substitute in soma contexts (where applicable)
- Oblations accompanied by brahman (mantric formulations) and namas (reverent gestures)
- Barhis as the seat-offering/hospitality to the Gods
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (Heaven-and-Earth) are praised as the cosmic supports, while Agni is invoked to consecrate the ritual and the Gods are invited to sit on the barhis.
It asks that the sacrifice be properly established, that the divine powers attend the ritual, that hostile forces not disturb the worship, and that the community receive lasting well-being (svasti) and prosperity.
It is an image of intimate protection and support: the ritual seat (barhis) is treated like a nurturing mother, and the Gods gather closely, sustaining and blessing the rite and the sacrificer.
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