Rig Veda 7.57.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 57, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.57
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Marutāḥ
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
ऋधक्सा वो मरुतो दिद्युदस्तु यद्व आगः पुरुषता कराम । मा वस्तस्यामपि भूमा यजत्रा अस्मे वो अस्तु सुमतिश्चनिष्ठा ॥
ṛ́dhaksā vo maruto didyúd astu yád va ā́gaḥ puruṣátā kárāma | mā́ vas tasyā́m ápi bhūmā yajatrā asmè vo astu sumatíś caníṣṭhā ||
मरुत देवता, तुम्हारी बिजली हमसे दूर रहे। अगर हमसे कोई गलती हो गई हो इंसान की तरह, तो उसे माफ करो। हमें उस गलती में पड़ने मत देना। तुम्हारी समझदारी हमेशा हमारे साथ रहे।
Word by Word
- ऋधक्सा
- separately, apart (indeed)Indeclinableअव्यय; ‘ऋधक्’ = पृथक्/अलग्, ‘सा’ = एव/हि (निपात)Role Adhikaraṇa (manner/way) / Avyaya-modifierRoot ऋधक् (avyaya-prātipadika) + सा (enclitic particle)
- वः
- of you / for youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन (enclitic ‘वः’ = ‘of you/for you’); here best as षष्ठी बहु.Role Sampradāna/Śeṣa (possessor/beneficiary)Root युष्मद् (pronoun)
- मरुतः
- O MarutsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मरुत् (prātipadika)
- दिद्युद्
- lightning, brillianceNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (as predicate-noun)Role Kartā/Predicative (with अस्तु)Root दिद्युत् (prātipadika) < √द्युत् ‘to shine’
- अस्तु
- let there beVerbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/आज्ञार्थे) परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष; एकवचनRole (copula)Root √अस् (भूवादि)
- यद्वः
- whatever (fault) of youPronounयद् = नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुं? प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (relative ‘what/that which’); वः = षष्ठी बहुवचन ‘of you’Role Karma (of कराम) + Śeṣa (of you)Root यद् (relative pronoun) + वः (युष्मद्)
- आगः
- offence, sinNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (object: ‘sin/offence’)Root आगस् (prātipadika)
- पुरुषता
- through human nature, as a manIndeclinableअव्यय; ‘मानुषतया/मानववशात्’ (in a human way)Role Adhikaraṇa (manner) / Hetu (cause)Root पुरुषता (avyaya; from पुरुष + -ता)
- कराम
- may I do / might I commitVerbविधिलिङ् (optative) परस्मैपद; 1 पुरुष; एकवचनRole Kartā (implicit ‘I’)Root √कृ (करोति)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थ निपात (with injunctive/optative sense)Role (negation)Root मा (prohibitive particle)
- वः
- for you / of youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन (enclitic); here with तस्याम् → ‘for you/among you’ contextuallyRole Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (beneficiary/with respect to you)Root युष्मद्
- तस्याम्
- in that (matter)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot तद् (demonstrative pronoun)
- अपि
- even, alsoIndeclinableनिपात; ‘also/even’Role (particle)Root अपि (particle)
- भूमा
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ्/लोट्? 1 पुरुष बहुवचन (Vedic optative/benedictive sense) from √भू; ‘may we be’Role Kartā (implicit ‘we’)Root √भू (भवति)
- यजत्राः
- O worshipful onesAdjective (vocative) / Noun-epithetपुंलिङ्ग; संबोधन बहुवचनRole Sambodhana (address)Root यजत्र (adj. prātipadika) < √यज् ‘to worship’
- अस्मे
- for usPronounसप्तमी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन (Vedic ‘अस्मे’ = ‘among us/for us’); here best as चतुर्थी ‘for us’Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (pronoun)
- वः
- of youPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic) ‘of you’Role ŚeṣaRoot युष्मद्
- अस्तु
- let there beVerbलोट् परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष; एकवचनRole (copula)Root √अस्
- सुमतिः
- good thought, favourNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā/Predicative (with अस्तु)Root सुमति (prātipadika) = सु- + मति (< √मन् ‘to think’)
- चनििष्ठा
- most abiding / very firm (best)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (agreeing with सुमतिः)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of सुमतिः)Root चनििष्ठ (superlative adj. prātipadika) < √कन्/कन्? (Vedic intensifier) + -इष्ठ
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): ऋधक्सा | वः | मरुतः | दिद्युद् | अस्तु | यद् वः | आगः | पुरुषता | कराम | मा | वः | तस्याम् | अपि | भूमा | यजत्राः | अस्मे | वः | अस्तु | सुमतिः | चनििष्ठा । प्रमुख सन्धयः: (1) यद्वः = यद् + वः (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि, द् + व)
- (2) मावस्तस्यामपि = मा + वः + तस्याम् + अपि (पदसंहिता में संयोग)
- (3) अस्मे वो = अस्मे + वः (enclitic)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let your lightning be kept away from us, O Maruts, if through human weakness we have committed an offence against you. Let us not fall into that; O worshipful ones, may your most enduring goodwill be with us.
Inner meaning
The seeker acknowledges lapses of the human nature (puruṣatā)—impulsions, errors, or ego-movements that jar the higher forces. The ‘lightning’ is the Maruts’ swift, purifying stroke: asked to be ‘set apart’ not as rejection of truth, but as a prayer that the correcting force not become destructive to the unprepared parts. The aspiration is for caniṣṭhā sumati—steady, abiding right-mindedness—so the divine energies correct by illumination and guidance rather than by painful shock.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth requires humility before higher forces: admit error, ask for correction proportionate to capacity, and seek stable goodwill and right understanding to prevent repetition.
Themes
appeasement, ethical alignment, seeking divine goodwill
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vāsiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 7.57, Rig Veda 7.60, Rig Veda 7.86 (Varuṇa—confession motif)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha hymns often combine praise with ethical-psychological candour: confession of error, prayer for protection, and establishment in ṛta.
Significance
This verse reflects the Vasiṣṭha temperament: sincerity before the divine powers and insistence on a stable ‘sumati’ as the condition for safe progress.
The deity
- Devata
- Marutāḥ
- Epithets
- didyud- (lightning-bearing), yajatrāḥ (adorable)
- Related deities
- Indra, Rudra, Varuṇa
Cosmic role
Agents of storm and purification; enforcers of dynamic order in the mid-region (antarikṣa).
Inner power
Corrective and illuminating energies that can strike through falsehood; also protective guardians when approached with sincerity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Apology/appeasement (śānti) motif within praise: used to avert divine displeasure and to secure benevolence of storm-powers during rites
ऋध॒क्सा वो॑ मरुतो दि॒द्युद॑स्तु॒ यद्व॒ आग॑: पुरु॒षता॒ करा॑म । मा व॒स्तस्या॒मपि॑ भूमा यजत्रा अ॒स्मे वो॑ अस्तु सुम॒तिश्चनि॑ष्ठा ॥
ऋध॑क् । सा । वः॒ । म॒रु॒तः॒ । दि॒द्युत् । अ॒स्तु॒ । यत् । वः॒ । आगः॑ । पु॒रु॒षता॑ । करा॑म । मा । वः॒ । तस्या॑म् । अपि॑ । भू॒म॒ । य॒ज॒त्राः॒ । अ॒स्मे इति॑ । वः॒ । अ॒स्तु॒ । सु॒ऽम॒तिः । चनि॑ष्ठा ॥
ṛdhak | sā | vaḥ | marutaḥ | didyut | astu | yat | vaḥ | āgaḥ | puruṣatā | karāma | mā | vaḥ | tasyām | api | bhūma | yajatrāḥ | asme iti | vaḥ | astu | su-matiḥ | caniṣṭhā
44
4 × ~11
Supplicatory yet firm; strong openings with softening petitions.
Creates a protective psychological ‘boundary’—a sense of asking the force to act wisely and steadily within one’s capacity.
- ऋधक् (ṛdhak)
- Literal: apart, separately. Symbolic: a protective spacing; moderation of force so transformation is assimilable
- दिद्युत् (didyut)
- Literal: lightning, flash. Symbolic: sudden illumination and purifying shock; force of correction
- आगः (āgaḥ)
- Literal: offence, fault. Symbolic: misalignment with ṛta; egoistic deviation
- पुरुषता (puruṣatā)
- Literal: humanly, by human nature. Symbolic: limitations of the lower nature—habit, desire, ignorance
- मा…भूमा (mā…bhūmā)
- Literal: may we not be. Symbolic: vow of non-falling into the same wrong movement
- यजत्राः (yajatrāḥ)
- Literal: worthy of worship. Symbolic: powers to be consciously offered to and collaborated with
- सुमतिः (sumatiḥ)
- Literal: good mind, right-mindedness. Symbolic: luminous discernment and harmonious will aligned to truth
- चनििष्ठा (caniṣṭhā)
- Literal: most lasting/abiding. Symbolic: stable inner guidance, not momentary enthusiasm
Apology/appeasement (śānti) motif within praise: used to avert divine displeasure and to secure benevolence of storm-powers during rites
Recited in Marut invocations where protection from their fierce aspect is sought; also as an appeasement/prāyaścitta-like sentiment within praise.
Verbal appeasement and request for benevolence; offering accompanied by confession of fault.
Use after emotional reactivity or mistakes: chant as a reset, asking for calm correction and enduring right judgment.
āgaḥ ‘offence’ marks deviation from r̥ta; puruṣatā ‘human-wise’ underscores limitation as source of error. didyut ‘lightning’ (√dyut ‘shine’) becomes inwardly a force of sudden illumination that can also ‘strike’ if the being is not aligned. sumati ‘good-mindedness’ from su- ‘good’ + mati ‘thought’ (√man/√mat) indicates the needed inner consent to the right movement.
alignment with r̥ta (avoidance of āgaḥ), purification of intention (sumati)
Āgaḥ is deviation from ṛta; the prayer seeks re-alignment without destructive consequence.
Sumati is the subjective form of satya—truth in the mind and will.
Ethical-psychological purification as part of building the true person.
Yoga-psychological reading: transformation requires regulated force and stable guidance.
Lightning = sudden insight/discipline; ‘apart’ = containment so the nervous-vital system can integrate change.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘storm-gods can strike or bless’ mythologem: lightning is the emblem of their power, to be ‘kept apart’ if offence occurred. Psychologically, intense illuminating force must be tempered by right alignment; otherwise it becomes disruptive rather than liberating.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- didyut from √dyut ‘shine’ reflects an inherited light/sky lexicon. The moral-ritual category āgaḥ (fault) shows how IE hymn traditions often fuse cosmic power with ethical-ritual correctness: deviation invites danger; alignment invites protection.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- A clear reciprocity: the r̥ṣi acknowledges human limitation (puruṣatā) and requests restraint and enduring goodwill (caniṣṭhā sumati). The relationship is pedagogical and protective—divine force is asked to remain benevolent while the human corrects alignment.
Sincere self-offering after error; invite gentle but effective correction.
Viśuddha (truthful confession) and Anāhata (humble openness)
Exhale-lengthened breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6) to calm the system while invoking ‘sumati’.
Quiet remorse turning into steady clarity and trust.
Name the specific ‘āgaḥ’ inwardly (without self-blame), then chant; on ‘caniṣṭhā sumatiḥ’ feel a stable light settling in the mind and heart.
Tri-svara with careful handling of prohibitives (mā) and petitions; keep udātta prominence on didyut and sumati.
Do not rush the first half; give a clear pause after karāma; soften tone on mā…bhūmā.
ṛdhak: clear vocalic ṛ, didyud: articulate dy cluster, final d light, puruṣatā: retroflex ṣ, long ā at end, caniṣṭhā: retroflex ṣṭh cluster; lengthen final ā
Gentle, earnest, slightly subdued; avoid aggressive volume.
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