Rig Veda 7.82.8: Mandala 7, Sukta 82, Mantra 8
Sukta 7.82
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra-Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
अर्वाङ्नरा दैव्येनावसा गतं शृणुतं हवं यदि मे जुजोषथः । युवोर्हि सख्यमुत वा यदाप्यं मार्डीकमिन्द्रावरुणा नि यच्छतम् ॥
arvā́ṅ narā daivyénāvasā́ gátam śṛṇutáṃ hávaṃ yádi me jújoṣathaḥ | yuvór hí sakhyám utá vā yád ā́pyaṃ mārḍī́kam indrāvaruṇā ní yacchatam ||
आप दोनों देवता, अपनी शक्ति से यहाँ आओ। मेरी पुकार सुनो, अगर आप मान रहे हो। आप दोनों की दोस्ती है, और पानी से मिलने वाली दया भी आपकी है। इंद्र और वरुण, वो कृपा हमारे अंदर बसा दो।
Word by Word
- अर्वाक्
- hither, towards usIndeclinableदिक्-अव्यय; ‘towards here, hither’Role Adhikaraṇa (directional qualifier of motion)Root अर्वाक् (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द) < अव्/अर्व् (प्रत्ययान्त दिक्)
- नरा
- O two men (heroes)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-द्विवचनRole Kartā (addressed agents)Root नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- दैव्येन
- with divineAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन; अवसः विशेषणम्Role Karaṇa (instrument/means)Root दैव्य (देव-सम्बन्धी; प्रातिपदिक)
- अवसा
- help, aidNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot अवस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘help, protection’)
- गतम्
- come (hither)Verbक्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसक; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; आज्ञार्थे (आह्वानार्थं) ‘come!’Role (predicate to the addressed dual)Root गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त, क्त)
- शृणुतम्
- hear (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; द्विवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (addressed) / action: hearingRoot श्रु (धातु)
- हवम्
- the invocationNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole KarmaRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘call, invocation’)
- यदि
- ifIndeclinableशर्तार्थक अव्ययRoot यदि (अव्यय)
- मे
- my, of mePronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role Sampradāna/सम्बन्ध (possessor of the call)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- जुजोṣथः
- you two have been pleased / acceptVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट; वैदिक प्रयोग); मध्यमपुरुष; द्विवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (addressed) / action: acceptingRoot जुष् (धातु; ‘to be pleased, to enjoy/accept’)
- युवोः
- of you twoPronounषष्ठी-द्विवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of you two’)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableनिपात; हेत्वर्थ/प्रमाणार्थRoot हि (अव्यय)
- सख्यम्
- friendshipNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनRole Kartā/विषय (topic: your friendship) / or Karma with implied verb ‘is/exists’Root सख्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘friendship’)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक निपातRoot उत (अव्यय)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा (अव्यय)
- यत्
- that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; सम्बन्धकRole (relative introducing clause)Root यद् (सर्वनाम/सम्बन्धक)
- आप्यम्
- watery, water-born / connected with watersAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; (यत्-विशेषणम्)Root आप्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘belonging to the waters/obtained in waters’; from आप् ‘water’)
- मार्डीकम्
- mercy, gracious favorNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मार्डीक (प्रातिपदिक; ‘mercy, gracious favor, refreshment’)
- इन्द्रावरुणा
- O Indra and VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-द्विवचन (vocative dual)Role Sambodhana (address)Root इन्द्रावरुण (द्वन्द्व-प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down, firmlyIndeclinableउपसर्ग; ‘down, into, firmly’Root नि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यच्छतम्
- grant / bestow / hold out (to us)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; द्विवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्गयुक्त: नि-यच्छ-Role Kartā (addressed) / action: granting/holdingRoot यम् (धातु; ‘to restrain, to grant/hold’) + नि
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविच्छेद): अर्वाक् | नरा | दैव्येन | अवसा | गतम् | शृणुतम् | हवम् | यदि | मे | जुजोṣथः || युवोः | हि | सख्यम् | उत | वा | यत् | आप्यम् | मार्डीकम् | इन्द्रावरुणा | नि | यच्छतम् । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) दैव्येन + अवसा → दैव्येनावसा (स्वर-सन्धि/अवग्रह-लोप)
- (2) युवोः + हि → युवोर्हि (विसर्ग-रेफादेश)
- (3) इन्द्रावरुणा + नि → इन्द्रावरुणा नि (पदसीमा; सन्धि न आवश्यक)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet calls Indra and Varuṇa to come near by their divine help, hear his call, accept it; their friendship and water-born mercy are invoked—may they place that healing grace within us.
Inner meaning
The seeker invites the twin powers: Indra’s illuminating force and Varuṇa’s wide truth-law to descend into the being. ‘Sakhyam’ is the intimate alliance between human aspiration and divine guidance. ‘Āpyam mārḍīkam’ (water-born mercy) is the soothing, cleansing grace that comes from the inner waters—peace, clarity, and healing release—settling (ni yacchatam) into the nerves, heart, and mind.
Universal truth
Grace is not abstract: it is an inwardly felt friendship and a healing influx that can be established in us when we sincerely call and consent.
Themes
Invocation, Healing and purification, Divine-human alliance, Establishing grace within
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.82.1-10, RV 7.88.3-6 (waters/wideness imagery), RV 7.86.1-6 (appeal for Varuṇa’s mercy)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha hymns frequently combine strength with ethical wideness: a call for victorious clarity together with purifying peace.
Significance
The seer models the yogic posture of invocation: not demand, but a call grounded in relationship (sakhyam) and receptivity to grace.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra–Varuṇa
- Epithets
- narā (heroes), daivya (divine)
- Related deities
- Mitra (friendship as cosmic harmony), Aditi (infinite freedom)
Cosmic role
They jointly secure right victory: Indra’s breakthrough and Varuṇa’s harmonizing law, granting both power and healing order.
Inner power
Indra energizes aspiration and clears obscurity; Varuṇa pours calm truth and purifies emotional-vital waters into a settled peace.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation (āvāhana) segment in Soma/offering contexts; also suitable in protective-appeal sequences.
अ॒र्वाङ्न॑रा॒ दैव्ये॒नाव॒सा ग॑तं शृणु॒तं हवं॒ यदि॑ मे॒ जुजो॑षथः । यु॒वोर्हि स॒ख्यमु॒त वा॒ यदाप्यं॑ मार्डी॒कमि॑न्द्रावरुणा॒ नि य॑च्छतम् ॥
अ॒र्वाक् । न॒रा॒ । दैव्ये॑न । अव॑सा । आ । ग॒त॒म् । शृ॒णु॒तम् । हव॑म् । यदि॑ । मे॒ । जुजो॑षथः । यु॒वोः । हि । स॒ख्यम् । उ॒त । वा॒ । यत् । आप्य॑म् । मा॒र्डी॒कम् । इ॒न्द्रा॒व॒रु॒णा॒ । नि । य॒च्छ॒त॒म् ॥
arvāk | narā | daivyena | avasā | ā | gatam | śṛṇutam | havam | yadi | me | jujoṣathaḥ | yuvoḥ | hi | sakhyam | uta | vā | yat | āpyam | mārḍīkam | indrāvaruṇā | ni | yacchatam
44
4 × ~11
Invocatory and welcoming; the first pāda ‘arvāṅ… gataṃ’ has a summoning lift, followed by a settling cadence in ‘ni yacchatam’.
Opens the chest and breath; evokes receptivity and a sense of descent/arrival.
- arvāk
- Literal: hither, toward us. Symbolic: descent of higher consciousness into the embodied being
- daivyena avasā
- Literal: by divine help/protection. Symbolic: aid of the supramental/divine power beyond ego-effort
- havam
- Literal: call, invocation. Symbolic: aspiration—focused intention that opens the channels
- sakhyam
- Literal: friendship. Symbolic: stable inner relation with the Divine; trust and intimacy in sādhanā
- āpyam
- Literal: born of waters, watery. Symbolic: peaceful, cleansing consciousness-flow; emotional purification
- mārḍīkam
- Literal: mercy, healing grace. Symbolic: restorative Ananda that repairs fractures of mind/vital
- ni yacchatam
- Literal: set down, establish within. Symbolic: make the grace a settled habit-state, not a passing touch
Invitation (āhvāna) verse: calls the deities to presence and asks for mārḍīka (healing grace), especially resonant with Varuṇa’s purificatory compassion and Indra’s supportive friendship.
At the start of recitation/offerings to invite the deities and request grace.
Calling the gods to the seat, listening to the havis/hymn, establishing mārḍīka (healing favor).
A mantra for inner healing: chant before sleep or after agitation to invite clarity (Indra) and calm purification (Varuṇa).
arvā́ṅ ‘toward here’ from arv ‘near’. avas ‘help, protection’. sakhyá from sakhā ‘friend’ (PIE *sekw- ‘follow’ sometimes proposed for companion-terms; etymology debated). ā́pya ‘belonging to waters’ from ap-; mārḍī́ka ‘mercy, grace, healing’ (often in Varuṇa contexts) linked to soothing relief.
Grace/mercy (mārḍīka), Divine friendship (sakhya), Descent/presence of powers
Mercy is not arbitrary; it is the restoring flow of ṛta in the emotional and mental waters.
Hearing the call implies sincerity; truth of aspiration draws response.
Waters as primal matrix: healing arises when the inner waters are rightly ordered.
Aurobindonian psychological Veda: āpas as planes of consciousness; grace as descent establishing a new poise.
Waters correspond to the flow of feeling and consciousness-substance; ‘arrival’ is the descent of higher influence into the embodied field.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of divine arrival and bestowal of healing waters: the gods are invited to come near, hear the call, and implant mārḍīka—grace that cleanses and restores. It is a ritual-theophany motif internalized as descent of aid into the aspirant.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The invocation imperative and deictic ‘hither’ are classic archaic liturgical features across Indo-European hymnody. The water-as-grace symbolism parallels Indo-Iranian sacral waters (āpas/āpō), where waters are not merely physical but carriers of purity and restoration.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers sincere hāva (call) and seeks an intimate sakhya: the gods respond not only with power but with a healing, purifying mercy—grace that must be ‘set within’ (ni yacchatam), i.e., made inwardly operative.
Receive ‘āpyam mārḍīkam’ as a cool, clear stream descending through the head into the heart and abdomen; let it settle as friendliness toward oneself and truthfulness.
Viśuddha (purifying flow) and Anāhata (friendship/softened heart).
Inhale silently ‘arvāṅ’; exhale chanting each pāda; after the verse, 1 minute of quiet sensing coolness in the chest/throat.
Receptive devotion (bhakti) with quiet clarity.
When reactive emotion rises, pause, invoke the ‘water-born mercy’; let Indra clarify the thought and Varuṇa widen the feeling until it becomes calm and truthful.
Vedic accentuation per śākhā; maintain clear udatta peaks on key invocatory words (arvāṅ, śṛṇutam, mārḍīkam) as marked in proper svara notation.
Let the first pāda rise as a summons; soften and lengthen slightly on ‘mārḍīkam… ni yacchatam’ to convey settling.
‘jujoṣathaḥ’—keep the reduplication clear, avoid collapsing vowels, ‘mārḍīkam’—retroflex ḍ; long ā, ‘indrāvaruṇā’—do not split the compound awkwardly; keep it flowing
Warm, inviting, slightly softer on the second half.
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