Rig Veda 8.10.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 10, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.10
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
त्या न्वश्विना हुवे सुदंससा गृभे कृता । ययोरस्ति प्र णः सख्यं देवेष्वध्याप्यम् ॥
tyā́ nv àśvinā huve sudáṃsasā gṛbhé kṛtā́ | yáyor ásti prá ṇaḥ sakhyáṃ devéṣv ádhy ā́pyam ||
मैं अश्विन दोनों भाइयों को बुलाता हूँ जो काम में बहुत अच्छे हैं और हमारे पास हमेशा रेडी रहते हैं। उनसे हमारी पक्की दोस्ती है जो देवताओं तक जाती है, और पानी में भी उनका साथ है।
Word by Word
- त्यान्
- those (them)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → त्य (वेदिक निर्देश/अनाफोरिक रूप)
- नु
- now; indeedIndeclinableनिपात (अर्थ-प्रबलन/समय-सूचक)Root नु (निपात)
- अश्विना
- the two AśvinsNoun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन (वेदिक रूप; अश्विनौ)Role कर्मRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक; अश्विनौ)
- हुवे
- I call/invokeVerbलट् (वेदिक वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (वेदिक प्रयोग)Role (क्रिया)Root √ह्वे (ह्वयति/ह्वयते) ‘आह्वाने’
- सुदंससा
- of good deeds; very skillfulAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन (अश्विनौ-विशेषण)Role कर्म (विशेषण-रूपेण)Root सु-दंसस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सु’ + ‘दंसस्’ = उत्तम-कार्य/कौशल)
- गृभे
- in the house; at homeNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृता
- made; preparedParticiple (past passive)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (यज्ञादि ‘कृतानि’—वेदिक संक्षेप/पदच्छेद-परम्परा)Role (विशेषण/विधेय-भाव)Root √कृ ‘करणे’ → कृत (कृदन्त)
- ययोः
- of whom (of the two)Pronoun (relative)षष्ठी, द्विवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्ति
- isVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √अस् ‘भुवि’
- प्र
- forth; forward; fullyIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (प्रकर्ष/प्रवृत्ति)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नः
- of us; ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सख्यम्
- friendship; allianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्ता/विषय (अस्ति इत्यस्य)Root सख्य (प्रातिपदिक; सखि-भाव)
- देवेषु
- among the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकारणRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अध्याप्यम्
- to be attained/secured (for us) among the godsAdjective/Participle (gerundive sense)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सख्यम्-विशेषण)Role (विशेषण)Root अधि-√आप् ‘प्राप्तौ’ → आप्य (कृदन्त) ; वेदिक ‘अध्याप्य’ = ‘अधि-आप्य’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): त्यान् | नु | अश्विना | हुवे | सुदंससा | गृभे | कृता | ययोः | अस्ति | प्र | नः | सख्यम् | देवेषु | अधि-आप्यम् (लिखित ‘अध्याप्यम्’ = अधि + आप्यम्)
- ‘अश्विना’ वेदिक द्वितीया-द्विवचन रूप (अश्विनौ)
- ‘कृता’ मन्त्रपाठे संक्षिप्त/पदपाठ-परम्परानुसार नपुंसक बहुवचन ‘कृतानि’ अर्थे (यज्ञादि/कर्माणि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
I call those two Aśvins, the well-working, made firm in our grasp; with them we have a friendship that extends among the gods, a kinship founded in the waters.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins are invoked as ‘sudaṃsasā’—powers of skillful effective working—who can be ‘held’ (gṛbhe kṛtā) by a steady aspiration: not possessed outwardly, but made present and workable in the grasp of conscious will. Their gift is sakhya: an intimate alliance between the human seeker and the divine powers. ‘Āpya’ (watery/related to waters) points to the deep flowing plane of life-force and subliminal being; the friendship reaches ‘among the gods’—i.e., it opens participation in higher consciousness, not merely human companionship.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress becomes stable when higher helping forces are not occasional inspirations but established allies; true friendship with the Divine is a lived participation in higher planes, grounded in the deep currents of being.
Themes
Friendship with gods, Inner holding/grasp, Waters symbolism, Ashvin companionship
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (hymn context)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.10.2, RV 8.10.4, RV 8.10.5, RV 8.10.6
Family tradition
Kāṇvas frequently emphasize practical divine assistance and the establishment of a living relation (sakhya) with the gods through the yajña.
Significance
The seer’s stress on ‘gṛbhe kṛtā’ reflects yogic insistence: divine help must be made constant and held in awareness, not left to chance visitation.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- sudaṃsasā (skillful in works), dasrā (wondrous, implied), nāsatyā (true, implied)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Soma, Indra, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Bringers of timely aid, restorers of wholeness, guides of transitions (night→dawn, disorder→harmony).
Inner power
They stabilize right functioning in the vital and physical—healing, harmonizing, and making aspiration effective in daily life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning Aśvin invocation; establishing friendly relation with deities before offerings
त्या न्व१॒॑श्विना॑ हुवे सु॒दंस॑सा गृ॒भे कृ॒ता । ययो॒रस्ति॒ प्र ण॑: स॒ख्यं दे॒वेष्वध्याप्य॑म् ॥
त्या । नु । अ॒श्विना॑ । हु॒वे॒ । सु॒ऽदंस॑सा । गृ॒भे । कृ॒ता । ययोः॑ । अस्ति॑ । प्र । नः॒ । स॒ख्यम् । दे॒वेषु । अधि॑ । आप्य॑म् ॥
tyā | nu | aśvinā | huve | su-daṃsasā | gṛbhe | kṛtā | yayoḥ | asti | pra | naḥ | sakhyam | deveṣu | adhi | āpyam
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4 × ~11
Balanced, firm; supports the idea of ‘made steady in the grasp’.
Creates confidence and closeness; a steadying, holding vibration rather than purely ecstatic movement.
- त्या (tyā)
- Literal: those (two). Symbolic: the twin complementary powers needed for integral action
- अश्विना (aśvinā)
- Literal: O Ashvins. Symbolic: swift harmonizing energies; luminous practical helpers
- सु-दंससा (su-daṃsasā)
- Literal: good in works/skillful. Symbolic: effective right action in the mind-vital and body
- गृभे कृता (gṛbhe kṛtā)
- Literal: made/placed in the grasp. Symbolic: made steady in conscious hold—invoked powers stabilized in sādhanā
- सख्यम् (sakhyam)
- Literal: friendship. Symbolic: intimate alliance with the Divine; cooperative guidance
- देवेषु (deveṣu)
- Literal: among the gods. Symbolic: in the higher faculties/planes of consciousness
- आप्यम् (āpyam)
- Literal: watery, related to waters. Symbolic: life-plane, deep currents of being; the flowing subconscious/subliminal that must be purified and allied
Establishing intimacy with the gods: the Ashvins are ‘held’ (gṛbhe kṛtā) through rite and inner concentration, enabling communion among the divine powers
At the start of inner/outer offering, especially dawn recitations
Āhvāna and prārthanā (petition) for companionship and support
Use as a mantra for building a stable relationship with the ‘helping Light’: repeat before work/therapy/healing practices to invite swift right adjustment.
su-daṃsas: su ‘good’ + daṃsas ‘power/skill’ (from √daṃs ‘to be wondrous/skillful’). gṛbhe from √gṛbh ‘seize, grasp’. sakhya from sakhā ‘friend’ (PIE *sekʷ- ‘follow’ sometimes proposed; semantic: companionship). āpyá from ap- ‘waters’ (PIE *h₂ep- ‘water’).
sakhya (spiritual alliance), āpas as life-plane and foundational substance, participation in the divine collectivity (deveṣu)
Friendship with the Aśvins implies alignment with Ṛta in action—swift movements that still obey right order.
Nāsatyā as an Aśvin epithet (implied) links them to truth in practical workings.
The ‘waters’ as origin-field of forms: kinship rooted in āpas suggests tapping the creative flow beneath surface mind.
Integral/psychological interpretation: āpas as subliminal life-plane; devas as powers of consciousness.
dawn
Waters = flowing life-energy and subliminal currents; dawn = first illumination; grasp = concentrated attention.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘divine friendship’ mythologem: alliance with a pair of helper-gods grants access among the gods. In inner terms, when the Ashvins are firmly ‘grasped’ by consciousness, a channel opens to higher powers across the waters (āpas) of life and being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ap- ‘waters’ is a classic IE inheritance (PIE *h₂ep-). The persistence of ‘waters’ as a metaphysical substrate across IE traditions supports reading āpyam as more than physical water: a foundational life-medium.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi claims not merely a request but a bond (sakhya). The Ashvins are not distant; they are ‘made’ present in the grasp—suggesting disciplined invocation and inner holding that yields communion with the divine community.
Cultivate ‘sakhya’—a felt friendship with the helping Light; invite swift harmonization in the life-force.
anāhata (devotional friendship) with svādhiṣṭhāna (āpas/life-flow)
Gentle coherent breathing; on inhale ‘aśvinā’, on exhale ‘huve’ for 12 cycles
Supported, relational, quietly uplifted.
After chanting, recall one area of life needing healing/order; offer it inwardly and allow a quick, kind correction rather than forceful struggle.
Follow text-marked svaras; maintain light udatta lift on key invocatives (aśvinā, huve) as per recensional notation (exact pattern requires svara-marked edition).
tyā nú | aśvinā | huv e | sudáṃsasā | gṛbhé | kṛtā ||
-: keep ‘daṃ’ nasalized (anusvāra) without over-lengthening., : vocalic ṛ is crisp, not ‘giri’., : separate adhi + āpyam; avoid turning into a single blurred cluster.
Gentle but clear; intimate invocation rather than command.
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