Rig Veda 8.25.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 25, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.25
- Devata
- Mitra-Varuṇa
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace)
अधि या बृहतो दिवोऽभि यूथेव पश्यतः । ऋतावाना सम्राजा नमसे हिता ॥
adhí yā́ bṛható divó ’bhí yū́theva páśyataḥ | ṛtá-vānā samrā́jā námase hitā́ ||
यह दोनों ऊपर आसमान से देखते हैं, जैसे कोई अपने खेत की नज़र रखता है। दोनों मिलके राज करते हैं और सच्चाई के साथ हैं। जब हम उनके सामने झुकते हैं, वो हमारे अंदर बैठ जाते हैं।
Word by Word
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपदRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- या
- she whoPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहतः
- of the lofty/greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot बृहन्त् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- of heaven, of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक: दिव्/द्यौस्)
- अभि
- towards, against, ontoIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपदRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यूथेव
- like a troop/herdNoun + Indeclinableयूथम्: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (उपमान-प्रयोग) + इव: अव्ययRole KaraṇaRoot यूथ (प्रातिपदिक) + इव (अव्यय)
- पश्यतः
- of the two seeing/lookingVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; द्विवचनRole KartāRoot √पश् (दृश्-अर्थे)
- ऋतावाना
- the two possessing ṛta (truth/order)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; द्विवचनRole KartāRoot ऋतावन् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्राजा
- the two sovereign kingsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; द्विवचनRole KartāRoot सम्राज् (प्रातिपदिक)
- नमसे
- with reverence, by homageNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिता
- placed, set (forth)Adjective (past participle)कृत (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot √धा (धारणे) → हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): अधि | या | बृहतः | दिवः | अभि | यूथ-इव → यूथेव | पश्यतः | ऋतावाना | सम्राजा | नमसे | हिता । (यूथेव = यूथ + इव; अन्यत्र स्पष्ट बाह्य-सन्धि न्यून/नास्ति।)
The meaning
Outer meaning
They who look down from the vast heaven like a herd looking over (its domain)—the two truth-bearing co-kings—are placed (in their seat) by reverence.
Inner meaning
From the ‘bṛhat div’—the wide heaven of consciousness—Mitra–Varuṇa oversee the field of our nature as a collective power (yūtha). Their gaze is not surveillance but luminous governance: they see the whole movement at once. By namas (reverent surrender), we ‘seat’ them within—meaning we consent to be ruled by truth-order rather than ego-impulse. Reverence becomes a psychological act that establishes inner sovereignty.
Universal truth
What we sincerely revere becomes our ruler. When we revere truth and harmony, they begin to govern our choices from above the narrow mind.
Themes
Divine surveillance/protection, Inner enthronement, Kingship of truth, Reverence as method
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.25.8 (continuation: ‘ni ṣedatuḥ’—sit down within)
Family tradition
Kāṇva (probable)
Significance
This verse teaches the Vedic method of ‘installation’ of divine powers through namas—reverence as a transformative inner gesture.
The deity
- Devata
- Mitra–Varuṇa
- Epithets
- ṛtāvānā (truth-bearing), samrājā (co-sovereigns), beholders from the vast heaven (implicit)
- Related deities
- Sūrya (all-seeing eye; truth-illumination), Aditi (vastness supporting the gaze)
Cosmic role
Overseers from the wide heaven who maintain order across the field of existence.
Inner power
Higher witnessing and governing consciousness that replaces fragmented ego-vision with integral sight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation establishing the presence/seat (āsana) of the deities in the rite through reverence
अधि॒ या बृ॑ह॒तो दि॒वो॒३॒॑ऽभि यू॒थेव॒ पश्य॑तः । ऋ॒तावा॑ना स॒म्राजा॒ नम॑से हि॒ता ॥
अधि॑ । या । बृ॒ह॒तः । दि॒वः । अ॒भि । यू॒थाऽइ॑व । पश्य॑तः । ऋ॒तऽवा॑ना । स॒म्ऽराजा॑ । नम॑से । हि॒ता ॥
adhi | yā | bṛhataḥ | divaḥ | abhi | yūthāiva | paśyataḥ | ṛta-vānā | sam-rājā | namase | hitā
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4 pādas × ~8 syllables
elevated, observational; a ‘looking down’ cadence
Invokes inner witness; creates a sense of being seen by truth, which naturally purifies.
- बृ॒ह॒तः दि॒वः (bṛhataḥ divaḥ)
- Literal: from the vast heaven. Symbolic: from wide spiritual consciousness above the mind
- अ॒भि ... पश्य॑तः (abhi…paśyataḥ)
- Literal: looking upon, beholding. Symbolic: integral vision; awareness that sees the whole field
- यू॒थेव (yūtheva)
- Literal: like a herd. Symbolic: collective ordering power; many rays/movements held in one formation
- ऋ॒तावा॑ना (ṛtāvānā)
- Literal: bearers of ṛta. Symbolic: truth-law acting as guidance and protection
- नम॑से (namase)
- Literal: by reverence, by bowing. Symbolic: surrender of ego-claim; opening to higher governance
- हि॒ता (hitā)
- Literal: placed, set, established. Symbolic: installed in the inner seat (hṛdaya/mental throne)
Verse of enthronement: establishes the gods’ ‘seat’ through namas; suitable in offerings where law, truth, and protection are sought.
At points of formal homage (namas) and invitation to preside
Recitation accompanying gestures of reverence; offering of praise
Use as a ‘witness practice’ mantra: chant before journaling or self-review to invite wide, non-judgmental truth-seeing.
bṛhat again from √bṛh ‘expand’. páśy- from √paś ‘see’ (PIE *peḱ- ‘see’). namas from √nam ‘bend’ → inner yielding, not mere prostration. hitá ‘placed’ is a Vedic participial formation (often from √dhā ‘put’ with suppletive/idiomatic developments); functionally: ‘established’.
Bṛhat (vast consciousness), Ṛta (truth-order), Namas (self-offering as inner method)
Ṛta is upheld by the all-seeing governance from bṛhat div.
Truth as seeing: right order begins with right perception.
Establishment of divine seat within the human field—microcosm reflecting macrocosm.
Upward opening to the ‘witness’ (sākṣin-like) consciousness; proto-yogic psychology.
Sky = higher mind/wide consciousness; herd over field = ordered movements of thoughts/forces watched and guided from above.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘watching kings from heaven’ mythologem: the sovereign pair oversees the world from the vast sky. Inner sense: the higher truth-consciousness observes and regulates the movements of the nature, like a herd-keeper, when enthroned by namas.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The seeing root √paś is from an old IE ‘see’ root family; the simile yūthā-iva is typical IE pastoral poetics. The verse uses spatial preverbs (adhi, abhi) to encode hierarchy of consciousness—an inherited poetic strategy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s act is namas: a conscious yielding that ‘places’ (hita) the gods in their operative seat. The gods, in return, ‘see’—they provide vigilant truth-guidance and protection over the movements of the seeker’s nature.
Shift into the ‘wide witness’ and install truth-governance by surrender (namas).
Ajna (witness/seeing) with Anahata (reverence)
Soft inhalation lifting awareness to the ‘vast sky’ above the head; exhale with a slight bow of the inner sense (namas)
Witnessing peace; receptive humility
Chant, then silently watch thoughts as a ‘herd’ in a field. Do not chase them; let the higher gaze order them. End with one act of truthful alignment.
Notated svaras not provided; keep a gentle lift on bṛhato divo and a settling cadence on namase hitā.
Stress bṛhataḥ, divaḥ, paśyataḥ, ṛtāvānā, samrājā, namase.
divo: short ‘i’, yūtheva: long ū; ‘th’ aspirated, paśyataḥ: ś as palatal ‘sh’, hitā: long ā, keep it open
soft, reverent, spacious
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