Rig Veda 8.59.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 59, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.59
- Devata
- Indra-Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
निष्षिध्वरीरोषधीराप आस्तामिन्द्रावरुणा महिमानमाशत । या सिस्रतू रजसः पारे अध्वनो ययोः शत्रुर्नकिरादेव ओहते ॥
niṣṣídhvarīr óṣadhīr ā́pa ā́stām índrāvaruṇā mahimā́nām ā́śata | yā́ sisrátū rájasaḥ pāré ádhvano yáyoḥ śátrur nákir ā́devo óhate ||
जो शक्तियाँ रास्ता साफ करती हैं, जड़ी बूटियाँ और पानी, वो सब पक्की हो गई। इंद्र और वरुण ने बड़ी बड़ाई पाई। वो बीच की दुनिया से आगे निकल गए, रास्ते के उस पार। उनके सामने कोई दुश्मन नहीं टिक सकता, कोई बुरी शक्ति नहीं जीत सकती।
Word by Word
- निः
- out, forth (as preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot निः (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- सिध्वरीः
- the flowing ones (streams/waters)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सिध्वरि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ओषधीः
- plants, herbsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ओषधि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आपः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अप्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आस्ताम्
- (they) two stood / took their standVerbलुङ् (आगमयुक्त-अorist); 3पुरुष; द्विवचनRoot √स्था
- इन्द्रावरुणा
- Indra and VaruṇaNoun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; द्विवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र- + वरुण- (समास)
- महिमानम्
- greatness, mightNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot महिमन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आशत
- (they) attained, reachedVerbलुङ् (aorist); 3पुरुष; बहुवचनRoot √अश्
- या
- which (fem. pl.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सिस्रतुः
- (they) two have flowed/streamedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद); 3पुरुष; द्विवचनRoot √सृ
- रजसः
- of the space/region (mid-air)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRoot रजस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- पारे
- on the far side, beyondNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पार- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अध्वनः
- of the path/wayNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRoot अध्वन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ययोः
- of/for which twoPronoun(द्विवचन-सम्बन्ध); षष्ठी/सप्तमी; द्विवचनRoot यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शत्रुः
- enemyNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot शत्रु- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नकिः
- not anyone, no oneIndeclinableनिषेधार्थ-अव्ययRoot नकिस्/नकिः (निपात)
- आदेवः
- godless, not devoted to the godsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root आ-देव- (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्गपूर्वक)
- ओहते
- pushes aside/overcomesVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; 3पुरुष; एकवचनRoot √ऊह्/√वह् (वेदिक रूप: ओहते)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविग्रह): नि॒ष्षिध्व॑रीः → निः + सिध्वरीः (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ः + स → ष्ष)
- इन्द्रा॑वरुणा → इन्द्रावरुणा (द्वन्द्व-समास, द्विवचन)
- आस्ता॒म् → आस्ताम् (√स्था लुङ् 3द्वि)
- महि॒मान॒माश॑त → महिमानम् + आशत (म् + आ → म् आ, संधि-लेखन)
- या सिस्र॑तू → या + सिस्रतुः (वेदिक पाठ-रूप)
- पारे अध्व॑नो → पारे + अध्वनः
- ययो॒: → ययोः
- नकि॒रादे॑व॒ → नकिः + आदेवः (ः + आ → र्/र्-प्रयोगः वेदिक-सन्धि; पाठे ‘नकिरा-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The freeing powers—healing herbs and the Waters—stood firm, and Indra and Varuṇa attained vast greatness. They moved beyond the mid-regions to the farther shore of the path; no hostile or undivine power can overcome them.
Inner meaning
When the obstructed currents are released (niṣṣidhvarīḥ), the restorative forces of the being (oṣadhīḥ) and the purifying, widening currents (āpaḥ) become established. Then illumination and truth-consciousness (Indra-Varuṇa) grow to their full magnitude in the seeker. Consciousness crosses beyond the intermediate, mixed planes (rajas) to the farther shore of the inner journey (adhvan), where hostile formations (śatru) and ‘undivine’ impulses (adeva—forces not aligned to the higher nature) cannot prevail.
Universal truth
True progress requires both liberation of blocked energies and stabilization of healing/purifying currents; then the mind of light and the law of truth carry us beyond the mixed middle into a secure ground where lower resistances lose their power.
Themes
Protection and invincibility, Crossing beyond the intermediate world, Healing and purification, Rita vs. anti-Rita forces
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.59.1, RV 8.59.3, RV 8.59.4, RV 8.59.5
Family tradition
Kāṇva-like emphasis on dynamic conquest of the mid-world (rajas) and establishment of purifying supports (waters) and healing harmonies (oṣadhis).
Significance
The seer frames yoga as liberation + stabilization: first unblock, then establish healing/purifying powers, then transcend the mixed middle into a protected truth-ground.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra-Varuṇa (dual)
- Epithets
- mahimānam (vast greatness), (implicit) pāra-gāminau (goers to the farther shore)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Mitra, Aśvins (healing)
Cosmic role
They jointly govern victorious passage: Indra breaks resistance; Varuṇa secures the law and wideness that makes the victory stable.
Inner power
Breakthrough plus containment: force that opens (Indra) and truth that holds and purifies (Varuṇa), enabling safe transcendence of rajas.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña; also suitable in rites invoking Waters (Āpaḥ) and healing supports
नि॒ष्षिध्व॑री॒रोष॑धी॒राप॑ आस्ता॒मिन्द्रा॑वरुणा महि॒मान॒माश॑त । या सिस्र॑तू॒ रज॑सः पा॒रे अध्व॑नो॒ ययो॒: शत्रु॒र्नकि॒रादे॑व॒ ओह॑ते ॥
निः॒ऽसिध्व॑रीः । ओष॑धीः । आपः॑ । आ॒स्ता॒म् । इन्द्रा॑वरुणा । म॒हि॒मान॑म् । आ॒श॒त॒ । या । सिस्र॑तुः । रज॑सः । पा॒रे । अध्व॑नः । ययोः॑ । शत्रुः॑ । नकिः॑ । अदे॑वः । ओह॑ते ॥
niḥ-sidhvarīḥ | oṣadhīḥ | āpaḥ | āstām | indrāvaruṇā | mahimānam | āśata | yā | sisratuḥ | rajasaḥ | pāre | adhvanaḥ | yayoḥ | śatruḥ | nakiḥ | adevaḥ | ohate
48
4 × ~12 syllables
Expansive and journey-like; suited to imagery of crossing (pāre) and establishing (āstām).
Gives a sense of steady advance and widening security; supports breath-lengthening and inner spaciousness.
- niṣṣidhvarīḥ
- Literal: those that set free/unblock. Symbolic: liberating powers that remove inner obstruction and release the currents of life and consciousness
- oṣadhīḥ
- Literal: herbs, healing plants. Symbolic: psychic-physical healing forces; restorative vibrations that rebuild harmony
- āpaḥ
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: purifying, widening, flowing consciousness; clarity and peace that cleanse
- āstām
- Literal: stood/abided firmly. Symbolic: stabilization—inner supports become steady, not momentary
- rajas
- Literal: mid-space/atmosphere. Symbolic: the intermediate vital-mental plane of mixture, struggle, and movement
- pāre
- Literal: on the farther shore. Symbolic: beyond the mixed nature—toward truth-consciousness
- adhvan
- Literal: path, journey. Symbolic: the yogic passage through planes of being
- śatru
- Literal: enemy. Symbolic: hostile formations: doubt, inertia, desire, falsehood
- adeva
- Literal: non-divine. Symbolic: impulses not consenting to the higher nature; anti-evolutionary tendencies
- ohate
- Literal: overcomes/prevails. Symbolic: to overpower—here denied: the higher poise is invincible
Invocatory and protective usage in Soma-related recitation contexts; suitable as a dual-deity śastra/stotra element emphasizing establishment of powers (waters/herbs) and invincibility against ‘adeva’ obstruction (general Shrauta use; exact assignment requires pada-index mapping to a specific soma-day chant tradition).
During Soma sequences or invocations for protection against hostile forces; possibly in ancillary water-related offerings
Recited to affirm stabilization of supportive powers and divine invincibility
For recovery and clearing: chant when overcoming inner blockages, fatigue, anxiety; pair with water-offering (ācamana or simple mindful drinking) as symbolic purification.
Key terms: (1) : from √sidh/sedh ‘to ward off, repel, drive away; to prevent/obstruct’ with nis- ‘out, away’; thus ‘those that expel obstruction’, fitting the psychological sense of releasing blocked energies. (2) : traditionally ‘herbs’; often linked with √uṣ/√vas ‘to burn/shine’ in symbolic readings—plants as carriers of healing sap and luminous restoration; philologically oṣadhi is a Vedic plant-term, here paired with āpaḥ as restorative agencies. (3) : from PIE *h₂ep- ‘water’ (cf. Lat. aqua); in RV frequently purifying and life-giving, and in inner sense the flowing clarity of consciousness. (4) : ‘space, region, mid-air’; plural rajāṃsi = multiple strata of the intermediate world (vital-mental). (5) : ‘path, course’ (journey of sacrifice/realisation). (6) : a- ‘not’ + deva ‘divine’; denotes forces outside ṛta, hostile to the right order. (7) : from √uh/oh ‘to push, shove, overpower’—image of hostile pressure that nevertheless fails against the divine pair.
Ṛta (cosmic order implied through Varuṇa’s domain and the ‘undivine’ as anti-ṛta), victorious force and illumination (Indra), crossing beyond the mixed intermediate planes (rajāṃsi → pāra), protection against hostile powers (śatru/adeva)
Stability (āstām) indicates ṛta established in the instruments; the journey crosses rajas into truer order.
Implied: greatness attained by aligning to truth; the ‘undivine’ cannot conquer what is true-aligned.
Evolutionary crossing: from mixed mid-world to farther shore—an ascent motif.
Integral Yoga / psychological Veda: rajas as vital-mental field to be surpassed toward truth-consciousness.
Herbs = restorative energies; Waters = cleansing peace and wideness; rajas = restless mixed consciousness; farther shore = stable truth-poise beyond turbulence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘crossing to the farther shore’ (pāré ádhvano) after traversing the rajāṃsi (intermediate regions): a recurrent RV mythologem of the gods (or the inspired) moving beyond the mixed mid-world to a secure station of truth and mastery. Here it is coupled with the establishment of healing/purifying agencies (oṣadhīḥ, āpaḥ) and the invincibility of the divine pair against adeva opposition—mythic action as the soul’s passage beyond obstruction into vastness (mahimānam).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Clear PIE inheritance appears in ā́paḥ ‘waters’ (PIE *h₂ep-; cf. Latin aqua with different development, and Germanic *ahwō- ‘river’ in some etymological proposals). The spatial term rájas (space/region) aligns with Indo-European cosmological lexicon of ‘space/air’ strata. The negation compound a-devá- (‘non-divine’) uses the productive IE privative *n̥-/a- pattern. The path term ádhvan- has Indo-Iranian continuity (Avestan advan- ‘path’), supporting a shared ritual-journey metaphor across Indo-Iranian poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The verse presents the devatā as inner operators of establishment and victory: Indra (force that breaks obstruction) and Varuṇa (vast law of truth) ‘attain greatness’ and become unassailable. The ṛṣi’s stance is implicitly aspirational and confirmatory: by affirming their achieved mahimā and their immunity to adeva pressures, the singer aligns the sacrificer’s inner journey (adhvan) with the gods’ own crossing beyond rajāṃsi—inviting the same secure passage and protection within the human vessel.
Unblock and stabilize: release constricted currents; establish cleansing wideness and healing harmony; then contemplate ‘crossing beyond rajas’.
Anāhata (healing harmony) + Ājñā (illumined guidance)
Slow exhale emphasis (e.g., 4–6 or 6–8) to ‘set the waters’; then a few rounds of kapalabhāti only if steady (to break obstruction), followed by quiet sitting.
Clear, widened, protected; less vulnerable to reactive impulses.
Visualize a current of clear water washing through the spine; then a green-gold healing field in the heart. Affirm: ‘I cross beyond the mixed middle; the undivine cannot prevail in truth.’
As per Saṃhitā accents; for precise svara use a śākhā recitation reference. Maintain clear udātta on marked syllables (e.g.,,, ).
Do not compress consonant clusters: niṣ-ṣidhvarīḥ; keep ‘rajasaḥ pāre’ separated cleanly.
‘niṣṣidhvarīḥ’: double ṣṣ—articulate with a brief hold., ‘oṣadhīḥ’: retroflex ṣ; long īḥ at end., ‘āpa āstām’: keep hiatus clear (āpa | āstām)., ‘adeva’: short a- at start; avoid ‘ādeva’ unless accenting indicates length in your recitation tradition.
Cooling, steady, slightly deeper tone to evoke waters; firm emphasis on the pāre/adhvano cadence.
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