Rig Veda 8.94.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 94, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.94
- Devata
- Implied cosmic Mother/support, within a Marut-Soma hymn frame
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यस्या देवा उपस्थे व्रता विश्वे धारयन्ते । सूर्यामासा दृशे कम् ॥
yásyā devā́ upásthe vratā́ víśve dhāráyante | sū́ryāmāsā dṛśé kám ||
देवी के पास देवता सबसे सही काम के नियम रखते हैं। सूरज और चाँद वहाँ हैं ताकि हम सही देखें। नज़र साफ हो और हम समझ पाएँ।
Word by Word
- यस्याः
- of whom/whosePronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → यस्-
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- उपस्थे
- in the lap/bosomNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- व्रतानि
- vows/ordinances (fixed laws)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (देवाः इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषणत्वेन)Root विश्व (सर्व/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- धारयन्ते
- they uphold/bearVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot धृ (धातु)
- सूर्यौ
- the Sun (and)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- मासौ
- the Moon/month (pair: Sun and Moon)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot मास (प्रातिपदिक)
- दृशे
- for seeing / to be seenNoun (verbal noun/infinitival dative)दातिव (चतुर्थी) एकवचन; ‘दृश्’ धातोः दातिव-प्रयोगः = “to be seen/for seeing”Role सम्प्रदान (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)Root दृश् (धातु) → दृश्- (कृदन्त/नामरूप)
- कम्
- whom?/what? (interrogative)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (दृशे इत्यस्य)Root क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यस्याः | देवाः | उपस्थे | व्रतानि | विश्वे | धारयन्ते | सूर्यौ | मासौ | दृशे | कम् || 1) ‘सूर्या॒मासा॑’ इति संहितायां ‘सूर्यौ मासौ’ (उ/औ + म-) इत्यत्र स्वर-संहितया दीर्घ/संयोग-रूपं दृश्यते
- पदपाठे द्विवचनरूपे ‘सूर्यौ | मासौ’ इति। 2) ‘दृ॒शे’ दातिव-प्रयोगः (उद्देश्ये) — वैदिके ‘दृश्’ धातोः ‘दृशे’ इति रूपं ‘दर्शनाय/द्रष्टुम्’ इत्यर्थे।
The meaning
Outer meaning
In whose lap the gods uphold all their laws; there Sun and Moon are placed for seeing.
Inner meaning
A great supporting Consciousness (often Aditi-like: infinite Mother) holds the divine powers in her ‘lap’—the stable basis where all right workings (vratā) are sustained. Sun and Moon symbolize the two eyes of vision: solar illumination (clear knowledge) and lunar reflection (mind’s receptive light). In the inner being, when we rest in the vast foundation, the gods’ right laws become stable and perception becomes complete.
Universal truth
Right order is upheld by a deeper foundation than surface mind. When consciousness is grounded in the Vast/Infinite, the principles of right action sustain themselves, and perception integrates both direct illumination (sun) and reflective understanding (moon).
Themes
cosmic-order, vision-and-light, divine-law, supporting-mother-principle
The seer
Significance
The verse bears the stamp of a contemplative seer: behind the Marut dynamism stands the Mother-base that upholds Ṛta. This is characteristic of the Vedic move from force to foundation—action rooted in the Infinite.
The deity
- Devata
- Implied Aditi / Cosmic Mother (supporting ground)
- Epithets
- Aditi (the Infinite) (interpretive), Dhātrī (supporter) (functional), Mātṛ (Mother) (implied by ‘lap’)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa-Mitra (guardians of Ṛta), Sūrya, Soma/Chandra (lunar principle), Maruts (as upheld powers)
Cosmic role
The infinite expanse that holds the gods and their functions; the matrix where cosmic law is maintained and the luminaries are set.
Inner power
Vastness, containment without limitation; capacity to hold multiple powers in harmony and keep right order stable.
In ritual
Where it is used
Cosmic-support verse within a hymn sequence; used to affirm Ṛta and the divine foundation during praise.
यस्या॑ दे॒वा उ॒पस्थे॑ व्र॒ता विश्वे॑ धा॒रय॑न्ते । सूर्या॒मासा॑ दृ॒शे कम् ॥
यस्याः॑ । दे॒वाः । उ॒पऽस्थे॑ । व्र॒ता । विश्वे॑ । धा॒रय॑न्ते । सूर्या॒मासा॑ । दृ॒शे । कम् ॥
yasyāḥ | devāḥ | upa-sthe | vratā | viśve | dhārayante | sūryāmāsā | dṛśe | kam
Two padas; second pada compact with dual ‘sūryāmāsā’.
Steady and spacious; less turbulent than Marut lines—suggesting a supporting Vast.
Creates grounding and wideness; helps the mind settle into a stable basis for clear seeing.
- उपस्थ (upasthe)
- Literal: lap, seat, bosom. Symbolic: Foundational consciousness; supporting ground of the being
- देवाः (devāḥ)
- Literal: gods. Symbolic: Powers of consciousness—illumination, harmony, force, delight
- व्रता (vratā)
- Literal: vows, laws, right workings. Symbolic: Fixed principles of right action (Ṛta in practice) within the nature
- सूर्या (sūryā)
- Literal: sun. Symbolic: Direct illumination; truth-seeing
- मासा (māsā) / चन्द्र (implied)
- Literal: moon (here as māsā, lunar measurer). Symbolic: Reflective mind-light; rhythm and measure of experience
- दृशे (dṛśe)
- Literal: for seeing. Symbolic: Fulfillment of vision—conscious perception that guides life
Cosmic legitimation for ritual order: establishes that the rite mirrors the gods’ upheld vrata; suitable as a supporting verse in Soma invitations.
During recitation segments that establish cosmic order and invite stable right working in the rite.
Chanted as an affirmation of the divine seat that sustains the sacrifice and its laws.
Use as a grounding mantra before meditation: ‘rest in the lap of the Infinite’ and invite right order and clear perception.
from upa- ‘near’ + √sthā ‘to stand’ → ‘supporting seat/lap’. from √vṛ ‘to choose, will’ (and the semantic field of ‘willed order’) → divine ordinance aligned with ṛta. from √dhṛ (PIE *dher- ‘hold’; cf. Greek θρόνος ‘seat’ as distant semantic parallel via support). ūrya- and māsa-/candra as cosmic lights; dṛśe from √dṛś (PIE *derk- ‘see’; cf. Greek δέρκομαι dérkomai).
Rita and Vrata (cosmic law and right action), vision (dṛś) as spiritual seeing, Aditi-like boundless support (implicit)
Explicit: vratā viśve dhārayante—right workings are upheld in the cosmic foundation.
Sun as satya-dṛś: direct truth-seeing; moon as measured reflection supporting integration.
Placement of luminaries ‘for seeing’—creation as an arrangement for consciousness to perceive and fulfill its vision.
Vedic Mother-infinity doctrine leading toward Upaniṣadic Brahman as the supporting reality (adhisthāna).
Sun = illumined knowledge; Moon = reflective mind and rhythm; the ‘lap’ = vast stable consciousness that holds and harmonizes powers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cosmic ‘lap’ that holds the gods’ ordinances: a mythologem of a maternal support (Aditi/Earth-like) in which divine law is seated, and the luminaries are installed as instruments of vision. The cosmos is presented as a consciously upheld order, not a mechanical nature-scene.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The verse uses inherited IE formulae: ‘fame/vision/light’ vocabulary (√dṛś < PIE *derk-) and ‘upholding’ (√dhṛ) to encode cosmic maintenance. The collocation of luminaries with seeing is a common Indo-European poetic linkage of light and knowledge.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi aligns human aspiration with the gods’ own upheld vrata: by placing vision (dṛś) at the center, the hymn suggests the seeker’s progress depends on entering the same ordered seat of consciousness where the gods sustain law.
Rest attention in the ‘lap’—a felt sense of vast support behind thoughts; then contemplate Sun/Moon as two modes of knowing (direct and reflective).
Sahasrara (vastness) with Ajna (seeing)
Slow lengthened exhale to widen awareness; silent pause after exhale to feel ‘upasthe’ (support).
Widened, stable witness-consciousness.
When action becomes restless, return to the foundation: widen, feel held. From that base, let right principles (vrata) reassert themselves, and allow perception to clarify without strain.
Notated svaras not provided; chant with a steady, even tone; slight lift on sūryāmāsā to highlight the ‘two lights’.
Keep ‘yasyā devā upasthe’ connected; pause after dhārayante; articulate sūryāmāsā clearly as a dual compound.
upasthe: u-pa-sthe (clear dental t), vratā: short v- sound, not ‘w’, dhārayante: long ā in dhā-
Low, steady, spacious.
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