Rig Veda 1.116.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 116, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.116
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तुग्रो ह भुज्युमश्विनोदमेघे रयिं न कश्चिन्ममृवाँ अवाहाः । तमूहथुर्नौभिरात्मन्वतीभिरन्तरिक्षप्रुद्भिरपोदकाभिः ॥
túgro ha bhujyúm aśvinodaméghe rayíṃ na káścin mamṛvā́ṃ avā́hāḥ | tám ūhathur naúbhir ātmanvátībhiḥ antarikṣaprúdbhir apóudakābhiḥ ||
Tugra, wahai Aśvin, menjatuhkan Bhujyu ke dalam banjir yang menggelora, laksana harta terlepas tanpa seorang pun penolong di dekatnya. Namun kalian mengangkatnya dengan kapal-kapal yang bergerak oleh daya dirinya sendiri, yang melintas di ruang-antara (antarikṣa), melaju di atas perairan—bahkan di tempat tiada air. Maka angkatlah kami pula dari limpahan kebingungan, dengan upaya ajaib kalian.
Word by Word
- तुग्रः
- Tugra (a man, father of Bhujyu)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तुग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ह
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपातRoot ह (निपात)
- भुज्युम्
- BhujyuNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भुज्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्विनौ
- the Aśvins (twin gods)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- दमेघे
- in the house-like cloud / in the cloud (as a dwelling)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot द-मेघ (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealth, treasureNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableनिपातRoot न (उपमा-निपात)
- कश्चित्
- anyone, someonePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित्
- ममृवाँ
- having died; deadParticipleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (परिपूर्ण-भूतार्थ ‘having died’)Role कर्तृRoot मृ (धातु) → ममृवस् (कृदन्त, परिपूर्ण/परिपक्व भूतार्थ)
- अव
- down, away; (as preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot अव (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- आहाः
- you carried/bore (him)Verbलिट् (परोक्श/परिपूर्ण), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot वह् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- ऊहथुः
- you two carried/transportedVerbलिट्, मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot वह् (धातु) + उत्/ऊ (उपसर्ग; वैदिक रूप)
- नौभिः
- with boats, by shipsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot नौ (प्रातिपदिक)
- आत्मन्वतीभिः
- self-propelled / endowed with life-forceAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (नौभिः विशेषण)Role करणRoot आत्मन्वत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having breath/life/own power’)
- अन्तरिक्षप्रुद्भिः
- moving through the mid-air / sky-faringAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (नौभिः विशेषण)Role करणRoot अन्तरिक्ष-प्रुद् (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- अपोदकाभिः
- waterless (i.e., not needing water), dry-land (boats)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (नौभिः विशेषण)Role करणRoot अप-उदक (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (मुख्य): तुग्रः ह भुज्युम् अश्विनौ दमेघे रयिम् न कश्चित् ममृवाँ अव आहाः । तम् ऊहथुः नौभिः आत्मन्वतीभिः अन्तरिक्षप्रुद्भिः अपोदकाभिः ॥ 1) अश्विनो-दमेघे → अश्विनौ दमेघे (ओ + द → औ द; पदान्त ‘ओ’ का ‘औ’)
- 2) कश्चि॑न्ममृ॒वाँ → कश्चित् ममृवाँ (त् + म → त् म; संहिता में निग्रह/समास-सदृश संयोग)
- 3) अवा॑हाः → अव आहाः (अव + आहाः; उपसर्ग ‘अव’ पृथक्)
- 4) तमू॑हथुः → तम् ऊहथुः (म् + ऊ; संहिता में अनुनासिक + स्वर संयोग)
- 5) नौ॒भिरा॑त्म॒न्वती॑भिः → नौभिः आत्मन्वतीभिः (ः + अ)
- 6) प्रुद्भि॒रपो॑दकाभिः → प्रुद्भिः अपोदकाभिः (ः + अ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Tugra cast Bhujyu down into a surging flood as if losing a treasure with no rescuer; the Aśvins bore him up with self-guided ships moving through mid-air, traversing waters even where there is no water.
Inner meaning
Bhujyu is the soul/vital being thrown into the inundation of the subconscient and confusion; Tugra represents a force of harsh impulsion or adverse circumstance that precipitates the fall. ‘Treasure’ is the lost inner wealth (rayi) of clarity and joy. The Aśvins’ ‘self-guided ships’ are the supramental/intuitive supports—inner instruments that can carry consciousness through the intermediate worlds (antarikṣa), even when ordinary supports (water/ground) are absent. The mantra affirms a law of grace: higher powers can transport the seeker through impossible passages when the ego-mind finds no method.
Universal truth
In crises where familiar supports fail, a higher guidance can carry consciousness safely through intermediate and uncertain states—provided we call and consent.
Themes
Rescue of Bhujyu, Divine twins and miraculous vehicles, Salvation from inundation
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.116–1.120
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa vision often deals with retrieval—recovering what is lost to darkness; Kutsa applies this to rescue across perilous inner seas.
Significance
The seer articulates the ‘marvellous means’ (dasratva) by which divine powers uphold the aspirant when ordinary mental-vital methods collapse.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- Dasrā (wonder-workers), Nāsatyā (true helpers), Suvṛktī (receivers of well-made hymns, common epithet class)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (ocean/law), Indra (breaking obstruction), Uṣas (emergence after night)
Cosmic role
Rescuers in flood and darkness; bearers across the mid-world; restorers of the lost.
Inner power
They provide subtle, self-guided supports—intuitive guidance, right timing, and protective movement through uncertainty.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin praise in morning Soma rites; invoked for protection in journeys and dangers
तुग्रो॑ ह भु॒ज्युम॑श्विनोदमे॒घे र॒यिं न कश्चि॑न्ममृ॒वाँ अवा॑हाः । तमू॑हथुर्नौ॒भिरा॑त्म॒न्वती॑भिरन्तरिक्ष॒प्रुद्भि॒रपो॑दकाभिः ॥
तुग्रः॑ । ह॒ । भु॒ज्युम् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । उ॒द॒ऽमे॒घे । र॒यिम् । न । कः । चि॒त् । म॒मृ॒ऽवाम् । अव॑ । अ॒हाः॒ । तम् । ऊ॒ह॒थुः॒ । नौ॒भिः । आ॒त्म॒न्ऽवती॑भिः । अ॒न्त॒रि॒क्ष॒प्रुत्ऽभिः॑ । अप॑ऽउदकाभिः ॥
tugraḥ | ha | bhujyum | aśvinā | uda-meghe | rayim | na | kaḥ | cit | mamṛ-vām | ava | ahāḥ | tam | ūhathuḥ | naubhiḥ | ātman-vatībhiḥ | antarikṣaprut-bhiḥ | apa-udakābh iḥ
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4 × ~11
Wave-like yet controlled; alternation of peril and rescue.
Induces steadiness amid inner turbulence; the cadence ‘carries’ the listener like a vessel over waves.
- उदमेघे (udameghe)
- Literal: in the surging waters/flood-cloud. Symbolic: inundation of subconscient confusion; overwhelming vital-emotional surge
- रयिम् (rayim)
- Literal: treasure/wealth. Symbolic: inner riches: light, joy, power, right discernment
- नौभिः (naubhiḥ)
- Literal: with ships. Symbolic: vehicles of inner passage: guided practices, intuitive supports, divine formations
- आत्मन्वतीभिः (ātmanvatībhiḥ)
- Literal: self-possessed/self-driven. Symbolic: self-guided movements of consciousness; inner autonomy under the soul
- अन्तरिक्षप्रुद्भिः (antarikṣaprudbhiḥ)
- Literal: moving/flowing through the mid-region. Symbolic: crossing transitional planes between mind and higher mind; subtle passage
- अपोदकाभिः (apodakābhiḥ)
- Literal: with waters where there is no water. Symbolic: support from subtle substance; grace operating beyond mental logic
Healing/rescue narrative used as praise; invoked for protection in journeys and for recovery from peril (physical and psychological).
At transitions, when seeking protection and safe passage; metaphorically in ‘crossing’ rites.
Recitation with offering to invite rescuing presence.
Use during anxiety, overwhelm, or life transitions; as a mantra for ‘being carried’ when no clear solution is visible.
rayí ‘wealth/treasure’ (inner: fullness of being). √mṛ ‘die’ in mamṛvā́ṃ marks the deathward peril. naú- ‘ship’ (PIE *neh₂u- ‘boat’ attested across IE) symbolizes crossing. ātman-vatī ‘self-possessed/self-driven’ suggests autonomous divine means. antarikṣa ‘mid-space’ + prut ‘stream/flow’ creates paradoxical traversal. apó-udakā ‘waters without water’ is a deliberate marvel-expression: the Aśvins’ help transcends normal supports, indicating supraphysical passage in inner yoga.
crossing (tāraṇa) through peril, marvel (adbhuta) as sign of supramental aid, rayi as inner plenitude preserved
The Aśvins’ rescue restores right movement through the intermediate region where disorder threatens.
Truth acts as effective guidance, not merely concept; ‘waters without water’ suggests supraphysical truth-substance.
Support arising from subtle planes; consciousness traversing worlds.
Aurobindonian planes: antarikṣa as vital-mental mid-region; higher guidance as intuitive/supramental aid.
night-to-dawn transition implied (rescue from darkness)
Overwhelm of the lower nature and the emergence of subtle guidance that carries the seeker through liminal states.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The rescue of Bhujyu from the flood by miraculous ships—classic Aśvin saviour-motif. Inner sense: the soul/being, cast into overwhelming forces, is carried across by divine means that operate even when ordinary supports (‘water’) are absent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- naú- ‘ship’ has clear Indo-European cognates (e.g., Latin nāvis). The formula of ‘saving from death’ using √mṛ is pan-Indo-European. The poetic paradox (waters without water) is a Vedic intensification rather than a purely natural description.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi recounts a concrete saving act to establish trust (śraddhā) in the twins’ efficacy. The devatās are invoked as practical rescuers: the hymn’s narrative becomes a template for inner deliverance from overwhelming subconscient floods.
Rest in the sense of being carried by a higher guidance through uncertainty; cultivate trust and wideness.
vishuddha (ether/antarikṣa, subtle passage)
lengthened exhale (e.g., 4-6) to calm the ‘flood’; then gentle pause to feel support
from overwhelmed vital to quiet intuitive holding
On repetition, visualise a luminous vessel in the heart-space carrying you across a dark sea. Let thoughts be waves; keep attention on the ‘self-guided ship’—a calm, inner directive presence.
Follow udatta marks; keep the second hemistich slightly more expansive to mirror ‘bearing up’.
Give gentle lift on aśvinā́, ū́hathuḥ, nāúbhiḥ; soften on words of loss (mamṛvām̐).
bhujyum: palatal j + yum, avoid ‘bhuj-jum’ doubling., antarikṣa: clear kṣ cluster., apodakābhiḥ: a-po-da-kā-bhiḥ, keep long ā., mamṛvām̐: nasalization at end; keep ṛ clear.
soothing, steady, protective
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