Rig Veda 1.13.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 13, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.13
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Dvāraḥ
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
वि श्रयन्तामृतावृधो द्वारो देवीरसश्चतः । अद्या नूनं च यष्टवे ॥
ví śrayantām ṛtāvṛ́dho dvā́ro devī́r asaścátaḥ | adyā́ nū́naṃ ca yáṣṭave ||
Biarlah pintu-pintu ilahi—yang menumbuhkan ṛta (tatanan benar)—terbuka lebar, tak pernah gagal; hari ini, kini juga, demi persembahan yajña.
Word by Word
- वि
- apart, forth (as a preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषक)Root वि (उपसर्ग)
- श्रयन्ताम्
- let them resort/lean/come toVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRoot √श्रि (श्रयति)
- ऋतावृधः
- increasing (prospering) through ṛta; upholders of cosmic orderAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (श्रयन्ताम्)Root ऋतावृध (ऋत + √वृध ‘to grow/increase’)
- द्वारः
- doors, gatesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (श्रयन्ताम्) (सम्बन्धः: ऋतावृधः) अथवा विशेष्यRoot द्वार (द्वार्/द्वारम्)
- देवीः
- divine (goddess-like)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (श्रयन्ताम्) (द्वारः इत्यस्य विशेषणभावः—वैदिके लिङ्गव्यत्ययः) अथवा विशेषणम्Root देवी (देव + ङीप्)
- असश्चतः
- not clinging (unhindered), unimpededAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (श्रयन्ताम्) (द्वारः/देवीः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root असश्चत् (नञ् + सश्चत्, √सच् ‘to accompany/cleave to’)
- अद्य
- todayIndeclinableकालाव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (काल) (यष्टवे) अथवा (श्रयन्ताम्)Root अद्य
- नूनम्
- now, indeedIndeclinableनिश्चयार्थक-अव्ययRoot नूनम्
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययRoot च
- यष्टवे
- to worship, to sacrificeVerbतुमर्थे दतिव्/इन्फिनिटिव् (वैदिक), एकवचनRole प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य (श्रयन्ताम्—‘यष्टवे’ हेतु)Root √यज् (यष्टुम्) → यष्टवे
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वि | श्रयन्ताम् | ऋतावृधः | द्वारः | देवीः | असश्चतः | अद्य | नूनम् | च | यष्टवे । 1) ‘श्रयन्तामृता॒वृधो॒’ = श्रयन्ताम् + ऋतावृधः (म् + ऋ → मृ, संहितायाम्)
- 2) ‘दे॒वीर॑स॒श्चत॑:’ = देवीः + असश्चतः (विसर्गलोपः/रुत्वाभावः; ईः + अ → ईर् (वैदिक संधि-रूपम्))
- 3) ‘अद्या’ = अद्य (पदपाठे अद्य), संहितायां दीर्घ/प्रगृह्य-प्रभावः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
“Let the divine doors, increasers of ṛta, open wide—unfailing—today and now for the offering.” It asks for the opening of the passages for the rite.
Inner meaning
The ‘divine doors’ are inner thresholds between ordinary mind and higher consciousness—gates of perception, inspiration, and receptive silence. When they ‘open wide’ the being gains access to the right order (ṛta) and the offering becomes effective. ‘Unfailing’ indicates steadfast pathways that do not collapse under habit or doubt. ‘Today and now’ stresses immediacy: the yoga is to be made present, not postponed.
Universal truth
Transformation requires opened thresholds—new capacities of perception and receptivity. When the inner gates open, right order grows and the present moment becomes the true field of offering.
Themes
Opening the path, Ritual thresholds, Rita expansion, Divine access
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.12, Rig Veda 1.13, Rig Veda 1.14
Family tradition
Kāṇva sequences often mark transitions: after preparation, the ‘doors’ open—an inner-ritual psychology of access.
Significance
The seer insists on the necessity of passage: the prepared seat is not enough unless the gates to higher seeing are opened by divine powers.
The deity
- Devata
- Dvāraḥ (Divine Doors)
- Epithets
- devīḥ (divine shaktis), ṛta-vṛdhaḥ (increasers of right order), asaścataḥ (unfailing)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (illumination that opens), Sarasvatī (inspiration-flow), Agni (leader through the gates)
Cosmic role
Guardians and openers of the pathways between worlds; in the rite, they permit the gods to enter and the offering to reach its goal.
Inner power
Capacity for widening, receptivity, and safe transition into higher states; removal of inner obstruction at thresholds.
In ritual
Where it is used
Opening of the rite—invocation of the ‘doors’ before calling specific deities to enter the sacred space.
वि श्र॑यन्तामृता॒वृधो॒ द्वारो॑ दे॒वीर॑स॒श्चत॑: । अ॒द्या नू॒नं च॒ यष्ट॑वे ॥
वि । श्र॒य॒न्ता॒म् । ऋ॒त॒ऽवृधः॑ । द्वारः॑ । दे॒वीः । अ॒स॒श्चतः॑ । अ॒द्य । नू॒नम् । च॒ । यष्ट॑वे ॥
vi | śrayantām | ṛta-vṛdhaḥ | dvāraḥ | devīḥ | asaścataḥ | adya | nūnam | ca | yaṣṭave
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8+8+8
Expansive and opening—first pāda spreads, second stabilizes, third anchors in the present act.
Creates a felt widening in chest and brow; supports a transition from preparation to invocation/entry.
- द्वारः (dvāraḥ)
- Literal: doors, gates. Symbolic: Inner thresholds of consciousness; openings to higher planes
- देवीः (devīḥ)
- Literal: divine (feminine powers). Symbolic: Shaktis that govern entry—grace, receptivity, illumination
- ऋतवृधः (ṛta-vṛdhaḥ)
- Literal: increasers of ṛta. Symbolic: Powers that expand right order and truth-harmony in the being
- वि श्रयन्ताम् (vi śrayantām)
- Literal: let them open/spread apart. Symbolic: Widening of inner passages; removal of constriction
- असश्चतः (asaścataḥ)
- Literal: unfailing, not letting go. Symbolic: Steady access; persistence of the opening against relapse
- अद्य नूनम् (adya nūnam)
- Literal: today, now indeed. Symbolic: Immediate realization in the present moment
- यष्टवे (yaṣṭave)
- Literal: to sacrifice, to offer. Symbolic: To make the conscious offering of self and energies
Invitation motif: the 'doors' are opened before calling deities; in śrauta symbolism, the rite opens the path between worlds.
Immediately after preparing the barhis and before seating/inviting deities; a liminal moment.
Symbolic opening of directions/space; welcoming entry of divine powers.
Use as a ‘threshold mantra’ before deep meditation: ask for inner openings (attention, intuition, silence) to widen now.
dvāra 'door' from PIE *dʰwer- (cf. English 'door', Greek thýra). ṛta from √ṛ 'to fit, move rightly' → cosmic order. vṛdha from √vṛdh 'to grow/increase' (PIE *werdʰ-). asaścata: a- (neg.) + saścata (from √sac 'to follow/attend/err?'; here 'not straying/never failing' as traditional sense).
Rita (ṛtāvṛdhaḥ), Liminality (threshold between planes), Present moment efficacy (adya, nūnam)
The doors ‘increase ṛta’ by allowing higher truth-order to enter and reorganize the lower nature.
Truth becomes accessible when passages open; otherwise Satya remains veiled behind closed gates.
Cosmic evolution as opening of gates from inconscience to consciousness—progressive widening.
Yoga of ascent/descent: gateways between planes; shakti-mediated transition.
Threshold = moment of shift; opening = expansion of awareness; unfailing = stable channel (nāḍī-like) for higher influx.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The opening of the divine gates: a liminal myth where personified Doors widen to allow the gods’ approach—psychologically, the inner thresholds open to higher consciousness through yajña.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dvāra is a classic PIE cognate (*dʰwer-). ṛta-vṛdha shows productive compounding typical of early IE poetics (determinative compound expressing function: 'ṛta-increasing').
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi commands a condition for success: the doors must open 'today, now' for offering. The devatā is treated as an active collaborator whose action enables the rite’s ascent and descent.
Open inner gates to higher light and right order; practice receptivity at the threshold of silence.
ājñā (inner gate of seeing)
Inhale imagining doors widening at the brow; exhale releasing resistance; add a brief pause after inhale to ‘hold the opening’.
Liminal openness—poised between ordinary mind and higher inspiration.
After centering, repeat the mantra while feeling two ‘gates’ in the front of the mind open outward; invite a steady, unfailing channel for peace and light to enter and reorganize thought.
Maintain the lift on vi śrayantām; keep ṛtāvṛdho clearly articulated with retroflex ṛ and dental t.
Make a clear caesura after asaścataḥ; emphasize adyā nūnaṃ as a present-moment seal.
vi śrayantām: śr cluster—don’t insert a vowel (not ‘shar’)., ṛtāvṛdhaḥ: syllabic ṛ; pronounce vṛdha with clear vṛ., dvāro: long ā; keep ‘dv’ conjunct tight., yaṣṭave: ṣṭ conjunct—crisp, not ‘sh-t’.
Open-throated, spacious, steady; let the sound ‘spread’ rather than press.
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