Sukta 177
Sukta 10.177
Pataṅga / Solar-bird (mystic Sun); associated with Asura (sovereign) and the Marīcīs (rays)
Himne singkat namun sangat mistis ini merenungkan Pataṅga, prinsip surya “bersayap”, sebagai Matahari kesadaran yang tersembunyi, yang dipersepsi para resi melalui hati dan budi. Ia mengaitkan burung-surya itu dengan māyā Asura (daya kedaulatan yang membentuk), dengan Marīcī (sinar-sinar pencerahan), serta dengan Vāk (Sabda ilham) yang dijaga di stasiun Ṛta (tatanan kebenaran).
Mantras
Mantra 1
पतंगमक्तमसुरस्य मायया हृदा पश्यन्ति मनसा विपश्चितः । समुद्रे अन्तः कवयो वि चक्षते मरीचीनां पदमिच्छन्ति वेधसः ॥
Para resi yang tercerahkan memandang dengan hati dan budi Sang Bersayap, yang diurapi oleh māyā Asura—daya pembentuknya. Di dalam samudra kesadaran para penyair membedakan; para vedhas mencari kedudukan Sinar-sinar (rumah pencerahan).
Mantra 2
पतंगो वाचं मनसा बिभर्ति तां गन्धर्वोऽवदद्गर्भे अन्तः । तां द्योतमानां स्वर्यं मनीषामृतस्य पदे कवयो नि पान्ति ॥
Sang Bersayap memanggul Sabda dalam batin; Gandharwa mengucapkannya di dalam rahim segala yang ada. Ilham yang bercahaya, seterang surya itu—para resi menjaganya dan meminumnya di tapak Ṛta (Tata-Kebenaran).
Inside Sukta 177
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Seers perceive the winged solar mystery through heart and mind, empowered by Asura’s māyā.
- Development
Vision turns inward to the ‘ocean’ where poets discern and seek the station of the rays (Marīcīs).
- Climax
Revelation that Pataṅga bears Vāk in the mind and that the Gandharva utters it within the cosmic womb—true inspiration is born from the hidden source.
- Where it settles
The seers safeguard and ‘drink’ that shining, sun-bright insight at ṛtasya pada, the settled ground of Truth-Order.
The deity: Pataṅga, with Gandharva and Vāk at the station of Ṛta
- In the VedaPataṅga is the winged, radiant presence beheld inwardly by vipra seers; he carries the Word in the mind, while the Gandharva voices it within the cosmic ‘womb’ (garbha). The Marīcīs are the rays whose ‘station’ (pada) the knowers seek, and Ṛta is the truth-order where the inspiration is guarded and ‘drunk in’.
- Cosmic functionMediator of light and revelation: the Sun-principle that transforms hidden truth into perceivable illumination, ordering vision, speech, and insight according to Ṛta.
- Inner significanceThe ascent from mental seeing to supramental hearing: the seeker learns to perceive the inner Sun, receive Vāk as inspired knowledge, and stabilize it in the truth-centered state (ṛtasya pada).
Famous verses
marīcīnām padam icchanti vedhasaḥ
ṛtasya pade kavayo ni pānti
Attributes of the deity
- Winged solar power (Pataṅga)
- Asura’s māyā as creative sovereignty (shaping intelligence)
- Marīcīs as rays/illuminations
- Gandharva as guardian-speaker of the hidden Word
- Vāk as luminous inspiration (manīṣā)
- Ṛta as the stable station of truth-order
Also by this seer
- No secure r̥ṣi attribution is preserved in the Anukramaṇī for this hymn; it belongs to the speculative (brahmodya-like) hymns characteristic of RV 10.
The rite, step by step
- Ācamana and quieting of breath; establish intention to seek Ṛta (truth-order).
- Invoke the inner Sun (Pataṅga) with RV 10.177.1, visualizing rays (Marīcīs) rising within the ‘ocean’ of awareness.
- Recite RV 10.177.2, contemplating Vāk held in mind and voiced from the hidden womb (garbha) as inspired insight.
- Silent pause (mauna) to ‘guard and drink’ the inspiration—retain (dhāraṇā) the received clarity.
- Conclude with a short solar or Agni oblation and a resolve to speak truth-aligned speech.
Offerings
- Ghṛta (ghee) into Agni
- Optional: water libation (arghya) to Sūrya at dawn
- Optional: soma-symbolic offering (milk/plant-based substitute where soma is not used)
Frequently Asked Questions
Pataṅga is the “winged one,” a symbolic form of the Sun—an inner light that enlightened seers perceive through heart and mind, not only with the physical eyes.
Here Asura means a sovereign, ordering power, and māyā means the capacity to shape or form. The hymn suggests the Sun’s revelation works through a higher intelligence that organizes vision and insight.
It is the stable ground of truth-order—where inspired understanding becomes clear, protected, and assimilated. The seers “guard and drink” the shining inspiration there, meaning they preserve it and live by it.
Ask anything about Sukta 177 of the Rig Veda
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