Rig Veda 1.113.7: Mandala 1, Sukta 113, Mantra 7
Sukta 1.113
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एषा दिवो दुहिता प्रत्यदर्शि व्युच्छन्ती युवतिः शुक्रवासाः । विश्वस्येशाना पार्थिवस्य वस्व उषो अद्येह सुभगे व्युच्छ ॥
eṣā́ divó duhitā́ práty adarśi vyucchántī yuvatíḥ śukrávāsāḥ | víśvasyéśānā pārthivásya vásva uṣó adyéhá subhage vyùccha ||
見よ、天の娘はわれらに向かって現れた――明けゆきつつある、若き乙女、光の衣をまとう者。地上のあらゆる財宝を司る女主よ、ウシャス（曙光）よ、幸ある者よ、今日ここに、われらのために満ち足りて明けよ。
Word by Word
- एषा
- this (she)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एषा
- दिवः
- of heaven, of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) / षष्ठी-सम्बन्धRoot दिव् (प्रातिपदिक: द्यौ/दिव्)
- दुहिता
- daughterNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (एषा … दुहिता) / विशेष्यRoot दुहितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रति
- towards, forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRole (क्रियाविशेषण) दिशाबोधकRoot प्रति
- अदर्शि
- has appeared, was seenVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √दृश् (दर्शन)
- वि
- apart, forthIndeclinableउपसर्गRole (क्रियाविशेषण) विभक्त्यर्थ/विशेषणRoot वि
- उच्छन्ती
- shining forth, dawningVerb (Participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (एषा … उच्छन्ती) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot √वस्/√उष्? (RV usage: √वस्/√उष् with उच्छ्- as present stem ‘to shine, dawn’) → उच्छन्ती
- युवतिः
- young womanNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेष्य (उषस्)Root युवति (प्रातिपदिक)
- शुक्रवासाः
- wearing bright garmentsAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (RV: -आः ending used for fem. nom. sg. of -as stem in poetic usage)Role विशेषण (युवतिः/उषस्)Root शुक्र-वासस् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय: ‘bright-clothed’)
- विश्वस्य
- of all, of the wholeAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (used substantively: ‘of all’)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईशाना
- ruling, sovereignAdjective (participial)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (उषस्)Root √ईश् (to rule) → ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
- पार्थिवस्य
- of the earthly (world)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — qualifying विश्वस्यRoot पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसवः
- goods, richesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (RV form वसवः for वसूनि)Role कर्म (what is bestowed/possessed) / विधेयRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- उषः
- O DawnNoun (vocative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्य
- todayIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरण (काल)Root अद्य
- इह
- hereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरण (देश)Root इह
- सुभगे
- O fortunate oneAdjective (vocative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (उषस्)Root सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- forthIndeclinableउपसर्गRole (क्रियाविशेषण)Root वि
- उच्छ
- dawn forth, shine outVerbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (आह्वान)Root √वस्/√उष् (RV: उच्छ् ‘to dawn/shine’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): एषा | दिवः | दुहिता | प्रति | अदर्शि | वि | उच्छन्ती | युवतिः | शुक्रवासाः || विश्वस्य | ईशाना | पार्थिवस्य | वसवः | उषः | अद्य | इह | सुभगे | वि | उच्छ || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) प्रत्यदर्शि = प्रति + अदर्शि (इ/अ संधि → य्)
- (2) व्युच्छन्ती = वि + उच्छन्ती (इ/उ संधि → यु)
- (3) विश्वस्येशा॑ना = विश्वस्य + ईशाना (अ + ई → ए)
- (4) उषो॑ऽद्येह = उषः + अद्य + इह (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश काव्यप्रयोग; अद्येह = अद्य + इह)
- (5) व्युच्छ = वि + उच्छ (इ/उ → यु)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Daughter of Heaven is seen facing us, dawning—young, clothed in brightness. Mistress of all earthly treasures, O auspicious Dawn, dawn here today for us.
Inner meaning
Illumination is not abstract: it ‘faces’ the seeker—becomes directly present and experiential. As divo duhitā, Dawn is born of the higher consciousness (Dyauḥ) and brings its purity into the earthly nature. She is yuvatī śukravāsāḥ—ever-young, clothed in luminous substance—signifying fresh, renewing revelation. As mistress of earthly treasure (pārthivasya vasvaḥ), she governs the transformation of material life: true prosperity is the descent of light into embodied existence. The prayer ‘adyeha… vy uccha’ asks for a present, concrete awakening now.
Universal truth
Spiritual awakening must become present and embodied. Higher light is perpetually young and renewing; when it dawns in us, it reorganizes even material life and values, turning ‘earthly treasure’ into a field for divine manifestation.
Themes
Daughter of Heaven motif, Invocation for present awakening, Sovereign bestower of treasures, Radiant manifestation
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.113.1-10 (Uṣas hymn context)
Family tradition
The Āṅgirasas are seers of the ‘dawnings’ that recover hidden light and establish the gods’ rule in the human being.
Significance
Kutsa’s invocation is intimate and immediate—illumination as a living Presence ‘seen facing us’, asked to dawn today: a model of experiential, present-tense sadhana.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Epithets
- divo duhitā (Daughter of Heaven), yuvatī (ever-young), śukravāsāḥ (robed in radiance), subhagā (auspicious), viśvasyeśānā (sovereign)
- Related deities
- Dyauḥ (Heaven), Sūrya, Śrī/Lakṣmī (later prosperity resonance, not Vedic identity), Agni
Cosmic role
Reveals the day and sets beings to their works; distributes prosperity and auspiciousness on earth.
Inner power
Makes higher consciousness present; renews perception; governs material life by light, beauty, and right order.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning invocation to Dawn for auspicious beginning and prosperity; general uṣas-prārthanā.
ए॒षा दि॒वो दु॑हि॒ता प्रत्य॑दर्शि व्यु॒च्छन्ती॑ युव॒तिः शु॒क्रवा॑साः । विश्व॒स्येशा॑ना॒ पार्थि॑वस्य॒ वस्व॒ उषो॑ अ॒द्येह सु॑भगे॒ व्यु॑च्छ ॥
ए॒षा । दि॒वः । दु॒हि॒ता प्रति॑ । अ॒द॒र्शि॒ । वि॒ऽउ॒च्छन्ती॑ । यु॒व॒तिः । शु॒क्रऽवा॑साः । विश्व॑स्य । ईशा॑ना । पार्थि॑वस्य । वस्वः॑ । उषः॑ । अ॒द्य । इ॒ह । सु॒ऽभ॒गे॒ । वि । उ॒च्छ॒ ॥
eṣā | divaḥ | duhitā prati | adarśi | vi-ucchantī | yuvatiḥ | śukra-vāsāḥ | viśvasya | īśānā | pārthivasya | vasvaḥ | uṣaḥ | adya | iha | su-bhage | vi | uccha
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4 × 11 syllables
Majestic and prayerful; balances vision (darśana) with invocation (vy uccha).
Invokes presence; the long lines allow the heart to ‘call’ and the mind to ‘see’ in one sustained breath.
- divo duhitā
- Literal: daughter of heaven. Symbolic: illumination born of higher mind; descent of higher consciousness
- praty adarśi
- Literal: is seen facing (us). Symbolic: direct inner perception; experiential revelation
- vyucchantī
- Literal: dawning, shining forth. Symbolic: active emergence of awareness
- yuvatī
- Literal: young maiden. Symbolic: ever-fresh renewing power of awakening
- śukravāsāḥ
- Literal: clothed in bright/white garments. Symbolic: luminous substance; purity and clarity
- viśvasya īśānā
- Literal: mistress/ruler of all. Symbolic: sovereign power of illumination over the field of experience
- pārthivasya vasvaḥ
- Literal: earthly wealth/treasure. Symbolic: material resources and life-energies to be governed by light
- subhage
- Literal: auspicious, fortunate. Symbolic: benign grace that brings right conditions
- vy uccha
- Literal: dawn forth. Symbolic: manifest now; make the light effective in life
Direct invocation (imperative ‘vi uccha’) suitable for dawn-time recitation; aligns the sacrificer’s ‘today, here’ with the recurring epiphany of Uṣas.
At first light; also suitable before commencing livelihood/work as ‘pārthivasya vasu’ is invoked.
Facing east, recite as invitation for the day’s illumination and right enjoyment of resources.
A ‘morning darśana’ mantra: chant to invite clarity, beauty, and right governance of material life (time, money, energy) by consciousness.
divó duhitā ‘Daughter of Heaven’ is a classic dawn epithet (IE dawn-goddess motif). √dṛś in adarśi: revelation/appearance. vi-√ucch: ‘shine out, dawn forth’—a key Uṣas verb. īśānā from √īś ‘own, rule’: Dawn as sovereign distributor of ‘vasu’ (goods), here read as capacities/treasures of embodied life made available by illumination. su-bhaga: ‘good share/portion’—the right allotment of force and joy.
epiphany/revelation (adarśi), sovereignty of light over embodied goods, ever-young renewal (yuvatī)
Dawn’s regular appearing is ṛta; the prayer aligns the individual day with cosmic order.
Truth is ‘seen facing us’—satya as immediate revelation, not mere belief.
Perpetual rebirth of light into the world; the higher gives birth to the illuminating power that renews earth.
Aurobindonian descent/ascent dynamic: higher consciousness (heaven) births illumination that transforms earthly nature.
dawn (first appearance)
Descent of higher clarity into embodied life; renewal of perception; right relationship with material existence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The epiphany of the Dawn as ‘Daughter of Heaven’, ever-young and radiant, who appears before the seer and rules earthly treasures. Inner sense: the descent of higher light (div) into embodied life (pārthiva), making available the ‘vasu’—powers, harmonies, and right enjoyments of existence.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The formula ‘Daughter of Heaven’ corresponds to a pan-IE dawn-goddess complex (e.g., Greek Ēōs, Latin Aurora; PIE *h₂éwsōs for ‘dawn’), and the poetic presentation as a young radiant woman is an inherited mythopoetic pattern.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi calls Uṣas into the immediacy of experience—‘today, here’—seeking a living descent of illumination into the present field of action. The Devatā is approached as sovereign (īśānā), not as a mere phenomenon, implying a conscious power that can be invited to manifest and distribute inner ‘treasures’.
Invoke the ‘Daughter of Heaven’ to become directly present; practice seeing the light ‘facing you’ at the brow/heart.
ājñā (darśana/seeing) and anāhata (devotional invocation)
Slow inhale visualizing dawn at the horizon of the brow; exhale with ‘vy uccha’ as an invitation. 5 cycles, then silent gaze inward.
Receptive devotion with clear perception; beauty and auspiciousness descending into the day.
At sunrise, stand or sit facing east; chant once with full attention, then set one intention: let material actions today be governed by light (viśvasyeśānā).
Triṣṭubh with devotional rise; emphasize praty ádarśi and vy úccha with clear udātta lift; keep cadence steady on invocation.
Let the first half be ‘vision’ (seen facing), second half be ‘prayer’ (dawn here today). Slightly soften on ‘subhage’ and firm on ‘vy uccha’.
divo duhitā: dental d; aspirated h in hitā; long ā, praty adarśi: clear ‘tya’; retroflex ṛ not present—keep vowels clean, śukravāsāḥ: śukra with ś; long ā in vāsāḥ, īśānā: long ī; retroflex ṣ not here—keep ś
Warm, devotional, luminous; sustained vowels for ‘seeing’ quality.
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