Rig Veda Sukta 160
Mandala 1Sukta 1605 Mantras

Sukta 160

Sukta 1.160

Rishi

As RV 1.160 (verify in Anukramaṇī)

Devata

Dyāvāpṛthivī (with Sūrya as the lawful mover between them)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable; verify)

この讃歌は、天と地(Dyāvā-Pṛthivī)を、普遍の父母として讃え、真理を支え、中空を保持し、秩序と安寧・福祉を確立するものとして描く。スーリヤ(Sūrya)は両者のあいだを法にかなって運行する清浄な動者として示され、さらに、諸世界を浄めて光り輝く養いをもたらす内なる浄化の火力がほのめかされる。最後に詩人は、二神にbṛhat(広大なる偉大さ)、名声、kṣatra(護りの力・支配力)、そして共同体を強める内的な力の増進を祈願する。

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.160

Mantras

Mantra 1

ते हि द्यावापृथिवी विश्वशम्भुव ऋतावरी रजसो धारयत्कवी । सुजन्मनी धिषणे अन्तरीयते देवो देवी धर्मणा सूर्यः शुचिः ॥

まことに天と地は、万有に安寧をもたらす者、リタ(ṛta)により中空(rajas)を支える二つの詩聖の力である。その両者の間を、清浄なる太陽は法(dharma)によって巡る——神と女神、よく生まれた二つのディシャナー(dhiṣaṇā:悟りの座)として。

Mantra 2

उरुव्यचसा महिनी असश्चता पिता माता च भुवनानि रक्षतः । सुधृष्टमे वपुष्ये न रोदसी पिता यत्सीमभि रूपैरवासयत् ॥

広く遍在する二つの偉大なるもの、決してたゆまぬ父と母とは、諸世界を護る。美において堅く据えられた二つの界(天と地)は、父があらゆる形相をもって彼らを周囲より住まわせたとき、確立する。

Mantra 3

स वह्निः पुत्रः पित्रोः पवित्रवान्पुनाति धीरो भुवनानि मायया । धेनुं च पृश्निं वृषभं सुरेतसं विश्वाहा शुक्रं पयो अस्य दुक्षत ॥

彼は聖火を運ぶ者、二親の子、浄めの力を具え、māyā(形成の力)によって、賢明に諸世界を浄化する。人々はつねに彼から、光り澄んだ乳(養い)を搾り出す——豊穣の牝牛から、斑のものから、精種に富む力強き牡牛から。

Mantra 4

अयं देवानामपसामपस्तमो यो जजान रोदसी विश्वशम्भुवा । वि यो ममे रजसी सुक्रतूययाजरेभिः स्कम्भनेभिः समानृचे ॥

これぞ神々のうち業において最も力ある者——万有の安寧のために二つの世界を生み出した者。彼は正しく光り澄む知性によって二つの空域を測り分け、朽ちぬ支えによってそれらを堅く立て、完全な調和へと結び合わせた。

Mantra 5

ते नो गृणाने महिनी महि श्रवः क्षत्रं द्यावापृथिवी धासथो बृहत् । येनाभि कृष्टीस्ततनाम विश्वहा पनाय्यमोजो अस्मे समिन्वतम् ॥

われらが讃歌をもって汝らを讃えるとき、偉大なる二神よ、われらのために広大なる偉業を据えたまえ――広き名声と王権の力を、天と地よ。もろもろの民をつねにひろげ保つその力によって、賞讃すべき威力をわれらのうちに置き、われらの内にともに増し育てたまえ。

Inside Sukta 160

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Heaven and Earth are hailed as universal benefactors and ṛta-upholders, sustaining the mid-space; Sūrya moves between them by dharma (law).

  2. Development

    The hymn deepens into images of purification and nourishment—an inner ‘vahni’ (carrier/fire) as child of the two Parents cleansing the worlds, with cow/bull imagery for luminous milk-like sustenance.

  3. Climax

    The revelation of ordered cosmic mediation: the pure sun and the purifying fire-force operate within the parental frame of Heaven and Earth, yielding clarity and strength.

  4. Where it settles

    A clear human petition: may the two establish vast greatness, fame, protective power, and admirable ojas within us and our peoples.

The deity: Dyāvāpṛthivī, with Sūrya as the lawful mover between them

  • In the VedaDyāvā and Pṛthivī are the ‘two well-born’ cosmic Parents—vast, beneficent, and ṛtāvarī (upholders of ṛta)—who sustain the regions and provide stability, nourishment, and protection. Between them moves the pure Sūrya ‘by dharma’ (by the established law), illuminating and linking the two realms.
  • Cosmic functionThey form the foundational polarity of the cosmos—upper and lower worlds—supporting space (rajas/antarikṣa), enabling life, seasons, fertility, and the regular course of the sun and sacrificial order.
  • Inner significancePsychologically, they symbolize the two supporting fields of experience (higher aspiration and grounded embodiment); Sūrya is the clarifying consciousness that moves lawfully between them, while the hymn’s purifying ‘vahni’ imagery suggests the inner fire that refines perception and yields luminous strength.

The seer

  • Ascribed in the Anukramaṇī for RV 1.160Associated with hymns to the cosmic pair Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, emphasizing ṛta (truth/order) and the lawful movement of Sūrya between the two Parents.

Famous verses

devo devī dharmaṇā sūryaḥ śuciḥ
Verse 1.160.1Sets the hymn’s theology: Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as ṛta-bearing supports of the regions, with Sūrya moving between them ‘by dharma’; it frames the cosmic order and inner understanding.Read verse 1.160.1 →
स वह्निः पुत्रः पित्रोः पवित्रवान्पुनाति धीरो भुवनानि मायया । धेनुं च पृश्निं वृषभं सुरेतसं विश्वाहा शुक्रं पयो अस्य दुक्षत ॥
Verse 1.160.3Introduces the potent symbolic core: the ‘vahni’, son of the two Parents, purifies the worlds; the cow/bull imagery expresses continuous extraction of luminous nourishment (payaḥ) from the divine.Read verse 1.160.3 →
mahi śravaḥ kṣatraṃ
Verse 1.160.5Concluding prayer for practical and spiritual outcomes—bṛhat greatness, śravas (fame), kṣatra (protective power), and growing ojas—linking cosmic stability to human flourishing.Read verse 1.160.5 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Dual cosmic Parents (dyauḥ/pṛthivī)
  • Ṛta-supporting, order-establishing
  • Sustainers of the mid-region (antarikṣa/rajas)
  • Givers of bṛhat (vastness), śravas (fame), and kṣatra (protective power)
  • Linked by Sūrya moving ‘by dharma’
  • Sources of nourishment and increase for peoples

Also by this seer

  • Attribution details depend on the Śaunaka Anukramaṇī listing for RV 1.160.

The rite, step by step

  • Ācamana and sankalpa: intention for protection, order (ṛta), and communal flourishing.
  • Kindling/attention to the sacred fire (or mental agni): establish purity and steadiness.
  • Recite RV 1.160.1 to invoke Dyāvā-Pṛthivī as ṛta-bearing supports and to contemplate Sūrya’s lawful movement.
  • Recite the central verses (including the ‘vahni’ purification imagery) as inner cleansing and offering of speech.
  • Conclude with RV 1.160.5 as a direct petition for bṛhat, śravas, kṣatra, and strengthening ojas.
  • Śānti/closing: silent contemplation of the two Parents and the sun’s steady path.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) into Agni (if a fire is present)
  • Water libation (arghya) to Sūrya
  • Barley or grains (optional, as a symbol of fertility and increase)
  • Offer of speech (stuti/gīr) as the primary ‘oblation’ of the hymn

Frequently Asked Questions

The hymn primarily praises Dyāvā-Pṛthivī—Heaven and Earth as a divine pair. It also highlights Sūrya (the Sun) as the pure one who moves between them according to cosmic law (dharma/ṛta).

This points to a purifying power born within the cosmic frame of Heaven and Earth—often understood as an inner fire-force (vahni/agni-like) that cleanses and transforms. The imagery expresses spiritual purification and the steady production of luminous nourishment (clarity and strength).

It asks Heaven and Earth to establish “vast greatness” (bṛhat), wide fame (śravas), and protective power (kṣatra), and to increase admirable inner force (ojas) within the worshippers and their community.

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