Rig Veda 1.22.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 22, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.22
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
नहि वामस्ति दूरके यत्रा रथेन गच्छथः । अश्विना सोमिनो गृहम् ॥
náhi vā́m ásti dūraké yátrā ráthena gácchathaḥ | aśvinā somíno gṛhám ||
汝らには「遠し」というものはない。いずこへ戦車（ratha）にて赴くとも、アシュヴィン双神よ、汝らはソーマ供献者（somin）の家に至る——備え整えられた内なる住処、希求の座へ。
Word by Word
- नहि
- surely not / indeed notIndeclinableनिपात (निषेध/प्रत्यवाय) + हि (निश्चयार्थक/हेतौ) अव्ययRoot नहि (न + हि) अव्यय
- वाम्
- of you two / to you twoPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी द्विवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप: वाम् = युवयोः/युवाभ्याम्) — वैदिक प्रयोग में संदर्भानुसारRole Sampradāna (द्विवचन देवता-युगल के प्रति) / सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (युवाम्-प्रयोग) सर्वनाम
- अस्ति
- there isVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचनRoot अस् (असँ) धातु
- दूरके
- in the distance / far awayNoun (locative adverbial) / Adjective used substantivelyनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot दूरक (दूर + -क) प्रातिपदिक
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinableसम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — relative adverbRole AdhikaraṇaRoot यत्र अव्यय (यद्-प्रत्यय)
- रथेन
- with (your) chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot रथ प्रातिपदिक
- गच्छथः
- you two go / you two travelVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यम पुरुष, द्विवचनRole Kartā (युवाम्) / गमनक्रियाRoot गम् (गच्छँ) धातु
- अश्विना
- O Aśvins (you two)Noun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (हे अश्विनौ) — वैदिक में -आ अंत सम्बोधन द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अश्विन् (अश्वि-न) प्रातिपदिक
- सोमिनः
- of the soma-offerer / of the one possessing somaNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (सोमिनः = सोमवत्/सोमयजमानस्य) — ‘सोम-युक्त/सोम-यजमान’Role सम्बन्ध (गृहस्य) / षष्ठी-सम्बन्धRoot सोमिन् (सोम + -इन्) प्रातिपदिक
- गृहम्
- house / homeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (गच्छथः) / गन्तव्यRoot गृह प्रातिपदिक
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (resolved): नहि | वाम् | अस्ति | दूरके | यत्र | रथेन | गच्छथः | अश्विना | सोमिनः | गृहम् । 1) न॒हि = न + हि (निषेध + निश्चयार्थक निपात)
- 2) वा॒मस्ति॑ = वाम् + अस्ति (अनुस्वार/मकार-संधि: म् + अ → म + अ; लेखन में ‘वामस्ति’)
- 3) दूर॒के यत्रा॒ = दूरके + यत्र (पद-सीमा; ‘यत्रा’ में दीर्घ/स्वर-चिह्न वैदिक छन्द/स्वर के कारण; मूल अव्यय ‘यत्र’)
- 4) रथे॑न॒ गच्छ॑थः = रथेन + गच्छथः (कोई विशेष संधि नहीं; पद-सीमा)
- 5) अश्वि॑ना = सम्बोधन द्विवचन ‘अश्विनौ’ का वैदिक रूप/उच्चारण
- 6) सोमिनो॑ गृ॒हम् = सोमिनः + गृहम् (विसर्ग-संधि: ः + ग → ओ (वैदिक/पदपाठ परंपरा में ‘सोमिनो’))
The meaning
Outer meaning
For the Aśvins there is no distance; wherever they go by their chariot, they reach the house of the Soma-offerer.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins are powers that can enter any state of our being quickly—no part is ‘too far’ or inaccessible when the call is sincere. Their ‘chariot’ is the swift movement of right energy and right perception that crosses inner gaps (between aspiration and action, knowledge and habit). The ‘house of the Soma-offerer’ is the prepared inner dwelling—heart and mind made ready by aspiration and the offering of delight (soma). When we become ‘sominaḥ’ inwardly—those who cultivate blissful concentration—the divine helpers arrive immediately; distance is a psychological illusion created by inertia and dispersion.
Universal truth
Help is nearest when the inner home is prepared: sincere aspiration and offered delight collapse the sense of distance between our present state and the divine assistance we seek.
Themes
Divine-nearness, Soma-ritual, Aśvins-as-swift-helpers, Invocation
The seer
Significance
The verse reads like a practical assurance to the practitioner: divine aid is not bound by outer conditions but by inner readiness.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- Swift-goers, Rescuers, Physicians of the gods
- Related deities
- Soma, Uṣas, Agni
Cosmic role
They traverse worlds and bring timely interventions; guardians of passages and beginnings.
Inner power
Immediate responsiveness to aspiration; bridging power between higher inspiration and embodied life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvina stotras/invocations in soma rites; also general prayers for swift aid
न॒हि वा॒मस्ति॑ दूर॒के यत्रा॒ रथे॑न॒ गच्छ॑थः । अश्वि॑ना सो॒मिनो॑ गृ॒हम् ॥
न॒हि । वा॒म् । अस्ति॑ । दू॒र॒के । यत्र॑ । रथे॑न । गच्छ॑थः । अश्वि॑ना । सो॒मिनः॑ । गृ॒हम् ॥
nahi | vām | asti | dūrake | yatra | rathena | gacchathaḥ | aśvinā | sominaḥ | gṛham
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4×8
Conversational certainty; crisp negation ‘nahi’ gives emphatic opening.
Builds confidence and receptivity; reduces inner doubt about access to grace.
- dūrake
- Literal: far away. Symbolic: psychological distance created by inertia, doubt, or scattered consciousness
- ratha
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: swift dynamic movement of the divine powers through the inner worlds
- gṛha
- Literal: house, home. Symbolic: inner dwelling: heart-mind prepared as a receptacle for higher forces
- somin
- Literal: Soma-offerer/possessor of Soma. Symbolic: one who offers/cultivates delight, devotion, and luminous concentration
- gacchathaḥ
- Literal: you two go/travel. Symbolic: the descent/arrival of divine powers into the seeker’s active life
Aśvin call to swift presence at the Soma-sacrifice; supports the invitatory logic that the gods are ‘near’ when the offering is rightly prepared.
Often at liminal times (morning/pre-dawn) or when inviting divine arrival to the rite.
Invitation to the deities to come to the sacrificer’s ‘home’ (altar-space).
Use when feeling ‘far from’ meditation or healing: chant to re-establish immediacy of support and to ‘prepare the inner home’ through simple offering (gratitude, breath, attention).
dūra ‘far’ (PIE *deh₂-/*dwer-?; Vedic semantic field ‘distance’), here negated to stress divine immediacy. ratha ‘chariot’ is a key Indo-European poetic vehicle-image (mobility of divine power). √gam ‘go’ (PIE *gʷem-; cf. Lat. venio via different developments, Germ. kommen) shows inherited motion-verb prominence. soma + -in (somín) ‘possessing/connected with Soma’; Soma is both pressed juice and inner ecstasy/illumination.
immediacy of the divine (no true distance for the powers), adhvā/inner path as movement of consciousness, Soma as ecstasy-knowledge
The Aśvins’ ratha signifies ordered, right dynamism that overcomes inertia.
Truth here is experiential: the reality that divine help is present when invoked rightly.
Descent/arrival of higher powers into the prepared field of human consciousness.
Integral yoga resonance: the Divine meets the prepared nature; no absolute separation.
pre-dawn to morning (Aśvin association)
Swift movement of prāṇa and attention bringing higher influence into the heart-home.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ever-ready arrival of the Divine Twins by chariot to the sacrificer’s dwelling. Mythically it is the Aśvins’ swift visitation; psychologically it encodes that when aspiration (Soma-offering) is active, the helping powers are immediately present—remoteness is a condition of consciousness, not of the gods.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The divine-twin motif (Aśvins) is pan-Indo-European; the chariot (ratha) is a shared heroic-sacral image. The inherited verb √gam ‘to go’ and the prominent instrumental rathena reflect an old formulaic style: ‘by chariot they go/come’ as a set poetic frame.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asserts a law of reciprocity: the Soma-offerer’s ‘home’ (inner prepared space) is a magnet for the Aśvins’ descent. The human act of pressing/raising Soma corresponds to the gods’ swift approach and entry.
Remove the sense of separation; cultivate the ‘inner home’ through offered delight and sincerity.
Anahata (home of devotion)
Inhale: ‘nahi vām asti dūrake’; exhale: ‘aśvinā somino gṛham’ (gentle, unforced).
Confident receptivity; felt nearness of guidance.
Before sitting, tidy the ‘inner house’: relax jaw/eyes, soften breath, offer a simple gratitude. Then chant, imagining the chariot as a current of light entering the heart.
Maintain Vedic accenting; ‘nahi’ begins firmly; keep udātta prominence where indicated by recitational tradition.
Slight emphasis on ‘nahi’ (assertive), clear caesura after each pāda; avoid rushing ‘somino gṛham’.
dūrake: long ū; retroflex ṛ, rathena: dental t+h (aspirated), not retroflex, gacchathaḥ: double ‘cch’, aspirated ‘th’, visarga ḥ lightly released, somino: long o; nasal n clear, gṛham: hard g; vocalic ṛ; final m audible
Assured, forward-moving, bright.
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