Rig Veda Sukta 33
Mandala 10Sukta 339 Mantras

Sukta 33

Sukta 10.33

Devata

Pūṣan (inner guide) with Viśve Devāḥ as protectors

この讃歌は、プーシャン(Pūṣan)を「内に抱かれる」内なる導き手として描き、ヴィシュヴェー・デーヴァーハ(Viśve Devāḥ)を危難や敵対する力から守る集合的な守護者として立てる。旅と護りの主題に道徳的教えが織り込まれ、神々のヴラタ(宇宙的法・聖なる規範)を犯してはならず、真の拡大は「正しく轡を合わせること」――規律ある整合によって神聖な秩序に自らを結びつけること――から生じると説く。

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.33

Mantras

Mantra 1

प्र मा युयुज्रे प्रयुजो जनानां वहामि स्म पूषणमन्तरेण । विश्वे देवासो अध मामरक्षन्दुःशासुरागादिति घोष आसीत् ॥

人々の先導者らは、われを前へと繋ぎとめて駆り立てた;われは内にプーシャン(Pūṣan)を載せて運んでいた。そのとき、すべての神々はわれを守護した――「ドゥフシャース(Duḥśāsu)が来た!」――それが叫びであった。

Mantra 2

सं मा तपन्त्यभितः सपत्नीरिव पर्शवः । नि बाधते अमतिर्नग्नता जसुर्वेर्न वेवीयते मतिः ॥

わが肋は四方よりわれを灼く、まるで嫉む妻たちのごとく。無明はわれを押し伏せる――裸形、疲弊。されど、わが思いは恐れのように震えて退かぬ。

Mantra 3

मूषो न शिश्ना व्यदन्ति माध्य स्तोतारं ते शतक्रतो । सकृत्सु नो मघवन्निन्द्र मृळयाधा पितेव नो भव ॥

鼠のように彼らは噛み削る――わが力そのものを。おお百力の者(シャタクラトゥ)、あなたの歌い手を。施与豊かなインドラよ、たとえ一度でもわれらを憐れみ、そして父のごとくわれらとなれ。

Mantra 4

कुरुश्रवणमावृणि राजानं त्रासदस्यवम् । मंहिष्ठं वाघतामृषिः ॥

聖仙は選び取った、クルシュラヴァナを――トラーサダスユヴァ王を。言葉の歌い手たちに最も寛大なる者を。

Mantra 5

यस्य मा हरितो रथे तिस्रो वहन्ति साधुया । स्तवै सहस्रदक्षिणे ॥

三頭の輝く駿馬がその車を曳く者――正しく巧みなる道を進むその御方が、われらの讃歌によって確証されよ。千の施与を司る主よ。

Mantra 6

यस्य प्रस्वादसो गिर उपमश्रवसः पितुः । क्षेत्रं न रण्वमूचुषे ॥

その言葉がいよいよ甘美となる者――父の子ウパマシュラヴァス(Upamaśravas)の讃歌は――喜ばしき田のごとく語られた。魂の増大のために広く肥えた地として。

Mantra 7

अधि पुत्रोपमश्रवो नपान्मित्रातिथेरिहि । पितुष्टे अस्मि वन्दिता ॥

来たれ、ウパマシュラヴァス(Upamaśravas)の子よ、ミトラーティティ(Mitrātithi)の裔よ。われは汝を讃える者、父の基に立ちて汝に礼拝を捧ぐ。

Mantra 8

यदीशीयामृतानामुत वा मर्त्यानाम् । जीवेदिन्मघवा मम ॥

もしわれが不死者のうちに主権を得るなら――あるいはまた死すべき者のうちにでも――願わくは我がマガヴァン(Maghavan、富を授くる者)がまことに我が内に生きよ。充溢の主として魂の命を支えたまえ。

Mantra 9

न देवानामति व्रतं शतात्मा चन जीवति । तथा युजा वि वावृते ॥

神々の誓戒(vrata)を越える者は、たとえ百の自己をもってしても生き得ない。正しき結びの軛(yujā)によってのみ、人はひろがり、真実の生成へと開かれる。

Inside Sukta 33

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    The speaker is ‘yoked forward’ by leaders and bears Pūṣan within, while a sudden alarm of danger is voiced and met by divine protection.

  2. Development

    The hymn develops as an invocation of guidance and safeguarding, expanding from personal peril to the wider principle that divine powers protect those who move rightly.

  3. Climax

    The explicit moral-spiritual assertion: none survives who oversteps the gods’ vrata; true widening/fulfillment comes only through right yoking (yujā).

  4. Where it settles

    It settles into reassurance—protection is secured through alignment with ṛta—leaving the hearer with a practical ethic for safe living and successful passage.

The deity: Pūṣan with Viśve Devāḥ as protectors

  • In the VedaPūṣan is invoked as the safe guide of paths and journeys, the one who leads, finds, and protects; here he is portrayed as being borne ‘within’ (antareṇa), an intimate indwelling guidance. The Viśve Devāḥ appear as a united divine host who guards the worshipper when danger is announced and warded off.
  • Cosmic functionPūṣan governs right movement—roads, passages, transitions, and successful arrival—while the Viśve Devāḥ represent the integrated powers of ṛta that collectively preserve order and avert calamity.
  • Inner significancePūṣan symbolizes inner orientation: conscience, discernment, and the guiding intelligence that keeps one on the true path. The Viśve Devāḥ signify the harmonized faculties (and supports of life) that protect when the mind is aligned with ṛta rather than fear or aggression.

The seer

  • UpamaśravasTraditionally linked to the late (10th) Maṇḍala poet families; specific gotra is not securely preserved in the received tradition. · Associated with RV 10.33, a hymn notable for its inwardized portrayal of Pūṣan as an ‘inner guide’ and its explicit ethical maxim about not overstepping the gods’ vrata.

Famous verses

vahāmi sma pūṣaṇam antareṇa
Verse 10.33.1Sets the hymn’s signature scene: Pūṣan carried within and the Viśve Devāḥ forming a protective response to an announced threat.Read verse 10.33.1 →
यस्य मा हरितो रथे तिस्रो वहन्ति साधुया । स्तवै सहस्रदक्षिणे ॥
Verse 10.33.5Highlights the deity’s dynamic, well-guided motion and generous power, supporting the hymn’s theme of safe conveyance and auspicious progress.Read verse 10.33.5 →
na devānām ati vratam
Verse 10.33.9Provides the hymn’s central teaching on vrata: transgressing divine law destroys life, while right yoking leads to true expansion and stability.Read verse 10.33.9 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Path-finder and guide
  • Protector in travel and liminal moments
  • Indwelling guidance (antareṇa)
  • Collective divine guardianship (Viśve Devāḥ)
  • Upholder of ṛta/vrata (cosmic law)

Also by this seer

  • RV 10.33 (entire sukta, traditional attribution)
  • Late-maṇḍala style composition emphasizing protection, right guidance, and adherence to divine law (vrata)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the fire (if available) or a clean recitation space; establish intention for protection and right guidance.
  • Invoke Pūṣan as the inner guide and ask for safe leading on the path; mentally ‘carry’ the deity within as the hymn suggests.
  • Invoke the Viśve Devāḥ as a protective circle; explicitly name dangers/obstacles to be averted.
  • Recite the key verses emphasizing protection and vrata; conclude with a resolve to act within divine order.
  • Offer gratitude and, if traveling, begin movement immediately after the closing recitation.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājyā) into Agni (where a fire rite is performed)
  • Simple oblations such as grains or a small food offering (anna/odana) where customary
  • Water libation and respectful salutation (namas) as a minimal offering in non-fire contexts

Frequently Asked Questions

Pūṣan is the Vedic guide of paths and safe passages. In this hymn he is presented as an inner guide—something the worshipper ‘carries within’ while moving through danger.

The Viśve Devāḥ are the ‘All-Gods,’ a collective form of divine protection. They represent the unified powers that guard the worshipper when threats arise and when one stays aligned with ṛta.

It teaches that no one truly thrives by crossing the gods’ law (vrata). Real growth and freedom come from ‘right yoking’—disciplined alignment of action and mind with divine order.

Ask anything about Sukta 33 of the Rig Veda

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