Rig Veda 1.116.20: Mandala 1, Sukta 116, Mantra 20
Sukta 1.116
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
परिविष्टं जाहुषं विश्वतः सीं सुगेभिर्नक्तमूहथू रजोभिः । विभिन्दुना नासत्या रथेन वि पर्वताँ अजरयू अयातम् ॥
páriviṣṭaṁ jāhuṣáṁ viśvátas sīṁ sugébhir náktam ūhathū rájobhiḥ | vibhíndunā nāsatyā ráthena ví párvatāṁ ajarayū́ ayātam ||
ಸರ್ವ ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಿಂದ ಸುತ್ತುವರಿದ ಜಾಹುಷನನ್ನು ನೀವು ರಾತ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಿಂದ ವಿಶಾಲ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಾಚೆಗೆ ಕರೆದೊಯ್ದಿರಿ. ಹೇ ನಾಸತ್ಯರೇ, ಅಡ್ಡಿಗಳನ್ನು ಭೇದಿಸುವ ನಿಮ್ಮ ರಥದಿಂದ, ಅಜರಯು—ಯೌವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಕ್ಷಯ—ನೀವು ಪರ್ವತಗಳನ್ನು ಚೀರಿ ಬಂದು, ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ತಡೆಯುವ ಕಠಿಣ ರೂಪಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಭಜಿಸಿದಿರಿ.
Word by Word
- परि
- around, all aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियायोगे) अव्ययRoot परि (उपसर्ग) पारि-
- विष्टम्
- entered, settled inVerbभूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे एकवचनम् (कर्मणि/भावे), ‘entered/settled’Role KarmaRoot √विश् (विश् प्रवेशने) → वि-√विश्
- जाहुषम्
- (the) Jāhuṣa (region/seat/one connected with Jāhuṣa)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (विशेष्य/विशेषणभावः)Role KarmaRoot जाहुष (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जाहुष’ = जाहुश-सम्बद्ध/जाहुष-देशीय)
- विश्वतः
- from all sides, on every sideIndeclinableअव्यय, दिशावाचक/परिमाणवाचकRoot विश्व (सर्व) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
- सीम्
- him/it (emphatic)Indeclinableअव्यय (प्रगृह्य-प्राय), सर्वनामार्थे ‘him/it’ बलवाचकRole KarmaRoot सीम् (निपात/अव्यय)
- सुगेभिः
- with good paths/waysNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot सु- + गेभि (प्रातिपदिक: सुगेभि/सुगेभ; ‘good paths/ways’)
- नक्तम्
- by night, at nightIndeclinableअव्यय (कालवाचक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot नक्त (रात्रि)
- ऊहथुः
- you two carried, conveyedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद), उत्तम? (न) → प्रथमा द्विवचनम्, 3rd person dual (you two) perfect: ‘you two carried/bore’Root √वह् (वह प्रापणे/वहने) → ऊहथुः (वेद. रूप)
- रजोभिः
- with the regions/spaces (of air), through the realmsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot रजस् (धूलि/अन्तरिक्ष/प्रदेश)
- विभिन्दुना
- with the cleaving (one/means), with the splitterNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role KaraṇaRoot वि- + भिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘splitter/cleaver’, also ‘piercing’)
- नासत्या
- O Nāsatyas (Aśvins)Nounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन द्विवचनम्Root नासत्य (अश्विनौ—देवनाम)
- रथेन
- with (your) chariotNounपुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot रथ (वाहन)
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableउपसर्ग (विभाग/विशेषार्थ)Root वि (उपसर्ग)
- पर्वतान्
- mountainsNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पर्वत (पर्वत/गिरि)
- अजरयू
- unaging (you two)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा द्विवचनम् (नासत्यौ इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot अजर (न-जर) + यू (प्रातिपदिक/विशेषण; ‘not growing old’, ‘unaging’)
- अयातम्
- you two came, arrivedVerbलुङ्/इष्ट? (वेद. injunctive/aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा द्विवचनम् (2nd person dual): ‘you two came/arrived’Root √या (या गतौ) + आ (उपसर्ग) → आ-√या
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविच्छेद): परि + विष्टम् + जाहुषम् + विश्वतः + सीम् + सुगेभिः + नक्तम् + ऊहथुः + रजोभिः । विभिन्दुना + नासत्या + रथेन + वि + पर्वतान् + अजरयू + अयातम् । विशेष: ‘परिविष्टम्’ = परि-√विश् (क्त) ‘all-around entered/settled’
- ‘विश्वतः’ अव्यय (तस्-प्रत्यय)
- ‘सीम्’ निपात/प्रगृह्य
- ‘ऊहथुः’ वेदिक परस्मैपद लिट् 2nd-dual रूप (अश्विनौ प्रति)
- ‘अयातम्’ वेदिक लुङ्/इञ्जङ्क्टिव-प्राय 2nd-dual (आ-√या)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Jāhuṣa, hemmed in on every side, is carried through the night by good paths across wide spaces; with their obstacle-breaking chariot the ever-youthful Nāsatyas come, cleaving the mountains.
Inner meaning
Jāhuṣa represents the soul or seeker caught in constricting formations—surrounded by limiting conditions. ‘Night’ is the period of obscurity, subconscious pressure, or crisis where direction is lost. The Aśvins carry the seeker by sugebhiḥ—good paths: subtle right movements through inner spaces (rajas) when ordinary routes fail. Their chariot is vibhindunā—breaker-open: the divine capacity to split hardened resistances. ‘Mountains’ are massive fixed formations—ego-structures, ingrained samskāras, or inert subconscient blocks. ‘Ever-youthful’ (ajarayū) indicates the freshness and unfailing renewing power of these twin forces: they do not age into habit; they bring perpetual breakthrough.
Universal truth
In times of darkness and constriction, higher harmonising powers can guide through subtle right passages and break the hardest inner obstacles; renewal is always possible.
Themes
rescue in darkness, obstacle-breaking, path-opening, ever-young divine force
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Lineage
- Aucathya
- Other hymns
- RV 1.116, RV 1.117
Family tradition
A symbolic tradition adept at describing inner night, crossings, and breakthrough movements of divine powers.
Significance
This verse is a classic inner-rescue image: guidance through darkness and the cleaving of ‘mountains’ of resistance—central to the psychological reading of the Veda.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau (Nāsatyā)
- Epithets
- Nāsatyā, Ajarayū, Vibhindu (breaker-open, by attribute), Dasrā
- Related deities
- Indra (breaker of Vṛtra), Uṣas (end of night), Agni (leader through darkness)
Cosmic role
Rescuers in peril and guides through night; breakers of obstacles; bringers of safe passage across vast spaces.
Inner power
They act as swift corrective forces that find hidden passages in consciousness and split hardened obstructions, restoring movement and hope.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin rescue-invocation; used in śrauta praise sequences to call timely aid
परि॑विष्टं जाहु॒षं वि॒श्वत॑: सीं सु॒गेभि॒र्नक्त॑मूहथू॒ रजो॑भिः । वि॒भि॒न्दुना॑ नासत्या॒ रथे॑न॒ वि पर्व॑ताँ अजर॒यू अ॑यातम् ॥
परि॑ऽविष्टम् । जा॒हु॒षम् । वि॒श्वतः॑ । सी॒म् । सु॒ऽगेभिः॑ । नक्त॑म् । ऊ॒ह॒थुः॒ । रजः॑ऽभिः । वि॒ऽभि॒न्दुना॑ । ना॒स॒त्या॒ । रथे॑न । वि । पर्व॑तान् । अ॒ज॒र॒यू इति॑ । अ॒या॒त॒म् ॥
pari-viṣṭam | jāhuṣam | viśvataḥ | sīm | su-gebhiḥ | naktam | ūhathuḥ | rajaḥ-bhiḥ | vi-bhindunā | nāsatyā | rathena | vi | parvatān | ajarayū iti | ayātam
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4×11
Dramatic and forceful; strong consonantal clusters support the sense of breaking through.
Generates courage in darkness; the ‘cleaving mountains’ image can produce a somatic sense of obstacles loosening.
- परिविष्टम् (pariviṣṭam)
- Literal: surrounded, hemmed in. Symbolic: constricted consciousness; trapped by circumstances or formations
- नक्तम् (naktam)
- Literal: night. Symbolic: inner darkness, unconsciousness, crisis-period
- सुगेभिः (sugebhiḥ)
- Literal: by good paths. Symbolic: right subtle movements; auspicious inner routes
- रजोभिः (rajobhiḥ)
- Literal: through the wide spaces (rajas). Symbolic: through planes of consciousness; inner mid-world where forces move
- विभिन्दुना (vibhindunā)
- Literal: with the breaker/splitter. Symbolic: power to pierce resistance; decisive opening
- रथेन (rathena)
- Literal: with the chariot. Symbolic: integrated divine instrumentality acting in the seeker
- पर्वतान् (parvatān)
- Literal: mountains. Symbolic: hard fixed formations; inertial blocks, ego-structures
- अजरयू (ajarayū)
- Literal: unaging, ever-young. Symbolic: perennial freshness of divine help; inexhaustible renewer
- अयातम् (ayātam)
- Literal: you came. Symbolic: descent/arrival of higher aid into the situation
Recitation as praise of Aśvin rescue-power; supports petitions for deliverance from (constriction) and for passage through darkness
At moments of difficulty or transition; symbolically at night/dawn thresholds; when the sacrificer seeks removal of obstacles.
Recitation to invoke safe passage and obstacle-breaking power; protective and restorative intention.
Chant during periods of depression, stagnation, or major life blockage; also before sleep to ask for guidance through the ‘night’ of the subconscious.
vi-√bhid (vibhindunā): 'splitting apart'—a common Vedic image for opening blocked consciousness (cf. cleaving the rock for waters/cows). parvatá- 'mountain' becomes psychological 'hardness/obstruction' (frozen formations of habit/ignorance). náktam 'night' marks the obscured state. rajas- 'space/region' suggests the mid-world of vital-mental movement. ajarayū: 'not subject to ageing' = unfailing divine energy, not diminished by time.
release from constriction, opening of the way (sugá), victory over obstruction (vi-√bhid)
Sugebhiḥ implies ṛta’s right track even in darkness; ṛta is not lost in night—only hidden.
Mountains represent hardened untruth/ignorance; the breaker chariot restores truth-movement.
Breaking fixed forms to release new movement—renewal as a creative act.
Aurobindonian Vedic psychology: obstacles are formations in consciousness; divine powers intervene to open passages and transform inertia.
night moving toward dawn (implied)
Night = subconscious obscurity; mountains = rigid blocks; rajas = inner field of movement; chariot = coordinated divine action in the being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Aśvins rescuing Jāhuṣa, carrying him through night and cleaving mountains with an obstacle-breaking chariot. This mirrors the broader Vedic mythic complex of 'opening the closed' (rock/mountain) to restore movement and light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhid 'split' aligns with PIE *bʰeyd- 'split, cleave' (cf. English 'bite' as semantic cousin in some analyses; more securely Slavic cognate sets). √yā from PIE *h₁ey- 'go'. rajas- (region) relates to an Indo-Iranian cosmological lexicon of layered spaces.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer testifies to the Aśvins’ capacity to carry the human through obscurity and to dismantle hardened obstacles. The relationship is one of trust in transformative intervention: the devatā acts where human force is enclosed (pariviṣṭa).
Inwardly name the ‘mountain’ (one entrenched block). Invoke the Aśvins as the breaker-chariot that finds a good path through inner night and splits the obstruction.
mūlādhāra (inertia/fear blocks) to ājñā (guidance through night)
long exhale emphasis (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 8) to calm night-fear; then chant softly, feeling the path open on each exhale.
From constriction to liberated movement; courageous calm.
Do not fight the night with agitation. Ask for the ‘good path’ first (subtle right step), then for the ‘cleaving’ power. Notice one practical action that becomes possible after the chant.
Tri-svara; emphasize udātta on key action-words (ūhathū, ayātam) and names (nāsatyā); keep the ‘night’ phrase steady and low (anudātta feel) to mirror darkness.
Maintain a slight downward calm on ‘naktam’; then increase firmness on ‘vibhindunā … rathena’ to embody breakthrough.
pariviṣṭam: retroflex ṣṭ; keep i short, sugebhir: g soft; bh aspirated, ūhathū: long ū; th aspirated, vibhindunā: bh + ind cluster; long ā, parvatān: v clear; long ān, ajarayū: j soft; yū long
Start low and contained; grow brighter and firmer by the third pāda; end with confident clarity.
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