Rig Veda 2.35.13: Mandala 2, Sukta 35, Mantra 13
Sukta 2.35
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Apām Napāt
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shringara (love)
स ईं वृषाजनयत्तासु गर्भं स ईं शिशुर्धयति तं रिहन्ति । सो अपां नपादनभिम्लातवर्णोऽन्यस्येवेह तन्वा विवेष ॥
sa īṁ vṛ́ṣā janayat tā́su gárbhaṁ sa īṁ śíśur dhayati táṁ rihanti | só apā́m napā́d anabhimlāta-varṇó ’nyásyevehá tanvā́ viveṣa ||
ພະອົງ, ໂຕຜູ້ທີ່ເຂັ້ມແຂງ, ໄດ້ໂຍນເມັດໄຂ່ແຫ່ງການກາຍເປັນໄປໃນນ້ຳເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ; ພະອົງ, ໃນຮົ່ວເດັກ, ດື່ມນົມຂອງມັນ, ແລະ ນ້ຳເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນກອດປະຄົບ ແລະ ເພາະເລີຍພະອົງ. ນີ້ແມ່ນອາປາມນາປາດ, ຜູ້ມີລັດສະໝອນບໍ່ດ້ວຍ, ຜູ້ເຂົ້າມາ ແລະ ແຜ່ປົກຄຸມດ້ວຍກາຍຂອງພະອົງເອງ ລະຫວ່າງຢູ່ໃນໂລກອື່ນ.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईम्
- indeed; justIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root ईम् (निपात)
- वृषा
- the bull; the virile oneNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सः वृषा = ‘he, the bull/virile one’)Root वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनयत्
- begot; generatedVerbलङ् (इम्पर्फेक्ट्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √जन् (जनने)
- तासु
- in/among those (waters)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- गर्भम्
- an embryo; germNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईम्
- indeedIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root ईम् (निपात)
- शिशुः
- a child; infantNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सः शिशुः = ‘he as a child’)Root शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- धयति
- sucks; drinksVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √धा/√धय् (धाने/पाने ‘to suck, drink’)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रिहन्ति
- they lickVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √रिह् (लेहने)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अपाम्
- of the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- नपात्
- offspring; son (descendant)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā/Viśeṣya (apposition to सः)Root नपात् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनभिम्लातवर्णः
- whose color does not fade; unfading-huedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Viśeṣaṇa (of सः/नपात्)Root अन- + अभि-√म्ला (म्लाने ‘to fade’) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) [बहुव्रीहिः]
- अन्यस्य
- of anotherPronoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- as if; likeIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root इव (निपात)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot इह (अव्यय)
- तन्वा
- with (his) body; in personNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot तनू (प्रातिपदिक)
- विवेष
- has entered; has come inVerbलिट् (परोक्श/परफेक्ट्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √विश् (प्रवेशने) [विवेष = परिपूर्ण-प्रवेश/आगमन]
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved/normalized sandhi & padapāṭha-style segmentation: स ईम् (sa + īm, enclitic particle)
- वृषा जनयत् (no further split)
- जनयत् तासु (final -t before dental)
- गर्भम् | स ईम्
- शिशुः धयति (visarga before voiced dh-)
- तं रिहन्ति
- सो → सः (o from aḥ before vowel)
- अपां (gen. pl. of अप्)
- नपाद् → नपात् (stem नपात्, nom. sg.)
- वर्णोऽन्यस्य → वर्णः अन्यस्य (visarga + a → o’)
- इवेह → इव इह
- तन्वा विवेष (no sandhi)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The mighty Bull places a germ in the Waters; as a Child he drinks their milk and they caress him. Apāṃ Napāt, of unblemished radiance, enters here and pervades with his own body as if from another world.
Inner meaning
The ‘Bull’ is the forceful divine power (creative will) that implants a seed of becoming (garbha) into the waters of life/subconscient. Then the same power appears as the ‘Child’—a new-born flame of aspiration—nourished by the very life-energies it is meant to transform. The waters ‘caress’ him: once the seed is planted, nature begins to cooperate. ‘Unblemished radiance’ indicates a purity untouched by the mixture of lower prakṛti. ‘As if of another world’ points to a supramental origin entering the terrestrial field, pervading the being with a new substance of consciousness.
Universal truth
Transformation begins when a higher power implants its seed in our depths; then even life’s energies, once chaotic, become nourishment for the new consciousness, which carries a light not native to the old world.
Themes
cosmogony (fire born from waters), mystic birth of Agni, inner awakening and nourishment, luminous purity vs. obscuration
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.35, RV 2.9
Family tradition
Seer-poetry that often moves between cosmic imagery and inner process; here the ‘seed in waters’ is a classic mystic formulation of spiritual birth.
Significance
A direct map of inner birth: descent of a higher seed, emergence of the child-flame, and the cooperation of life in nurturing it.
The deity
- Devata
- Apāṃ Napāt
- Epithets
- vṛṣā (mighty), śiśu (child), anabhimlātavarṇa (unblemished in radiance)
- Related deities
- Agni, Prajāpati (seed/creation motif), Soma
Cosmic role
Ensouls the waters with a creative germ; bridges worlds by bringing a higher radiance into earthly existence.
Inner power
Descent of higher force into the subconscient; conversion of life-energy into spiritual nourishment; pervasion by a purer substance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of Apāṃ Napāt in fire/water-linked invocations
स ईं॒ वृषा॑जनय॒त्तासु॒ गर्भं॒ स ईं॒ शिशु॑र्धयति॒ तं रि॑हन्ति । सो अ॒पां नपा॒दन॑भिम्लातवर्णो॒ऽन्यस्ये॑वे॒ह त॒न्वा॑ विवेष ॥
सः । ई॒म् । वृषा॑ । अ॒ज॒न॒य॒त् । तासु॑ । गर्भ॑म् । सः । ई॒म् । शिशुः॑ । ध॒य॒ति॒ । तम् । रि॒ह॒न्ति॒ । सः । अ॒पाम् । नपा॑त् । अन॑भिम्लातऽवर्णः । अ॒न्यस्य॑ऽइव । इ॒ह । त॒न्वा॑ । वि॒वे॒ष॒ ॥
saḥ | īm | vṛṣā | ajanayat | tāsu | garbham | saḥ | īm | śiśuḥ | dhayati | tam | rihant i | saḥ | apām | napāt | anabhimlāta-varṇaḥ | anyasya-iva | iha | tanvā | v iveṣa
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4 x ~11 syllables
Dramatic and vivid; alternating force (bull/seed) and tenderness (child/caress).
Moves the listener through a powerful descent into depth and a gentle nurturing ascent—excellent for guided inner visualization.
- वृषा (vṛṣā)
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: strong creative force; divine will in potency
- गर्भ (garbha)
- Literal: germ, embryo. Symbolic: seed of new consciousness; destined formation
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: life-currents, subconscient, undifferentiated movements
- शिशु (śiśu)
- Literal: child. Symbolic: new-born aspiration/flame; nascent spiritual being
- धयति (dhayati)
- Literal: suckles, drinks milk. Symbolic: assimilates life-energy and turns it into growth
- रिहन्ति (rihanti)
- Literal: lick/caress. Symbolic: nature’s supportive movements; affectionate cooperation
- अनभिम्लातवर्ण (anabhimlātavarṇa)
- Literal: of unclouded/unstained color. Symbolic: pure radiance untainted by ignorance
- अन्यस्य इव (anyasya iva)
- Literal: as if of another. Symbolic: supramental/other-plane origin of the light
Invocatory/meditative use in Agni-related recitations; adaptable to Soma-sacrifice contexts where ‘fire-in-the-waters’ imagery supports inner kindling (no single exclusive Śrauta assignment certain).
During recitations emphasizing Agni’s hidden birth; symbolic of kindling in moist fuel/waters
Invocation while offering ghee; contemplation of hidden fire principle
Meditate on planting a ‘seed of truth’ into the subconscious: repeat the verse and visualize a golden embryo forming within calm inner waters.
Key terms: vṛṣā ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, to be virile/effuse’ → symbolic ‘effusion of power/seed’; garbha ‘womb, embryo’ from √gṛbh/√garbh ‘to seize/enclose’ → ‘contained formation’; śiśu ‘child’ (nursery term, early Indo-Aryan) → ‘newborn flame of consciousness’; dhayati from √dhā/√dhāy ‘to suck, drink’ (intensive nourishment); rihanti from √rih ‘to lick’ (also ‘to polish/refine’ by repeated contact); napāt ‘offspring’ (PIE *nepōt- ‘grandson/nephew’) widely used in divine epithets; viveṣa perfect of √viś ‘to enter’ with vi- ‘pervading entry’; an-abhimlāta ‘not darkened/tarnished’ (mlā- ‘to fade/darken’).
R̥ta as orderly emergence (germination within the Waters), Satyam-R̥tam-Bṛhat as stainless radiance, immanence of the higher in the embodied ‘here’ (iha)
The seed establishes a new order within the waters—ṛta organizing the subconscient.
Unblemished color = Satya’s purity in manifestation.
Seed in waters; birth of fire; interworld descent (‘as if from another world’).
Proto-Sāṃkhya-Vedānta creation symbolism interpreted through integral yoga (descent and transformation).
Waters = subconscious life; bull = force of divine tapas; milk = life-essence; child = new psychic formation; unblemished radiance = supramental purity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Fire/Child hidden in the Waters’: a radiant being (Apām Napāt) is generated within the Waters as a germ, then nourished by them. Mythically it is the paradox of fire in water; psychologically it is the awakening of a luminous will/knowledge within the life-flows, fostered by purified vital energies until it can ‘enter here’ in embodied form.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- napāt ‘offspring’ aligns with PIE *nepōt- (cf. Latin nepōs, English nephew), showing inherited kinship terminology elevated into divine epithet. √viś ‘enter’ has Indo-European cognates in the semantic field of ‘settling/entering’ (cf. Latin vīsere ‘visit’ is later/indirect; closer are Indo-Iranian continuations), while the formulaic perfect viveṣa marks accomplished pervasion—typical RV aspectual choice for a deity’s established immanence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer does not bargain for outer goods; he witnesses and affirms the devatā’s inner operation: the divine seed is placed in the Waters, the child-force is nourished, and then the stainless power ‘enters here’ in the human field. The reciprocity is implicit: by recognition and right speech, the rishi aligns the vessel (waters/life) so the devatā can manifest bodily (tanvā) without tarnish (anabhimlāta).
Descent practice: feel a higher light placing a seed in the deep waters of the belly/heart; then allow breath to ‘nurse’ it into a steady flame.
svādhiṣṭhāna (waters) to maṇipūra (fire)
Wave-breath: slow inhale down to lower abdomen (waters), slow exhale up to navel (fire), maintaining a golden thread.
From depth-contact to gentle joy and widening; sense of a higher-world influence entering the body.
If emotions surge, do not suppress; let them become ‘milk’ for the child-flame by offering them upward with the exhale, keeping the radiance ‘unblemished’ by non-judgment.
Keep strong pitch emphasis on vṛṣā́ and garbhá (as per accent), soften on śiśuḥ/dhayati to match the tenderness.
Contrast the first hemistich (forceful) with the second (gentler) by slightly changing dynamics, not tempo.
vṛṣā: vocalic ‘ṛ’ and retroflex ‘ṣ’, ajanayat: ‘j’ soft, avoid ‘z’, dhyati/dhayati: aspirate ‘dh’ clearly, anabhimlātavarṇo: keep compounds flowing; do not pause mid-word
First half firm and resonant; second half softer and intimate; end with expansive resonance
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