Rig Veda 8.35.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 35, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.35
हारिद्रवेव पतथो वनेदुप सोमं सुतं महिषेवाव गच्छथः । सजोषसा उषसा सूर्येण च त्रिर्वर्तिर्यातमश्विना ॥
hāridravéva patatho váned úpa sómaṃ sutáṃ mahiṣéva vā́va gacchathaḥ | sajóṣasā uṣásā sū́ryeṇa ca trír-vartír yātam aśvinā ||
ຮຽນຄູ່ນົກເຫຼືອງ, ທ່ານບິນມາຈາກປ່າໄມ້; ຮຽນຄູ່ໂຕຫວາຍທີ່ແຂງແຮງ, ທ່ານລົງມາສູ່ໂສມທີ່ຄັ້ນແລ້ວ. ໃນຄວາມສອດຄ່ອງກັບອຸສາ ແລະ ສຸລິຍະ, ຈົ່ງມາຫາພວກເຮົາດ້ວຍການຫັນທາງສາມເທື່ອ, ອັສວິນທັງສອງ.
Aśvin arrival imagery aligned with Soma pressing; ‘threefold turning’ naturally maps to the three savanas; inwardly, repeated descents across stages of awakening.
triple movement/cycle (triḥ-vartiḥ), descent of divine help into nature (ava)
The ‘threefold turning’ suggests ṛta as cyclical right movement across planes of being.
Sūrya as stabilised truth-consciousness consenting with the awakening of Uṣas.
Emergence of light and effective powers from the tangled ‘forest’ of obscurity; descent of helpers into prepared essence (Soma).
Proto-Vedāntic / integral yogic reading (Aurobindo): gods as powers of consciousness acting in the inner sacrifice.
dawn/morning
From subconscient thicket to luminous movement: the helpers descend into distilled delight, synchronised with awakening and truth-light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Aśvins’ swift approach in animal epiphanies—birds (speed/lightness) and bulls (power/protection)—to drink the pressed Soma, arriving by a triple course. Psychologically: quick luminous movements emerge out of the subconscient ‘forest’, then descend with strength to assimilate delight through the three stages of practice.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pat ‘fly’ corresponds to PIE *pet-. √vṛt ‘turn’ corresponds to PIE *wert-, underlying the ‘cycle/turning’ metaphor found widely in Indo-European languages. These inherited roots support a shared IE imagery of flight (swift divine arrival) and turning (cosmic/ritual cycles).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi calls the Aśvins to traverse the triple rhythm of the work and to enter the human field from the wild growth of nature. The gods’ role is to convert raw vital movement (forest) into luminous, strong assistance that can receive Soma and distribute its effect.
Invite the ‘twin helpers’ to harmonise mind-life-body and to carry the offering of delight upward.
Anahata (harmonisation) and Ajna (alignment with Sūrya-truth)
Gentle 3-part breath (dirgha) with a subtle pause at the ‘turning’ points; inhale on invocation, exhale on ‘come/arrive’.
Awakening-to-clarity transition: from tamas to a bright, workable sattva.
At dawn, feel a golden movement descending through the crown to heart; offer the day’s experiences as Soma; ask for swift correction and right rhythm across the three layers of nature.
Use Vedic svara as in śākala tradition (udātta/anudātta/svarita); refrain segments should keep consistent pitch contours across repetitions (exact svara requires accented saṃhitā text).
Lightly lift pitch on udātta syllables; allow svarita to glide down; keep ‘aśvinā’ clear and steady at cadence.
āśvinā: keep ‘śv’ cluster crisp (aś-vi-nā), uṣasā: retroflex-free ‘ṣ’ (u-ṣa-sā) with clear short ‘u’, sūryeṇa: long ‘ū’, palatal ‘ry’ smoothly, trir-vartiḥ: tap ‘r’ in trir; keep ‘vartiḥ’ with dental ‘t’
Bright, inviting, slightly upward-leading in the first simile; grounded and resonant on ‘mahiṣevāva’.
3
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