Rig Veda 1.124.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 124, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.124
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
उपो अदर्शि शुन्ध्युवो न वक्षो नोधा इवाविरकृत प्रियाणि । अद्मसन्न ससतो बोधयन्ती शश्वत्तमागात्पुनरेयुषीणाम् ॥
úpó adarśi śundhyúvo ná vákṣo nodhā́ iva āvír akṛta priyā́ṇi | admasán ná sasató bodháyantī śaśvat-tamā́gāt púnar ā́īyuṣīṇām ||
അവൾ ദൃശ്യമാകുന്നു—ശുദ്ധയായി, ദീപ്തമായ വക്ഷസ്ഥലംപോലെ; നോധാസനെപ്പോലെ പ്രിയവസ്തുക്കളെ അവൾ വെളിപ്പെടുത്തി. വീടിൽ നിന്നെന്നപോലെ നിദ്രിക്കുന്നവരെ ഉണർത്തി, ഏറ്റവും നിത്യയായ ഉഷസ് വീണ്ടും മടങ്ങിവരുന്നവരുടെ ഇടയിൽ എത്തുന്നു.
Word by Word
- उपो
- near, towards; up (as preverb/particle)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (अव्यय)Root उप (उपसर्ग/निपात) अथवा उपो = उप + उ
- अदर्शि
- was seen; appearedVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद, 3rd person singularRoot दृश् (दर्शन) < दॄश्
- शुन्ध्युवः
- the bright/cleansing ones (i.e., radiant [rays/mares])Adjective (used substantively) / Nounपुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (वेदे चल), प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (with implied verb of comparison) / Viśeṣya in simileRoot शुन्ध्यु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शुद्ध/दीप्त’ भाव) अथवा शुन्ध्-सम्बद्ध विशेषण
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot न (उपमा-निपात) / न (निषेध) — here upamā
- वक्षः
- breast, chestNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (here in simile: ‘breast/chest’ as object of comparison)Role Karma (in implied comparison) / ViśeṣyaRoot वक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- नोधाः
- Nodhas (a seer)Proper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (in simile: ‘like Nodhas’)Root नोधा (ऋषिनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- likeIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot इव (उपमा-निपात)
- आविः
- openly, manifestlyIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आविस्/आविः (अव्यय)
- अकृत
- made; has madeVerbलुङ्/इञ्जङ्क्टिव (वैदिक), परस्मैपद, 3rd person singularRoot कृ (करण) + अ (अङ्ग/अग्म) → लुङ्/लिट्-प्रयोग; here injunctive/aorist-like perfective
- प्रियाणि
- dear things; pleasant (deeds/gifts)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्मसत्
- as at a meal; as one seated for eating (idiomatically: ‘as if at a feast’)Adjective / Participle-like (Vedic) used adverbiallyअव्ययीभाव/विशेषणवत्; here as qualifier in simileRoot अद्मसत् (वैदिक रूप; √अद् ‘भक्षण’ से ‘अद्मन्’/‘अद्म’ सम्बद्ध; ‘भोज/आहार’ अथवा ‘अद्मसद्’ = ‘भोजन-आसीन’/‘भोजने स्थित’)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक अव्ययRoot न (उपमा-निपात)
- ससतः
- of the pursuing/striving ones; of the eager (men)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (genitive of those being addressed/affected) بحسب अर्थRoot ससत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सतत/शीघ्रगामी/अनुसरन्’ भाव; RV usage) अथवा √सस्/संस् ‘to pursue’ से
- बोधयन्ती
- awakening; causing to noticeVerb (present participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot बुध् (बोधन) → causative बोधय-
- शश्वत्तम
- most constantly; ever againAdjective (superlative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative: ‘most continually/ever anew’)Role Karma/Adverbial (kriyā-viśeṣaṇa)Root शश्वत् (सदा) + तमप्
- आगात्
- came; arrivedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3rd person singularRoot गम् (गमन) + आ (उपसर्ग)
- पुनः
- againIndeclinableअव्ययRoot पुनः (अव्यय)
- एयुषीणाम्
- of the returning ones; of those who have gone/come (back)Noun/Adjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole Apādāna/Adhikaraṇa (genitive: ‘of those who have gone/come’, i.e., returning ones) بحسب अर्थRoot एयुषी (स्त्री; √इ ‘to go’ से ‘एयुष्/एयुषी’ ‘going/coming’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): उपो | अदर्शि | शुन्ध्युवः | न | वक्षः | नोधाः | इव | आविः | अकृत | प्रियाणि || अद्मसत् | न | ससतः | बोधयन्ती | शश्वत्तम | आगात् | पुनः | एयुषीणाम् । प्रमुख सन्धयः: उपो = उप + उ (स्वर-सन्धि/पदपूरण)
- इवाविरकृत = इव + आविः + अकृत
- अद्मसन्न = अद्मसत् + न (त् + न → न्न)
- आगात्पुनः = आगात् + पुनः (त् + प् → त्प्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
She has appeared—pure like a bright breast—and like Nodhās has made dear things visible. Awakening the sleepers as from a dwelling, the most constant Dawn has come again among those who return.
Inner meaning
Uṣas manifests with a purity that nourishes (the ‘bright breast’ image): illumination is not harsh; it feeds the soul with clarity and sweetness. ‘Like Nodhās’ signals the seer-function: dawn makes ‘priyāṇi’—the beloved truths, the soul’s intimations—become manifest to consciousness. She awakens the ‘sleepers’ (sasataḥ): the inert parts of mind and life, the subconscient habits, as if rousing them from a house (admasat). She returns perpetually (śaśvattamā) among ‘those who return’—the recurring strivers, the soul’s repeated embodiments/efforts—so the yoga is never abandoned by the possibility of fresh light.
Universal truth
Illumination is a nourishing purity that reveals what the soul loves and repeatedly awakens what has fallen asleep; renewal is always possible.
Themes
Revelation, Awakening, Perennial return, Manifestation of 'priyāṇi'
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.124.1–4
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa vision often links revelation with awakening of hidden ‘dear’ truths and the rousing of dormant energies.
Significance
This verse emphasizes the psychic tone of the dawn: purity that nourishes, revelation of the beloved inner truth, and repeated awakening of the subconscient.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Epithets
- śundhyu (pure/cleansing, by sense), śaśvattamā (most perennial), bodhayantī (awakener)
- Related deities
- Agni (awakened flame), Soma (dear delight, implicit in priyāṇi), Sūrya (full revelation, implicit)
Cosmic role
She awakens beings, reveals forms and delights, and renews the cycle of activity.
Inner power
Psychic awakening: cleansing clarity that reveals soul-delight and rouses the inert layers into conscious participation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning awakening hymns; Uṣas praise at daybreak
उपো॑ अदर्शि शु॒न्ध्युवो॒ न वक्षो॑ नो॒धा इ॑वा॒विर॑कृत प्रि॒याणि॑ । अ॒द्म॒सन्न स॑स॒तो बो॒धय॑न्ती शश्वत्त॒मागा॒त्पुन॑रे॒युषी॑णाम् ॥
उपो॒ इति॑ । अ॒द॒र्शि॒ । शु॒न्ध्युवः॑ । न । वक्षः॑ । नो॒धाःऽइ॑व । आ॒विः । अ॒कृ॒त॒ । प्रि॒याणि॑ । अ॒द्म॒ऽसत् । न । स॒स॒तः । बो॒धय॑न्ती । श॒श्व॒त्ऽत॒मा । आ । अ॒गा॒त् । पुनः॑ । आ॒ऽई॒युषी॑णाम् ॥
upo iti | adarśi | śundhyuvaḥ | na | vakṣaḥ | nodhāḥ-iva | āviḥ | akṛta | priyāṇi | adma-sat | na | sasataḥ | bodhayantī | śaśvat-tamā | ā | agāt | punaḥ | āīyuṣīṇām
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4 × ~11
Gentle but insistent; alternates tenderness (nourishing purity) with awakening impetus (bodhayantī).
Soothes and then stirs—useful for moving from sleepiness to luminous activity without agitation.
- शुन्ध्युवः (śundhyuvaḥ)
- Literal: purifying, bright, pure. Symbolic: purity of consciousness that cleanses and clarifies
- वक्षः (vakṣaḥ)
- Literal: breast. Symbolic: nourishing source; maternal support of the soul by light
- आविर् अकृत (āvir akṛta)
- Literal: made manifest. Symbolic: bringing hidden truths/joys into conscious possession
- प्रियाणि (priyāṇi)
- Literal: dear things. Symbolic: soul-values, true delights, intimations of the psychic being
- बोधयन्ती (bodhayantī)
- Literal: awakening. Symbolic: arousing dormant faculties; lifting subconscient inertia
- ससतः (sasataḥ)
- Literal: sleepers. Symbolic: inert mind-life parts; tamasic formations
- अद्मसत् (admasat)
- Literal: from a home/dwelling. Symbolic: from the inner house of habit/subconscient storage
- शश्वत्तमा (śaśvattamā)
- Literal: most perennial. Symbolic: unceasing availability of renewal through illumination
- पुनर् एयुषीणाम् (punar eyuṣīṇām)
- Literal: of those who come again. Symbolic: recurrent aspirants; the soul’s returning efforts and cycles
Morning awakening formula; supports transition from sleep/inconscience to waking rite and inner recollection
Upon waking; before japa/meditation; when emerging from depression/lethargy.
Recite immediately after rising; open windows/face light; offer first breath as oblation; then sit for 5 minutes of stillness.
A ‘wake-up’ mantra: chant to rouse clarity and reconnect with what you truly love (priyāṇi) before checking devices or speaking.
bodháyantī from causative of √budh ‘to wake, know’ → Dawn as awakener into knowledge. śundhyú ‘purifying’ from √śudh ‘to purify’ → not moralism but clarification of substance of consciousness.
awakening (bodha), purification (śuddhi), recurrence and renewal
Implicit: dawn’s regular return and orderly awakening reflect ṛta’s rhythm.
Revelation (āvir) of what is true and dear to the soul.
Light enters the ‘house’ of embodied life each day, re-animating the cosmos.
Psychic-centered yoga (Aurobindo): awakening the inner being and bringing subconscious parts into conscious light.
dawn
Light entering the subconscient ‘home’ to awaken dormant energies and reveal soul-delight.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Dawn as awakener and revealer: she ‘makes manifest’ what is dear (priyāṇi) and rouses sleepers—mythically the return of the luminous goddess who repeatedly restores consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √budh ‘wake/know’ has Indo-European cognates (e.g., English ‘bid’ is not cognate; but Slavic *buditi ‘to wake’ is), showing a shared lexical field of awakening/awareness tied to dawn imagery.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions Dawn as the effective agent of revelation: she does what the poet does—makes hidden things evident—thus the hymn frames poetic seeing and dawn-light as one operation of consciousness.
Receive dawn as nourishing purity; ask it to reveal the ‘dear truth’ you have forgotten; awaken the sleepy parts gently.
anāhata (heart: priyāṇi, sweetness)
Upon waking: 6 slow breaths; on each inhale feel light enter the ‘house’ (torso), on exhale let heaviness leave; then chant once.
From sleep inertia to heart-bright wakefulness.
After chanting, place attention in the heart; recall one soul-value you love (truth, beauty, service). Let that ‘priyam’ guide the day’s first action. If lethargy persists, stand and do 12 slow sun-breaths while repeating ‘bodhayantī’ mentally.
Keep the opening ‘upo adarśi’ as a clear ‘appearance’ marker; let tone soften on purity imagery, then slightly energize on ‘bodhayantī’.
Emphasize: ‘śundhyuvo na vakṣaḥ’, ‘āvir akṛta priyāṇi’, ‘bodhayantī’, ‘śaśvattamāgāt’.
upo: separate ‘up-o’ (sandhi feel), śundhyuvo: keep ‘ndhy’ cluster clear; palatal ś, vakṣo: retroflex ṣ, āvir: long ā; light v, bodhayantī: aspirated ‘dh’, śaśvattamā: double ‘śaś’ crisp; long ā at end
Warm, gentle, awakening—start soft, grow slightly brighter by the third pāda.
3
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