Rig Veda 1.17.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 17, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.17
- Rishi
- Kakṣīvant Dairghatamasa
- Devata
- Indra-Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace)
इन्द्रावरुण नू नु वां सिषासन्तीषु धीष्वा । अस्मभ्यं शर्म यच्छतम् ॥
indrā́varuṇa nū́ nu vāṃ siṣā́santīṣu dhīṣv ā́ | asmábhyaṃ śárma yacchatam ||
ഹേ ഇന്ദ്ര-വരുണന്മാരേ, ഇപ്പോൾ—ഇപ്പോൾ—ഞങ്ങളുടെ സിഷാസന്തീ (ആകാംക്ഷയുള്ള) ധികളിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുവിൻ. ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് ശർമ (ആശ്രയമായ ശാന്തി) ദയചെയ്യുവിൻ; സുരക്ഷിതമായ വിശാലത നൽകുവിൻ.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रा
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative) एकवचन; (द्वन्द्व-समासस्य प्रथमाङ्गम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative) एकवचन; (द्वन्द्व-समासस्य द्वितीयाङ्गम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- नू
- nowIndeclinableअव्यय; काल/प्रयोजन-निपात (emphatic temporal particle)Root नू
- नु
- indeed, justIndeclinableअव्यय; निपात (emphasis/urgency)Root नु
- वाम्
- of you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया द्विवचन (enclitic form of युवाम्/वाम्); here best as षष्ठी: ‘of you two’Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सिषासन्तीषु
- among the eager/intent (feminine) ones (to guide/command)Participle (verbal adjective)वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन; ‘(among) those desiring to instruct/command’Role अधिकारण (locative: ‘among/in’)Root √शास् (शास्—अनुशासने) with desiderative stem सिषास-
- धीष्वा
- in the insights/prayersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन (Vedic locative plural ending -षु with contraction/orthography: धीषु/धीष्वा as Vedic sandhi/phonetic variant)Role अधिकारण (locative)Root धी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘thought, insight, prayer’)
- अस्मभ्यम्
- to usPronounचतुर्थी बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शर्म
- shelter, protection, comfortNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (accusative; object of यच्छतम्)Role कर्मRoot शर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यच्छतम्
- grant (you two), bestowVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ) मध्यमपुरुष द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √यम् (यमँ—उपरमे/धारणे; here ‘to give/extend, grant’ in Vedic usage)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): इन्द्रा वरुण नू नु वाम् सिषासन्तीषु धीष्वा । अस्मभ्यम् शर्म यच्छतम् ॥ 1) इन्द्रा॑वरुण॒ = इन्द्रा + वरुण (द्वन्द्व-समास; संबोधन-द्विवचनार्थे समास, परन्तु पदच्छेदे द्वौ सम्बोधनौ). 2) नू नु: द्वौ निपातौ, द्वितीयः ‘नु’ बलवत्तर-प्रयोगः. 3) धी॒ष्वा: वैदिक-ध्वन्यात्मक/पदपाठ-परम्परागत रूप
- अर्थतः ‘धीषु’ (सप्तमी बहुवचन) ‘in the dhīs’—इह -ष्वा इति संधि/उच्चारण-रूपभेदः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra and Varuṇa, now—now—come into our desiring insights (dhī); grant us śarma (shelter/peace).
Inner meaning
The double ‘nū nu’ intensifies immediacy: the seeker asks for a present descent, not a distant ideal. ‘Siṣāsantīṣu dhīṣu’ are the learning, aspiring thoughts—insights that want to be trained by the gods. Indra–Varuṇa are asked to enter these dhī-s, meaning: take possession of our understanding and intention, so the mind becomes their instrument. The fruit is śarma: not mere comfort but a protected wideness—an inner safe-space where growth can proceed without disturbance from fear, guilt, or chaotic impulse.
Universal truth
When higher truth and illumination inhabit our thinking, we naturally enter a state of protected peace—an inner shelter that enables steady growth.
Themes
immediacy (nu nu), divine indwelling, protection and peace, yoga of inspired thought
The seer
- Rishi
- Kakṣīvant Dairghatamasa
- Lineage
- Dīrghatamas/Aṅgirasa lineage (traditional association)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.17.4, RV 1.17.5, RV 1.17.6, RV 1.17.7
Family tradition
Aṅgirasa seers often move from aspiration (dhī) to secured wideness (varuṇic bṛhat) with indrāic force.
Significance
A practical yogic prayer: invite the divine into the very substance of thought and receive śarma—inner safety required for transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra–Varuṇa (dual)
- Epithets
- nū nu (immediately invoked), dhīṣu ā (entering the insights), śarma-dātā (givers of shelter/peace)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Aditi, Sarasvatī, Agni
Cosmic role
They establish a protected order in the worlds: Indra by defeating disruptive forces; Varuṇa by maintaining the law of harmony and vast containment.
Inner power
Indra clears mental obstruction and energizes aspiration; Varuṇa creates a wide, pure field where insight can be trained and stabilized.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective and stabilizing invocation within dual-deity praise; suited for rites seeking peace/safety for sacrificer
इन्द्रा॑वरुण॒ नू नु वां॒ सिषा॑सन्तीषु धी॒ष्वा । अ॒स्मभ्यं॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतम् ॥
इन्द्रा॑वरुणा । नु । नु । वा॒म् । सिसा॑सन्तीषु । धी॒षु । आ । अ॒स्मभ्य॑म् । शर्म॑ । य॒च्छ॒त॒म् ॥
indrāvaruṇā | nu | nu | vām | siṣāsantīṣu | dhīṣu | ā | asmabhyam | śarma | yacchatam
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4 × ~11 syllables
Urgent opening (nū nu) followed by a settling cadence toward śarma.
Creates immediacy and receptivity, then drops into calm protection; useful to transition from agitation to sheltered peace.
- नू नु (nū nu)
- Literal: now, now. Symbolic: urgency and immediacy of descent; present-moment invocation
- सिषासन्तीषु (siṣāsantīṣu)
- Literal: desiring instruction/training. Symbolic: aspiring thoughts seeking right guidance; teachable intelligence
- धीषु (dhīṣu)
- Literal: in the insights/thoughts. Symbolic: planes of inspired understanding; inner perception
- आ (ā)
- Literal: toward, into, come. Symbolic: descent/entry of the divine power into mentality
- शर्म (śarma)
- Literal: shelter, protection, comfort. Symbolic: peaceful wideness and safe inner dwelling for the soul
Prayer for the gods’ entry into dhī (inspired thought) and for śarma (protective peace) during/after Soma pressing and recitation
When establishing ‘śarma’ (protection) and right inspiration before/within recitation.
Inviting the deity into dhī (inspiration) and asking for protection.
Use during anxiety or before meditation: a short ‘enter my thoughts, grant peace’ prayer; helpful as a grounding chant.
siṣāsantī: desiderative/intensive nuance from √śās ‘to instruct, command’ or √sāś?; in context, ‘aspiring/disciplining’ thoughts that seek right guidance/possession. dhī: inspired cognition. śarma: ‘shelter, comfort, protection’ (psychologically: a stable inner peace enabling growth). √yam/√yacch ‘to give, grant, extend’ in yacchatam.
dhī as the locus of revelation, śarma as inner refuge, descent of the divine into mind (ā + locative)
To have the gods in dhī is to have thought aligned with ṛta; śarma is the experiential field of ṛta as peace.
Truth entering thought removes inner fear and duplicity; peace arises from satya-in-mind.
Descent into mind: higher consciousness taking up the instrument (dhī) to guide evolution.
Yoga of descent (Aurobindo): not only ascent of aspiration, but divine entry into mental substance.
evening or pre-dawn (a time when shelter/peace is sought; symbolic)
A wide, protective inner sky in which thoughts become teachable and luminous; disturbances are ‘weather’ cleared by Indra.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘descent/entry of the gods into dhī’ and the consequent bestowal of śarma. This is the interiorized form of divine protection: not merely guarding the body, but stabilizing the mind’s inspired movements so truth can act safely.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The preverb ā with locatives (‘into the dhīṣu’) preserves an old IE spatial-to-psychological mapping. The dual imperative yacchatam encodes the archaic dual category, a conservative feature shared with early IE languages.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet offers dhī as a seat for the gods’ presence; in return he asks śarma. The exchange is consciousness-based: the ṛṣi provides receptivity and voiced invocation; the gods provide inner safety and a widened field for right action.
Invite the divine into the thought-stream; cultivate teachability and inner shelter (śarma).
Anāhata (shelter/peace) with Viśuddha (truth in thought/speech)
Lengthen exhale (inhale 4, exhale 8) while repeating ‘śarma yacchatam’ mentally.
Receptive, calm, protected wideness.
Chant 3 times slowly. On ‘dhīṣu ā’ feel a presence entering the mind-space; on ‘śarma’ feel a gentle dome of protection around the heart and head. Sit silently 5 minutes letting thoughts be ‘trained’—minimal interference, maximum sincerity.
Keep ‘nū nu’ crisp with the marked accents; maintain udātta where indicated (e.g., indrā́varuṇa); let ‘śárma’ carry a gentle prominence without force.
Do not rush ‘nū nu’; give two distinct beats. Slight pause after ‘dhīṣu ā’ to feel the ‘entry’, then soften into ‘śarma yacchatam’.
siṣāsantīṣu: retroflex ṣ; long ī in -tīṣu, dhīṣu: long dhī; ṣ clearly retroflex, asmabhyam: cluster -bhy- clean; avoid ‘asmabyam’, śarma: palatal ś; short a, yacchatam: geminate cch (yach-cha-tam)
Soft, inward, soothing; steady pitch with gentle lift on invocations.
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