Rig Veda 1.23.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 23, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.23
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Mitra-Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
वरुणः प्राविता भुवन्मित्रो विश्वाभिरूतिभिः । करतां नः सुराधसः ॥
varuṇaḥ prāvitā bhuvan mitro viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ | karatāṃ naḥ surādhasaḥ ||
വരുണൻ ഞങ്ങളുടെ മുൻപന്തിയിലെ രക്ഷകനാകട്ടെ; മിത്രൻ തന്റെ സർവ സഹായങ്ങളാൽ ഞങ്ങളുടെ കാര്യം സാധിപ്പിക്കട്ടെ. സുദാതാക്കളായ ആ ഇരുവരും ഞങ്ങളെ ഋതത്തിൽ (ധർമ്മക്രമത്തിൽ)യും സുഖ-സമൃദ്ധിയിലും സ്ഥാപിക്കട്ടെ.
Word by Word
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (proper deity-name)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्राविता
- protector, helperNoun/Agent (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण) अथवा कर्तृ-समासार्थेRoot √अव् (अव रक्षणे) + प्र-; क्तृ-प्रत्यय (प्र + अवि + तृ → प्रावितृ)
- भुवत्
- may he be / let him becomeVerbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/विधिलिङ्-प्रयोगः वैदिके), परस्मैपद, प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √भू (भू सत्तायाम्)
- मित्रः
- MitraNoun (proper deity-name)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वाभिः
- with allAdjective (used substantively with ūtí-)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot विश्व (सर्व) (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊतिभिः
- with aids / protectionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot ऊति (प्रातिपदिक; ‘help, aid, protection’)
- करताम्
- let the two do / may the two makeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विध्यर्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथम पुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √कृ (कृ करणे)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’), वैदिके प्रायः ‘our/for us’Role सम्प्रदान (for us) / सम्बन्ध (our) — सन्दर्भानुसारRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- सुराधसः
- the two of good bounty / generous onesAdjective (dual epithet of Mitra-Varuṇa)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, द्विवचन (वैदिक रूप: -असः = nom. du.)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण) अथवा सम्बोधनार्थ-विशेषणRoot सु- + राधस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bounty, gift, generosity’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वरुणः | प्राविता | भुवत् | मित्रः | विश्वाभिः | ऊतिभिः | करताम् | नः | सुराधसः || 1) ‘विश्वा॑भिरू॒तिभि॑ः’ = ‘विश्वाभिः’ + ‘ऊतिभिः’ (इ/ऊ संधि: इ + ऊ → यू; लेखने ‘-भिरू-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Varuṇa be our foremost protector; may Mitra with all helps do for us—those of good gifts.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks Varuṇa to go before as the vigilant guardian of truth—preventing deviation, self-deception, and disorder. Mitra is invoked with ‘all helps’—the harmonizing supports that make life workable and relationships luminous. Together they ‘make’ (karatām) our state su-rādhas: richly endowed—inner prosperity as settled rightness, peace, and a happy fullness born of alignment.
Universal truth
Lasting well-being depends on truth and harmony: protection is the forward force of integrity, and help is the sustaining power of concord; together they yield a rich, stable inner prosperity.
Themes
Protection, Ṛta-alignment, Divine help (ūti), Fulfillment (rādh)
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.25 (Varuṇa protection), RV 5.62 (Mitra-Varuṇa helps)
Family tradition
The Kāṇva approach is pragmatic: invoke cosmic powers not as abstractions but as active guardians and helpers shaping the seeker’s life-force and conduct.
Significance
This verse grounds ṛta in lived experience: truth must ‘go in front’ as protection, and harmony must supply concrete helps; the fruit is su-rādhas—integral well-being.
The deity
- Devata
- Mitra-Varuṇa
- Epithets
- prāvitā (Varuṇa), viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ (Mitra), su-rādhasaḥ
- Related deities
- Aditi, Aryaman, Bhaga, Savitar
Cosmic role
As Ādityas, they secure the cosmos by law and concord; they guard beings from falling into falsehood and disorder and provide the supports for right living.
Inner power
Varuṇa: forward-moving integrity that prevents relapse; Mitra: comprehensive harmonizing aid that integrates mind, life, and relations into a unified rhythm.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocations to Mitra-Varuṇa for protection and beneficence; used in Soma rites and in contexts of safeguarding vows, truth-speaking, and social concord (general).
वरु॑णः प्रावि॒ता भु॑वन्मि॒त्रो विश्वा॑भिरू॒तिभि॑: । कर॑तां नः सु॒राध॑सः ॥
वरु॑णः । प्र॒ऽअ॒वि॒ता । भु॒व॒त् । मि॒त्रः । विश्वा॑भिः । ऊ॒तिऽभिः॑ । कर॑ताम् । नः॒ । सु॒ऽराध॑सः ॥
varuṇaḥ | pra-avitā | bhuvat | mitraḥ | viśvābhiḥ | ūti-bhiḥ | karatām | naḥ | su-rādhasaḥ
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3×8
Assuring and directive; imperative mood (‘karatām’) gives a decisive closing cadence.
Instills safety and moral steadiness; the closing phrase leaves a sense of settled completeness and support.
- prāvitā (pra-avitā)
- Literal: forward protector, one who protects in front. Symbolic: the conscience/truth-force that goes ahead and guards the path
- varuṇaḥ
- Literal: Varuṇa. Symbolic: vast law, sincerity, purification through truth
- mitraḥ
- Literal: Mitra. Symbolic: harmony, friendship, right relation, supportive clarity
- viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ
- Literal: with all helps. Symbolic: complete supports—inner and outer circumstances harmonized by right relation
- su-rādhasaḥ
- Literal: of good giving/wealth. Symbolic: true prosperity: abundance of right energies, peace, and luminous capacity
Protective framing within Soma context: the rite (and inner work) is secured by Varuṇa’s guarding law and Mitra’s harmonizing aids.
When beginning a journey/undertaking; at transitions; in rites seeking protection and well-being.
Prayer for guardianship and comprehensive aid; offering with intent of purification and harmony.
Morning intention-setting: ask Varuṇa to guard the day’s truth, Mitra to harmonize interactions; end with a resolve to act from integrity.
avitā ‘protector’ from √av ‘protect, favor’ (PIE *h₂ew- ‘help’ often cited); pra- intensifies ‘in front/forward’. karatām from √kṛ ‘do, make’ (PIE *kwer- ‘do’). rādh-as ‘gift, success, bounty’ from √rādh ‘to succeed, accomplish, grant’—in inner sense ‘effective fulfillment’.
protection as right containment (Varuṇa’s binding of disorder), harmony as integrative help (Mitra’s ūti), rādh as accomplished fulfillment
Protection and help are functions of ṛta in life: it prevents disorder and supplies right supports.
Varuṇa’s foremost protection is against inner falsehood; satya becomes a lived shield.
Sustenance: the cosmos is maintained by guardianship and aid; similarly the inner world is maintained by truth and harmony producing abundance.
Integral dharma-yoga: ethical alignment as a force that yields inner prosperity (su-rādhas) rather than mere austerity.
evening (review and protection) or morning (setting protection ahead)
unspecified
Sky-vastness = wide truthful witness; sun-warmth = harmonizing goodwill; wealth = abundance of right energies and peace.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of the 'protective sovereignty' of Mitra-Varuṇa: they guard the sacrificer and ensure successful fulfillment. Psychologically, they prevent deviation from truth and integrate the being with harmonious supports.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √kṛ (do/make) is a classic Indo-European verbal root; the functional dual (karatām) preserves archaic grammar. The semantic pair ‘lawful protector + harmonizing friend’ echoes Indo-European sovereign dualities.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks for proactive guardianship (pra-avitā) and manifold supports (viśvābhiḥ ūtibhiḥ), implying the human effort is vulnerable to disorder unless the sovereign powers actively shape the path.
Establish ‘truth in front’: visualize a clear luminous boundary ahead of you (Varuṇa) and a warm harmonizing field around you (Mitra).
On inhale silently ‘Varuṇa’ (widen, become honest); on exhale ‘Mitra’ (soften, harmonize).
Protected openness—wide, calm, relationally kind.
Chant 9 times at the start of the day. Make one vow of truth (small and doable) and one act of harmony (reconciliation/help). Let su-rādhas be measured as peace and right energy, not outer gain.
Rigvedic three-tone; keep ‘varuṇaḥ prāvitā’ firm and leading; let the final pāda resolve softly but decisively.
Slight emphasis on ‘prāvitā’ (forward protection) and ‘viśvābhir ūtibhiḥ’ (all helps). Conclude ‘su-rādhasaḥ’ with a sense of completion.
varuṇaḥ: final ḥ lightly, prāvitā: long ā; v as soft labio-dental, viśvābhir: ś as palatal; avoid ‘vishwa’ flattening—keep i, ūtibhiḥ: long ū; bh as aspirate, surādhasaḥ: su- + rādhas; keep dh voiced aspirate
Grounded, protective, soothing; slightly lower register for stability.
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