Rig Veda 10.136.4: Mandala 10, Sukta 136, Mantra 4
Sukta 10.136
- Rishi
- Keśin Dārbhya
- Devata
- Keśin/Muni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
अन्तरिक्षेण पतति विश्वा रूपावचाकशत् । मुनिर्देवस्यदेवस्य सौकृत्याय सखा हितः ॥
antaríkṣeṇa patati víśvā rūpā́va-cā́kaśat | munír devásya-devasya saúkṛtyāya sákhā hitáḥ ||
അവൻ അന്തരിക്ഷത്തിലൂടെ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നു; സർവ്വ രൂപങ്ങളെയും അവലോകനം ചെയ്യുന്നു. ദേവങ്ങളുടെ ദേവന്റെ സൗകൃത്യത്തിനായി സുഹൃത്തായി നിയുക്തനായ മുനി, ദിവ്യത്തോടൊപ്പം സഖ്യഭാവത്തിൽ പരിശ്രമിക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
- अन्तरिक्षेण
- by/through the mid-air (atmosphere)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole करणRoot अन्तरिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- पतति
- flies/movesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √पत् (पत् गतौ)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (रूपाणि इति)Role कर्मRoot विश्व (सर्व/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- रूपाणि
- forms, appearancesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
- अचाकशत्
- shone forth, appeared clearlyVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट्); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √काश् (काश् दीप्तौ/प्रकाशने) [चकार-आवृत्तिः: चकास्]
- मुनिः
- the sage (muni)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवस्य
- of the godNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवस्य
- of the god (of the god)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सौकृत्याय
- for (his) beneficence / for good serviceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot सौकृत्य (प्रातिपदिक; सु-कृत्य ‘good deed/benefit’)
- सखा
- (as) a friendNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (समनाधिकरणम् मुनिः)Root सखि/सखा (प्रातिपदिक)
- हितः
- set/appointed, establishedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण (समनाधिकरणम्)Root हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा ‘to place’ > हित ‘placed, set, appointed’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अन्तरिक्षेण | पतति | विश्वा रूपाणि | अचाकशत् | मुनिः | देवस्य देवस्य | सौकृत्याय | सखा | हितः || 1) ‘रूपावचाकशत्’ इति संहितायां ‘रूपाणि अचाकशत्’ (नपुंसक बहुवचन ‘रूपाणि’) → ‘रूपा’ (पदपाठ-प्रवृत्त्या) + ‘अचाकशत्’
- 2) ‘मुनिर्देवस्य’ = ‘मुनिः देवस्य’ (विसर्ग-रेफः)
- 3) ‘देवस्यदेवस्य’ = ‘देवस्य देवस्य’ (पुनरुक्त-षष्ठी)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Muni flies through the atmosphere, observing all forms below. He is the appointed friend of every God, aiding in their benevolent works.
Inner meaning
The liberated soul (Muni) traverses the Vital Plane (Antariksha) freely, unattached to the forms of desire he perceives. He has harmonized his individual will with the Cosmic Will, becoming a conscious collaborator (Sakha) with every divine power (Devasya-devasya) to execute the divine purpose (Saukrtya) in the world.
Universal truth
True spiritual freedom results in active collaboration with the Divine Will for the welfare of the world, not merely escapism.
Themes
Seer’s omnivision, Cosmic intermediacy, Divine work
In ritual
Where it is used
Visionary hymn; can be read as legitimizing the seer’s role as collaborator in ṛta rather than as a standard offering formula.
अ॒न्तरि॑क्षेण पतति॒ विश्वा॑ रू॒पाव॒चाक॑शत् । मुनि॑र्दे॒वस्य॑देवस्य॒ सौकृ॑त्याय॒ सखा॑ हि॒तः ॥
अ॒न्तरि॑क्षेण । प॒त॒ति॒ । विश्वा॑ । रू॒पा । अ॒व॒ऽचाक॑शत् । मुनिः॑ । दे॒वस्य॑ऽदेवस्य । सौकृ॑त्याय । सखा॑ । हि॒तः ॥
antarikṣeṇa | patati | viśvā | rūpā | ava-cākaśat | muniḥ | devasya-devasya | saukṛtyāya | sakhā | hitaḥ
Visionary hymn; can be read as legitimizing the seer’s role as collaborator in ṛta rather than as a standard offering formula.
antarikṣa: traditionally ‘mid-air’; psychologically the intermediate field of forces where thought, life, and subtle perception move. ava-cākaśat: from √kāś/√cakāś ‘to shine, appear, see clearly’; the seer’s vision is luminous and comprehensive. su-kṛti: from su- ‘good’ + √kṛ ‘do/make’ → right-effective action; not mere morality but aligned enactment of ṛta.
Ṛta as right-working (sukṛti), Seer-vision over forms, Divine companionship (sakhya)
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘sky-travelling seer’ who surveys all forms: a mythic pattern where the inspired one moves in the mid-region and participates in the divine governance of manifestation, seeing the many rūpas from above—vision as power.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pat ‘fly’ (patati) corresponds to PIE *pet- ‘to fly’ (Greek pétomai). √kṛ ‘do/make’ in su-kṛti aligns with PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘do/make’ (broadly reflected across IE in ‘create’ semantics), indicating inherited action-language for ritual/cosmic making.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer is ‘hitaḥ sakhā’—appointed as friend/ally of the supreme divine for sukṛti (right-working). The bond is functional and intimate: the rishi becomes an instrument and collaborator for the deity’s effective ordering of the worlds.
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