Rig Veda 10.39.6: Mandala 10, Sukta 39, Mantra 6
Sukta 10.39
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
इयं वामह्वे शृणुतं मे अश्विना पुत्रायेव पितरा मह्यं शिक्षतम् । अनापिरज्ञा असजात्यामतिः पुरा तस्या अभिशस्तेरव स्पृतम् ॥
iyáṃ vām áhve śṛṇutáṃ me aśvinā putrā́yeva pitarā́ máhyaṃ śíkṣatam | anā́pir ájñā asajātyā́ ámatiḥ purā́ tásyā abhi-śástēr áva spṛtam ||
ഇതാണ് എന്റെ ആഹ്വാനം—എന്നെ കേൾക്കുക, ഹേ അശ്വിന്മാരേ; പുത്രനോട് പിതാക്കന്മാർപോലെ എന്നെ പഠിപ്പിക്കുകയും പോഷിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുക. ആശ്രയമില്ലാത്ത അജ്ഞാനം, അയോഗ്യബന്ധത്തിന്റെ ഭ്രമം, ദീർഘകാലമായി എന്നെ മൂടിയിരിക്കുന്നു; അതിന്റെ ശത്രുതാഭരിതമായ പീഡയിൽ നിന്ന് എന്നെ താഴെയിൽ നിന്നുപോലും വലിച്ചെടുത്തു പുറത്താക്കുക.
Word by Word
- इयम्
- this (hymn/prayer)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्य-विषयः) / अधिकरण-प्रायः (इयं स्तुतिः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाम्
- you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (वेदे बहुधा ‘वाम्’ = ‘you two’ as enclitic)Role सम्प्रदान (आह्वानस्य लक्ष्यः) / कर्म (आह्वये)Root युष्मद् (द्विवचन-प्रातिपदिक)
- आह्वे
- I invokeVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (आह्वे = ‘I call/invoke’)Role क्रियाRoot √ह्वे/√ह्वा (आह्वान)
- शृणुतम्
- hear (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole क्रियाRoot √श्रु
- मे
- my / to mePronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध (मम) / सम्प्रदान (मे = ‘to me’ प्रसङ्गे)Root अस्मद्
- अश्विना
- O AśvinsNoun (proper)सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (हे अश्विनौ)Role सम्बोधनRoot अश्विन् (देवनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुत्राय
- to a sonNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot पुत्र
- इव
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot इव
- पितरा
- O two fathersNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (हे पितरौ)Role सम्बोधन (अश्विनोः उपमानम्)Root पितृ
- मह्यम्
- to mePronounचतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद्
- शिक्षतम्
- teach / instruct (you two)!Verbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole क्रियाRoot √शिक्ष्
- अनापिः
- helpless, unassistedAdjectiveपुं/स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन (विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (अग्रेसरः पदसमूहः)Root अनापि (न- + आपि/आप्-सम्बद्ध प्रातिपदिक; ‘without help/without protector’)
- अज्ञाः
- unknowing, ignorantAdjectiveपुं/स्त्री, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वेदे -आः प्रथमा-एकवचनः अपि दृश्यते)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot अज्ञ (न- + √ज्ञा)
- असजात्यामतिः
- a thought not born of right kinship / misguided intentNoun (abstract) / Adjective-likeस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (पूर्वपदत्रयस्य मुख्यः)Root असजाति + मति (√मन्) (समासः: अस-जात्या-मतिः)
- पुरा
- formerly, beforeIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole अधिकरण (काल)Root पुरा
- तस्याः
- of her/thatPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot तद्
- अभिशस्तेः
- of the accusation/curseNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole अपादान-सम्बन्ध (यस्याः/यतः)Root अभिशस्ति (अभि-√शंस्)
- अव
- down, awayIndeclinable (preverb) / particleउपसर्ग/निपातRoot अव
- स्पृतम्
- rescued, deliveredVerb (past passive participle)कृत्-प्रत्यय (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मणि/भावे)Role कर्म (उद्धृतम्/विमोचितम्)Root √स्पृ (वेद. ‘to save/deliver’ also ‘to touch’ contextually ‘rescue’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: इयम् वाम् आह्वे | शृणुतम् मे अश्विना | पुत्राय इव पितरा | मह्यम् शिक्षतम् | अनापिः अज्ञाः असजात्यामतिः | पुरा तस्याः अभिशस्तेः अव स्पृतम् || Notable: ‘अश्विना’ is vocative dual (Aśvinau). ‘वाम्’ is enclitic dual ‘you two’ (often functioning as object of invocation). ‘असजात्यामतिः’ is a compound
- internal sandhi retained. Final ‘अव’ is a preverb with the participle ‘स्पृतम्’
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet calls the Aśvins to hear him and to teach and foster him like two fathers a son. He asks rescue from long-standing ignorance and hostile affliction.
Inner meaning
A direct personal surrender: the seeker asks the Twin Helpers to educate (śikṣatam) the being—mind and life—like compassionate fathers. The affliction is anāpiḥ ajñā: unsupported ignorance; and asajātyā amatiḥ: a ‘wrong-belonging’ confusion, thoughts that do not align with one’s true kind (sajātīya) or inner truth. This has long oppressed the seeker; he asks to be pulled down-and-out from its abhiśasti (hostile assault)—a decisive extraction from the grip of false formations.
Universal truth
Transformation requires both instruction and protection: when the soul admits its misalignment and calls sincerely, higher powers intervene to re-parent the nature into right knowledge and belonging.
Themes
supplication, guidance, deliverance, inner-education
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.39.2-5 (same hymn: mind/speech strengthening, healing, renewal, faith)
Significance
This verse is a quintessential psychological prayer: the Vedic gods are not distant nature-powers but intimate educators and rescuers of the inner life, aligning closely with Sri Aurobindo’s ‘yoga of the Rig Veda’.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins (Nāsatyā)
- Epithets
- Aśvinā, Nāsatyā, Pitarā iva (as fathers—functional epithet here), Bhiṣajā (implied by rescue/healing)
- Related deities
- Agni (inner guide), Sarasvatī (right inspiration/speech), Indra (illumination that breaks cover)
Cosmic role
Guardians of transitions who also instruct: they lead from ignorance to right understanding and from affliction to safety.
Inner power
Formative guidance plus swift extraction from adverse formations; they restore ‘support’ (āpi) to consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Personal supplication within Aśvin hymn; could be used in healing/protection contexts
इ॒यं वा॑मह्वे शृणु॒तं मे॑ अश्विना पु॒त्राये॑व पि॒तरा॒ मह्यं॑ शिक्षतम् । अना॑पि॒रज्ञा॑ असजा॒त्याम॑तिः पु॒रा तस्या॑ अ॒भिश॑स्ते॒रव॑ स्पृतम् ॥
इ॒यम् । वा॒म् । अह्वे । शृ॒णु॒तम् । मे॒ । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । पु॒त्राय॑ऽइव । पि॒तरा॑ । मह्य॑म् । शि॒क्ष॒त॒म् । अना॑पिः । अज्ञाः॑ । अ॒स॒जा॒त्या । अम॑तिः । पु॒रा । तस्याः॑ । अ॒भिऽश॑स्तेः । अव॑ । स्पृ॒त॒म् ॥
iyam | vām | ahve | śṛṇutam | me | aśvinā | putrāya-iva | pitarā | mahyam | śikṣatam | anāpiḥ | ajñāḥ | asajātyā | amatiḥ | purā | tasyāḥ | abhi-śasteḥ | ava | spṛtam
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4 × 11 (probable)
Supplicatory yet strong; the cadence carries both intimacy (father-son) and urgency (rescue).
Opens the heart to guidance; gives a sense of being ‘heard’ and held while cutting through confusion.
- अह्वे (ahve)
- Literal: I call. Symbolic: act of aspiration; invocation that opens the being
- शृणुतम् (śṛṇutam)
- Literal: hear. Symbolic: divine receptivity responding to sincere inner call
- शिक्षतम् (śikṣatam)
- Literal: teach, train. Symbolic: guided formation of mind-life in right movement
- पुत्राय इव पितरा (putrāyeva pitarā)
- Literal: like fathers to a son. Symbolic: protective, formative grace; re-parenting of the nature
- अना॑पिः अज्ञाः (anāpiḥ ajñāḥ)
- Literal: unsupported ignorance. Symbolic: ignorance lacking inner foundation; loss of psychic support
- असजात्या अमतिः (asajātyā amatiḥ)
- Literal: not-of-one’s-kind wrong thought. Symbolic: misaligned mentality; foreign formations, false identifications
- अभिशस्ति (abhiśasti)
- Literal: hostile imprecation/assault. Symbolic: attacking forces of doubt, fear, inertia, or adverse suggestion
- अव स्पृतम् (ava spṛtam)
- Literal: pull down/out, rescue away. Symbolic: decisive liberation from a gripping lower condition
Supplication for guidance and deliverance; pedagogic invocation (Aśvins as nurturing guardians).
At dawn or before undertaking a journey/transition; also during distress or confusion
Āhvāna (invocation) and yācñā (request) for teaching and rescue
A mantra for seekers facing persistent confusion, lack of inner support, or adverse mental patterns; suitable before study/meditation as a prayer for right guidance.
śikṣatam: from √śikṣ ‘learn/teach, train’. ajñā: a- + √jñā ‘know’ → ignorance. amati: a- + mati ‘thought’ (from √man) → wrong-thinking. abhi-śasti: ‘hostile pronouncement/curse/affliction’. spṛtam: from √spṛ ‘save/rescue’ (Vedic usage).
avidyā (ajñā) as obstacle, right formation/discipline (śikṣā), deliverance from hostile forces (abhiśasti)
asajātyā amatiḥ is ‘out of ṛta’—mis-belonging; rescue is restoration to right order and one’s true law of being.
Truth here is sincerity plus right identity: thoughts must belong to the soul’s truth, not to foreign formations.
Re-formation of the person through divine instruction—new creation of the mental-vital being.
Early yogic psychology; anticipates Upaniṣadic concern with avidyā and guidance to vidyā.
dawn
Dawn = awakening from ignorance; journey = progress of sadhana; rescue = emergence from lower subconscious grips.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Not a heroic rescue tale but the parental-guardian myth: the Aśvins as two fathers who teach and save. Inner action: replacing long-standing confusion (amati) and ignorance (ajñā) with right formation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The opposition jñā/ajñā (know/not-know) reflects the inherited centrality of ‘knowing’ as power. The root √jñā is strongly Indo-European (cf. Greek gignōskō, Latin (g)nōscō).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The relationship is explicitly pedagogical and filial: the human asks for training (śikṣ) and rescue, implying sustained guidance rather than a single boon; the gods are invoked as intimate guardians of the soul’s growth.
Sincere invocation for guidance; identify and release misaligned thought-patterns; receive inner ‘parenting’ from higher consciousness.
ājñā (clarity) and anāhata (trust/surrender)
On inhale: ‘śṛṇutam’ (receive); on exhale: ‘ava spṛtam’ (release). 12 cycles, then silent listening.
From disoriented mind to receptive, guided awareness; the beginning of inner realignment.
Before chanting, name the specific ‘asajātyā amati’—the thought-pattern that feels foreign to your deeper truth. Chant, then sit 3–5 minutes in stillness, allowing a new, quieter directive to arise without forcing.
Rigvedic accenting per Śākala (exact svara requires accented saṃhitā).
Make ‘śṛṇutam me’ intimate and slightly softer; give clear emphasis to ‘śikṣatam’ and ‘ava spṛtam’ to mark guidance and rescue.
‘putrāyeva’—keep the sandhi glide (eva) clear; avoid breaking into ‘putrā-ye-va’., ‘asajātyā’—long ā; keep ‘jā’ lengthened; articulate ‘tyā’ cleanly., ‘abhiśasteḥ’—ś then dental t; keep visarga/ḥ light if present in your recension.
Soft, prayerful, inward; end with a gentle taper into silence.
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