Rig Veda 2.23.16: Mandala 2, Sukta 23, Mantra 16
Sukta 2.23
मा नः स्तेनेभ्यो ये अभि द्रुहस्पदे निरामिणो रिपवोऽन्नेषु जागृधुः । आ देवानामोहते वि व्रयो हृदि बृहस्पते न परः साम्नो विदुः ॥
mā́ naḥ stenébhyo yé abhí druháspade nirāmíṇo ripávo ánneṣu jāgṛdhúḥ | ā́ devā́nām óhate ví vrayó hṛdí bṛ́haspate ná paráḥ sāmno viduḥ ||
ഞങ്ങളുടെ പദം (ആധാരം) വിരുദ്ധമായി ദ്രോഹം ആലോചിക്കുന്ന കള്ളന്മാർ—അനീരാമിണ (ചികിത്സിക്കാനാവാത്ത) ശത്രുക്കൾ, അന്നം/പോഷണം തേടി ലാലസയോടെ ജാഗരിക്കുന്നവർ—ഞങ്ങളെ സമീപിക്കാതിരിക്കട്ടെ. ഹേ ബൃഹസ്പതേ! നീ ദേവന്മാരുടെ രക്ഷാകവചം നെയ്യുന്നു; ഹൃദയത്തിലെ വ്രയോ (ആവരണം/ബന്ധനം) നീ തുറക്കുന്നു—സാമ്നിന്റെ ഗൂഢസമന്വയങ്ങൾ (രഹസ്യ സ്വരസംഗതി) നിന്നേക്കാൾ മീതെ ആരും അറിയുന്നില്ല.
Protection of the sacrifice and its ‘anna’ (offerings/sustenance); safeguarding the sāman/chant-power and inner coherence of the rite.
Heart (hṛd) as seat of inner rhythm, Sāman as harmonizing truth-speech, Theft as loss of light/energy
Bṛhaspati’s protection is the guarding of ṛta against druḥ (treachery) that derails right movement.
True harmony of the sāman is known by Bṛhaspati—speech aligned with truth becomes effective power.
Opening of inner enclosures mirrors the Vedic creation motif: light and waters released from confinement.
Proto-Vedāntic/Mantra-brahman emphasis (Word as creative and revelatory power).
The ‘cover’ is a sheath of luminous discernment; ‘enclosures’ are knots in the heart-consciousness; ‘food’ is the subtle energy of joy and strength needed for growth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘theft of sustenance/light’ by hostile powers and the divine counteraction: Bṛhaspati as weaver of divine protection and opener of inner enclosures, safeguarding the mantric harmony (sāman).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The semantic field of theft/treachery (stena, druh) parallels IE social-ethical vocabulary; ‘heart’ hṛd continues PIE *ḱḗr(d)- (cf. Latin cor). The verse juxtaposes external threat (thieves) with internal locus (hṛdi), a common IE poetic mapping.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi entrusts the stability of both rite and inner being to Bṛhaspati: he is asked to prevent predatory forces from feeding on the seeker’s ‘anna’ and to maintain the hidden knowledge of sāman within the heart.
Invoke the illumined Word as a protective intelligence; contemplate the heart-cave opening to reveal inner harmonies.
Anāhata (heart)
Nādi-śodhana or slow 1:2 breathing to stabilize and ‘seal’ the field before recitation.
Protected inwardness leading to receptive, luminous listening (śravaṇa within).
Begin with a brief inner refusal of ‘thieves’ (intrusive thoughts). Chant slowly, then sit in silence at the heart, sensing an opening and a subtle ‘music’ of right thought.
Triṣṭubh with Vedic svara: udatta peaks typically on key verbs/nouns; anudatta/svarita follow sandhi rules (requires śākhā-specific notation for exact markings).
Emphasize the prohibitive/guarding movement in the first hemistich; give clear lift to invocative ‘bṛhaspate’ and to opening verbs (vi…).
Keep retroflex ḍh in ‘viḍuḥ’ distinct from dental, ‘bṛhaspate’ with syllabic ṛ (bṛ-) not ‘bri-’, ‘druhaḥ’ with clear aspirate h, Avoid swallowing visarga in ‘ripa(vo) ’nneṣu’—maintain sandhi clarity
Firm, protective, then widening and resonant on the heart-opening phrases.
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