Rig Veda 2.30.1: Mandala 2, Sukta 30, Mantra 1
Sukta 2.30
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Āpaḥ, with Savitṛ and Indra invoked
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
ऋतं देवाय कृण्वते सवित्र इन्द्रायाहिघ्ने न रमन्त आपः । अहरहर्यात्यक्तुरपां कियात्या प्रथमः सर्ग आसाम् ॥
ṛtáṃ devā́ya kṛṇvaté savitré índrāyāhíghne ná ramante ā́paḥ | áhar-ahar yāty aktúr apā́ṃ kíyaty ā́ prathamáḥ sárga āsām ||
ഋതം രൂപപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന ദേവൻ സവിതൃയിൽയും വൃത്രഹൻ ഇന്ദ്രനിൽയും ജലങ്ങൾ ആനന്ദിക്കുന്നു; അവ ദിനംപ്രതി സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നു. രാത്രിയിലും ജലങ്ങളുടെ അളവ്-പരിധി മുന്നേറുന്നു—ഇതാണ് അവയുടെ ആദ്യ സ്രവം (സർഗം).
Word by Word
- ऋतम्
- cosmic order; truth (as object)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक) < √ऋ (गतौ/ऋच्छति) (निरुक्त-परम्परा) अथवा PIE *h₂er- (to fit, order)
- देवाय
- for the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृण्वते
- (he) makes; is makingVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, तृतीया पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रियापद)Root √कृ (करणे)
- सवित्रे
- for SavitṛNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: -त्रे)Role सम्प्रदानRoot सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; hitherIndeclinableउपसर्ग (आ-)Role (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अहि-घ्ने
- O serpent-slayerNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (वेदिक)Role सम्बोधनRoot अहि-घ्न (प्रातिपदिक: अहि ‘serpent’ + घ्न ‘slayer’ < √हन्)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRole (निषेधक)Root न (अव्यय)
- रमन्ते
- they delight; they restVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, तृतीया पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रियापद)Root √रम् (क्रीडायाम्/रमणे)
- आपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वेदे बहुवचन-प्राधान्य), प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहर्-अहर्
- day by dayIndeclinable (reduplicated adverbial) / Noun-compound used adverbiallyअव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणRole अधिकरण (काल)Root अहर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- याति
- goesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, तृतीया पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रियापद)Root √या (गतौ)
- अक्तुः
- of the nightNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अक्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपाम्
- of the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- किया-त्या
- by (their) activity/ordered motionNoun (abstract/instrumental)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole करणRoot किया-त्य (प्रातिपदिक; वेदिक/दुर्लभ, ‘कार्य/कृत्य/किय’ से सम्बन्धित; अर्थ: क्रिया/गति/व्यवस्था-सम्बन्धी)
- प्रथमः
- the firstAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषण)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- सर्गः
- the outflow; emission; courseNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) < √सृज् (सर्गे/विसर्जने)
- आसाम्
- of these (f.) / of them (the waters)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एषाम्/आसाम् (वेदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठ-समाधान (मुख्य): इन्द्रा॑याहि॒घ्ने → इन्द्राय + आ + अहिघ्ने (आ- उपसर्ग/अव्यय ‘हither’ + सम्बोधन ‘अहिघ्ने’)
- अहरहर्यात्य॒क्तुर॒पां → अहर्-अहर् + याति + अक्तुः + अपाम्
- किया॒त्या प्र॑थ॒मः → किया-त्या + प्रथमः
- शेष पदानि प्रायः असन्धित/पदपाठानुसार।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The waters rejoice in Savitṛ who fashions ṛta and in Indra who slays the serpent/constrictor. Day by day they move; even at night the measure of the waters advances—this is their first outpouring.
Inner meaning
Āpaḥ (waters) are the flowing energies of consciousness—streams of clarity, life, and delight that carry the workings of transformation. Savitṛ is the impeller who ‘makes ṛta’—establishes right rhythm and true arrangement in the being. Indra is the illumined mind-force that slays the constrictor (ahi/Vṛtra-like resistance): the coiling obstruction that holds back the flow. When Savitṛ sets the right law and Indra breaks the blockage, the inner waters ‘take delight’ and begin their first sarga—primary outpouring of awakened energies. ‘Day by day’ and ‘in night’ indicates continuity: the yoga’s flow proceeds in waking and in subconscious states; even in the ‘night’ of ignorance, the measure (kiyati) of the waters advances when the higher powers are active.
Universal truth
Right order and illumination together release the life-streams of growth. When obstruction is broken and rhythm is established, transformation becomes continuous—working through both conscious and unconscious layers.
Themes
waters as life-force, cosmic rhythm, ṛta establishment, Indra as remover of constriction, Savitṛ as impeller
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava) (attribution should be verified against full Anukramaṇī for this sūkta)
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.12 (Indra praise, thematic), RV 1.35 (Savitṛ, thematic parallel though different rishi), RV 1.32 (Indra-Vṛtra, thematic)
Family tradition
Mandala 2 largely Bhārgava; themes include impelling powers (Savitṛ), Indra’s victory over obstruction, and the flow of waters as release of energies.
Significance
Connects three key inner agencies: right rhythm (Savitṛ/ṛta), illumination-force (Indra), and liberated flow (āpaḥ)—a compact psychology of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Āpaḥ (Waters), with Savitṛ and Indra invoked
- Epithets
- śucayaḥ (pure, implied), ramantāḥ (delighting ones, by sense)
- Related deities
- Soma (as bliss-liquid, allied symbolism), Agni (as leader of inner sacrifice), Varuṇa (as lord of waters/order)
Cosmic role
Waters as carriers of life and purification; Savitṛ as cosmic impeller establishing ṛta; Indra as breaker of obstruction enabling the flow.
Inner power
Waters: renewal and plastic flow; Savitṛ: right impulsion and rhythm; Indra: luminous force that conquers resistance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Water-related recitations and praises; also Indra-focused rites against obstruction; Savitṛ invocations for right impulse (broad śrauta usage).
ऋ॒तं दे॒वाय॑ कृण्व॒ते स॑वि॒त्र इन्द्रा॑याहि॒घ्ने न र॑मन्त॒ आप॑: । अह॑रहर्यात्य॒क्तुर॒पां किया॒त्या प्र॑थ॒मः सर्ग॑ आसाम् ॥
ऋ॒तम् । दे॒वाय॑ । कृ॒ण्व॒ते । स॒वि॒त्रे । इन्द्रा॑य । अ॒हि॒ऽघ्ने । न । र॒म॒न्ते॒ । आपः॑ । अहः॑ऽअहः । या॒ति॒ । अ॒क्तुः । अ॒पाम् । किय॑ति । आ । प्र॒थ॒मः । सर्गः॑ । आ॒सा॒म् ॥
ṛtam | devāya | kṛṇvate | savitre | indrāya | ahi-ghne | na | ramante | āpaḥ | ahaḥ-ahaḥ | yāti | aktuḥ | apām | kiyati | ā | prathamaḥ | sargaḥ | āsām
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Kinetic and streaming; well-suited to describing ongoing movement (day/night flow).
Induces a sense of continuous forward motion and cleansing flow; energizes the will to persist daily.
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: streams of consciousness-energy; renewal, clarity, delight
- सवितृ (savitṛ)
- Literal: the impeller (solar deity). Symbolic: divine impulsion that arranges and sets right rhythm (ṛta) in the being
- ऋत (ṛta)
- Literal: truth-order. Symbolic: right law and rhythm of inner movement
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine mind of illumination; force that breaks resistance
- अहिघ्न (ahighna)
- Literal: slayer of the serpent. Symbolic: destroyer of constricting resistance (Vṛtra principle)
- न रमन्ते (na ramante)
- Literal: they rejoice/take delight (in). Symbolic: energies become glad and cooperative when aligned with truth and light
- अहर्-अहः (ahar-ahaḥ)
- Literal: day by day. Symbolic: progressive, steady daily ascent
- अक्तुः (aktuḥ)
- Literal: of the night. Symbolic: subconscient/inconscient layer where work continues
- कियति (kiyati)
- Literal: measure, extent, step. Symbolic: regulated advance; gradual integration
- प्रथमः सर्गः (prathamaḥ sargaḥ)
- Literal: first outpouring/creation. Symbolic: initial release of inner flow after obstruction breaks
Water-related recitations (āpyā rites), purification and flow symbolism in Soma ritual contexts; supports the establishment of ṛta through Savitṛ’s impulsion and Indra’s removal of obstruction.
During rites involving libations, purification, and invocations of impulse/illumination; also as a contemplative verse on the ceaseless movement of waters.
Recitation accompanying offerings/libations; mental offering of one’s energies into ṛta.
Morning practice for setting right rhythm (Savitṛ) and breaking inertia (Indra); use as a ‘flow’ mantra to restore continuity after blockage.
ṛtá from √ar/√ṛ ‘to fit, move rightly’ → cosmic order and right rhythm. Savitṛ from √sū/√su ‘to impel, enliven’ (the awakener who sets motions). Indra ahi-ghna: ahi ‘serpent’ (constrictor) + ghna from √han ‘slay’ → breaker of obstruction. āpaḥ ‘waters’ are both physical and symbolic: currents of life, clarity, and inspired flow. sárga from √sṛj ‘release, emit’ → first outpouring/emanation.
Ṛta (order/rhythm), emanation/outpouring (sarga), removal of obstruction (ahi-ghna)
Explicit: Savitṛ fashions ṛta; waters delight in that established order.
Truth as lawful measure (kiyati) that advances even through night—steadily integrating subconscious layers.
‘First outpouring’ suggests a cosmogonic motif: ordered impulse + victory over obstruction releases the primordial flow.
Vedic psychological cosmology: creation as release of consciousness-forces; integral-yogic continuity through waking and sleep layers.
day and night explicitly
Waters = flowing consciousness; day = waking clarity; night = subconscient processing; sun = impelling truth-rhythm; Indra’s strike = breakthrough insight.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the released flow of the waters under the governance of ṛta: Savitṛ impels the right order, Indra slays the constrictor (ahi) that blocks the currents, and the waters pour forth in rhythmic continuity through day and night—an outer cosmology mirroring inner release of life-force and clarity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Indra’s epithet ghna- from √han ‘slay’ relates to PIE *gʷhen- ‘strike, kill’ (cf. Greek phénō ‘slay’ in the same root family). The day-by-day formula (áhar-ahar) is an archaic reduplicative temporal idiom. The water motif as a life-bearing cosmic principle is widespread in IE poetics though especially developed in Indo-Iranian.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi reads the cosmos as a manual for inner order: by aligning with Savitṛ’s impulsion toward ṛta and invoking Indra’s power to break constriction, the seeker participates in the waters’ ‘first outpouring’—a continuous renewal of the life-currents that support truth-consciousness.
Establish right rhythm (ṛta) through Savitṛ; invoke Indra to break inner constriction; allow the waters of consciousness to flow steadily through all states.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/flow) and Ājñā (Indra illumination).
‘Flow breathing’: smooth, unbroken inhale/exhale; on inhale feel Savitṛ’s ordering light; on exhale feel Indra’s breakthrough releasing a stream downward through the body.
From blocked/inert to lucid, flowing continuity; trust in subconscious integration during ‘night’.
Begin day with this mantra to set rhythm; if stuck, add a brief visualization of Indra’s vajra breaking a knot; before sleep, repeat softly to invite night-work and measured advance.
Tri-svara; emphasize udātta on ‘ṛtám’, ‘savitṛ’, ‘índrāya’, and ‘ahíghne’ according to śākhā accentuation.
Keep the flow: link ‘ahar-ahar yāti’ smoothly; mark a gentle pause after ‘āpaḥ’ in pāda 1; let pāda 3–4 feel like continuous streaming.
ṛtaṃ: vocalic ṛ; anusvāra before ‘d’ in devāya may assimilate by tradition, savitṛ: final ṛ vocalic; avoid ‘savitar’ with a hard ‘r’, ahighne: pronounce hi-ghne with clear aspirate gh, kiyati: light ‘ki-ya-ti’, do not over-stress
bright, flowing, clear articulation
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