Rig Veda 3.55.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 55, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.55
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
मो षू णो अत्र जुहुरन्त देवा मा पूर्वे अग्ने पितरः पदज्ञाः । पुराण्योः सद्मनोः केतुरन्तर्महद्देवानामसुरत्वमेकम् ॥
mó ṣū́ no átra juhuranta devā́ mā́ pū́rve agne pítaraḥ pada-jñā́ḥ | purāṇyóḥ sádmanoḥ ketúr antár mahád devā́nām asura-tvám ékam ||
ഇവിടെ ദേവന്മാർ ഞങ്ങളെ തള്ളിക്കളയരുതേ; ഹേ അഗ്നേ, പഥജ്ഞരായ മുൻ പിതാക്കന്മാരും ഞങ്ങളെ നിരസിക്കരുതേ. രണ്ടു പുരാതന വാസസ്ഥലങ്ങളുടെ ഉള്ളിൽ കേതു (ദീപചിഹ്നം) സ്ഥാപിതമാണ്—ദേവന്മാരുടെ ഏകമായ മഹത്തായ അസുരത്വം.
Word by Word
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle)Root मा
- षु
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/enclitic particle)Root षु
- नः
- to us / of usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन (enclitic ‘naḥ’: gen./dat. pl.; here best as dative ‘to us’)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- अत्र
- hereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अत्र
- जुहुरन्त
- they have offered / have poured (oblations)Verbलिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root हु
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle)Root मा
- पूर्वे
- the former/earlier onesAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot पूर्व
- अग्ने
- O AgniNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot अग्नि
- पितरः
- the Fathers (ancestors)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot पितृ
- पदज्ञाः
- knowers of the path/trackAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (apposition to पितरः)Root पदज्ञ
- पुराण्योः
- of the two ancient (ones)Adjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी द्विवचन (dual oblique; here best as genitive ‘of the two ancient (abodes)’)Role SambandhaRoot पुराण्य
- सद्मनोः
- of the two seats/dwellingsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी, द्विवचन (dual oblique; here best as genitive ‘of the two seats/dwellings’)Role SambandhaRoot सद्मन्
- केतुः
- the banner/sign; light, markNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot केतु
- अन्तः
- withinIndeclinableअव्यय (preverb/adverb)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अन्तः
- महत्
- greatAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with असुरत्वम्)Role ViśeṣaṇaRoot महत्
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole SambandhaRoot देव
- असुरत्वम्
- lordship, asura-powerNoun (abstract)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (with implied ‘is/was’)Root असुरत्व
- एकम्
- one, singleAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with असुरत्वम्)Role ViśeṣaṇaRoot एक
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved Vedic sandhi/phonetics: (1) मो → मा + उ (here written with enclitic particle) analyzed as मा + षु (Vedic particle; orthography shows mo ṣū). (2) णो॒ → नः (enclitic gen./dat. pl. of अस्मद्; Vedic spelling with retroflexion). (3) दे॒वाना॑मसुर॒त्वमेक॑म् → देवानाम् + असुरत्वम् + एकम् (m-final before vowel). (4) पुरा॒ण्योः सद्म॑नोः kept as dual oblique forms
- no further internal sandhi required. (5) के॒तुर॒न्तर् → केतुः + अन्तः (visarga before vowel; RV often shows r-like sandhi)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A plea: may the gods not cast us away here; may the former Fathers, knowers of the path, not reject us, O Agni. Within the two ancient dwellings the beacon is set—the one vast asura-might of the gods.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks not to be ‘thrown away’—not to fall from the field of the sacrifice, i.e., not to lose the connection with the divine working. The ‘former Fathers’ are the ancestral realizers—previous attainments and guiding inner presences (and also the tradition of realized consciousness) who know the path (padajñāḥ). Agni is invoked as the guardian of continuity: keep us in the line of ascent. ‘The two ancient dwellings’ can be read psychologically as the dual foundations of our embodied existence—mind and life, or heaven and earth within us (higher and lower stations). Within them is set the ‘ketu’—the beacon, the discerning light that guides. That guiding light is ultimately the same ‘mahad… asuratvam ekam’: the one vast sovereign divine power present within the polarities, establishing the path and preventing the fall.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on continuity: staying within the field of truth-work, supported by the realized tradition, guided by an inner beacon set between life’s polarities, leading to the One sovereign Reality.
Themes
continuity of tradition, non-rejection, guiding light, one behind many
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina (Kauśika lineage in later tradition)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.18, RV 3.23, RV 3.55, RV 3.62
Family tradition
The Viśvāmitra tradition emphasizes the guarded path and the necessity of right guidance (Agni) and continuity with the ‘fathers’—previous realizations and the line of seers.
Significance
The rishi frames yoga as a lineage-continuum: the fathers who know the path and Agni who keeps the flame ensure that the seeker is not rejected by the divine order.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (guardian of the path); Devāḥ; Pitaraḥ (path-knowers)
- Epithets
- Agni—path-maker (implicit), Ketu (beacon-sign, as inner light), Purāṇa (ancient, implied through dwellings)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (illumination), Ādityas (law/guardianship), Indra (victory on the path)
Cosmic role
Agni maintains the sacrificial connection; the gods are the operating truth-powers; the Fathers represent the established routes of ascent; the beacon is the cosmic sign of guidance set within existence.
Inner power
Protective discernment and continuity—an inner flame that keeps one aligned with the path and prevents relapse into obscurity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective appeal within a Viśve-devāḥ/Agni hymn sequence; suitable when seeking acceptance and continuity in rite.
मो षू णो॒ अत्र॑ जुहुरन्त दे॒वा मा पूर्वे॑ अग्ने पि॒तर॑: पद॒ज्ञाः । पु॒रा॒ण्योः सद्म॑नोः के॒तुर॒न्तर्म॒हद्दे॒वाना॑मसुर॒त्वमेक॑म् ॥
मो इति॑ । सु । नः॒ । अत्र॑ । जु॒हु॒र॒न्त॒ । दे॒वाः । मा । पूर्वे॑ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । पि॒तरः॑ । प॒द॒ऽज्ञाः । पु॒रा॒ण्योः । सद्म॑नोः । के॒तुः । अ॒न्तः । म॒हत् । दे॒वाना॑म् । अ॒सु॒र॒ऽत्वम् । एक॑म् ॥
mo iti | su | naḥ | atra | juhuranta | devāḥ | mā | pūrve | agne | pitaraḥ | pada-jñāḥ | purāṇyoḥ | sadmanoḥ | ketuḥ | antaḥ | mahat | devānām | asura-tvam | ekam
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Protective and pleading at first, then declarative; the final ‘asuratvam ekam’ seals the verse with authority.
Creates a sense of being ‘kept on the path’; steadies faith and invokes inner guidance.
- मो षू (mo ṣū)
- Literal: do not indeed. Symbolic: urgent prohibition against inner fall or exclusion
- जुहुरन्त (juhuranta)
- Literal: cast away, reject. Symbolic: loss of divine support; being thrown out of the yogic movement
- पितरः (pitaraḥ)
- Literal: fathers, ancestors. Symbolic: former realizers; established inner attainments and guiding presences
- पदज्ञाः (padajñāḥ)
- Literal: knowers of the step/path. Symbolic: those who know the stations of consciousness; guides of the inner journey
- पुराण्योः सद्मनोः (purāṇyoḥ sadmanoḥ)
- Literal: within the two ancient dwellings. Symbolic: two foundational planes/polarities (e.g., mind & life; heaven & earth within)
- केतुः (ketuḥ)
- Literal: banner, beacon, light-sign. Symbolic: inner guiding light; discerning signal of truth
- अन्तः (antaḥ)
- Literal: within. Symbolic: immanent guidance; the light placed inside, not external
- असुरत्वम् एकम् (asuratvam ekam)
- Literal: one asura-might. Symbolic: single sovereign divine power governing and guiding
Protective/adhvaryu-style plea not to be excluded from the sacrificial path; also inwardly, not to fall away from the lineage of realization.
When invoking ancestral and divine support—e.g., during offerings recalling ṛṣis/pitṛs, or when re-establishing a broken practice/rite.
Prayer of non-exclusion (anapavāda) and guidance; inner ritual: rekindling commitment to the path.
Use when restarting meditation after lapse or during doubt: ‘do not cast me away’—reconnect to lineage, teachers, and inner flame.
: from √hṛ/√hur ‘to take away, remove’ with intensive/iterative; Vedic sense ‘drive off/reject’. : ‘father’ (PIE *ph₂tḗr). : ‘sign, banner’ possibly from √cit ‘to perceive’ (semantic of noticing/mark). : pada ‘step’ + √jñā ‘know’ (PIE *ǵneh₃-).
ancestral transmission (pitaraḥ), path/steps (pada), unity of sovereignty (asuratvam ekam)
Pitaraḥ as ‘padajñāḥ’ implies established ṛta-pathways; the prayer seeks not to fall out of ṛta’s movement.
The beacon (ketu) is the sign of satya discernment placed within the dualities.
The One sets its sign within the two dwellings—guidance embedded in manifested existence.
Proto-Upaniṣadic: unity (ekam) immanent within polarities; guidance as inner light rather than external command.
Beacon/fire = inner discernment; dwellings = stable planes of embodied life; fathers = accumulated evolutionary attainments; not being cast away = maintaining continuity of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘initiation/acceptance’ mythologem: the seeker asks not to be cast out by gods or fathers (ancestral knowers of the path). A guiding ketu (beacon) stands within the primordial abodes, indicating the ever-present sovereign unity sustaining the tradition.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pitaraḥ is direct PIE (*ph₂tḗr). The compound pada-jñāḥ shows an inherited poetic technique of forming kenning-like compounds to encode mythic roles (‘knowers of the steps’), comparable to other IE formulaic diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi appeals for inclusion and continuity: Agni mediates access, the gods authorize, and the Fathers represent an achieved lineage. The devatā relationship is guardianship of initiation into the one sovereign truth.
Invoke inner acceptance and guidance; feel the ‘beacon’ between the two poles of experience (higher aspiration and lower habit) and let it orient you.
Ajñā (ketu/discernment) supported by Hṛdaya/Anāhata (belonging, faith)
Soft inhale ‘receive’; soft exhale ‘release rejection’; pause briefly sensing the beacon within.
Humble receptivity turning into guided steadiness.
Repeat the first half as a sincere request for re-entry into the practice; then contemplate the ‘ketu’ as a steady inner sign—let decisions and movements align to it; end by resting in the One Vast behind all helpers.
Keep the prohibitive plea ‘mo ṣū’ clear and urgent; maintain steady Triṣṭubh; conclude with firm, low-centered resonance on ‘asuratvam ekam’.
Pause after ‘devāḥ’ and after ‘padajñāḥ’; let ‘ketur antar’ be slightly highlighted as the pivot.
mo ṣū: long ū; do not shorten., juhuranta: aspirate h; keep -r- light., padajñāḥ: pronounce jñ as ‘gñy/gy’ depending on tradition; keep long āḥ., purāṇyoḥ: long ā; yoḥ ending clean., ketuḥ: clear t; light visarga.
Supplicatory at first, then steady and assuring; avoid harshness.
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