Rig Veda 5.57.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 57, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.57
वातत्विषो मरुतो वर्षनिर्णिजो यमा इव सुसदृशः सुपेशसः । पिशङ्गाश्वा अरुणाश्वा अरेपसः प्रत्वक्षसो महिना द्यौरिवोरवः ॥
vā́ta-tviṣo marúto várṣa-nirnijo yamā́ iva súsadṛśaḥ supéśasaḥ | piśáṅgāśvā aruṇā́śvā arepásaḥ prátvakṣaso mahinā́ dyáur ivóravaḥ ||
വാതത്തിന്റെ തേജസ്സാൽ ദീപ്തരായ മരുതന്മാർ, മഴയുടെ ആവരണം ധരിച്ചവർ; യമജരെപ്പോലെ—സമരൂപരും സുന്ദരവുമാണ്. മഞ്ഞനിറക്കുതിരകളുള്ളവർ, അരുണക്കുതിരകളുള്ളവർ, ദോഷരഹിതർ, ദൃഢാംഗങ്ങൾ ഉള്ളവർ—മഹിമയാൽ അവർ ദ്യാവിനെപ്പോലെ വിശാലനാദമുള്ളവർ.
Praise-invocation (stuti) to establish the Maruts’ epithets before requesting help; used as descriptive reinforcement during Soma offerings where Maruts are invited as allies of Indra/Agni.
Bṛhat/vastness (uru, dyauḥ-iva), harmonized duality (yamā iva) as integrated powers, purity of force (arepas)
Their twin-like harmony and beautiful form reflect Ṛta as proportion and right rhythm.
The ‘wide voice’ suggests truth-vibration: Satya is expansive, not cramped or distorted.
Wind and rain as creative agencies: movement plus descent produces growth and renewal in the worlds.
Yogic aesthetics of force: shakti becomes supeśas (well-formed) and uravaḥ (vast), aligning prana with higher mind.
rainy season imagery (monsoon-like)
Wind = prana; rain = descending peace/knowledge; tawny/ruddy horses = energized life-force; wide voice = expansive mantra resonance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The storm-host as radiant, rain-clad warriors with divine steeds—an epiphanic catalog of attributes. Innerly, it encodes the descent of purified, beautifully ordered energies that arrive as wind-impulse and rain-outpouring to widen the consciousness (‘dyauḥ-iva uravaḥ’).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Wind/blowing vocabulary centers on √ (vā) with broad IE parallels (cf. English wind via Germanic; Latin ventus from *h₂weh₁-). The ‘yoking/steeds’ register (aśva) sits in a common IE poetic system of divine chariots; though aśva is Indo-Iranian (*aćwa-), it aligns with PIE *h₁éḱwos (Latin equus).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi first stabilizes right perception: he names the Maruts’ qualities (beauty, purity, vastness) so the human mind can consent to their entry without distortion. The hymn thus functions as a cognitive-ritual ‘recognition’ enabling the powers to act as harmonized twins rather than chaotic storm.
Refine breath-energy into a wide, sky-like resonance; invite a gentle ‘rain’ of calm clarity to descend through the body.
Anāhata (expansion) and Viśuddha (voice/resonance)
Slow diaphragmatic breathing; on exhale, hum lightly after chanting to feel ‘uravaḥ’ (wide voice) spreading in the chest and head.
Vast, harmonious pranic poise; luminous calm.
Chant 9 times at a steady pace; after each, pause one breath and feel (1) wind as clean movement, (2) rain as soothing descent, (3) voice as widening space.
Keep accents faithful to the marked text; allow a gentle udatta lift on descriptive epithets, with smooth svarita falls to preserve the ‘harmonious twin’ feel.
Even, spacious phrasing; avoid clipping long compounds (vātatviṣo, varṣanirṇijo).
vātatviṣo: articulate tv properly (not ‘tavi’)., varṣa: retroflex ṣ; keep it crisp., arepasāḥ: pronounce as a-re-pa-saḥ, not ‘aree-pas’., uravaḥ: short u, clear r, open a.
Open-throated, spacious, with soft resonance; prioritize wideness over volume.
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