Rig Veda 6.62.8: Mandala 6, Sukta 62, Mantra 8
Sukta 6.62
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Collective deities: Ādityas, Vasus, Rudriyas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यद्रोदसी प्रदिवो अस्ति भूमा हेळो देवानामुत मर्त्यत्रा । तदादित्या वसवो रुद्रियासो रक्षोयुजे तपुरघं दधात ॥
yád rodasī pradívo ásti bhū́mā héḷo devā́nām utá martyá-trā́ | tád ādityā́ vasavo rudriyā́so rakṣo-yúje tápur agháṃ dadhāta ||
ഇരുലോകങ്ങളിലും പരമ ദിവത്തിലും വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന ഏതു കോപമോ കഠിനതയോ—ദേവന്മാരിൽ ആയാലും ഇവിടെ മർത്ത്യഭൂമിയിൽ ആയാലും—അപ്പോൾ ആദിത്യർ, വസുക്കൾ, രുദ്രിയർ അന്ധകാരത്തെ യോജിപ്പിക്കുന്നവർ (രക്ഷോയുജ) എതിരായി, പാപവും അഘവും (ഹാനി) ദൂരെയാക്കുന്ന ദഹനശക്തിയെ സ്ഥാപിക്കട്ടെ.
Word by Word
- यत्
- when/that whichIndeclinableसम्बन्धसूचक अव्यय (यदा/यत् = ‘यत्/यदा’)Role Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध/काल-निदर्शन)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) अथवा यद्-सम्बन्धी अव्यय
- रोदसी
- the two worlds (heaven and earth)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (लोक/विषय-परिसर: ‘in the two worlds’)Root रोदसी (प्रातिपदिक; द्विवचन-नित्य)
- प्रदिवः
- of the lofty heavenNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (वैदिक), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (सम्बन्ध: ‘of the high heaven’)Root प्रदिव् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘उच्च-द्यौः/पर-द्यौः’)
- अस्ति
- is/existsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root अस् (धातु)
- भूमा
- the vastness/expanseNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (अस्ति का कर्ता: ‘the vast expanse’)Root भूमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- हेळः
- wrath/hostilityNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (अस्ति/भवति का कर्ता: ‘wrath/hostility’)Root हेळ (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (हेळः—‘of the gods’)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and/alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे अव्ययRole (सम्बन्धक)Root उत (निपात)
- मर्त्यत्र
- among mortals / in the human realmIndeclinableसमास/निपात-योग: ‘among mortals/ in the mortal sphere’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक) + त्र (अव्यय-प्रत्यय ‘there/among’)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (दधात—‘that (evil)’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आदित्या
- O ĀdityasNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, बहुवचन (वैदिक प्रयोग)Role सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसवः
- the VasusNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (दधात का कर्ता-समूह)Root वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- रुद्रियासः
- the RudriyasNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (वसवः के सह-कर्तृ: ‘the Rudriyas’)Root रुद्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Rudra’s/pertaining to Rudra’)
- रक्षोयुजे
- to/for the Rakṣas-allied (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/सप्तमी, एकवचन (वैदिक; ‘for/against the rakṣas-yoker’)Role Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (लक्ष्य/प्रयोजन: ‘for the one allied with Rakṣas’)Root रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक) + युज् (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त ‘yoking/allying’)
- तपुः
- heat, burning tormentNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (दधात—‘heat/torment’ as what is placed/assigned)Root तपु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अघम्
- evil, sin, harmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (दधात—‘evil’)Root अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधात
- may they place/assignVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ् (वैदिक आज्ञार्थ/प्रार्थना), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root धा (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (वैदिक संधि-निरसन): यद् | रोदसी | प्रदिवः | अस्ति | भूमाः/भूमा | हेळः | देवानाम् | उत | मर्त्यत्र (मर्त्ये + त्र) | तत् | आदित्या | वसवः | रुद्रियासः | रक्षोयुजे (रक्षः + युजे) | तपुः | अघम् | दधात। उच्चारणचिह्न (॑/॒) मूलपाठानुसार
- यहाँ पदरूप सामान्यीकृत।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The verse acknowledges that harshness/wrath may pervade heaven and earth, among gods and mortals, and prays that the divine host—Ādityas, Vasus, and Rudriyas—apply a burning power against the “yokers of darkness,” driving away sin and harm.
Inner meaning
Psychologically, the “wrath/harshness” is the reactive force in the lower nature (vital-mental irritability, fear, anger, harsh judgment) that can spread through all planes of our being (“two worlds” = mind and life; “far heaven” = higher mind/illumined consciousness). The seer calls the harmonizing Truth-powers (Ādityas), the stable foundational powers (Vasus), and the forceful purifying powers (Rudriyas) to turn their tapas (concentrated heat) against the inner “rakṣas-yokers”—habitual formations that harness consciousness to obscurity and compulsion—so that agha (inner wrongness, distortion) is cast far away.
Universal truth
When disharmony rises anywhere in the human system, restoration is not achieved by suppression but by invoking higher law (ṛta), stability, and purification. Concentrated conscious force (tapas) applied to obscurity breaks the binding patterns and re-establishes truth-aligned action.
Themes
protection, banishing evil, cosmic harmony, hostile forces vs. truth
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- RV 6.62 (Aśvin hymn cluster), RV 6.63 (Aśvin hymn), RV 6.64–6.66 (Uṣas cluster, Bharadvāja), RV 6.73 (Indra)
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa-Bārhaspatya line; hymns marked by disciplined invocation of powers of illumination, healing, and right order (ṛta).
Significance
Bharadvāja’s vision often moves from disturbance in the mortal field to the calling-down of harmonizing and purifying powers; the rishi stands as a mediator who insists that the divine host must act concretely against inner obscurity, not merely grant outer boons.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas, Vasus, Rudriyas (collective protective hosts)
- Epithets
- ṛtasya gopāḥ (guardians of ṛta, implied), rakṣoghna (slayers of darkness, implied), citrarātī (radiant givers, contextual to the hymn cycle)
- Related deities
- Agni (as tapas and inner priest), Indra (slayer of Vṛtra/obscurity), Soma (bliss that pacifies and illumines)
Cosmic role
They uphold cosmic order, maintain the stability of worlds, and purge disruptive forces that violate ṛta in gods and mortals alike.
Inner power
A threefold aid: (1) truth-harmonization (Ādityas), (2) steadying right foundation (Vasus), (3) fierce healing purification (Rudriyas). Together they convert wrath into conscious force and drive out obscurity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective and appeasement (śānti/rakṣā) usage within Soma or general invocatory contexts; also suitable as an anuvākyā-style protective petition.
यद्रो॑दसी प्र॒दिवो॒ अस्ति॒ भूमा॒ हेळो॑ दे॒वाना॑मु॒त म॑र्त्य॒त्रा । तदा॑दित्या वसवो रुद्रियासो रक्षो॒युजे॒ तपु॑र॒घं द॑धात ॥
यत् । रो॒द॒सी॒ इति॑ । प्र॒ऽदिवः॑ । अस्ति॑ । भूमा॑ । हेळः॑ । दे॒वाना॑म् । उ॒त । म॒र्त्य॒ऽत्रा । तत् । आ॒दि॒त्याः॒ । व॒स॒वः॒ । रु॒द्रि॒या॒सः॒ । र॒क्षः॒ऽयुजे॑ । तपुः॑ । अ॒घम् । द॒धा॒त॒ ॥
yat | rodasī iti | pra-divaḥ | asti | bhūmā | heḷaḥ | devānām | uta | martya-trā | tat | ādityāḥ | vasavaḥ | rudriyāsaḥ | rakṣaḥ-yuje | tapuḥ | agham | dadhāta
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to protection and expulsion formulas.
Builds a sense of gathered force; the listener feels a tightening of will and a clearing pressure against inner negativity.
- रोदसी (rodasī)
- Literal: the two worlds (heaven and earth). Symbolic: the paired field of mind and life/body in human experience
- प्रदिवः (pradivaḥ)
- Literal: far heaven, highest sky. Symbolic: higher mind/illumined plane beyond ordinary mentality
- हेळः (heḻaḥ)
- Literal: wrath, harshness. Symbolic: reactive turbulence (vital anger, mental harshness) that distorts perception
- आदित्याः (ādityāḥ)
- Literal: sons of Aditi. Symbolic: powers of Truth, wideness, right law (ṛta) that harmonize and illumine
- वसवः (vasavaḥ)
- Literal: Vasus. Symbolic: elemental supports—stability, right foundation, ordered energies
- रुद्रियासः (rudriyāsaḥ)
- Literal: Rudra-powers. Symbolic: purifying, forceful healers who cut through falsehood and disease
- रक्षोयुजे (rakṣoyuje)
- Literal: yokers/joiners with rakṣas. Symbolic: formations that harness the being to darkness—compulsions, deceptive impulses
- तपुः (tapuḥ)
- Literal: heat, ardor. Symbolic: concentrated will-force; inner austerity that burns impurity
- अघम् (agham)
- Literal: sin, harm, evil. Symbolic: inner crookedness—false movement, wrong alignment with truth
Apotropaic/protective usage within yajña: to ward off rakṣas and restore harmony in the rite and the being
When seeking removal of inauspiciousness, hostility, or impurity before/around offerings; at transitions where obstacles are felt.
Recitation with intention of ‘driving away’ (apahāra) harm; mental offering of tapas into the inner fire.
Use as a clearing mantra before meditation: acknowledge turbulence across levels, then invoke truth-stability-purification to dislodge compulsive patterns.
rodasī: dual of rodas ‘world’ (heaven/earth). heḷa: ‘anger, harshness’; Vedic term for disruptive hostility. āditya: sons of Aditi; associated with law/ṛta. rakṣas: obstructing/demonic force; rakṣo-yuj ‘yoked to rakṣas’. tapas: from √tap ‘to heat’ → ardor, austerity, purifying fire. agha: ‘evil/harm’; not merely moral but experiential obstruction to truth.
tapas as purification, ṛta-guardianship (Ādityas), warding of hostile forces (rakṣas)
The hosts are invoked to restore ṛta where heḻa (reactive harshness) has disturbed the order.
Truth is not only cognition but a power that repels distortion and re-establishes right movement.
Purification as a continuous cosmic process: the worlds remain luminous by burning away obscurity.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent to higher mind and descent of harmonizing powers into life.
The ‘heat’ is the awakened will; the ‘worlds’ are strata of consciousness; the ‘dark yokers’ are formations binding awareness to inertia and falsehood.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of the divine hosts as protectors who repel rakṣas (darkness-yokers) by tapas (burning force). Innerly it is the mobilization of truth-powers (Ādityas/Vasus/Rudriyas) to remove disruptive heḷa and agha from the mortal field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- tapas from √tap ‘heat’ reflects an archaic IE metaphor of heat as spiritual force (cf. Indo-Iranian tapas/taβ). The dual rodasī is a poetic archaism emphasizing the cosmic pair (earth/sky), common in IE cosmological diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi appeals beyond the immediate Aśvin pair to the wider cosmic order-keepers, asking them to intervene wherever disharmony arises—‘among gods or mortals’. The relationship is protective: the sacrificer seeks a cleared field where the inner yajña can proceed without distortion.
Invoke the triple aid—truth (Ādityas), steadiness (Vasus), purification (Rudriyas)—to clear reactive harshness and subconscious bindings.
Manipura (tapas/will) and Ajna (truth-order)
4-4-6 breathing: inhale gather, hold kindle tapas, exhale cast away agha; repeat gently.
From rajasic agitation toward sattvic clarity with a firm, luminous will.
Begin by observing ‘heḻa’ without justification; chant once slowly, then feel a downward descent of calm force; end with a silent resolve to act in ṛta.
Triṣṭubh recitation with Vedic svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) per śākhā tradition; key lifts often on invocatory nouns (ādityāḥ, vasavaḥ, rudriyāsaḥ) and action terms (dadhāta).
Keep udātta as the melodic rise; avoid flattening compounds like rakṣo-yuje; maintain cadence at pāda ends.
heḻo: pronounce ḻ as retroflex lateral (approx. ‘ḷ’), not dental l, rakṣoyuje: clear kṣ cluster (rak-ṣo-yu-je), tapuḥ: final ḥ as light visarga, not harsh stop, rodasī: long ī at the end, sustain slightly
Firm, protective, slightly forceful but not angry; steady breath support.
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