Rig Veda 7.38.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 38, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.38
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Savitar
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
उदु तिष्ठ सवितः श्रुध्यस्य हिरण्यपाणे प्रभृतावृतस्य । व्युर्वीं पृथ्वीममतिं सृजान आ नृभ्यो मर्तभोजनं सुवानः ॥
údu tiṣṭha savitaḥ śrudhy asyá hiraṇya-pāṇe prá-bhṛtāv ṛtásya | vy ùrvī́ṃ pṛthvī́m amátiṃ sṛjān á ā́ nṛ́bhyo marta-bhójanam suvān áḥ ||
ഹേ സവിതൃ, എഴുന്നേൽക്കുക; ഇത് കേൾക്കുക—ഹേ ഹിരണ്യപാണി—ഋതത്തിന്റെ മുൻവഹനത്തിൽ. നീ വിശാലമായ ഭൂമിയെയും അതിരില്ലാത്ത അമതിയെയും വ്യാപകമായി വിടുതൽ ചെയ്യുന്നു; മനുഷ്യർക്കായി മർത്ത്യയാത്രയെ പോഷിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ഭോജന-പോഷണം പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുവരുന്നു.
Word by Word
- उदु
- up, forth (now/indeed)Indeclinableupasarga + nipāta (emphatic/enclitic)Root उद् (upasarga) + उ (enclitic particle)
- तिष्ठ
- stand up; ariseVerbloṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot स्था (धातु)
- सवितः
- O Savitṛ (the Impeller/Sun)Nounmasculine, vocative singularRole सम्बोधनRoot सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रुधि
- hear; listenVerbloṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot श्रु (धातु)
- अस्य
- of thisPronoungenitive singular (common gender usage)Role सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हिरण्यपाणे
- O golden-handed oneNoun (epithet)masculine, vocative singularRole सम्बोधनRoot हिरण्यपाणि (प्रातिपदिक; हिरण्य + पाणि)
- प्रभृतौ
- in the bringing-forth; at the setting-in-motionNounfeminine, locative singularRole अधिकारणRoot प्रभृति (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounneuter, genitive singularRole सम्बन्धRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, widely, forthIndeclinablepreverb to the following verbRoot वि (upasarga)
- उर्वीम्
- the broad oneNoun/Adjective (as noun)feminine, accusative singularRole कर्मRoot उर्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृथ्वीम्
- the earthNounfeminine, accusative singularRole कर्मRoot पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
- अमतिम्
- unfailing thought; undeluded insightNounfeminine, accusative singularRole कर्मRoot अमति (प्रातिपदिक; a- + मति)
- सृजानः
- releasing; sending forthVerb (participle)present middle participle (śatṛ/śānac-type), masculine nominative singularRole कर्तृ (of the participial action)Root सृज् (धातु)
- आ
- towards, untoIndeclinablepreverb to the following verbRoot आ (upasarga)
- नृभ्यः
- to menNounmasculine, dative pluralRole सम्प्रदानRoot नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मर्तभोजनम्
- mortals’ nourishment; food for menNounneuter, accusative singularRole कर्मRoot मर्तभोजन (प्रातिपदिक; मर्त + भोजन)
- सुवानः
- pressing/producing; generatingVerb (participle)present middle participle, masculine nominative singularRole कर्तृ (of the participial action)Root सु (धातु; ‘to press/produce’ in Vedic, esp. Soma) अथवा √सू ‘to impel/beget’ (contextual)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved Vedic sandhi/pada-division as: उदु | तिष्ठ | सवितः | श्रुधि | अस्य | हिरण्यपाणे | प्रभृतौ | ऋतस्य | वि | उर्वीम् | पृथ्वीम् | अमतिम् | सृजानः | आ | नृभ्यः | मर्तभोजनम् | सुवानः । Key points: (1) श्रु॒ध्य१॒॑स्य = श्रुधि + अस्य (final -i before vowel a-; written as -y- in saṃhitā). (2) व्युर्वीं = वि + उर्वीम् (i + u → yu in saṃhitā). (3) आ नृभ्यः remains separate (preverb + dative). (4) Accent marks in the prompt are saṃhitā accents
- pada forms given without accent marks
The meaning
Outer meaning
A call for Savitṛ to rise, listen, and at the forward movement of Ṛta to release the wide earth and unbounded thought, bringing sustenance to mortals.
Inner meaning
Savitṛ, the divine Impeller, is invoked to awaken the higher Will in us. His “rising” is the ascent of conscious force; his “golden hand” is the luminous power that bestows. At the moment when Ṛta (right truth-order) begins to move forward in the being, he “releases” the inner earth (the field of embodied nature) and frees “amati” (limitless, unconfined thinking/intuition) from constriction. The nourishment is the spiritual support (light, force, joy) that enables the soul’s mortal journey toward immortality.
Universal truth
When the inner truth-order is allowed to lead, consciousness widens: embodiment becomes a stable foundation and thought becomes spacious and intuitive; then life receives the exact sustenance it needs to evolve beyond limitation.
Themes
Invocation to rise, Expansion, Ṛta-aligned bestowal
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra (Mānava/Vasiṣṭha family tradition of Mandala 7)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.33, RV 7.62, RV 7.76, RV 7.86
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭhas emphasize Ṛta, harmony, and the steady guidance of the solar powers; their hymns often join ethical truth with inner illumination.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha represents the poise of established consciousness (vasu—dwelling in the Light): a seer of ordered ascent where inspiration becomes law (ṛta) in life.
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Epithets
- hiraṇyapāṇi (golden-handed), deva (luminous power), prasavitṛ (impeller/forth-bringer)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Aditi, Bhaga, Mitra, Varuṇa
Cosmic role
The solar initiator who sets beings in motion, releases paths, and impels ṛta in heaven and earth.
Inner power
The awakening Force that converts inertia into right movement and expands mind into intuitive vastness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Savitṛ-related morning/evening invocations; general praise in Soma and non-Soma contexts
उदु॑ तिष्ठ सवितः श्रु॒ध्य१॒॑स्य हिर॑ण्यपाणे॒ प्रभृ॑तावृ॒तस्य॑ । व्यु१॒॑र्वीं पृ॒थ्वीम॒मतिं॑ सृजा॒न आ नृभ्यो॑ मर्त॒भोज॑नं सुवा॒नः ॥
उत् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । ति॒ष्ठ॒ । स॒वि॒त॒रिति॑ । श्रु॒धि॒ । अ॒स्य । हिर॑ण्यऽपाणे । प्रऽभृ॑तौ । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । वि । उ॒र्वीम् । पृ॒थ्वीम् । अ॒मति॑म् । सृ॒जा॒नः । आ । नृऽभ्यः॑ । म॒र्त॒ऽभोज॑नम् । सु॒वा॒नः ॥
ut | oṃ iti | tiṣṭha | savitariti | śrudhi | asya | hiraṇya-pāṇe | pra-bhṛtau | ṛtasya | vi | urvīm | pṛthvīm | amatim | sṛjānaḥ | ā | nṛ-bhyaḥ | marta-bhojanam | suvānaḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to invocation and release.
Builds a sense of rising and widening; supports inner uplift and a decisive ‘opening’ in meditation.
- सवितृ (savitṛ)
- Literal: the impeller, solar vivifier. Symbolic: the divine impulsion that awakens and directs the soul’s progress
- हिरण्यपाणि (hiraṇyapāṇi)
- Literal: golden-handed. Symbolic: luminous bestowal-power; supramental touch that gives without diminution
- प्रभृतौ (prabhṛtau)
- Literal: at the forward bearing/bringing forth. Symbolic: the decisive push of inner evolution; the onset of right movement
- ऋत (ṛta)
- Literal: cosmic order, truth-law. Symbolic: right arrangement of consciousness; the law of integral harmony
- उर्वी पृथ्वी (urvī pṛthvī)
- Literal: wide, vast earth. Symbolic: expanded embodied nature; a broadened base for spiritual action
- अमति (amati)
- Literal: unbounded thought / non-measure. Symbolic: free intuitive mind beyond narrow mental measure
- मर्तभोजन (martabhojana)
- Literal: food for mortals. Symbolic: spiritual nourishment—light/force/bliss sustaining the human passage
Morning rising invocation; supports rites seeking ṛta-aligned prosperity (general)
At dawn or at the turning toward activity; also as an auspicious impulse before rites
Invoking Savitṛ to ‘set in motion’ the rite and to secure right order (ṛta)
Use as a morning mantra for widening the mind and grounding the day in truth-directed intention.
√sthā (tiṣṭha) PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’. √śru PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’. pra-bhṛ: √bhṛ PIE *bʰer- ‘carry’. √sṛj ‘release, let go’ (creation as releasing). ṛta from √ṛ ‘fit, move rightly’—order as right motion. hiraṇya-pāṇi: ‘golden-handed’ = luminous capacity to grasp and bestow.
Ṛta (forward bearing of truth-order), Expansion of consciousness (amati), Nourishment as sustaining force (bhójana)
Explicit: Savitṛ acts ‘at the forward bearing of Ṛta,’ indicating evolution by right law.
Truth becomes operative as a force that releases and sustains.
Unveiling/expansion: the wide earth and limitless thought emerge when truth moves forward.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): ascent from mind to vast intuitive consciousness under solar impulsion.
dawn
Dawn-like emergence of illumination; embodiment becomes a broad foundation and thought becomes measureless intuition.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Savitar’s rising as the cosmic act that ‘widens earth’ and releases unbounded thought under ṛta. The mythic sunrise becomes the inner expansion of the field of consciousness and the descent of sustaining energies.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The imperative chain uses inherited IE verbal roots: √sthā (stand), √śru (hear), √bhṛ (carry), √sṛj (release). The semantic pairing of ‘widening earth’ and ‘unbounded thought’ shows a Vedic extension from physical space to inner space.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi calls Savitar to listen and act: the god’s response is expansion (urvī/pṛthvī + amati) and the giving of marta-bhojana—support for the embodied seeker’s progress in ṛta.
Invoke the inner Savitṛ to initiate right movement (ṛta) and widen embodied awareness and thought.
ājñā (illumined guidance) and anāhata (wide, unforced expansion)
Gentle inhale on ‘ud u tiṣṭha’ (rising), slow exhale on ‘vy urvīm… amatiṃ’ (widening/releasing)
From active aspiration to luminous wideness (bṛhat) with steady will.
Begin the day seated; feel a golden pressure at the crown/forehead guiding the mind into spacious intuition; then bring that wideness down into the body as a stable ‘earth’ for action.
Vedic accent present; follow Saṃhitā marks: udatta on marked syllables, svarita on combined tones, anudatta as unmarked dependent tones (requires śākhā-specific recitation).
Honor the initial ‘udú’ lift; keep ‘hiraṇyapāṇe’ bright and slightly raised; let ‘ṛtasya’ be steady and clear.
(udu): keep both vowels distinct, light glide, (tiṣṭha): retroflex ṣṭh cluster—hold ṣ, release into ṭh, (śrudhi): śr cluster clean; short u, (hiraṇya): dental n before y; no nasalization of a, (pṛthvīm): vocalic ṛ; aspirate th, ṃ (amatiṃ): keep a-ma-ti; final ṃ as light anusvāra
Clear, ascending at the opening; widen and deepen on the ‘vy urvīm…’ segment.
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