Rig Veda 1.191.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 191, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.191
- Devata
- Protective/healing force personified as a feminine striker
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Shanta (peace)
अदृष्टान्हन्त्यायत्यथो हन्ति परायती । अथो अवघ्नती हन्त्यथो पिनष्टि पिंषती ॥
adṛ́ṣṭān hánty āyátī átho hánti parāyátī | átho ava-ghnatī hánty átho pinaṣṭi piṃṣatī́ ||
Yang tidak kelihatan itu ia hentam ketika datang, dan ia hentam ketika pergi; ia hentam ketika menekan ke bawah, dan ia remukkan ketika menggiling—demikianlah sengsara itu dipatahkan dalam setiap gerak.
Word by Word
- अदृष्टान्
- the unseen (ones)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (object of हन्ति)Root अदृष्ट (a-dṛṣṭa) < √दृश् (dṛś) ‘to see’
- हन्ति
- kills/strikesVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √हन् (han) ‘to strike/kill’
- आयति
- comes/approachesVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (relative/qualifying action: ‘as/when it comes’)Root √या (yā) ‘to go/come’ + आ-
- अथो
- and also / moreoverIndeclinableनिपात (connective/emphatic) अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्ध (discourse connector)Root अथ + उ
- हन्ति
- kills/strikesVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √हन् (han)
- परायति
- goes away/withdrawsVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (relative/qualifying action: ‘as/when it goes away’)Root √या (yā) ‘to go’ + परा-
- अथो
- and alsoIndeclinableनिपात अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्धRoot अथ + उ
- अवघ्नती
- the smiting one / the striker-downNoun/Adjective (agent noun used as subject)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject of हन्ति)Root अवघ्नती (f.) < अव- + √हन् (han) ‘to strike down’
- हन्ति
- kills/strikesVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √हन् (han)
- अथो
- and alsoIndeclinableनिपात अव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्धRoot अथ + उ
- पिनष्टि
- crushesVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √पिष् (piṣ) ‘to crush, pound’
- पिंषती
- the crusher / the crushing oneNoun/Adjective (agent noun used as subject)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (appositional subject: ‘the crushing one’)Root पिंषती (f.) < √पिष् (piṣ) ‘to crush’
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: अदृष्टा॑न्-हन्ति → अदृष्टान् + हन्ति (final -न् before h-). आय॒त्यथो॑ → आयति + अथो (i + a → ya). पराय॒ती → परायति (Vedic orthography/metrical length; underlying present 3sg). अवघ्न॒ती ह॒न्ति → अवघ्नती + हन्ति (no further change). पिनष्टि पिंष॒ती → पिनष्टि + पिंषती (juxtaposition). Accent marks (॑, ॒) are preserved from Saṃhitā
- pada-forms here are unaccented lexical bases
The meaning
Outer meaning
She strikes the unseen ones as she comes and as she goes; she strikes as she smites downward, and she crushes as she grinds—thus the affliction is broken in every movement.
Inner meaning
The protective force is personified as a feminine power—like the inner Śakti of healing and expulsion. She acts in all phases: approaching (āyatī), withdrawing (parāyatī), pressing down (avaghnatī), and grinding (piṃṣatī). Psychologically, this describes a complete clearing: whether the disturbance arises, persists, or tries to retreat into the subconscious, the conscious-force follows through and breaks it. The mantra trains the will to be comprehensive, not partial—removing roots, not only symptoms.
Universal truth
True healing is total: it meets the problem in every direction and at every layer—surface, intermediate, and subconscious—until the grip is dissolved.
Themes
healing, exorcism, directional completeness, destruction of subtle harm
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 1.191.1, RV 1.191.3
Family tradition
Healing/warding tradition; a śakti-like protective formula preserved in RV.
Significance
Maps a yogic method: use a conscious-force that tracks the disturbance through all its movements and levels until it cannot re-form.
The deity
- Devata
- Protective/Healing Śakti (functional devatā of the charm)
- Epithets
- adṛṣṭa-hantrī (slayer of the unseen) (implied), pinaṣṭrī (crusher) (implied)
- Related deities
- Aśvins (healing), Agni (purification), Indra (forceful breaking), Sarasvatī (clarifying flow after cleansing)
Cosmic role
Restorative power that maintains the integrity of embodied consciousness against hostile or disequilibrating forces.
Inner power
Dynamic cleansing force in prāṇa and mind; the ‘feminine’ executive energy that enforces the soul’s refusal of intrusion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Healing/protection recitation against unseen affliction/poison; possibly over the patient or amulet/water
अ॒दृष्टा॑न्हन्त्याय॒त्यथो॑ हन्ति पराय॒ती । अथो॑ अवघ्न॒ती ह॒न्त्यथो॑ पिनष्टि पिंष॒ती ॥
अ॒दृष्टा॑न् । ह॒न्ति॒ । आ॒ऽय॒ती । अथो॒ इति॑ । ह॒न्ति॒ । प॒रा॒ऽय॒ती । अथो॒ इति॑ । अ॒व॒ऽघ्न॒ती । ह॒न्ति॒ । अथो॒ इति॑ । पि॒न॒ष्टि॒ । पिं॒ष॒ती ॥
adṛṣṭān | hanti | āyatī | atho iti | hanti | parāyatī | atho | iti | ava-ghnatī | hanti | atho iti | pinaṣṭi | piṃṣatī
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4x8 tendency with repetitive ‘atho’ creating charm rhythm
Hammering, iterative; each ‘atho’ is a new strike.
Induces determination and a sense of systematic clearing; supports cathartic release.
- अदृष्टान् (adṛṣṭān)
- Literal: the unseen (ones). Symbolic: subliminal afflictive formations; hidden causes
- हन्ति (hanti)
- Literal: strikes, slays. Symbolic: decisive rejection; cutting off identification
- आयती (āyatī)
- Literal: coming, advancing. Symbolic: as affliction approaches/appears in awareness
- परायती (parāyatī)
- Literal: going away, retreating. Symbolic: as affliction tries to hide/withdraw into subconscious
- अवघ्नती (avaghnatī)
- Literal: striking downward. Symbolic: pressing into deeper layers; rooting out
- पिनष्टि / पिंषती (pinaṣṭi / piṃṣatī)
- Literal: crushes / grinds. Symbolic: pulverizing the pattern; breaking recurrence
Healing charm against unseen harm/poison; recited with gestures/actions mimicking ‘crushing’ and ‘striking down’ in some later applied traditions.
During acute disturbance, fear, or suspected subtle attack; also as daily clearing.
Repeated recitation with gestures of ‘striking away’ or blowing out; may be paired with sprinkling water.
Use as a ‘four-direction clearing’: chant while mentally sweeping front/back/up/down of the body-field; end with quiet breath.
The feminine agent (‘she’) is implicit in verb endings (āyatī, parāyatī, avaghnatī, piṃṣatī): possibly a personified healing power, charm, or protective goddess-force. √han ‘strike’ (PIE *gʷhen-) and √piṣ ‘pound’ intensify the total neutralization of subtle affliction—approach, retreat, downward smiting, and grinding: exhaustive coverage across directions/modes.
totality of protection (all directions/movements), mantra as operative force
Affliction is a deviation; the mantra’s repeated action restores right movement in all directions.
Yogic-energetic psychology: patterns are forces; they can be struck and dissolved by conscious-force.
Grinding = breaking subtle ‘seeds’ (bīja-like) of recurrence; striking downward = reaching subconscious layers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘all-direction slaying’ mythologem: the protective power destroys the unseen affliction in every vector (coming/going/downward/grinding), ensuring no remainder of the hostile formation survives.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘strike/kill’ continues PIE *gʷhen- (cf. Greek phénō ‘slay’, Sanskrit han-). The parallel verb-pairing and rhythmic anaphora (atho … atho …) is an IE charm-technique for performative completeness.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi channels the devatā as an operative feminine force, describing her actions so the mantra itself becomes the act. The reciprocity is immediate: utterance is execution; naming is striking; rhythm is crushing.
Invoke inner Śakti to clear intrusive patterns in all phases—arising, persisting, retreating, hiding.
Maṇipūra (force) and Svādhiṣṭhāna (purification of vital currents)
Kapalabhāti light (if suitable) or strong exhale on each ‘hanti’; otherwise steady exhale emphasis.
Dynamic purification; protective intensity.
On each clause, visualize the affliction being struck in a different direction/layer; conclude with soothing awareness in the heart to stabilize after clearing.
Keep ‘atho’ as a steady refrain; slight stress on each verb: hanti, avaghnatī, pinaṣṭi, piṃṣatī.
Segment clearly: (1) āyatī (2) parāyatī (3) avaghnatī (4) pinaṣṭi/piṃṣatī; each as a distinct ‘strike’.
(adṛṣṭān): retroflex ṣṭ; long ā in -tān, (āyatī): long ā; light y, (parāyatī): long ā; roll ‘r’ lightly, (avaghnatī): cluster ‘ghn’—keep gh voiced aspirate then n, (pinaṣṭi): retroflex ṣṭi, (piṃṣatī): nasal ‘ṃ’ before ṣ
firm, rhythmic, cleansing; end softly on the last word.
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