Rig Veda 1.191.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 191, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.191
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Sūrya/Āditya as the all-seeing power that destroys the unseen
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
नि गावो गोष्ठे असदन्नि मृगासो अविक्षत । नि केतवो जनानां न्यदृष्टा अलिप्सत ॥
ní gā́vo goṣṭhé asadanní mṛgā́so avikṣata | ní ketávo jánānāṃ nyàdṛ́ṣṭā alipsata ||
Biarlah Sapi-sapi (Cahaya) menetap di kandang yang sebenar; biarlah yang liar (dorongan gelisah) ditenteramkan. Biarlah ketajaman tanda (ketu) dalam diri manusia diturunkan ke kejernihan yang hening; biarlah yang tidak kelihatan, yang memusuhi, hilang cengkamannya dan meluncur pergi.
Word by Word
- नि
- down; away; into (as preverb)Indeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; अव्ययRoot नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- गावः
- the cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोष्ठे
- in the cowshed/stallNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot गो-ष्ठ (गो + √स्था/ष्ठा; प्रातिपदिक: गोष्ठ)
- असदन्
- sat down; settledVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष बहुवचनRoot √सद् (सीदति) + नि (उपसर्ग)
- नि
- down; awayIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; अव्ययRoot नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- मृगासः
- the wild beasts/animalsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
- अविक्षत
- did not stir; were not disturbedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष बहुवचन; नकारार्थे ‘अ-’Root √विक्ष्/विक्ष् (विक्षति/विक्षते ‘to be disturbed, to move about, to be agitated’) + अ (निषेध)
- नि
- down; awayIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; अव्ययRoot नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- केतवः
- the lights/meteors; (also) banners, signsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनानाम्
- of the peopleNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down; awayIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; अव्ययRoot नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- अदृष्टाः
- unseen; not seenAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘दृष्ट’ with privative अ-Role Kartā (as predicate/qualifier of subject) / विशेषणRoot √दृश् (पश्यति) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त) + अ- (निषेध)
- अलिप्सत
- did not desire/seek (to harm/obtain)Verbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपद; 3 पुरुष बहुवचन; नकारार्थे ‘अ-’Root √लिप्स्/√लिप् (लिप्सते ‘to desire, to long for; to seek to obtain’) + अ (निषेध)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic pada): नि | गावः | गोष्ठे | असदन् | नि | मृगासः | अविक्षत | नि | केतवः | जनानाम् | नि | अदृष्टाः | अलिप्सत । 1) ‘गावो॑’ = गावः (प्रथमा बहु)
- 2) ‘असद॒न्’ = असदन् (लुङ् 3pl of √सद् with नि-)
- 3) ‘मृ॒गासो॑’ = मृगासः
- 4) ‘न्य१॒॑दृष्टा॑’ = नि + अदृष्टाः (नि-पूर्वक उच्चारण; ‘अदृष्टाः’ = अ- + दृष्टाः)
- 5) ‘अविक्षत’ and ‘अलिप्सत’ show privative/negative अ- with aorist forms (Vedic usage)
- Accents (udātta/svarita) are retained as in Saṃhitā but not re-marked per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
A settling and pacifying formula: the cows settle in the cowshed; wild creatures are stilled; the “ketus” (lights/signs) of people are calmed; unseen beings slip away.
Inner meaning
Aurobindonian reading: the “Cows” are illumined knowledges/rays that must take their right place in the consciousness (goṣṭha = the ordered field of the being). The “wild ones” are untamed impulses and restless vital movements that scatter the mind. The “ketus” are discerning lights—intuitions, signals of truth—descending into steadiness. The “unseen” are subconscient resistances/hostile formations; once the inner order is established, they lose adhesion and fall away.
Universal truth
When the higher light is seated in its proper center and the vital turbulence is quieted, clarity becomes stable and the hidden resistances that feed on confusion naturally dissolve.
Themes
Apotropaic protection, Light vs. Darkness, Subconscious hostilities (adṛṣṭa), Restoration of right order (R̥ta स्थापना)
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.174, RV 1.175, RV 4.16 (Kutsa in Indra narratives)
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa seers are strongly linked with the recovery of light (go) and the victory over obscuring powers; Kutsa is often associated with Indra’s help and the breaking of coverings.
Significance
Kutsa’s vision here functions as an inner apotropaic (protective) act: establishing luminous order and dismissing subtle hostility through the power of awakened sight.
The deity
- Devata
- Sūrya/Āditya (all-seeing Light)
- Epithets
- viśvadṛṣṭa (universal-seeing), adṛṣṭahā (slayer of the unseen)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Varuṇa, Savitar, Uṣas, Agni
Cosmic role
Revealer and regulator: brings things into manifestation, sets rhythms, and dispels darkness by making the hidden visible.
Inner power
The supramental/illumined seeing in the mind that exposes subconscious distortions and seats true knowledge in its right station.
In ritual
Where it is used
Apotropaic/protective recitation against adṛṣṭa harms; used as a sūrya-oriented dispelling formula in healing/protection contexts.
नि गावो॑ गो॒ष्ठे अ॑सद॒न्नि मृ॒गासो॑ अविक्षत । नि के॒तवो॒ जना॑नां॒ न्य१॒॑दृष्टा॑ अलिप्सत ॥
नि । गावः॑ । गो॒ऽस्थे । अ॒स॒द॒न् । नि । मृ॒गासः॑ । अ॒वि॒क्ष॒त॒ । नि । के॒तवः॑ । जना॑नाम् । नि । अ॒दृष्टाः॑ । अ॒लि॒प्स॒त॒ ॥
ni | gāvaḥ | go--sthe | asadan | ni | mṛgāsaḥ | avikṣata | ni | ketavaḥ | janānām | ni | adṛṣṭāḥ | alipsata
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh cadence; exact count may vary by saṃhitā reading/sandhi)
Firm, directive, and stabilizing; suited to injunction and driving-away (nibarhaṇa) speech.
Creates a ‘settling’ pressure in the listener—downward placement (ni) and quieting of agitation; supports protective concentration.
- नि (ni)
- Literal: down, into, settled. Symbolic: an inward descent and stabilization; seating of forces in their proper plane
- गावः (gāvaḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledges; luminous powers of illumination
- गोṣṭhe (goṣṭhe)
- Literal: in the cowshed/station. Symbolic: the right ‘place’ in the being—ordered consciousness where knowledge is gathered
- मृगासः (mṛgāsaḥ)
- Literal: wild animals/roamers. Symbolic: restless impulses, roaming desires, scattered prāṇic movements
- केतवः (ketavaḥ)
- Literal: lights, banners, signs. Symbolic: discriminative gleams; intuitive indicators in the human mind
- जनानाम् (janānām)
- Literal: of people/human beings. Symbolic: the embodied field where higher light must be organized
- अदृष्टाः (adṛṣṭāḥ)
- Literal: unseen (ones/forces). Symbolic: subtle hostile formations; subconscious coverers operating invisibly
- अलिप्सत (alipsata)
- Literal: slipped away, ceased to cling. Symbolic: loss of adhesion of negativity when awareness and order are established
Apotropaic/healing usage: verses employed for protection against poison, unseen harm, and hostile agencies; adaptable in Atharvanic-style prayoga within Śrauta/Gr̥hya protective recitations
At dusk/nightfall transitions, during fear/illness, or before sleep; also when beginning a period of disciplined practice.
Recited with mental ‘placing’ of light in the heart/head and a deliberate dismissal of intrusive thoughts/energies.
Use as a grounding mantra: seat clarity (ketu) and calm the vital; suitable for anxiety, intrusive ideation, and energetic hygiene.
Key terms: (1) gā́vaḥ (nom. pl. of gó-) from the semantic field 'cow/ray/light'; Vedic go is multivalent (animal/ray/earth), supporting an inner reading as 'luminous knowledges'. (2) goṣṭhá- (go + sthā́ 'standing/place', from √sthā 'to stand'): 'cow-station' → the rightful standing-place of the rays (knowledge established in its proper seat). (3) ketú- 'banner, sign, light, intelligence' (possibly from √cit 'to perceive' in semantic affinity): inner discernment/illumination. (4) adṛ́ṣṭa- (a- + dṛṣṭa, PPP of √dṛś 'to see'): 'unseen' → subconscious/occult adversaries. (5) alipsata: aor./inj. middle of √lip/√lips 'to smear, adhere; to desire/seek to take' → 'they did not cling/seize'.
R̥ta as right placement/order (goṣṭhe: the 'right station'), transition from subconscious disturbance to conscious clarity (adṛṣṭa vs. ketu), tapas as inner restraint/pacification (ni- as settling)
The mantra enacts ṛta by ‘seating’ luminous powers in their proper station and reducing disorderly roaming forces.
Satya as right perception: ketu becomes calm clarity; the unseen loses power when truth-seeing is established.
From disorder to ordered manifestation: light takes its seat; obscurity loses hold.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): psychological powers as cosmic deities within the being.
settling of cattle into the stall (outer image); stilling of wild creatures (outer image); movement from dusk/obscurity toward clarity (implied by the hymn’s solar frame)
Twilight into night (implied by adjacent verses’ pradoṣa theme)
Gathering of rays (knowledge) into an inner ‘herd’; pacification of roaming impulses; stabilizing intuitive signals; dissolution of hidden negativity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The re-establishment of the 'Cows' (rays/knowledges) in their proper station and the consequent defeat of unseen adversaries: a microcosmic variant of the wider Vedic pattern where Light is recovered/settled and Darkness (often covert) loses power. Here the mythic action is not a dramatic battle but a pacifying settlement: when knowledge is rightly placed (goṣṭhe), the roaming lower forces (mṛgāsaḥ) are stilled and the unseen cannot seize (alipsata).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- go- 'cow' aligns with PIE *gʷōus 'cow' (cf. Lat. bōs, Gk. boûs), while Vedic semantic expansion to 'ray/light' is a poetic development. √sthā in goṣṭha reflects PIE *steh₂- 'to stand' (cf. Gk. hístēmi, Lat. stō). √dṛś 'see' relates to PIE *derk- 'to see' (cf. Gk. dérkomai). The prefix ní- (down, into) shows inherited Indo-European preverb behavior marking aspectual/resultative settling.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer invokes the solar order indirectly: the human field (janānām) is to receive settled discernments (ketavaḥ), and the Devata’s work is recognized as an ordering power that makes the hostile unseen ineffective. The reciprocity is psychological: the seeker offers receptivity and inner restraint (ni- as settling), and the Devata returns right placement of light (ketu) and protection from covert seizure (adṛṣṭā alipsata).
Seating the ‘cows of light’ in the heart and brow; quieting the roaming vital; letting unseen pressures slip away.
Ājñā (clarity/ketu) and Anāhata (inner station/goṣṭha as gathered harmony)
Slow nasal breathing with a slightly longer exhale; on ‘ni’ feel descent/settling.
From scattered rajas to settled sattva; emergence of witness-clarity.
Chant 9 or 27 times at dusk or before sleep; visualize rays gathering into a luminous enclosure; then consciously release intrusive formations without struggle.
Use the Vedic accents as marked in the saṃhitā text (udātta on accented syllables like gā́vo, etc.); maintain clear distinction of udātta vs anudātta with gentle svarita glide where indicated.
Let each ‘ni’ be slightly settling and unhurried; keep the main udātta peaks crisp, avoiding musical over-ornamentation.
goṣṭhe: pronounce ṣṭh as a cluster (ṣ + ṭh), not ‘shth’, mṛgāsaḥ: vocalic ṛ should be brief and clear (mṛ-ga), ketavo: dental t, not retroflex ṭ, adṛṣṭā: ṛ and ṣṭ consonant cluster; keep final long ā open, alipsata: short i; avoid ‘ee’ elongation
Steady, downward-settling, protective; avoid harshness—firm but calm.
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