Rig Veda Sukta 2
Mandala 1Sukta 29 Mantras

Sukta 2

Sukta 1.2

Rishi

Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra

Chandas

Gāyatrī

Rig Veda 1.2 ialah himne awal persembahan Soma yang mula-mula menjemput Vāyu, Nafas-Hayat yang pantas, datang ke korban suci dan meminum Soma yang telah disediakan. Kemudian seruan itu diperluas kepada dewa-dewa berpasangan—Vāyu bersama Indra, dan akhirnya Mitra-Varuṇa—memohon kuasa ilham, tenaga kemenangan, serta ketertiban benar yang tajam (dakṣa) yang diperlukan bagi tindakan suci yang berkesan.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.2

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • VayuMantras 1-3, 5Vāyu

    Vāyu is praised as darśata (radiant/beautiful to behold), swift-coming to the call, and the first recipient of Soma at the pressing; he is invited to drink and to listen (śrudhi) to the hymn’s summons.

  • Indra-VayuMantra 4Indra-Vāyu (dual deity invocation)
  • IndraMantra 5dual
  • Vayu-IndraMantra 6Vāyu-Indra (dual)
  • Mitra-VarunaMantras 7-9Mitra-Varuṇa (dual deities of ṛta: harmony and vast law)

Mantras

Mantra 1

वायवा याहि दर्शतेमे सोमा अरंकृताः । तेषां पाहि श्रुधी हवम् ॥

Wahai Vāyu, datanglah—Engkau yang bercahaya dan indah. Soma-soma ini telah disediakan, disusun dengan sepatutnya. Minumlah daripadanya, dan dengarlah seruan kami; terimalah panggilan batin yang mendamba menuju Nafas Kebenaran.

Mantra 2

वाय उक्थेभिर्जरन्ते त्वामच्छा जरितारः । सुतसोमा अहर्विदः ॥

Wahai Vāyu, dengan madah-madah pujian yang terangkat para pencari kian menyala menuju-Mu; para pelantun, setelah memerah Soma, para mengetahui Hari yang bercahaya, menyeru-Mu mendekat—menuju nafas yang terjaga dan ilham-ilhamnya yang pantas.

Mantra 3

वायो तव प्रपृञ्चती धेना जिगाति दाशुषे । उरूची सोमपीतये ॥

Wahai Vāyu, aliran susu-kegembiraan-Mu yang meluas datang kepada si pemberi (yang mempersembah dengan hasrat); bercahaya dan menjangkau jauh, ia bergerak untuk peminuman Soma—agar rapture batin diterima dan bertambah dalam diri kami.

Mantra 4

इन्द्रवायू इमे सुता उप प्रयोभिरा गतम् । इन्दवो वामुशन्ति हि ॥

Wahai Indra dan Vāyu, datanglah mendekat kepada perahan Soma ini, yang dibawa oleh daya-daya kenikmatan; kerana titisan-titisan Soma benar-benar merindukan kamu berdua—mencari kehadiranmu untuk membangkitkan kekuatan batin dan nafas yang merdeka dalam diri kami.

Mantra 5

वायविन्द्रश्च चेतथः सुतानां वाजिनीवसू । तावा यातमुप द्रवत् ॥

Wahai Vāyu dan Indra, kamu berdua menyedari Soma yang telah diperah; wahai tuan-tuan kelimpahan dan daya kemenangan, datanglah—segeralah mendekat kepada kenikmatan yang mengalir deras, yang berlari menuju kamu.

Mantra 6

वायविन्द्रश्च सुन्वत आ यातमुप निष्कृतम् । मक्ष्वित्था धिया नरा ॥

Wahai Vāyu dan Indra, datanglah segera kepada dia yang memerah Soma; mendekatlah kepada persembahan yang telah disediakan—wahai dua kuasa wira—demikianlah, oleh fikiran yang terjaga yang mendambakan Kebenaran.

Mantra 7

मित्रं हुवे पूतदक्षं वरुणं च रिशादसम् । धियं घृताचीं साधन्ता ॥

Aku menyeru Mitra, yang suci dan tidak bernoda pada dakṣa; dan Varuṇa, pemusnah segala yang memudaratkan. Semoga kedua-duanya menyempurnakan dalam diri kami dhī—gerak fikiran yang mengalir dengan ghṛta yang bercahaya—jernih, lurus, dan berkesan bagi kerja jiwa.

Mantra 8

ऋतेन मित्रावरुणावृतावृधावृतस्पृशा । क्रतुं बृहन्तमाशाथे ॥

Dengan kuasa Ṛta (Tertib-Kebenaran), Mitra dan Varuṇa—penyubur Ṛta, penyentuh Ṛta—kurniakan kepada kami kratu yang luas dan bercahaya, kehendak besar bagi tindakan yang benar, agar batin kami bergerak seiring dengan Kesedaran-Kebenaran.

Mantra 9

कवी नो मित्रावरुणा तुविजाता उरुक्षया । दक्षं दधाते अपसम् ॥

Semoga Mitra dan Varuṇa—dua kavi, para pelihat; luas kelahiran dan bernaung dalam kediaman yang lapang—menanamkan dalam diri kami dakṣa, daya menilai bagi pembentukan yang benar, demi penyempurnaan apas: kerja, tindakan berkesan jiwa.

Inside Sukta 2

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A direct call to Vāyu—radiant and swift—to come to the well-prepared Soma and hear the worshipper’s summons.

  2. Development

    The hymn reinforces readiness of the offering and the necessity of divine attention, then expands to the cooperative arrival of Vāyu with Indra, joining breath and power.

  3. Climax

    The paired invocation urges the gods to hasten to the swiftly flowing Soma-delight, stressing immediacy, force, and fulfillment at the sacrifice.

  4. Where it settles

    The scope broadens to Mitra-Varuṇa, ending with a prayer for dakṣa—rightly ordering intelligence—so the sacred work (apas) is successfully formed and completed.

The deity: Vāyu

  • Cosmic functionAs Wind and Breath, Vāyu circulates life and motion, linking earth and midspace, carrying offerings and prayers, and energizing the gods’ approach to the sacrifice; with Indra he supports victorious force, and with Mitra-Varuṇa he upholds order and right discernment.
  • Inner significanceVāyu signifies prāṇa—the vital current that makes aspiration effective; Soma becomes the refined delight/essence offered into consciousness, awakening clarity, strength, and right formation (dakṣa) for the soul’s work (apas).

The seer

  • Madhucchandas VaiśvāmitraVaiśvāmitra (descendant/line of Viśvāmitra; traditionally linked with the Kuśika/Vaiśvāmitra family) · An early ṛṣi of Mandala 1, renowned for concise Gāyatrī hymns that open the Rig Veda’s sacrificial sequence and for shaping the invitatory style of Soma liturgy.

Famous verses

śrudhī havam
Verse 1.2.1Sets the hymn’s core action: inviting Vāyu to approach, drink the prepared Soma, and ‘hear the call,’ establishing Vāyu as the first responder in the Soma rite.Read verse 1.2.1 →
वायविन्द्रश्च चेतथः सुतानां वाजिनीवसू । तावा यातमुप द्रवत् ॥
Verse 1.2.5Highlights the dual synergy of Vāyu and Indra—breath and victorious force—urging them to recognize the pressed Soma and come quickly to the offering.Read verse 1.2.5 →
dakṣaṃ dadhāte apasam
Verse 1.2.9Concludes with Mitra-Varuṇa granting dakṣa (discerning power/right formation) for apas (effective work), giving the hymn a finishing aim beyond offering: successful right action.Read verse 1.2.9 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Swift and near-at-hand to invocation
  • First Soma-drinker in many Soma rites
  • Life-giving breath and mover of energies
  • Radiant/visible presence (darśata)
  • Listener to prayer (śrudhi havam)
  • Works in synergy with Indra’s power and Mitra-Varuṇa’s order

Also by this seer

  • Traditionally associated with RV 1.1–1.10 (including the Agni opening hymn RV 1.1)
  • Early Mandala 1 Gāyatrī-style invocations used as models for later Soma-yajña call-and-response patterns

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the Soma (pressing/straining) and set it forth as ‘araṃkṛta’ (rightly arranged).
  • Recite the opening Gāyatrī to invite Vāyu to approach and drink.
  • Repeat invocations as the Soma is presented, emphasizing listening/acceptance of the call.
  • Invoke the dual pair Vāyu–Indra to ‘take cognizance’ of the pressed Soma and hasten to the offering.
  • Conclude with an appeal to Mitra-Varuṇa for dakṣa (right discernment) to accomplish the rite’s intended work (apas).

Offerings

  • Pressed Soma (suta soma)
  • Soma-libations (graha offerings)
  • Accompanying praise/hymn as an offering of speech (vāc)

Frequently Asked Questions

It is an invitatory Soma hymn: it calls Vāyu to come quickly, drink the prepared Soma, and attend to the worshipper’s prayer, ensuring the rite becomes effective.

In many Soma-pressing traditions Vāyu is treated as the first Soma-drinker; as breath and swift motion, he represents the immediate energizing of the sacrifice.

The closing prayer asks Mitra-Varuṇa to place dakṣa (right discernment and skilled ordering) in the worshipper so the ritual ‘work’ (apas) is properly formed and fulfilled.

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