Rig Veda 1.35.10: Mandala 1, Sukta 35, Mantra 10
Sukta 1.35
- Rishi
- Hiraṇyastūpa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
हिरण्यहस्तो असुरः सुनीथः सुमृळीकः स्ववाँ यात्वर्वाङ् । अपसेधन्रक्षसो यातुधानानस्थाद्देवः प्रतिदोषं गृणानः ॥
híraṇyahasto ásuraḥ sunī́thaḥ sumṛḷīkáḥ svávāṁ yātv arvā́ṅ | apasédhan rákṣaso yātudhā́nān ásthād deváḥ pratidóṣaṁ gṛṇā́naḥ ||
Savitṛ bertangan-emas, penguasa (Asura), penuntun yang baik, penuh belas dan menguasai diri—datanglah mendekat kepada kami. Menghalau Rakṣasa dan yātudhāna, sang dewa berdiri teguh pada setiap senja, ketika dipuji dengan kidung.
Word by Word
- हिरण्यहस्तः
- having golden handsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot हिरण्य-हस्त (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
- असुरः
- the Asura (lord)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुनीथः
- of good guidance / good leadingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सु-नीथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुमृळीकः
- very gracious / kindlyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सु-मृळीक (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्ववान्
- possessing one’s own (goods/strength); self-possessedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot स्ववत् (प्रातिपदिक; -वत् प्रत्यय)
- यातु
- let (him) come / may (he) goVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot या (धातु)
- अर्वाङ्
- hither, towards usIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/गति-निर्देशक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अर्वाञ्च्/अर्वाक् (दिक्शब्द प्रातिपदिक)
- अपसेधन्
- let (him) repel / ward offVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot अप-सेध् (धातु; उपसर्ग अप)
- रक्षसः
- the demons (rākṣasas)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यातुधानान्
- the sorcerers / harmful beingsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot यातुधान (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्थात्
- he has stood / took his stationVerbलुङ् (अorist/इञ्ज्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot स्था (धातु)
- देवः
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रतिदोषम्
- at each evening / every duskIndeclinableअव्यय (काल-निर्देशक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot प्रति-दोष (अव्ययीभाव समास)
- गृणानः
- praising / singing (hymns)Verbवर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot गृ (धातु) → गृणान (शतृ/शानच् कृदन्त, आत्मनेपद)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: हिरण्यहस्तो असुरः सुनीथः सुमृळीकः स्ववान् यातु अर्वाङ् । अपसेधन् रक्षसः यातुधानान् अस्थात् देवः प्रतिदोषम् गृणानः ॥ मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेद: (1) हिरण्यहस्तो → हिरण्यहस्तः (ओऽन्तस्य विसर्गः) (2) स्ववाँ → स्ववान् (नकारादेशः/अनुस्वार-परम्परा; -वत् प्रातिपदिकस्य पुं. प्रथ. एक. रूपम्) (3) यात्वर्वाङ् → यातु अर्वाङ् (उ + अ → व्-आगमः) (4) अपसेधन्रक्षसो → अपसेधन् रक्षसः (न् + र → न् स्थिर; पदान्त न्) (5) यातु॒धाना॒नस्था॑त् → यातुधानान् अस्थात् (न् + अ) (6) प्र॑तिदो॒षं → प्रतिदोषम् (म्-आगमः; अव्ययीभाव)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Golden-handed, sovereign, of good guidance, gracious and self-possessed—may Savitṛ come toward us. Driving back Rakṣasas and yātudhānas, the god stands at every dusk, being praised.
Inner meaning
At dusk—the threshold where outer light declines—hostile formations (rakṣas, yātudhāna) become active: forces of confusion, fear, inertia, and perversion that prey on the unguarded consciousness. Savitṛ is invoked as golden-handed (effective luminous power), asura (sovereign mastery), sunītha (right guidance), sumṛḻīka (benign/gracious), svavān (self-possessed, inwardly masterful). The prayer is for the divine impulsion to ‘come toward us’ (arvāṅ) and stand as a guardian at the gates of night—establishing inner protection, right movement, and peace. Psychologically, this is the discipline of guarding consciousness at transitions (end of day, before sleep, before entering the subconscient).
Universal truth
Spiritual life requires threshold-guardianship. When awareness wanes, forces of distortion arise; invoking the sovereign inner guidance establishes protection and right rhythm through darkness and rest.
Themes
Protection mantra, Twilight guardianship, Expulsion of hostile forces, Savitṛ’s grace and mastery
The seer
- Rishi
- Hiraṇyastūpa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.35
Family tradition
Āṅgiras protection through illumination: establishing Agni/Savitṛ as guardians against forces that steal light and right movement.
Significance
The seer offers a practical yogic instruction embedded in mantra: at dusk (outer and inner), invoke the sovereign guidance to bar hostile formations and maintain right order through the night of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Epithets
- Hiraṇyahasta (golden-handed), Asura (sovereign), Sunītha (good guide), Sumṛḻīka (gracious), Svavān (self-possessed)
- Related deities
- Agni (guardian fire), Indra (slayer of coverers), Varuṇa (law/ṛta), Uṣas (dawn counterpart)
Cosmic role
Guardian of twilight transitions; repels hostile beings; establishes auspicious order as day turns to night.
Inner power
Protective illumination; boundary-setting will; calm mastery that prevents intrusion of lower forces during vulnerable states.
In ritual
Where it is used
Evening (pratidoṣa) Savitṛ invocation for protection; connected to twilight worship and safeguarding the household/sacrificer.
हिर॑ण्यहस्तो॒ असु॑रः सुनी॒थः सु॑मृळी॒कः स्ववाँ॑ यात्व॒र्वाङ् । अ॒प॒सेध॑न्र॒क्षसो॑ यातु॒धाना॒नस्था॑द्दे॒वः प्र॑तिदो॒षं गृ॑णा॒नः ॥
हिर॑ण्यऽहस्तः । असु॑रः । सु॒ऽनी॒थः । सु॒ऽमृ॒ळी॒कः । स्वऽवा॑न् । या॒तु॒ । अ॒र्वाङ् । अ॒प॒ऽसेध॑न् । र॒क्षसः॑ । या॒तु॒ऽधाना॑न् । अस्था॑त् । दे॒वः । प्र॑तिऽदो॒षम् । गृ॒णा॒नः ॥
hiraṇya-hastaḥ | asuraḥ | su-nīthaḥ | su-mṛḷīkaḥ | sva-vān | yātu | arvāṅ | apa-sedham | rakṣasaḥ | yātu-dhānān | asthāt | devaḥ | prati-doṣam | gṛṇānaḥ
48
4×12 (approx.)
Protective and imperative; the long lines carry invocation and the action of barring hostile forces.
Builds a firm boundary-feeling; stabilizes the nervous system at day’s end and strengthens resolve.
- हिर॑ण्यहस्तो (hiraṇyahasto)
- Literal: golden-handed. Symbolic: luminous effective force; capacity to act rightly and protect
- असु॑रः (asuraḥ)
- Literal: sovereign power. Symbolic: mastery of consciousness; lordship over forces
- सुनी॒थः (sunīthaḥ)
- Literal: good guidance. Symbolic: right leading discernment at thresholds
- सु॑मृळी॒कः (sumṛḻīkaḥ)
- Literal: gracious, kindly. Symbolic: benign protection; healing compassion without weakness
- स्ववाँ (svavān)
- Literal: self-possessed. Symbolic: inward mastery; stable self-rule against intrusion
- रक्षसः (rakṣasaḥ)
- Literal: rakshasas. Symbolic: hostile formations: confusion, falsehood, fear, invasive impulses
- यातु॒धाना॑न् (yātudhānān)
- Literal: sorcerers/ghouls. Symbolic: perverting forces that ‘eat’ energy: obsessive thoughts, addictions, psychic vampirism
- प्र॑तिदो॒षम् (pratidoṣam)
- Literal: at every dusk. Symbolic: at every inner transition into obscurity—sleep, fatigue, emotional low tide
- अपसेधन् (apasedhan)
- Literal: barring, driving back. Symbolic: conscious boundary-setting; protective will aligned to divine guidance
Apotropaic twilight (dusk) protection: warding rakṣas/yātudhāna; aligns with evening recitations and protective śrauta/ghṛhya usage where liminal times are guarded by mantra
At dusk; before sleep; at the start of any ‘night’ period (retreat, fasting, silence).
Chanting as apotropaic protection—driving back rakṣas/yātudhāna; establishing divine presence at the threshold.
A bedtime protection and purification mantra; also useful before meditation if one feels psychic/vital disturbance or intrusive thoughts.
mṛḷ (in sumṛḷīka) ‘be gracious’ (Vedic). rakṣas from √rakṣ ‘protect’ ironically names what must be warded off (later semantic shift to ‘demon’); in Veda, rakṣas are obstructive night-forces. yātudhāna ‘one who puts/holds magic’ (yātu + √dhā ‘place’), here symbolically perverting formations. pratidōṣam indicates recurring twilight threshold.
liminality and protection of consciousness at transitions, hostile forces as inner distortions opposed to ṛta, grace (mṛḷ) and sovereignty (asura) as complementary attributes
Dusk is a junction where order can slip; Savitṛ restores ṛta by right impulsion and protection.
Good guidance (sunītha) is the satya-leading power that keeps the being aligned when outer light fades.
Day-night alternation as cosmic discipline; protection ensures continuity of the sacrificial consciousness.
Vedic psychology of hostile forces; anticipates later yogic emphasis on guarding the gates of sense and mind.
dusk
Dusk = transition into subconscious; rakṣas = intrusive negativity; Savitṛ’s coming = re-establishing conscious guidance and protection.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The dusk-guardian motif: Savitṛ arrives at twilight to repel rakṣas and yātudhānas. Mythically: the solar power protects the thresholds of night; psychologically: the illumined will guards the consciousness when obscurity and hostile suggestions rise.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā in yātudhāna reflects PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘to put, place’ (Gk tithēmi, Lat facere is different; but *dʰeh₁ is clear). The recurrent temporal compound pratidōṣam encodes ritual time-consciousness typical of early IE poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s hymn (gṛṇānaḥ) is a cooperative act that ‘seats’ the devatā at the threshold (asthād). In return Savitṛ provides protection and right guidance, actively barring hostile formations. The exchange is mantra-as-offering answered by guardianship and inner safety.
Establish a protective circle of light at dusk; invite Savitṛ’s sovereign guidance to stand at the threshold of sleep and the subconscient.
maṇipūra (protective will) and ājñā (guidance/discernment)
3-part breath (dirgha) with emphasis on long exhale; optionally hum on exhale to seal the field.
Protected inward gathering; calm vigilance transitioning into restorative silence.
Chant at sunset or before bed. On ‘apasedhan rakṣaso yātudhānān’ consciously refuse intrusive thoughts; on ‘asthād devaḥ pratidoṣam’ feel a steady presence stationed at the ‘gate’ of awareness. Then enter sleep/meditation without fear.
Rigvedic accents; emphasize imperative/invocation words (yātu, arvāṅ) with clean udātta placement; keep ‘rakṣaso yātudhānān’ forceful but not harsh.
Slight emphasis at pāda breaks; let the protective command sit in the middle, then resolve into steadiness on ‘asthād… pratidoṣam’.
(hiraṇyahasto): clear -hasto, (sunīthaḥ): long ī, (sumṛḻīkaḥ): retroflex ḻ sound approximated as retroflex lateral; keep ‘ṛ’ clear, (svavām̐): nasalization on āṁ, (rakṣaso): ṣ retroflex, (yātudhānān): dh aspirated; long ān
Firm, protective, low-centered; avoid sharpness—strength with benevolence.
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