Rig Veda 1.71.1: Mandala 1, Sukta 71, Mantra 1
Sukta 1.71
- Rishi
- Parāśara Śāktya
- Devata
- Agni and Uṣas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
उप प्र जिन्वन्नुशतीरुशन्तं पतिं न नित्यं जनयः सनीळाः । स्वसारः श्यावीमरुषीमजुष्रञ्चित्रमुच्छन्तीमुषसं न गावः ॥
úpa prá jinvann uśatī́r uśántam pátiṃ ná nítyaṃ jánayaḥ sa-nīḷāḥ | svásāraḥ śyā́vīm áruṣīm ájuṣran citrám ucchántīm uṣásam ná gā́vaḥ
Mereka mara mendesak dan membangunkan Yang Diidamkan dengan keinginan mereka, seperti para wanita mengejutkan tuan yang sentiasa hadir; para saudari se-rumah bersuka pada yang gelap dan yang kemerah-merahan—seperti lembu mereka mengikuti Fajar yang beraneka warna, Uṣas, ketika ia terbit.
Word by Word
- उप
- near, towards (up to)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot उप (उपसर्ग) अव्यय
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot प्र (उपसर्ग) अव्यय
- जिन्वन्
- urging on, quickeningVerb (participle) / Adjectiveवर्तमाने कृदन्तः; शतृ-प्रत्यय; प्रथमा एकवचन (पुं.)Role Kartā (वर्णनात्मकः) / विशेषणम्Root जिव्/जि (धातु: जिन्वति) → जिन्वत्
- उशतीः
- the desiring (women), eager onesNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot उशत् (प्रातिपदिक) < √वश्/उश् ‘to desire’
- उशन्तम्
- the desired oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot उशन्त् (प्रातिपदिक) < √वश्/उश् ‘to desire’
- पतिम्
- lord, husbandNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा/निपातRoot न (निपात)
- नित्यम्
- ever, constant(ly)Adjective (used adverbially) / Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः)Root नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनयः
- begetters, producersNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot जनय (प्रातिपदिक) < √जन् ‘to beget’ (य-प्रत्यय)
- सनीळाः
- sharing one nest/home; of one abodeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root स-नीळ (प्रातिपदिक) (सह + नीळ ‘nest, home’)
- स्वसारः
- sistersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot स्वसृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्यावीम्
- dark, duskyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (विशेष्य-उषसम् प्रति)Root श्यावी (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरुषीम्
- ruddy, glowingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (विशेष्य-उषसम् प्रति)Root अरुषी (प्रातिपदिक)
- अजुष्रन्
- they enjoyed/favored, they welcomedVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kriyā (मुख्या); Kartā=स्वसारःRoot √जुष् ‘to enjoy, favor’ (aorist)
- चित्रम्
- bright, wondrousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (विशेष्य-उषसम् प्रति)Root चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- उच्छन्तीम्
- shining forth, dawningVerb (participle) / Adjectiveवर्तमाने कृदन्तः; शतृ-प्रत्यय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (विशेषणम्)Root उद्-√शा/छा ‘to shine, appear’ → उच्छन्ती (वर्त. कृदन्त)
- उषसम्
- Dawn (Uṣas)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमा/निपातRoot न (निपात)
- गावः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विच्छेद): उप | प्र | जिन्वन् | उशतीः | उशन्तम् | पतिम् | न | नित्यम् | जनयः | सनीळाः || स्वसारः | श्यावीम् | अरुषीम् | अजुष्रन् | चित्रम् | उच्छन्तीम् | उषसम् | न | गावः || 1) जिन्वन् + उशतीः → जिन्वन्नुशतीः (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: न् + उ → न्नु)
- 2) उशतीः + उशन्तम् → उशतीरुशन्तम् (विसर्गाभावः; ईः + उ → ईरु)
- 3) जनयः + सनीळाः → जनयः सनीळाः (विसर्गः पदान्ते)
- 4) अरुषीम् + अजुष्रन् → अरुषीमजुष्रन् (म् + अ → म)
- 5) चित्रम् + उच्छन्तीम् → चित्रमुच्छन्तीम् (म् + उ → मु)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The desiring women (or sisters) urge and awaken the desired lord; sisters of one dwelling delight in the dark and ruddy forms; like cows they follow the many-hued Dawn as she rises.
Inner meaning
The soul’s aspiring powers (uśatīḥ, the desirous flames of seeking) kindle and awaken Agni, the ever-present inner Lord (patiṃ…nityaṃ) within the human being. The ‘sisters of one home’ are coordinated movements of consciousness (thought, will, feeling) that harmonize in one inner field (sanīḻāḥ). They rejoice in both the obscurer and the ruddier stages—passing from tamasic concealment (śyāvī) into the red-gold emergence (aruṣī) of illumination. The ‘cows’ are rays of knowledge that follow Uṣas, the dawn of spiritual awakening, as the higher light rises in the being.
Universal truth
True awakening is a cooperative ascent: aspiration repeatedly stirs the indwelling divine Fire, and illumination dawns in graded tones—first breaking darkness, then revealing many-colored insight. Knowledge comes as rays that naturally follow the growth of inner light.
Themes
dawn of consciousness, ignition by aspiration, recovery of rays, from darkness to light
The seer
- Rishi
- Parāśara Śāktya
- Lineage
- Śāktya (Parāśara lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.65, RV 1.66, RV 1.67, RV 1.68, RV 1.69, RV 1.70, RV 1.72, RV 1.73
Family tradition
A seer of the Parāśara stream associated with Agni hymns in RV 1.65–1.73; the vision emphasizes inner kindling and the Angirasa discovery of light.
Significance
Parāśara’s seeing often turns ritual images into a psychology of awakening: Agni is the constant divine Will; Uṣas is the progressive disclosure of higher knowledge in the embodied life.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni–Uṣas (interwoven)
- Epithets
- uśantam (the Desired/Desiring One), pati (Lord), nitya (ever-present), citram uṣas (many-colored Dawn)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Indra, Soma, Angirasa powers
Cosmic role
Agni is the priestly flame that leads the sacrifice and opens the way; Uṣas is the dawn that unveils the worlds and releases the rays.
Inner power
Agni as awakened will and aspiration that calls down light; Uṣas as the illumining force that progressively reveals truth-forms in the mind and life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra / morning kindling and Agni praise (general Agni-stotra usage)
उप॒ प्र जि॑न्वन्नुश॒तीरु॒शन्तं॒ पतिं॒ न नित्यं॒ जन॑य॒: सनी॑ळाः । स्वसा॑र॒: श्यावी॒मरु॑षीमजुष्रञ्चि॒त्रमु॒च्छन्ती॑मु॒षसं॒ न गाव॑: ॥
उप॑ । प्र । जि॒न्व॒न् । उ॒श॒तीः । उ॒शन्त॑म् । पति॑म् । न । नित्य॑म् । जन॑यः । सऽनी॑ळाः । स्वसा॑रः । श्यावी॑म् । अरु॑षीम् । अ॒जु॒ष्र॒न् । चि॒त्रम् । उ॒च्छन्ती॑म् । उ॒षस॑म् । न । गावः॑ ॥
upa | pra | jinvan | uśatīḥ | uśantam | patim | na | nityam | janayaḥ | sa-nīḷāḥ | svasāraḥ | śyāvīm | aruṣīm | ajuṣran | citram | ucchantīm | uṣasam | na | gāvaḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables; slightly lengthened/flowing cadence to mirror ‘pressing forward’ and ‘rising’.
Forward-driving yet spacious; a lift at the cadence that suits the image of dawn’s ascent.
Builds a felt movement from yearning to emergence; supports a meditative ‘awakening’ sensation in the chest and brow.
- uśatīḥ / uśantam
- Literal: desiring (f.) / desiring (m.). Symbolic: aspiration in the parts of the being / the Divine that answers aspiration
- patiṃ…nityam
- Literal: lord…ever-present. Symbolic: Agni as the constant inner Guide and Master of the yoga
- sanīḻāḥ
- Literal: of one nest/home. Symbolic: unified inner field; harmonized faculties
- svasāraḥ
- Literal: sisters. Symbolic: cooperating powers of consciousness
- śyāvīm
- Literal: dark, dusky. Symbolic: inconscience/obscurity being transformed
- aruṣīm
- Literal: ruddy, red-gold. Symbolic: incipient illumination; dawn-force
- uṣasam
- Literal: Dawn-goddess. Symbolic: spiritual awakening; illumined consciousness
- gāvaḥ
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge released and guided by dawn
Morning kindling and dawn-hymn interface: awakening Agni alongside the coming of Uṣas; inner practice of bringing aspiration to ignite the flame before illumination.
Dawn to early morning; at the lighting or strengthening of the fire; also as an inner ‘dawn invocation’.
Kindling/feeding the fire; recitation to invite illumination and right will.
Used as a morning meditation mantra for awakening aspiration and inviting clarity at the start of the day.
uśatī/uśant from √vaś/√uś ‘desire, wish’—aspiration as a power. sa-nīḷa ‘same nest’ (nīḷa ‘nest, seat’) = co-seated harmonies. uṣas ‘dawn’ from √vas ‘shine’ (Vedic dawn lexeme; PIE dawn-word is *h₂éwsōs, reflected in Uṣas). go ‘cow/ray’ as light-herd motif. The paired śyāvī/aruṣī encodes dark-to-red transition: from concealed potential to flaming emergence.
aspiration (uś) as motive force, harmonized powers (sa-nīḷa), illumination as progressive revelation
Dawn’s rising is ṛta in motion: the lawful unveiling of truth from concealment.
Satya as the ‘many-colored’ truth—one reality expressing varied true forms as consciousness brightens.
Emergence of light from darkness; manifestation through graded revelation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-style) reading: ascent of consciousness and unveiling of the Real.
dawn
Transition from subconscient obscurity to illumined mind; rays of knowledge gathering around awakening consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The dawn-ignition mythologem: allied sister-powers awaken the desired lord (Agni) and follow the variegated Dawn (Uṣas). It encodes the emergence of illumination from concealment, with rays (cows) released and ordered behind dawn.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Uṣas reflects PIE *h₂éwsōs (cf. Greek Ēōs, Latin Aurora). The ‘cows/rays’ imagery is a Vedic poetic specialization, but the dawn goddess is a strong IE inheritance. The familial metaphors (sisters, one nest) echo IE social-poetic structures used to describe natural/cosmic powers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer orchestrates aspiration as a collective feminine energy that rouses the divine lord within; the Devatās respond by bringing dawn-illumination and releasing the rays of knowledge, enabling the practitioner’s progressive awakening.
Awaken the inner Fire through aspiration; watch the ‘dawn’ of clearer perception in the mind.
anahata
Gentle ujjayi or slow nasal breathing synchronized with each pāda.
From tamasic inertia to sattwic clarity and illumined receptivity.
At sunrise, recall the indwelling Lord (nitya pati). On inhale, feel aspiration rise; on exhale, offer restlessness into the fire. Then sit quietly, letting insights arise as ‘rays’ following dawn.
Vedic svaras apply (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā; preserve udātta peaks on key verbs (jinvann, janayaḥ) and on uṣas/uṣasam.
Keep the natural lift on udātta syllables; avoid flattening the cadence at pāda ends—let triṣṭubh ‘open’ slightly into the caesura.
uśatīr: keep short ‘u’, clear ś (palatal), long ī, sanīḻāḥ: retroflex ḻ (as in Vedic), long ī, aruṣīm: roll r lightly; ṣ is retroflex, ucchantīm: double cch clearly; nasal īm sustained, gāvaḥ: long ā; v as soft labio-dental
Bright, awakening tone; steady and slightly rising through each pāda.
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