Rig Veda 1.90.1: Mandala 1, Sukta 90, Mantra 1
Sukta 1.90
- Devata
- Varuṇa–Mitra–Aryaman
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
ऋजुनीती नो वरुणो मित्रो नयतु विद्वान् । अर्यमा देवैः सजोषाः ॥
ṛjú-nītī no váruṇo mitró nayatu vidvā́n | aryamā́ deváiḥ sa-jóṣāḥ ||
Moga Varuṇa dan Mitra—yang mengetahui pimpinan yang lurus—membimbing kami; dan Aryaman, seia-sekata bersama para Dewa.
Word by Word
- ऋजुनीती
- straight guidance / right leadingNoun (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (कर्तृपद; ‘ऋजुनीति’ = ‘सीधी-नीति/सीधा-मार्गदर्शन’ विषय/कर्तृभाव) अथवा विशेषणरूपेण ‘वरुणः/मित्रः’ काRoot ऋजु-नीति (प्रातिपदिक; ऋजु ‘सीधा’ + नीति ‘नेतृत्व/मार्गदर्शन’, √नी ‘ने’ से) अथवा ऋजुनीति- (समास)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ = ‘हमारा/हमारे लिए’ प्रसङ्गानुसार)Role Sampradāna (लाभार्थ/हितार्थ; ‘हमारे लिए/हमको’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (नयतु का कर्ता)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्रः
- MitraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (नयतु का कर्ता; वरुणेन सह समुच्चित)Root मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- नयतु
- may (he) leadVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्ग-प्राय), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √नी (नीञ्) ‘नेतुम्/प्रापयितुम्’
- विद्वान्
- knowing, wiseAdjective (participial)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (वरुणः/मित्रः के विशेषणरूपेण)Role Kartā-विशेषणRoot √विद् ‘जान’ → विद्वस् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्यमा
- AryamanNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: अर्यमा < अर्यमन्)Role Kartā (नयतु का कर्ता; अन्य देवता के रूप में समुच्चित)Root अर्यमन् (प्रातिपदिक; देवता-नाम)
- देवैः
- with the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole Karaṇa / Sahakārī (सहचर/सहयोग: ‘देवों के साथ’)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सजोषाः
- in concord, of one accordAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (वैदिक: -ाः अंत; अर्यमा/वरुण-मित्र के विशेषणरूपेण)Role Kartā-विशेषणRoot सजोषस् (प्रातिपदिक; स- ‘साथ’ + जोषस् ‘संतोष/अनुकूलता/एकमतता’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (संधि-निरसन): ऋजुनीती | नः | वरुणः | मित्रः | नयतु | विद्वान् | अर्यमा | देवैः | सजोषाः । ‘ऋजुनीती’ समास/समाहार-रूप (ऋजु + नीति) के रूप में
- ‘अर्यमा’ वैदिक प्रथमा एकवचन (अर्यमन्-शब्द का)
- ‘सजोषाः’ वैदिक प्रथमा एकवचन (सजोषस्-शब्द) — उच्चारण/स्वरचिह्न पाठानुसार।
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer that Varuṇa and Mitra, who know the straight way, may lead us; and that Aryaman, in harmony with the gods, may accompany and guide.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks the Ādityas—powers of the cosmic Truth (ṛta)—to establish the soul in straightness (ṛju-nīti): Varuṇa as the vast, all-seeing law of Truth that releases from inner crookedness; Mitra as the power of harmony, right relation and luminous consent; Aryaman as noble aspiration and disciplined effort that joins the individual will to the divine collective working. Guidance here is not mere protection but an inner leading into right movement of thought, will, and relationship.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on alignment with truth and right relation: clarity (straight discernment), harmony (right dealing), and noble aspiration (ethical strength) together become the inner guidance that keeps life on a true course.
Themes
guidance, ethical-straightness, ṛta-alignment, āditya-powers
The seer
Significance
The anonymity suits an Āditya hymn: the voice becomes universal—any seeker can invoke the powers of ṛta to straighten the inner path and restore harmony.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa–Mitra–Aryaman (Ādityas)
- Epithets
- vidvān (knowing), ṛjunītī (straight-leading, as the known path), sajoṣāḥ (in one accord)
- Related deities
- Bhaga, Aditi, Savitar, Indra (as executor of illumination)
Cosmic role
Guardians of ṛta: they uphold truth, right relation, and the lawful harmony of worlds and human life.
Inner power
They act as inner governors: Varuṇa corrects and widens consciousness; Mitra reconciles and harmonizes; Aryaman strengthens noble will and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āditya-related invocations in morning/solar rites; general protective and ‘right-order’ prayers
ऋ॒जु॒नी॒ती नो॒ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो न॑यतु वि॒द्वान् । अ॒र्य॒मा दे॒वैः स॒जोषा॑: ॥
ऋ॒जु॒ऽनी॒ती । नः॒ । वरु॑णः । मि॒त्रः । न॒य॒तु॒ । वि॒द्वान् । अ॒र्य॒मा । दे॒वैः । स॒ऽजोषाः॑ ॥
ṛju-nītī | naḥ | varuṇaḥ | mitraḥ | nayatu | vidvān | aryamā | devaiḥ | sa-joṣāḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables (approximate; Vedic resolution may vary)
Measured, directive cadence suited to ‘leading’ and ethical straightening.
Creates a steady inward alignment; the rhythm supports calm resolve and a sense of being guided by a higher law.
- ṛjunītī
- Literal: straight leading / direct guidance. Symbolic: inner straightness of will and thought; guidance by truth-conscious discernment
- Varuṇa
- Literal: the Āditya associated with cosmic order. Symbolic: vast truth-law that purifies, releases, and sets right inner movements
- Mitra
- Literal: friend; Āditya of concord. Symbolic: harmonizing power; right relation, mutuality, luminous agreement in the being
- Aryaman
- Literal: noble one; Āditya of social/ethical order. Symbolic: noble aspiration, disciplined effort, strength of right conduct that supports the path
- sajoṣāḥ
- Literal: of one accord, in companionship. Symbolic: integrated working of divine powers within the seeker; inner unity rather than divided impulses
Invocatory guidance-formula; appropriate for beginnings of rites and journeys, and for establishing ṛta-aligned intention (non-specific Shrauta anchoring).
Daytime rites and hymns seeking right order, social harmony, and purification
Recitation/invocation to establish ṛta and harmony before offerings
Use as a daily ‘alignment’ mantra before decisions, conflict resolution, or beginning meditation—invoking truth, harmony, and noble effort.
ṛju ‘straight’ (cognate with PIE *h₃reǵ- ‘right, straight’ in extended family of ‘right order’ semantics) + nīti from √nī ‘to lead’ → guidance as alignment with rightness. √vid (vidvān) ‘to know’ (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’) underlines that divine leading is conscious, not mechanical. Varuṇa and Mitra function as complementary powers: law/vastness and harmony/contract.
Ṛta (right order) implied by ṛju-nīti and Varuṇa, Concord/contract (Mitra), Noble solidarity (Aryaman)
Explicit: the ‘straight leading’ is the movement in ṛta upheld by the Ādityas.
Truth as guidance: knowledge (vidvān) that leads rather than merely informs.
Sustaining order in manifestation through lawful harmony.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: divine powers as psychological functions of the Truth-Consciousness.
day (solar governance)
The ‘straight path’ is the channel of ascent in consciousness where truth and harmony replace inner crookedness and conflict.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘straight path’ mythologem: divine powers as leaders who conduct the human being through inner and outer complexity along ṛta’s line—law (Varuṇa), harmony (Mitra), and noble cohesion (Aryaman).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √nī ‘lead’ and √vid ‘know/see’ are archaic Indo-European staples (PIE *ney- and *weyd-). Their combination (‘lead, knowing’) encodes the Indo-European poetic idea that right guidance is a function of luminous knowledge/vision.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks inner governance rather than gifts: he asks to be led by the Ādityas’ intelligence. The devatās respond as ordering faculties within the seeker—law, concord, and noble discipline become operative in the human journey.
Align the will to ‘straight leading’: truthfulness in thought, harmony in relation, nobility in effort.
ājñā (clarity) and anāhata (harmony)
slow exhale-focused breathing (1:2 ratio) while feeling inner straightening from crown to heart
Settled, ethical lucidity; readiness for right action without inner conflict.
Before practice, recall one area of inner crookedness (self-deception, resentment, wavering). Chant once slowly, then sit: let Varuṇa widen and purify, Mitra reconcile, Aryaman strengthen the decisive right step.
Mixed udātta/anudātta/svarita per Vedic accent; key lift on ‘varuṇo’, ‘mitro’, ‘aryamā’ as name-peaks (follow śākhā tradition if available).
Keep a clear rise on udātta syllables; avoid flattening the cadence in ‘ṛjunītī’. Maintain a gentle caesura after ‘vidvān’.
ṛ in ṛjunītī: light vocalic ‘r̥’, not ‘ri’, ṇ in varuṇa: retroflex nasal, tr in mitro: crisp cluster, no extra vowel, ā in aryamā: sustained long vowel
clear, steady, ‘guiding’ tone; minimal vibrato
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