Rig Veda 7.82.7: Mandala 7, Sukta 82, Mantra 7
Sukta 7.82
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra-Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
न तमंहो न दुरितानि मर्त्यमिन्द्रावरुणा न तपः कुतश्चन । यस्य देवा गच्छथो वीथो अध्वरं न तं मर्तस्य नशते परिह्वृतिः ॥
ná tám aṃhó ná duritā́ni mártyam índrāvaruṇā ná tápaḥ kútaś caná | yásya devā gácchatho vīthó adhvaráṃ ná táṃ mártasya naśate párihvṛtiḥ ||
Tiada kesusahan, tiada keburukan, tiada derita yang membakar dapat menyentuh insan fana, wahai Indra dan Varuṇa, dari mana pun—apabila kamu, wahai para dewa, berjalan bersamanya di jalan yajña. Penyelewengan yang mengepung tidak dapat menangkap insan itu.
Word by Word
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध (negation)Root न
- तम्
- that (man)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- अंहः
- distress, sin, harmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अंहस्
- न
- norIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- दुरितानि
- misdeeds, calamitiesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot दुरित
- मर्त्यम्
- mortal (man)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मर्त्य
- इन्द्रावरुणा
- Indra and VaruṇaNoun (dual compound)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा द्विवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र-वरुण
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- तपः
- heat, austerity, tormentNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तपस्
- कुतश्चन
- from anywhere whatsoeverIndeclinable (compound)अव्यय; अनिश्चित-निषेधार्थे (from anywhere at all)Role Apādāna (source, adverbial)Root कुतस् + चन
- यस्य
- of whomPronoun (relative)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root यद्
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव
- गच्छथः
- you two goVerbलट् (वर्तमान); मध्यमपुरुष; द्विवचनRole Kriyā (verbal action)Root गम्
- वीथः
- path, course (of travel/ritual procession)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (goal/track as object of motion)Root वीथ
- अध्वरम्
- sacrifice, riteNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अध्वर
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- तम्
- that (man)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- मर्त्यस्य
- of the mortalNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole SambandhaRoot मर्त्य
- नशते
- reaches, attains, overtakesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole KriyāRoot नश्
- परिह्वृतिः
- deviation, misguidance, hostile turning-awayNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot परि-ह्वृति (from √ह्वृ/ह्वर् ‘to go astray, to deviate’)
Sandhi Notes
- Padapāṭha-style resolution (major sandhi): न तमंहो → न तम् अंहः
- दु॑रि॒तानि॒ मर्त्य॒म् → दुरितानि मर्त्यम्
- इन्द्रा॑वरुणा॒ → इन्द्रावरुणा (द्वन्द्व, प्रथमा-द्विवचन)
- तप॒: कुत॑श्च॒न → तपः कुतश्चन
- यस्य॑ देवा॒ गच्छ॑थो → यस्य देवाः गच्छथः
- वी॒थो अ॑ध्व॒रं → वीथः अध्वरम्
- मर्त॑स्य नशते॒ → मर्त्यस्य नशते
- परि॑ह्वृतिः kept as one lexical noun (no external sandhi)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra and Varuṇa protect the mortal so that no sin/distress, misfortune, or burning affliction can reach him from any side when the gods travel with him on the sacrificial path; the enclosing distortion cannot seize him.
Inner meaning
When the illumined Mind (Indra) and the vast Law/Truth-consciousness (Varuṇa) accompany the seeker in the inner yajña (adhvara as the straight, unbroken movement), the forces of error (duritāni), constriction (aṃhas), and feverish tapas of suffering cannot invade. The ‘parihvṛti’ is the twisting enclosure of consciousness—psychic distortion, obsessive circling, and hostile suggestion—which fails to capture one who stays in the right movement with these powers.
Universal truth
Protection is not mere external safety but a state of alignment: when will and mind are yoked to truth and wideness, suffering born of confusion and distortion loses its hold. Right direction plus higher companionship dissolves the power of enclosing fear and error.
Themes
Protection, Removal of sin/error, Right path, Divine guidance
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.82.1-10, RV 7.83.1-11, RV 7.86 (Varuṇa hymn on truth and inner release), RV 7.88 (vision of wide seas/waters as wideness)
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 7 is the Vasiṣṭha family book; hymns often stress ṛta, protection, and the harmony of cosmic law with victorious illumination.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s voice is the seer of vastness and right order: the soul’s safety comes by consenting to ṛta and allowing the divine powers to ‘travel with’ the human journey.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra–Varuṇa
- Epithets
- narā (heroes/strong ones), devā (gods), ṛtāvṛdh (increased by ṛta—contextual to this hymn cycle)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Aryaman, Aditi, Savitṛ
Cosmic role
Indra breaks the obstructing cover (Vṛtra) and releases the lights/waters; Varuṇa upholds cosmic law, wideness, and the binding truth that keeps the worlds in order.
Inner power
Indra: luminous intelligence and decisive force that clears inner obstruction. Varuṇa: vast equal purity, ethical-psychic law, the pressure to truth and wideness that prevents distortion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra–Varuṇa śastra/stotra context within Soma-yajña sequences (general dual-invocation usage)
न तमंहो॒ न दु॑रि॒तानि॒ मर्त्य॒मिन्द्रा॑वरुणा॒ न तप॒: कुत॑श्च॒न । यस्य॑ देवा॒ गच्छ॑थो वी॒थो अ॑ध्व॒रं न तं मर्त॑स्य नशते॒ परि॑ह्वृतिः ॥
न । तम् । अंहः॑ । न । दुः॒ऽइ॒तानि॑ । मर्त्य॑म् । इन्द्रा॑वरुणा । न । तपः॑ । कुतः॑ । च॒न । यस्य॑ । दे॒वा॒ । गच्छ॑थः । वी॒थः । अ॒ध्व॒रम् । न । तम् । मर्त॑स्य । न॒श॒ते॒ । परि॑ऽह्वृतिः ॥
na | tam | aṃhaḥ | na | duḥ-itāni | martyam | indrāvaruṇā | na | tapaḥ | kutaḥ | cana | yasya | devā | gacchathaḥ | vīthaḥ | adhvaram | na | tam | martasya | naśate | pari-hvṛtiḥ
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to protection and victory statements.
Creates a firm, marching steadiness; reinforces the feeling of being accompanied and guarded in right movement.
- aṃhaḥ
- Literal: distress, narrowness, sin/trouble. Symbolic: constriction of consciousness; shrinking fear-guilt that limits the soul’s movement
- duritāni
- Literal: misdeeds/misfortunes, wrong goings. Symbolic: wrong movements of thought/vital that deviate from ṛta
- tapaḥ
- Literal: heat, burning, austerity. Symbolic: fever of the vital, painful pressure of unresolved desire/resistance
- adhvara
- Literal: sacrifice (often ‘unbroken/undistorted’ rite). Symbolic: the straight inner offering—integral practice without crookedness
- vīthaḥ
- Literal: way, track, journey. Symbolic: the inner path of progressive realization
- parihvṛtiḥ
- Literal: enclosure, surrounding, perversion/distortion. Symbolic: the coverer’s circling deception; obsessive thought-loops that seize attention
Protective verse (rakṣaṇa) for the sacrificer: ensures freedom from aṃhas/durita/tapas when the gods accompany the adhvara; applicable as a safeguard recitation in yajña sequences.
Invocations seeking protection, right order, and victory during offerings and recitations.
Calling the dual powers to ‘walk the path’ of the rite with the sacrificer; protective framing of the yajña.
Use as a protective pre-meditation recitation: affirming alignment with truth (Varuṇa) and clearing force (Indra) before inner work.
aṃhás ‘narrowness, distress’ (cf. semantic opposite of uru ‘wide’). duritá ‘bad-going’ from dus- ‘bad’ + √i ‘go’. tápaḥ from √tap ‘to heat’ → heat/ardor/affliction. adhvará again as a-dhvara ‘not crooked’. pári-hvṛti from pari- ‘around’ + √hvar/hvṛ ‘to go crooked, deviate’ → surrounding deviation.
Uru (wideness) implied vs aṃhas (narrowness), Ṛta-path (adhvara as straight movement), Protection through divine companionship
The ‘adhvara’ as undistorted movement implies living/acting in ṛta; distortion (parihvṛti) is anti-ṛta.
Freedom from seizure by distortion comes through truth-alignment and sincerity of offering.
Release from enclosing powers is a recurrent creation-motif: the worlds open when the cover is broken.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic psychology as read by Sri Aurobindo: inner sacrifice, ascent, and transformation through higher powers.
Heat becomes the psychic ‘fever’ of struggle; the path is disciplined practice; enclosure is the subconscious/hostile circling that tries to capture the mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The gods as companions on the path: when Indra-Varuṇa ‘travel’ with the human on the adhvara, hostile forces (narrowness, wrong passages, burning affliction, encompassing deviation) cannot seize him. It is the mythic motif of divine escort ensuring safe passage through peril.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- duritá as ‘bad-going’ uses a transparent preverb + motion-verb construction typical of Indo-European (cf. Greek dys- + ienai patterns). The crooked/straight opposition (√hvṛ vs adhvara) echoes archaic moral-spatial metaphors widespread across Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks not for external rescue but for divine accompaniment in the inner work: presence of Indra-Varuṇa in the adhvara makes the being immune to deviations and narrowing, establishing a protected field where ṛta can be lived.
Feel Indra as clear, decisive illumination in the head/forehead and Varuṇa as vast, wideness around the whole being; rest in the ‘straight path’ of attention.
Ājñā (Indra’s illumination) with expansion into Anāhata/whole-field wideness (Varuṇa).
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–8 rounds, then chant once per exhale; pause after each pāda to feel wideness.
Protective collectedness (saṃhita), moving toward quiet luminous stability.
Before difficult inner work, invoke: ‘May no distortion seize me.’ Keep attention linear (adhvara), avoid circular rumination (parihvṛti).
Triṣṭubh recitation with standard Vedic accents: udatta on marked syllables, anudatta unmarked, svarita as falling tone where indicated by sandhi/notation (requires śākhā-specific svara marks).
Keep the cadence steady across 4 pādas; avoid rushing ‘na tam… na… na…’—each negation is a firm beat of protection.
Maintain retroflex ṇ in varuṇā; clear distinction of d/t in duritāni vs tapaḥ, Pronounce ‘parihvṛtiḥ’ with clear ‘hvṛ’ cluster and final visarga lightly, Hold long vowels: indrāvaruṇā, martyam
Steady, resonant, protective (chest-supported) with clear articulation.
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