Rig Veda Sukta 91
Mandala 7Sukta 917 Mantras

Sukta 91

Sukta 7.91

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Devata

Vāyu (with Indra–Vāyu context continuing; Manu and Uṣas/Sūrya as supporting figures)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable)

Himne Vasiṣṭha ini menyeru Vāyu dalam kemitraan rapat dengan Indra–Vāyu, menjemput mereka ke persembahan Soma serta memohon perlindungan, kekuatan, dan kesejahteraan. Ia mengingatkan para dewa purba yang tanpa cela, yang menolong Manu pada saat terhalang dengan menegakkan Fajar bersama Matahari—gambaran pemulihan tatanan yang benar dan penglihatan yang jernih bagi jalan manusia. Para penyair (Vasiṣṭha) menutup dengan memohon svasti yang berkekalan (kesejahteraan yang selaras) melalui pujian mereka yang tersusun baik.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.91

Mantras

Mantra 1

कुविदङ्ग नमसा ये वृधासः पुरा देवा अनवद्यास आसन् । ते वायवे मनवे बाधितायावासयन्नुषसं सूर्येण ॥

Adakah para dewa purba itu—yang telah bertambah kuasa dan tidak bercela—dapat dimenangkan oleh sembah-hormat kami? Mereka, demi Vāyu dan demi Manu ketika ia terhimpit oleh halangan, menjadikan Fajar berdiam bersama Surya—membawa tertib yang bercahaya ke dalam jalan manusia.

Mantra 2

उशन्ता दूता न दभाय गोपा मासश्च पाथः शरदश्च पूर्वीः । इन्द्रवायू सुष्टुतिर्वामियाना मार्डीकमीट्टे सुवितं च नव्यम् ॥

Dengan hasrat, laksana para utusan; menjaga agar tidak tersasar, mereka menempuh bulan-bulan, jalan-jalan, dan banyak musim yang terdahulu. Wahai Indra–Vāyu, puji-pujian yang tersusun elok dan datang kepada kamu memohon rahmat kamu serta pimpinan benar yang baharu—pembukaan segar bagi perjalanan.

Mantra 3

पीवोअन्नाँ रयिवृधः सुमेधाः श्वेतः सिषक्ति नियुतामभिश्रीः । ते वायवे समनसो वि तस्थुर्विश्वेन्नरः स्वपत्यानि चक्रुः ॥

Kaya dengan makanan yang berdaya, penambah kelimpahan, bijak dalam pengertian—kilau putih melekat pada tenaga-tenaga yang dipasang pada kuk. Demi Vāyu mereka berdiri teguh, sehati; para insan ini telah membentuk segala laku penguasaan yang baik dan pemilikan diri yang sejati.

Mantra 4

यावत्तरस्तन्वो यावदोजो यावन्नरश्चक्षसा दीध्यानाः । शुचिं सोमं शुचिपा पातमस्मे इन्द्रवायू सदतं बर्हिरेदम् ॥

Sejauh tubuh dapat mencapai, sejauh tenaga dapat meluas, sejauh para pencari menyalakan (nyala) dengan penglihatan—minumlah di sini Soma yang suci, wahai para peminum-kesucian. Wahai Indra–Vāyu, duduklah pada hamparan persembahan ini di dalam diri kami.

Mantra 5

नियुवाना नियुतः स्पार्हवीरा इन्द्रवायू सरथं यातमर्वाक् । इदं हि वां प्रभृतं मध्वो अग्रमध प्रीणाना वि मुमुक्तमस्मे ॥

Muda dan sentiasa diperbaharui, dengan kekuatan-kekuatanmu yang terpasang pada kuk, kaya akan kepahlawanan yang didambakan—wahai Indra–Vāyu, datanglah bersama dalam satu kereta menuju kami. Kerana sari pertama kemanisan ini telah dibawa untuk kamu berdua; kemudian, setelah dipuaskan, lepaskanlah bagi kami keluasan-keluasan dan pembebasan di dalam diri.

Mantra 6

या वां शतं नियुतो याः सहस्रमिन्द्रवायू विश्ववाराः सचन्ते । आभिर्यातं सुविदत्राभिरर्वाक्पातं नरा प्रतिभृतस्य मध्वः ॥

Kekuatan-kekuatanmu yang terpasang pada kuk—ratusan dan ribuan—wahai Indra–Vāyu, yang kaya dengan segala kelimpahan yang diingini, berhimpun kepadamu. Dengan mereka turunlah kepada kami dengan daya-daya yang terang untuk menemukan yang benar; wahai dua yang perkasa, minumlah madu kenikmatan yang dipersembahkan dan dibawa menuju kamu berdua.

Mantra 7

अर्वन्तो न श्रवसो भिक्षमाणा इन्द्रवायू सुष्टुतिभिर्वसिष्ठाः । वाजयन्तः स्ववसे हुवेम यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥

Seperti kuda-kuda tangkas yang mendamba kemasyhuran, kami kaum Vasiṣṭha memohon kepada-Mu dengan puji-pujian yang tersusun indah, wahai Indra dan Vāyu. Berusaha meraih kelimpahan daya bagi penguasaan diri kami sendiri, kami menyeru kamu; peliharalah kami sentiasa dengan kesejahteraan (svasti).

Inside Sukta 91

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A questioning, reverent appeal to the ancient, blameless gods—asking whether they will be won by homage—and a mythic recollection of divine help to Manu through the establishment of Dawn with the Sun.

  2. Development

    The hymn turns from remembrance to present ritual immediacy: Vāyu/Indra–Vāyu are invited to approach, to drink the pure Soma, and to take their seat on the barhis, extending strength as far as body, force, and vision can reach.

  3. Climax

    The direct Soma-invitation peaks in the command/request to the ‘pure-drinkers’ to drink here and to ‘sit’—signaling the moment of divine presence and energizing influx into the rite and the sacrificer’s domain.

  4. Where it settles

    The Vasiṣṭhas, like steeds seeking fame, close with a sustained plea for vāja and constant protection—‘guard us always with svasti’—sealing the hymn in blessing and continuity.

The deity: Vāyu

  • In the VedaVāyu is the swift, life-bearing Wind, first to receive Soma and a frequent companion of Indra in Soma-drinking; together Indra–Vāyu are addressed as pure-drinkers who arrive quickly to the barhis (sacrificial seat). The hymn also alludes to cosmic ordering through Dawn and Sun, framing the gods’ aid to Manu as a restoration of light and passage.
  • Cosmic functionRegulates breath and atmospheric movement, carries vitality, and—paired with Indra—supports the dynamic release of energies that clear obstruction and establish luminous order (uṣas–sūrya).
  • Inner significanceVāyu signifies prāṇa: the enlivening current that clears inner blockage, steadies perception, and enables the ‘dawn’ of discernment to align with the ‘sun’ of awakened consciousness; Indra–Vāyu together symbolize force guided by vital clarity.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (the Vasiṣṭhas; Mānavas in several traditions) · One of the foremost Rigvedic seers, celebrated for authoritative priestly insight (brahman), mastery of praise, and for hymns centered on Varuṇa–Mitra, Indra, and royal-protective theology in Maṇḍala 7.

Famous verses

कुविदङ्ग नमसा ये वृधासः पुरा देवा अनवद्यास आसन् । ते वायवे मनवे बाधितायावासयन्नुषसं सूर्येण ॥
Verse 7.91.1Sets the theological frame: ancient gods’ blameless power and the paradigmatic rescue of Manu by aligning Dawn with the Sun—an image of removing obstruction and restoring ordered illumination.Read verse 7.91.1 →
śuciṃ somaṃ śucipā pātam asme
Verse 7.91.4Central ritual injunction: invites Indra–Vāyu to drink the pure Soma and to sit on the barhis; it compresses the hymn’s sacrificial purpose into a vivid, performative moment.Read verse 7.91.4 →
yūyaṃ pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ
Verse 7.91.7Concluding petition and self-identification of the Vasiṣṭhas; asks for vāja (winning force) and continual safeguarding through svasti, giving the hymn its enduring practical intent.Read verse 7.91.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Swift mover, first Soma-recipient
  • Life-breath and energizer (prāṇa)
  • Purifying current; ‘pure-drinker’ in Soma context
  • Obstacle-clearing, path-opening power (especially with Indra)
  • Bringer of well-being (svasti) and protection
  • Linked to dawn-light imagery: ordering, illumination, right passage

Also by this seer

  • Principal seer of much of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 (a major Vasiṣṭha family book).
  • Hymnic corpora addressing Varuṇa’s moral order (ṛta), Indra’s victories, and ritual efficacy of Soma and Agni in the Vasiṣṭha collection.
  • Later Vedic/Itihāsa tradition associates Vasiṣṭha with Brahmarṣi status and with preserving sacrificial orthopraxy and royal counsel.

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar and spread the barhis (sacrificial grass/seat) for the arriving deities.
  • Invite Vāyu and Indra–Vāyu with namas (reverence) and stuti (well-fashioned praise).
  • Press/strain Soma and declare it śuci (pure), fit for the ‘pure-drinkers’.
  • Offer Soma with recitation, requesting the gods to ‘sit’ on the barhis and within the sacrificer’s sphere (asme).
  • Recall the exemplary divine act (aid to Manu; Dawn established with Sun) as a model for removing present obstruction.
  • Conclude with petitions for vāja (force/plenitude), fame, and continual svasti (well-being/protection).

Offerings

  • Soma (pressed and purified)
  • Barhis (seat of offering)
  • Verbal offerings: hymns of praise (suṣṭuti), namas (reverence)

Frequently Asked Questions

Vāyu is primary, but the hymn strongly addresses the dual deity Indra–Vāyu, especially in the Soma-drinking context.

It recalls a divine act of removing obstruction and establishing luminous order—symbolically bringing clarity (Dawn) into full alignment with truth and vision (Sun) for human life.

It functions as an invitation and praise during Soma offerings, asking Indra–Vāyu/Vāyu to come, drink the purified Soma, sit on the offering seat, and grant strength and ongoing well-being (svasti).

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