Rig Veda 10.97.14: Mandala 10, Sukta 97, Mantra 14
Sukta 10.97
- Rishi
- Bhiṣaj / Atharvaṇic healing tradition
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अन्या वो अन्यामवत्वन्यान्यस्या उपावत । ताः सर्वाः संविदाना इदं मे प्रावता वचः ॥
anyā vo anyām avatv anyā anyasyā́ upā́vat | tā́ḥ sárvāḥ saṃvidānā́ idaṃ me prá̄vatā́ vácaḥ ||
Niech każda uzdrawiająca moc wspiera drugą; niech jedna wspomaga drugą we wzajemnym zbliżeniu. Niech wszystkie one, zjednoczone w jednym zrozumieniu, popierają i wypełnią to moje słowo, tę wolę modlitwy.
Word by Word
- अन्या
- one (female) / anotherAdjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्ये ‘अवतु’ इत्यस्य कर्ता)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- of you (your)Pronounषष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (possessive: ‘of you’)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्याम्
- another (female)Adjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (object of ‘अवतु’)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अवत्
- let (her) help/protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot अव् (रक्षणे/पालने)
- अन्या
- another (female)Adjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अग्रेसर-कर्तृ ‘उपावत’ इत्यस्य)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्यस्याः
- of another (female)Adjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of another’)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप
- near, towardsIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे)Role क्रियाविशेषण (directional/approach)Root उप (उपसर्ग)
- अवत्
- let (her) help/protect (approaching)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (उप+अव्)Role क्रियाRoot अव् (रक्षणे/पालने)
- ताः
- those (females)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (मुख्यवाक्ये)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सर्वाः
- allAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (ताः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- संविदानाः
- being in accord / acting with common understandingParticiple (Adjective)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (ताः सर्वाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषण (state/condition of the agents)Root सम्+विद् (ज्ञाने) → संविदान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- इदम्
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (object of ‘प्रावत’)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- my / of mePronounषष्ठी (genitive), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (possessive: ‘my’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे)Role क्रियाविशेषण (forth, forward)Root प्र (उपसर्ग)
- अवत
- let (it/they) protect/aidVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (प्र+अव्)Role क्रियाRoot अव् (रक्षणे/पालने)
- वचः
- speech, utteranceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अत्र कर्मरूपेण—‘इदं … वचः’)Role कर्म (what is to be protected/advanced: the utterance)Root वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-splitting): अ॒न्या वः अ॒न्याम् अवत् | अ॒न्या अन्यस्याः उप अवत् | ताः सर्वाः संविदानाः इदम् मे प्र अवत वचः || Notable: ‘अन्यान्यस्या॒’ = ‘अन्या अन्यस्याः’ (vowel coalescence/orthographic contraction in Saṃhitā)
- ‘उपा॑वत’ = ‘उप + अवत्’
- ‘प्राव॑ता’ = ‘प्र + अवत’ (accented saṃhitā form)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May each herb help the other; may one support another. Let all of them, united in understanding, protect and carry forward this word/prayer of mine.
Inner meaning
The many healing powers must work as a coordinated harmony, not as scattered attempts. Inner healing requires integration: physical vitality, nervous calm, mental clarity, and soul-confidence supporting each other. When these forces become ‘saṃvidānāḥ’—conscious of one another, in mutual accord—the seeker’s mantra-will (vacaḥ) becomes effective and is carried to fulfilment.
Universal truth
Wholeness heals: when the parts of our nature cooperate around a single truth-intention, the word becomes power and the work completes.
Themes
Healing (Bheṣaja), Oṣadhi-sūkta, Concord of powers, Mantric efficacy, Inner restoration
The seer
- Rishi
- Bhiṣaj (healer-seer) / Oṣadhi-sūkta tradition (anukramaṇī attribution varies)
- Other hymns
- RV 10.97
Family tradition
Bhaiṣajya lineage; Vedic healing integrated with mantric vāc
Significance
The healer-seer emphasizes concord (saṃvid) as the secret of efficacy: unity of powers makes the word a vehicle of ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ (Healing Powers)
- Epithets
- saṃvidānāḥ (harmonized ones), sakhāyāḥ (companions, implied), prāvantīḥ (forwarding/protecting, implied)
- Related deities
- Soma (cohesive bliss that unites), Bṛhaspati (lord of the effective word)
Cosmic role
They are the ‘many’ that restore unity in the embodied cosmos; they knit together what is divided.
Inner power
Synergy: coordinated healing intelligence that aligns body-prāṇa-mind under a single luminous intention.
In ritual
Where it is used
Collective herb-invocation within healing rite
अ॒न्या वो॑ अ॒न्याम॑वत्व॒न्यान्यस्या॒ उपा॑वत । ताः सर्वा॑: संविदा॒ना इ॒दं मे॒ प्राव॑ता॒ वच॑: ॥
अ॒न्या । वः॒ । अ॒न्याम् । अ॒व॒तु॒ । अ॒न्या । अ॒न्यस्याः॑ । उप॑ । अ॒व॒त॒ । ताः । सर्वाः॑ । स॒म्ऽवि॒दा॒नाः । इ॒दम् । मे॒ । प्र । अ॒व॒त॒ । वचः॑ ॥
anyā | vaḥ | anyām | avatu | anyā | anyasyāḥ | upa | avata | tāḥ | sarvāḥ | sam-vidānāḥ | idam | me | pra | avata | vacaḥ
44
4 pādas × 11 syllables
Expansive, organizing rhythm; suited to invocation of collective powers and harmonization.
Creates breadth and coherence; the longer line encourages unification of attention rather than sharp command.
- अन्या...अन्याम् अवतु (anyā… anyām avatu)
- Literal: let one help another. Symbolic: integration of faculties; mutual support among inner forces
- उपावत (upāvata)
- Literal: approach to aid. Symbolic: converging energies gathering around the central intention
- संविदानाः (saṃvidānāḥ)
- Literal: in agreement/understanding. Symbolic: harmonized consciousness; coherence of the being
- प्रावत (prāvatā)
- Literal: forward, protect, further. Symbolic: carrying the aspiration to accomplishment
- वचः (vacaḥ)
- Literal: word/utterance. Symbolic: mantric will; creative speech-force (vāc) embodying intention
Bheshaja/āyuṣya-prayoga: healing rites; recitation over herbs and during preparation/administration of remedies; protective and restorative application rather than soma-sacrifice proper.
When combining multiple herbs/remedies; before administering a compound preparation
Consecration of the whole set of oṣadhis; prayer for mutual reinforcement and success of the mantra
Use before a holistic healing routine (medicine + breath + rest + prayer): invoke cooperation of all supports—sleep, food, mind, community.
Key roots: √av ‘to protect, help, favour’ (avat, avatu) indicates not merely physical guarding but an active furthering of the work. saṃ-√vid ‘to know together, agree, be of one mind’ (saṃvidānāḥ) frames the plants as harmonized powers of consciousness. vácas (from √vac ‘to speak’) in Vedic often denotes inspired speech that effects a reality (mantric efficacy), here interpreted as the will-of-prayer shaping inner healing.
Ṛta as harmony/coordination of powers, Vac (mantric speech) as formative force, Saṃvid (concord) as condition for effective healing
Health equals concord among forces; ṛta is the mutual right relation of parts.
Vacaḥ becomes satya when supported by unified energies; then it ‘goes forward’ into result.
From multiplicity to unity: the many powers converge to restore the One order in the body.
Vāc-śakti orientation: speech as formative power when aligned with inner truth.
Many plants = many faculties/forces; their ‘agreement’ = coherence; the spoken word = directing intelligence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘council/coalition of powers’ (devīḥ śaktayaḥ) acting in concord: the herbs are personified as a collective intelligence that, when unified (saṃvidānāḥ), can carry the mantra to fulfilment. The outer image is cooperative plants; the inner action is the harmonization of multiple healing energies in the being so that the spoken will (vácas) becomes effective.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √av ‘help/protect’ continues PIE *h₂ew- / *h₂euh₂- ‘to help, favour’ (cf. Avestan aoiia- ‘help’ in related semantic field; and the broader Indo-Iranian preservation of ‘aid/protection’ verbs). √vid ‘to know’ is from PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’ (cf. Latin vidēre, English wit). saṃ-vid ‘knowing together’ encodes a cognitive-social unity as the condition for successful action—typical Indo-European poetics linking ‘right knowledge/vision’ with power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi does not command mechanically; he proposes a reciprocity: the divine herbs are asked to become mutually supportive and then to ‘carry forward’ his vácas. The exchange is: the seer offers right speech (aligned with ṛta through saṃvid), and the devatā-powers respond by organizing themselves into an effective harmony that actualizes healing in the human vessel.
Integration practice: gather scattered parts of the being into a single consent for healing.
viśuddha (vāc/word)
Coherent breathing (equal inhale/exhale) while repeating the mantra to entrain unity.
Collected, harmonized awareness (saṃhita-citta).
Before chanting, inwardly invite body, prāṇa, mind, and heart to ‘agree.’ Chant as a unifying command; end by resting in felt coherence.
Triṣṭubh recitation with steady udātta placements; keep the flow unbroken across 11-syllable pādas.
Slight emphasis on saṃvidānāḥ and prāvatā vacaḥ to seal the intention.
anyā: palatal ny clear, avatv/upāvata: v not ‘w’; keep short a’s distinct, saṃvidānāḥ: nasal ‘ṃ’ before v; long ā, prāvatā: long ā, vacaḥ: final ḥ light
Soothing, unifying, even volume.
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