Rig Veda 7.95.1: Mandala 7, Sukta 95, Mantra 1
Sukta 7.95
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Sarasvatī
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
प्र क्षोदसा धायसा सस्र एषा सरस्वती धरुणमायसी पूः । प्रबाबधाना रथ्येव याति विश्वा अपो महिना सिन्धुरन्याः ॥
prá kṣódasā dhā́yasā sasra eṣā́ sárasvatī dharuṇám ā́yasī pū́ḥ | prá-bābadhānā rathyèva yāti víśvā apó mahinā́ síndhur anyā́ḥ ||
Naprzód pędzi z popychającą siłą i podtrzymującą mocą, ta Sarasvatī, pełnia o żelaznym fundamencie; posuwając się jak rydwan na swojej drodze, swoją wielkością przewyższa wszystkie inne wody.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- क्षोदसा
- with/through (her) impelling forceNounneuter, instrumental singularRole KaraṇaRoot क्षोदस् (prātipadika; from √क्षुद्/क्षोद् ‘to pound, impel’)
- धायसा
- with (her) sustaining/nourishing powerNounneuter, instrumental singularRole KaraṇaRoot धायस् (prātipadika; ‘nourishing power/strength’)
- सस्रे
- has flowed, has runVerbperfect, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √सृ (सरति ‘to flow, run’)
- एषा
- this (she)Pronounfeminine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot एष (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- सरस्वती
- SarasvatīNounfeminine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot सरस्वती (proper noun/prātipadika)
- धरुणम्
- support, firm baseNounneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot धरुण (prātipadika; ‘support, foundation’)
- आयसी
- metallic, iron(-strong)Adjectivefeminine, nominative singular (agreeing with पूः)Role KartāRoot आयस (prātipadika; ‘of metal/iron’)
- पूः
- a stronghold, fortificationNounfeminine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot पूः (prātipadika; ‘fortified place, stronghold, rampart’)
- प्र
- forthIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- बाबधाना
- pressing on, forcing (her way), impellingParticiple (Adjectival)present active participle, feminine nominative singular (agreeing with सरस्वती)Role KartāRoot √बन्ध्/बध् (Vedic; ‘to bind, press, constrain’; reduplicated present participle)
- रथ्येव
- like a chariot(-road)/like (one on) a chariot-pathNoun + Indeclinableरथ्या: feminine nominative singular; इव: particle of comparisonRoot रथ्य (prātipadika) + इव (indecl.)
- याति
- goes, movesVerbpresent, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √या (याति ‘to go’)
- विश्वाः
- allAdjectivefeminine, accusative plural (agreeing with अपः)Role KarmaRoot विश्व (prātipadika)
- अपः
- watersNounfeminine, accusative pluralRole KarmaRoot अप्/आप् (prātipadika; ‘water’)
- महिना
- by (her) mightNounmasculine/neuter, instrumental singular (Vedic usage)Role KaraṇaRoot महिमन्/महिना (prātipadika; ‘greatness, might’)
- सिन्धुः
- the river, the Sindhu (stream)Nounmasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot सिन्धु (prātipadika)
- अन्याः
- of the other (river[s])Adjective/Pronounfeminine, genitive singular (Vedic: ‘of the other/another’), dependent on सिन्धुःRoot अन्य (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolutions: (1) रथ्ये॑व = रथ्या + इव (a + i → e). (2) Other items largely already in pada-form
- प्र is a preverb used adverbially with सस्रे / याति. Accent marks retained from saṃhitā but not re-applied per pada beyond the given forms
The meaning
Outer meaning
Sarasvatī surges forward with driving force and sustaining power, a river of firm/iron foundation, moving like a chariot and surpassing all other waters by her greatness.
Inner meaning
Sarasvatī is the conscious flow of inspiration and truth-bearing intuition in the seeker. She advances with kṣodas (impulsion) and dhāyas (upholding power): the push that breaks inertia and the steady force that supports the ascent. “Iron-founded” suggests an unshakable basis in the law of Truth (ṛta): the inner stream is not sentimental imagination but a disciplined, adamantine current. Moving “like a chariot” indicates directed progress—illumination that becomes effective movement in life, outstripping other ‘waters’ (lower currents of mind/vital emotion) by a higher magnitude of consciousness.
Universal truth
True knowledge is not only light but a force: it impels, sustains, and organizes life’s movement. When consciousness is founded on an unbreakable principle of truth, it surpasses scattered mental currents and becomes a single victorious flow toward wholeness.
Themes
Nature-praise, Inspiration, Purification, Vastness
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.95, RV 7.96, RV 7.97
Family tradition
Seer-family of Maṇḍala 7 noted for hymns of ṛta, inner kingship, and the harmonizing power of inspired speech.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s vision often presents the gods as inner powers establishing order (ṛta) in the human instrument. Here Sarasvatī is not merely a river but the decisive current of truth-consciousness that leads the inner yajña.
The deity
- Devata
- Sarasvatī
- Epithets
- pūḥ (plenitude), dharuṇā (supporting), śucī (pure, implied by the hymn’s flow imagery), sindhu (vast river, by comparison)
- Related deities
- Agni, Indra, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Goddess of the truth-flow: inspiration, right speech, and the ordering stream that carries the sacrifice toward fulfillment.
Inner power
Mantric intuition (vāk in its luminous form) that both impels and sustains; the force that makes knowledge effective in life-movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Sarasvatī invocation in soma-related or river/flow-associated stotras; also used in rites seeking inspiration and right speech.
प्र क्षोद॑सा॒ धाय॑सा सस्र ए॒षा सर॑स्वती ध॒रुण॒माय॑सी॒ पूः । प्र॒बाब॑धाना र॒थ्ये॑व याति॒ विश्वा॑ अ॒पो म॑हि॒ना सिन्धु॑र॒न्याः ॥
प्र । क्षोद॑सा । धाय॑सा । स॒स्रे॒ । ए॒षा । सर॑स्वती । ध॒रुण॑म् । आय॑सी । पूः । प्र॒ऽबाब॑धाना । र॒थ्या॑ऽइव । या॒ति॒ । विश्वाः॑ । अ॒पः । म॒हि॒ना । सिन्धुः॑ । अ॒न्याः ॥
pra | kṣodasā | dhāyasā | sasre | eṣā | sarasvatī | dharuṇam | āyasī | pūḥ | pra-bābadhānā | rathyāiva | yāti | viśvāḥ | apaḥ | mahinā | sindhuḥ | anyāḥ
48
4 pādas × 12 syllables (Jagatī cadence; confirmable by padic count in recitation tradition)
Longer, rolling gait suited to describing a surging current; expansive and forward-driving.
Creates a felt sense of onward movement and widening—useful for invoking flow, clarity, and sustained aspiration.
- kṣodasā (क्षोदसा)
- Literal: impelling force, pressure, impulsion. Symbolic: the dynamic push of aspiration and will that breaks tamas and moves the being forward
- dhāyasā (धायसा)
- Literal: sustaining power, nurturing support. Symbolic: the holding power of inner Truth that stabilizes growth and prevents relapse
- Sarasvatī (सरस्वती)
- Literal: the river-goddess. Symbolic: the truth-stream of inspiration, intuitive speech, and luminous discernment
- dharuṇam āyasī (धरुणम् आयसी)
- Literal: iron foundation/support. Symbolic: adamant base in ṛta; firm structure of consciousness capable of bearing higher force
- pūḥ (पूः)
- Literal: fullness, abundance, plenitude. Symbolic: integral richness of inner being—knowledge becoming substance and power
- rathyeva (रथ्येव)
- Literal: like a chariot (on the road). Symbolic: directed spiritual progress; illumination harnessed for effective action
- apo (अपः)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: currents of consciousness—mental, vital, emotional flows
- sindhuḥ (सिन्धुः)
- Literal: great river/oceanic stream. Symbolic: vastness of consciousness; the greater flow that gathers and exceeds the lesser
River-goddess invocation; used in rites needing inspiration/flow and purification; also connected to Sarasvatī-related offerings in śrauta contexts
Invocatory segments (āvāhana/praṇava-like calling) within larger offerings; also suitable for learning/recitation contexts.
Praise and invitation; mental ‘offering’ of attention and speech into the truth-current.
For students/seekers: chant before study, writing, teaching, or when needing steady inner momentum and clarity.
sarasvatī from saras ‘pool/lake, flowing’ + -vatī ‘possessing’—‘she who has abundance of waters/flow’; √sṛ ‘to flow’ is core IE (cf. ‘stream’ ideas); dharuṇa from √dhṛ ‘to hold, uphold’; āyasī ‘iron’ from ayas ‘metal’—symbolically ‘firm-founded’ truth-stream; √bādh ‘press, drive away, overcome’ suggests Sarasvatī’s conquering forward movement (inner: overcoming inertia/obstruction).
Rita as ordered flow, Inspiration (Sarasvatī as vāṇī/illumined speech-power)
Sarasvatī’s ‘iron-founded support’ suggests the unyielding law of ṛta that bears the ascent.
Truth as a stream that is both knowledge and power.
Waters as primal consciousness-currents; the greater stream organizing the many.
Vedāntic-leaning symbolic psychology (Aurobindonian): gods as powers of consciousness rather than external nature only.
The river is the progressive current of inspired truth; ‘other waters’ are lesser mental-vital movements that become subordinate when the higher stream takes the lead.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘mighty river surpassing all waters’ mythologem: Sarasvatī as the preeminent stream. Inner sense: the inspired truth-current in the being, firm-founded, rushes forward and overcomes lesser, scattered movements of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sṛ ‘flow’ and √dhṛ ‘hold’ are ancient IE roots with broad cognate networks. The imagery of a great river as cosmic power parallels IE poetic traditions where waters symbolize the life/current of order and inspiration.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi beholds and affirms Sarasvatī’s power: by naming her qualities (impulsion, support, firm foundation), he aligns the inner being with her ordered flow, inviting that current to become dominant over all lesser streams.
Enter the ‘stream’ of clear seeing: let thoughts become one current aligned to truth.
Viśuddha (speech/clarity)
Nādī-śodhana or slow 1:2 exhale emphasis to ‘lengthen the stream’ of attention.
Flow-state with steady uplift; luminous, ordered thinking.
Chant, then visualize a bright river rising through the spine to the throat and brow; offer one confused thought into the stream and let it be carried into clarity and right decision.
Vedic svara as per Śākala tradition: maintain udatta on marked syllables, svarita where indicated by sandhi contours; avoid flattening the rise-fall on kṣodásā/dhā́yasā.
Lean the voice slightly forward on udatta-marked syllables; keep anudatta low and steady; let svarita glide down gently without extra stress.
kṣo- in kṣodasā: cluster kṣ (+) clean, not ‘kh’, dhāyasā: long ā; avoid shortening, āyasī: long ā; ‘y’ as glide, not ‘j’, rathyeva: articulate -thya- without inserting a vowel
Clear, steady, slightly resonant (as if ‘streaming’ the sound).
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