Rig Veda 8.10.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 10, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.10
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Vira (heroism)
यदद्याश्विनावपाग्यत्प्राक्स्थो वाजिनीवसू । यद्द्रुह्यव्यनवि तुर्वशे यदौ हुवे वामथ मा गतम् ॥
yád adyā́śvināv apā́g yát prā́k stho vājinīvasū | yád druhyávy ánavi turváśe yádau huvé vām átha mā́ ā́ gatam ||
Jeśli dziś, o Aświnowie, jesteście odwróceni, albo jeśli jesteście daleko na wschodzie, o panowie obfitości siły; jeśli jesteście z Druhyu, Anu lub Turvaśą, wtedy gdy was wzywam, nie zaniechajcie przyjść do mnie.
Word by Word
- यत्
- when/that whichIndeclinable (relative pronoun used as conjunction)नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (यत्) — here ‘when/that which’ introducing clausesRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यद्-शब्द
- अद्य
- today/nowIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (time)Root अद्य (अव्यय)
- अश्विनौ
- the two AśvinsNoun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा द्विवचनम्Role Kartā (of implied coming/being invoked)Root अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपागि
- away, aside, backwardsIndeclinable (directional adverb)दिशावाचक-अव्यय (‘away/backwards’)Role Adhikaraṇa (direction)Root अप + अञ्च् (धातु) → अपाञ्च्/अपाग् (directional)
- यत्
- when/that whichIndeclinable (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; clause-linkerRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्राक्
- forward, in front, eastwardIndeclinableदिशावाचक-अव्यय (‘forward/eastward/afore’)Role Adhikaraṇa (direction)Root प्राक् (अव्यय; from प्राञ्च्)
- स्थः
- you two stand/are stationedVerbलिट्/लट्-प्रयोगे स्था; here 2nd person dual, present/imperfective sense: ‘you two stand/are’ (परोक्ष/विधेय-प्रयोग in RV often context-driven)Root स्था (धातु)
- वाजिनीवसू
- O two rich in prize-winning steeds (wealthy in ‘vājin’ power)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन द्विवचनम् (vocative dual)Role SambodhanaRoot वाजिनीवस् (प्रातिपदिक; वाजिन् + वसु)
- यत्
- when/that whichIndeclinable (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; clause-linkerRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- द्रुह्यौ
- (the) Druhyu (tribe/king)Proper noun (tribe)पुंलिङ्गे लोक-प्रयोगे द्विवचन/एकवचन-सम्बन्धः; here accusative singular in RV often appears as -au in certain stems/metrical forms; taken as कर्म (object) ‘Druhyu’Role KarmaRoot द्रुह्यु (प्रातिपदिक; tribal name)
- अव्यनवि
- he/it assailed, oppressedVerbआगमिक/वैदिक-रूप; 3rd person singular, aorist/preterite: ‘he/it drove/pressed/overcame’ (context: hostile act)Root अव + यम्/यन् (धातु) → अव्यनवि (RV aorist/preterite form)
- तुर्वशे
- in/against Turvaśa (tribe/king)Proper noun (tribe)पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative) ‘among/against Turvaśa’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तुर्वश (प्रातिपदिक; tribal name)
- यत्
- when/that whichIndeclinable (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; clause-linkerRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- औ
- indeed/oh (particle)ParticleनिपातRoot उ (अव्यय; exclamatory/particle)
- हुवे
- I invokeVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष एकवचनम् (1st sg present): ‘I call/invoke’Root हू (धातु)
- वाम्
- you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया द्विवचनम् (enclitic) ‘of you two / you two (obj.)’ — here object of ‘हुवे’Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अथ
- then/nowIndeclinableसम्बन्ध/अनन्तर्यवाचक-अव्ययRoot अथ (अव्यय)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle), typically with injunctive/imperative senseRoot मा (निषेध-अव्यय)
- गतम्
- come (you two)Verbआज्ञार्थ/वैदिक-इञ्जङ्क्टिव/लोट्-समकक्ष; 2nd person dual imperative/injunctive: ‘(you two) come/go’ — with मा: ‘do not delay; come!’ (RV usage often idiomatic)Root गम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi resolution): यद् अद्य अश्विनौ अपागि यत् प्राक् स्थः वाजिनीवसू । यद् द्रुह्यौ अव्यनवि तुर्वशे यद् औ हुवे वाम् अथ मा गतम् ॥ मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेद: (1) यद॒द्य = यद् + अद्य
- (2) अश्वि॑ना॒वपा॒गि = अश्विनौ + अपागि (औ + अ → आव्)
- (3) यत्प्राक्स्थो = यत् + प्राक् + स्थः (क् + स् संयोग)
- (4) यद्द्रु॒ह्यौ = यद् + द्रुह्यौ
- (5) यदौ = यद् + औ (निपात)
- (6) हु॒वे वा॒मथ = हुवे + वाम् + अथ
- (7) मा गतम् kept separate (prohibitive particle + verb)
The meaning
Outer meaning
If today, O Aśvins, you are turned away, or far to the east, O lords of force-richness; if you are with Druhyu, Anu, or Turvaśa—then when I call you, do not fail to come.
Inner meaning
The seeker anticipates inner distance: the helping powers may seem ‘turned away’ (apāk) or ‘to the east’ (prāk)—symbolically, displaced into another quarter of consciousness, not immediately accessible. The named tribes can be read psychologically as different formations or inherited dispositions within the collective/individual nature where energies may be engaged. The mantra insists: wherever the Aśvins are operating—within other parts of the being or other currents—when the soul calls, they must arrive. ‘Vājinīvasū’ signals that the Aśvins carry plenitude of effective force (vājinī) and substance (vasu): the prayer is for their immediate practical intervention in life circumstances and inner imbalance.
Universal truth
Even when the higher help feels distant or occupied elsewhere in our nature, sincere invocation can recall it; the Divine aid is not bound to one zone of the psyche and can reorient to the soul’s call.
Themes
Urgent summons, Directional symbolism, Plenitude of force (vāja), Divine responsiveness
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (hymn context)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.10.2, RV 8.10.3, RV 8.10.4, RV 8.10.6
Family tradition
Kāṇva poetry often includes urgent, practical appeals and conditional clauses that map the many ‘places’ the gods may be, reflecting a psychology of scattered energies.
Significance
The rishi’s insistence (‘do not fail to come’) models the yogic stance of persistent call (āhvāna) despite alternations of inner presence and absence.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- vājinīvasū (lords of force-plenitude)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Soma
Cosmic role
Swift travelers across directions; responders to calls from diverse peoples; restorers regardless of location.
Inner power
Ability to reorient energies quickly, retrieve lost momentum, and heal dispersal of attention and will.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āhvāna for Aśvins when their presence is sought ‘from wherever they are’—a common Vedic trope in offerings
यद॒द्याश्वि॑ना॒वपा॒ग्यत्प्राक्स्थो वा॑जिनीवसू । यद्द्रु॒ह्यव्यन॑वि तु॒र्वशे॒ यदौ॑ हु॒वे वा॒मथ॒ मा ग॑तम् ॥
यत् । अ॒द्य । अ॒श्वि॒नौ॒ । अपा॑क् । यत् । प्राक् । स्थः । वा॒जि॒नी॒व॒सू॒ इति॑ वाजिनीऽवसू । यत् । द्रु॒ह्यवि॑ । अन॑वि । तु॒र्वशे॑ । यदौ॑ । हु॒वे । वा॒म् । अथ॑ । मा॒ । आ । ग॒त॒म् ॥
yat | adya | aśvinau | apāk | yat | prāk | sthaḥ | vājinīvasūitivājinī-vasū | yat | druhyavi | anavi | turvaśe | yadau | huve | vām | atha | mā | ā | gatam
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4 × ~11
Urgent and kinetic; repeated ‘yad’ clauses build momentum and insistence.
Kindles persistence; helps break tamasic resignation and re-summon inner help.
- अपाक् (apāk)
- Literal: away, turned aside. Symbolic: withdrawal of helpful forces; sense of abandonment or dryness
- प्राक् (prāk)
- Literal: eastward, in front. Symbolic: shift into another plane/quarter; help present but not yet in the frontal being
- वाजिनीवसू (vājinīvasū)
- Literal: possessors of winning force and wealth. Symbolic: plenitude of effective prāṇa and supportive resources for the path
- द्रुह्यु / अनु / तुर्वश (druhyu/anu/turvaśa)
- Literal: tribal names. Symbolic: distinct sub-natures/collective formations where energies may be working; compartments of the being
- मा गतम् (mā gatam)
- Literal: do not not-come (do not fail to come). Symbolic: insistence of aspiration; refusal to accept inertia or delay
Urgent recall of the Ashvins from any distance/direction or affiliation; ensures their timely arrival at the offering and the seeker’s present need
When invoking deities thought to be distant; transitional moments in rites; dawn travel imagery
Directional calling; mental ‘summoning from quarters’
Use during phases of spiritual dryness, fatigue, or when practice feels disconnected—affirming that help can return immediately.
apāk ‘away’ from apa ‘away’ + -āk directional. prāk ‘forward/east’ from pra + -āk. vāja: ‘strength, prize, plenitude’ (root √vaj/√vāj: be strong, speed); vājinī denotes possessing vāja (forceful energy). Druhyu/Anu/Turvaśa are ethnonyms; in inner reading they can mark disparate fields of human collectivity or movements of life-force. Prohibitive mā + imperative is standard Vedic syntax.
divine accessibility across distance (outer and inner), vāja as plenitude of force, present-time invocation (adya)
Calling from all directions implies the gods’ movement in ṛta; the seeker seeks re-alignment with that order.
Truth of aspiration: the call itself is a satya-force that compels response when sincere.
Multiplicity of peoples/forces suggests creation as many streams; the divine can act in all of them.
Psychological/integral: quarters and tribes as inner domains and formations.
dawn (east)
East = rising illumination; ‘away’ = veiling; travel = movement of consciousness across planes; horses = mobilized vital force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘gods called from afar’ mythologem: wherever the Ashvins may be—turned away, eastward, or among other peoples—they are compelled by the true call to come. Psychologically: even if the helpful powers seem distant or engaged in other life-movements, the concentrated invocation draws them back to the seeker’s immediate field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Directional adverbs (prāk) and prohibitive mā + imperative reflect archaic Indo-European syntactic patterns. The lexeme vāja as ‘force/prize’ parallels IE themes of strength and winning as spiritual attainment.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asserts a claim of immediacy: ‘when I call, do not not-come.’ It is the confidence of an established pact (earlier sakhya): the Ashvins’ function is swift aid, so the hymn insists on prompt descent into the present human necessity.
Call back scattered energies from ‘elsewhere’ in the psyche; invite swift help into the frontal consciousness.
maṇipūra (mobilizing force) with ājñā (reorientation)
Forceful but controlled exhale (kapālabhāti-lite: 30 strokes) then quiet chanting once; avoid if contraindicated
From scattered/dry to reconnected and responsive.
Name the ‘quarters’ where attention has gone (work, worry, desire), then invoke the Aśvins to bring energy back into right movement; end with silence to receive.
Conditional clauses (‘yad…’) should be cleanly segmented; keep steady pitch, slight lift on invocatives (aśvinau, vājinīvasū) per svara marks (needs marked text).
yád adyā́śvināv apā́g | yát prā́k stho vājinīvasū || ... | yád au huv e vām | átha mā́ gátam ||
: split vā-ji-nī-va-sū; keep long ī and ū., / : keep v as clear labio-dental; avoid turning into ‘b’., : crisp dental t; do not aspirate.
Urgent, calling voice; end with firm resolve on ‘mā gatam’.
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