Rig Veda 8.5.30: Mandala 8, Sukta 5, Mantra 30
Sukta 8.5
- Rishi
- Same RV 8.5 cycle seer
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh/Jagatī-family
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
तेन नो वाजिनीवसू परावतश्चिदा गतम् । उपेमां सुष्टुतिं मम ॥
téna no vājinīvasū parāvátaś cidā́ gatam | upemā́ṃ suṣṭutíṃ máma ||
Tą samą zbawczą mocą, o władcy zwycięskiej pełni, przyjdźcie do nas nawet z najdalszej odległości; zbliżcie się do tej dobrze ukształtowanej pieśni pochwalnej, i niech ona stanie się kanałem dla waszego wzrostu w nas.
Word by Word
- तेन
- with that; by that (means)Pronounपुं/नपुं; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole करणRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → तेन (तृतीया एकवचन)
- नः
- to us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → नः (षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन, एन्क्लिटिक)
- वाजिनीवसू
- O you rich in prize-winning (steeds)/wealth, O bountiful oneNoun (vocative epithet)पुं; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वाजिनीवसु (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास: वाजिनी + वसु)
- परावतः
- from afar; from a distant regionNounस्त्री; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Vedic: -तः as abl. sg.)Role अपादानRoot परावत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दूर-देश/पर-प्रदेश’) → परावतः
- चिद्
- even; indeedIndeclinableअव्यय (emphatic particle)Root चिद् (निपात/अव्यय)
- आ
- hither; towards (as verbal prefix)Indeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (verb-prefix)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- गतम्
- come; arriveVerb (participle used imperatively) / Kṛdantaक्त (past passive participle); नपुंसक; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; Vedic injunctive/imperatival sense ‘come!’Role क्रियाRoot √गम् (गच्छति) ; क्त-प्रत्यय → गत
- उप
- near; towardsIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- इमाम्
- thisPronoun (demonstrative)स्त्री; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → इमाम्
- सुष्टुतिम्
- well-formed praise; good hymnNounस्त्री; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु- + √स्तु (स्तौति) → स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक) ; सु-उपसर्गयुक्त
- मम
- of me; myPronounषष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → मम
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: परा॒वत॑श्चि॒दा ग॑तम् → परावतः + चिद् + आ + गतम्. Also उपे॒मां → उप + इमाम्. Accent marks are preserved in the source but not re-applied to each separated pada here
- particles (चिद्) and preverbs (आ, उप) are treated as separate padas in padapāṭha-style analysis
The meaning
Outer meaning
“With that (power/means), O vājinīvasū, come to us even from the farthest distance; draw near to this well-made praise of mine.”
Inner meaning
‘Tena’ refers back to the luminous, heaven-touching movement: with that same harmonizing force, the Aśvins are asked to bridge the far (parāvat) in us—remote, subconscious, or yet-unawakened parts. ‘Victorious plenitudes’ (vājinīvasū) indicates their capacity to bring effective energies (vājá) and rich results (vasu). The well-shaped hymn (suṣṭuti) is the carefully formed inner offering—clear intention, sincere feeling, and steady thought—through which the descent can occur.
Universal truth
The Divine can reach us even where we feel farthest from it—if our aspiration is well-formed and persistent. True invocation shortens inner distance and brings effective power into life.
Themes
invitation from the far, well-formed praise, vājinī (victorious force)
The seer
- Rishi
- Likely Sobhari Kāṇva (Kāṇva tradition) for RV 8.5
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.5.1, RV 8.5.28, RV 8.5.31
Family tradition
Kāṇva seers frequently emphasize the ‘approach’ (upa/ā) of the gods as a real inner event enabled by well-formed speech (suṣṭuti).
Significance
This is a mantra of bridging distance: it affirms that the divine help is not limited by our present state and can act even in the farthest, obscurest parts.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau (Nāsatyā)
- Epithets
- Vājinīvasū, Nāsatyā, Aśvinā
- Related deities
- Indra (victory/force), Agni (will), Soma (delight)
Cosmic role
Swift bringers of boons who traverse distance; restorers who arrive in time.
Inner power
They carry effective life-energy (vājá) and harmonizing skill into the seeker, making aspiration fruitful and practical.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invitation to approach the praise and offering
तेन॑ नो वाजिनीवसू परा॒वत॑श्चि॒दा ग॑तम् । उपे॒मां सु॑ष्टु॒तिं मम॑ ॥
तेन॑ । नः॒ । वा॒जि॒नी॒व॒सू॒ इति॑ वाजिनीऽवसू । प॒रा॒ऽवतः॑ । चि॒त् । आ । ग॒त॒म् । उप॑ । इ॒माम् । सु॒ऽस्तु॒तिम् । मम॑ ॥
tena | naḥ | vājinīvasūitivājinī-vasū | parāvataḥ | cit | ā | gatam | upa | imām | su-stutim | mama
44
4 × ~11
A calling rhythm with a long reach (parāvataś cid) followed by intimate nearness (upemām).
Creates a felt spanning—first outward to the far, then inward to the near—useful for inner integration practices.
- तेन (tena)
- Literal: with that, thereby. Symbolic: by the already-awakened luminous means; continuity of realized force
- वाजिनीवसू (vājinīvasū)
- Literal: lords of prize-winning riches. Symbolic: powers that bring victorious energies and fulfilled capacities
- परावतः (parāvataḥ)
- Literal: from afar, far region. Symbolic: remote layers of the being; the beyond of present consciousness
- सुस्तुतिम् (su-stutim)
- Literal: well-praised, well-formed hymn. Symbolic: rightly ordered aspiration/mantra-form that can carry force
- उप (upa)
- Literal: near, towards. Symbolic: descent/approach of divine presence into immediacy
Direct invitation (ā gatam, upa…): functional as a summoning verse in the offering sequence.
During stotra sequences that call deities from ‘afar’ to the yajña
Āhvāna with emphasis on proximity to the stuti
Use when feeling disconnected: chant to invite help into ‘distant’ emotional patterns or subconscious inertia.
parāváta- ‘far region’ from para- ‘beyond’ + -vat (possessive/locative nuance): ‘the beyond-place’. su-stutí- from su- ‘well’ + √stu ‘to praise’: ‘well-uttered praise’, i.e., speech-form that can carry force. vā́ja/vājinī: ‘strength/prize’ → ‘victorious dynamis’.
transcendence-to-immanence (parāvat → here), mantra as channel (suṣṭuti aligned with ṛta)
Suṣṭuti is speech in ṛta—rightly shaped; it becomes a bridge for right force to enter.
Truth-shaped intention shortens distance between ideal and lived experience.
Descent from the ‘far’ (higher or deeper) into the present instrument.
Integral yoga reading: invocation as a means of descent of force.
dawn (implicit Aśvin movement)
From the ‘far beyond’ of higher consciousness (or the far within of the subconscient), powers approach the present mind-heart when called.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘coming from the far region’—a standard epiphanic mythologem: divine powers traverse cosmic distances to enter the rite. Inwardly, higher consciousness crosses the gap from the beyond-mind into the present formation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The spatial deixis system (ā ‘hither’, upa ‘near’, para ‘beyond’) is archaic and formulaic, comparable to inherited Indo-European poetic directionality. √gam ‘to go/come’ is a core IE root (cf. Gk. baínō via different root; Lat. venio is different, but IE has multiple motion roots; Indo-Iranian √gam is central).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi offers suṣṭuti not as ornament but as a constructed ‘approach-path’ for the devatā; the devatā’s arrival is invited to ‘land’ in the right speech-form, making the human word a receptacle of divine movement.
Invite divine help into ‘far’ parts: old samskāras, numb zones, forgotten aspiration.
muladhara (parāvat as subconscient depth)
long exhale on parāvataś cid ā gatam; brief pause; inhale gently on upemām suṣṭutim
resolute calling with receptive nearness
Name one ‘far’ area (fear, inertia, confusion), then chant; feel the approach as warmth moving from periphery to center.
Let the accent peak on parāvataś and ā gatam; soften into upemām suṣṭutim mama.
Make ‘parāvataś cid’ slightly elongated to convey distance; keep ‘upa’ crisp to mark nearness.
vājinīvasū: long ī and ū; keep compound flowing, parāvataḥ: clear long ā; visarga lightly aspirated, suṣṭutim: retroflex ṣṭ cluster; do not split excessively
inviting yet firm; clear articulation of compounds
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