Rig Veda 8.79.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 79, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.79
- Devata
- Soma
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वं चित्ती तव दक्षैर्दिव आ पृथिव्या ऋजीषिन् । यावीरघस्य चिद्द्वेषः ॥
tváṃ cittī táva dákṣair divá ā́ pṛthivyā́ ṛjīṣin | yā́vīr aghásya cid dvéṣaḥ ||
Jesteś rozeznającym dzięki swoim mocom, o mocno wyciśnięty, od nieba aż do ziemi; odpędzasz nawet nienawiść, która rodzi się z grzechu i fałszu.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- indeed, evenIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root चित् (निपात)
- ती
- indeed/just (emphatic particle)Indeclinableवैदिक निपात (अव्यय)Root ती (निपात; वैदिक)
- तव
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दक्षैः
- with (your) powers/skillsNounपुं; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole करणRoot दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- from heavenNounस्त्री (द्यौः); षष्ठी/पञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अपादान (here: ‘from heaven’)Root दिव् (प्रातिपदिक) / द्यौः-शब्द
- आ
- to, untoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पृथिव्याः
- to earth / of earthNounस्त्री; षष्ठी/पञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरण/अपादान (here paired with दिवः: ‘(down) to earth’)Root पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋजीषिन्
- O Ṛjīṣin (Indra; ‘having the r̥jīṣa/bright draught’)Adjective (epithet)पुं; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot ऋजीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र-विशेषण)
- यावीः
- may you drive/ward offVerbआशीर्लिङ्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (वैदिक); मध्यम; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु) + (लिट्/लुङ्-प्रयोगः; वैदिक रूप)
- अघस्य
- of evil, of sinNounनपुं/पुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root चित् (निपात)
- द्वेषः
- hatred, hostilityNounनपुं/पुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of warding off)Root द्वेष (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): त्वम् | चित् | ती | तव | दक्षैः | दिवः | आ | पृथिव्याः | ऋजीषिन् | यावीः | अघस्य | चित् | द्वेषः । Notes: (1) चित्ती = चित् + ती (वैदिक निपात-द्वयम्, emphasis)
- (2) दक्षैर्दिवः = दक्षैः + दिवः (विसर्ग-लोपः/रेफ-संधिः: -ैः + द- → -ैर् द-)
- (3) दिव आ पृथिव्या = दिवः + आ + पृथिव्याः (विसर्ग-लोपः before vowel; pada-text often shows दिव आ)
- (4) चिद्द्वेषः = चित् + द्वेषः (त् + द् → द्द्, जश्त्व/परसवर्ण-संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, strong-pressed, is the discerner by his powers from heaven to earth; he drives away even the hatred born of sin.
Inner meaning
Soma is ‘cittī’—the power of right discernment/awareness—through his effective energies (dakṣa). He works through all planes from the higher mind (divaḥ) down into the physical (pṛthivyāḥ), detecting and expelling the hostile formations that arise from ‘agha’—distortion, wrong movement, falsehood. The epithet ṛjīṣin (strong-pressed) suggests the intensity of the inner pressing: concentrated aspiration that releases Soma’s discerning bliss.
Universal truth
True discernment is not cold analysis; when born of a higher delight and power, it acts through all levels of life to remove hatred rooted in wrongdoing and ignorance.
Themes
discernment, purification, removal of hostility, heaven-earth integration
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.79.1, Rig Veda 8.79.2, Rig Veda 8.79.3, Rig Veda 8.79.5, Rig Veda 8.79.6
Significance
The rishi frames Soma as a universal discernment-force spanning ‘heaven to earth’—a classic Vedic move linking planes of consciousness in integral transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma
- Epithets
- cittī, ṛjīṣin
- Related deities
- Indra, Varuṇa, Agni
Cosmic role
A cosmic intelligence-delight that perceives, orders, and purifies across worlds; allied to Indra’s victory over darkness.
Inner power
Discerning Ananda: joy that illumines and rejects hatred born of wrong movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma praise during pressing; strengthening the rite’s clarity and purity
त्वं चि॒त्ती तव॒ दक्षै॑र्दि॒व आ पृ॑थि॒व्या ऋ॑जीषिन् । यावी॑र॒घस्य॑ चि॒द्द्वेष॑: ॥
त्वम् । चि॒त्ती । तव॑ । दक्षैः॑ । दि॒वः । आ । पृ॒थि॒व्याः । ऋ॒जी॒षि॒न् । यावीः॑ । अ॒घस्य॑ । चि॒त् । द्वेषः॑ ॥
tvam | cittī | tava | dakṣaiḥ | divaḥ | ā | pṛthivyāḥ | ṛjīṣin | yāvīḥ | aghasya | cit | dveṣaḥ
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4x8 tendency
Clear, surveying sweep (‘diva ā pṛthivyā’) then decisive expulsion
Promotes vertical alignment (above-to-below) and a crisp rejecting force against hostility.
- cittī
- Literal: perception, understanding, discernment. Symbolic: luminous awareness that distinguishes truth from distortion
- dakṣa
- Literal: power, skill, effective force. Symbolic: executive energies that accomplish transformation
- divaḥ
- Literal: from heaven. Symbolic: higher consciousness plane (illumined mind and above)
- pṛthivyāḥ
- Literal: to/from earth. Symbolic: physical embodiment; material consciousness
- ṛjīṣin
- Literal: strong-pressed (epithet used for Indra too). Symbolic: force released by intense inner pressing/aspiration; concentrated tapas in the work
- yāvīḥ
- Literal: you drive away, ward off. Symbolic: active rejection of hostile vibrations
- aghasya
- Literal: of sin/evil/distress. Symbolic: wrong movement, falsehood, deformation of r̥ta
- dveṣaḥ
- Literal: hatred. Symbolic: hostility arising from ignorance and wounded nature
Protective/integrative verse: establishes Soma’s discerning power operating from ‘heaven to earth’, useful for rites seeking purification and removal of hostility.
When invoking Soma’s purifying/discerning power; also suitable in expiatory or protective contexts
Pressing/straining Soma; verbal ‘warding off’ of hostile forces
Recite when confusion, resentment, or moral-psychological distortion is active; use as discernment mantra before important decisions.
(cittī) from cit ‘perceive, notice’ → luminous awareness. (dakṣa) from √dakṣ ‘be able, competent’ → effective intelligence-power. (agha) denotes harm/disorder; psychologically the deformation that breeds hostility. ṛjīṣin is a Vedic epithet (often of Indra) linked with pressing/ardor; here it marks vigorous force in action across planes (divaḥ…pṛthivyāḥ).
citti (consciousness) and dakṣa (effective intelligence), purification from agha (disorder), integration of higher and lower nature
Discernment (cittī) restores r̥ta by identifying and removing agha-driven deviations.
Seeing truly across planes is a Satya-function; hatred is treated as a symptom of falsehood.
Descent of higher light into earth-nature; purification as evolutionary movement.
Vedic integralism: multi-plane action; tapas (pressing) releases Soma’s force.
night to dawn transition (Soma’s moonlight enabling discernment before dawn’s clarity)
The ‘vertical’ from heaven to earth is the descent of higher consciousness into body; pressing is concentrated aspiration extracting essence from experience.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cosmic axis operation: the deity’s power ranges from heaven to earth, purifying and repelling hostility rooted in ‘agha’. This reprises the Vedic motif of higher truth-power descending to rectify the lower field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √cit ‘perceive’ relates to PIE *ḱeyt- ‘notice, appear’ (cf. Latin cieō ‘rouse’ is different; but Indo-Iranian has clear internal cognates). pṛthivī is an inherited cosmological term in Indo-Iranian; divaḥ (dyu) reflects PIE *dyeu- ‘sky, day’ (cf. Zeus, Jupiter).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi relies on Soma’s ‘citti’ and ‘dakṣa’ to diagnose and remove the roots of inner hostility; the devotee’s purification is framed as a top-down illumination acting across the whole being.
Establish a vertical axis (crown to base) and invite Soma’s discerning bliss to scan and clear hatred-patterns.
Sahasrara/Ajna (discernment) down to Muladhara (earth-plane purification)
Inhale ‘from earth to heaven’, exhale ‘from heaven to earth’ (vertical breathing)
Clear, vigilant, purified; strong but calm
During japa, notice where hatred sits in the body; on exhale, let Soma’s cool force ‘drive it away’ without suppression—replace with wideness and quiet strength.
Unspecified; chant with a slight lift on ‘diva’ and grounding on ‘pṛthivyā’.
Keep ‘diva ā pṛthivyā’ as one sweeping phrase; strike ‘yāvīr…dveṣaḥ’ decisively.
dakṣaiḥ: retroflex ṣ; diphthong aiḥ with visarga-like ending, pṛthivyāḥ: vocalic ṛ; aspirated th; long āḥ, ṛjīṣin: vocalic ṛ; long ī; retroflex ṣ
Clear, bright, slightly forceful on rejection clause; otherwise cool.
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