Rig Veda 5.82.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 82, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.82
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
अस्य हि स्वयशस्तरं सवितुः कच्चन प्रियम् । न मिनन्ति स्वराज्यम् ॥
asyá hí sváyaśastaraṃ savitúḥ kác caná priyám | ná minánti svārā́jyam ||
Ибо у Савитара, самопрославленного, что бы ни было ему мило — никто того не умаляет; его самодержавие, его собственная власть, не терпит нарушения.
Word by Word
- अस्य
- of him/this (of Savitṛ)Pronounपुं/नपुं, षष्ठी (Gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitival relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्य (षष्ठी)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/causal particle)Root हि (निपात)
- स्वयशस्तरम्
- more glorious (in itself), of greater renownAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)Role कर्म (object/complement with implied ‘(किंचित्) अस्ति/भवति’)Root स्वयशस् (प्रातिपदिक) + तरप् (comparative suffix)
- सवितुः
- of Savitṛ (the Impeller/Sun-deity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- कच्चन
- at all; any (even the least)Indeclinableनिपात-समूह; ‘कच्चन’ = ‘किञ्चन/कश्चन’ (any, at all)Root क (interrog./indef.) + चन (enclitic particle)
- प्रियम्
- dear thing; what is belovedAdjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-निपातRoot न (निषेध)
- मिनन्ति
- they diminish/impairVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √मि (मिनाति) ‘to diminish, injure, violate’
- स्वराज्यम्
- self-rule, sovereigntyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्वराज्य (प्रातिपदिक) < स्व- + राज्य
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): अस्य | हि | स्वयशस्तरम् | सवितुः | कच्चन | प्रियम् | न | मिनन्ति | स्वराज्यम् । बाह्य-सन्धि न्यून: ‘सवितुः कच्चन’ इत्यत्र विसर्ग-सन्धि न कृतः (पदपाठ-प्रवृत्ति)
- ‘कच्चन’ निपातसमूहः (क + चन) ‘किञ्चन/कश्चन’ अर्थे।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whatever is dear of Savitṛ, the self-glorious—none diminish it; his self-rule is not violated.
Inner meaning
In the awakened inner life, what is ‘dear’ (priya) to Savitṛ is the soul’s truth-movement and its luminous good. No hostile force can truly diminish that when the being stands in the divine sovereignty (svarājya)—the inner kingdom where the higher Will governs directly. ‘Self-glorious’ indicates a light that depends on nothing external: a consciousness luminous by its own truth. The mantra affirms inviolability: once the seeker enters genuine inner rule (not ego-rule), the gains of truth are protected from the diminishments of doubt, inertia, and lower mixture.
Universal truth
What is founded in true inner sovereignty cannot be stolen by outer circumstance; the self-luminous good remains intact when rooted in the divine law within.
Themes
divine invincibility, inner kingship, protection against diminution
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya) (traditional for RV 5.82 within Atri Mandala; specific verse attribution uncertain)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.82 (Savitṛ hymn), RV 1.35 (Savitṛ’s protecting governance, thematic)
Family tradition
Atri’s vision often stresses the stability and inviolability of light once recovered—truth held against the coverer.
Significance
A mantra of protection through inner sovereignty: it strengthens faith (śraddhā) in the permanence of true realization.
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Epithets
- Svayaśastara (more self-glorious), Sovereign (holder of svarājya)
- Related deities
- Mitra (harmony/law), Varuṇa (inviolable order, implied)
Cosmic role
Upholds an inviolable order; ensures that the true good in the cosmos is not ultimately diminished by disorder.
Inner power
Establishes the seeker in inner freedom and self-governance; protects the ‘dear’ truth-movement from relapse.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective affirmation within Savitṛ worship; suitable as a short recitation for safeguarding gains
अस्य॒ हि स्वय॑शस्तरं सवि॒तुः कच्च॒न प्रि॒यम् । न मि॒नन्ति॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ॥
अस्य॑ । हि । स्वय॑शःऽतरम् । स॒वि॒तुः । कत् । च॒न । प्रि॒यम् । न । मि॒नन्ति॑ । स्व॒ऽराज्य॑म् ॥
asya | hi | svayaśaḥ-taram | savituḥ | kat | cana | priyam | na | minanti | sva-rājyam
Anuṣṭubh (probable; compact two-line style often resolves to 4×8 with internal division)
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Likely 4 × 8, with a strong concluding cadence on ‘svarājyam’
A firm, aphoristic assertion—short and protective.
Builds confidence and inner firmness; the mind feels ‘sealed’ against discouragement.
- स्वयशस् (svayaśas)
- Literal: self-glorious, self-famed. Symbolic: Self-luminous consciousness not dependent on external validation
- प्रिय (priya)
- Literal: dear, beloved. Symbolic: That which accords with the soul’s truth and the divine intention
- न मिनन्ति (na minanti)
- Literal: they do not diminish/violate. Symbolic: Hostile forces cannot reduce what is established in truth
- स्वराज्य (svarājya)
- Literal: self-rule, sovereignty. Symbolic: Inner kingdom where the higher Self/Will governs; freedom from compulsion
Affirmation verse supporting inviolability of the divine impulsion; suitable as a protective or stabilizing utterance within Savitṛ-related recitations.
After meditation; at dusk; when facing doubt or hostile inner states
Mantric sealing (rakṣā) through affirmation of divine sovereignty
Use as a ‘closing mantra’ after practice to stabilize the day’s light and prevent leakage into old habits.
svayaśas: sva- ‘self’ + yaśas ‘glory’ (from √yaś ‘to be revered/renowned’), indicating inherent radiance. minanti: √mī ‘to lessen, damage’. svārājya: sva- + rājya (from √rāj), ‘one’s own sovereignty’; psychologically, the unassailable rule of the illumined Will.
svārājya (inner sovereignty), inviolability of Ṛta, resistance to diminishing forces (mī- as symbolic of obstructions)
Implied: ṛta cannot be finally diminished; Savitṛ’s order is sovereign.
Self-glory (svayaśas) points to satya’s intrinsic light.
The cosmos contains a protected core of truth that persists through cycles of obscurity.
Vedāntic-leaning psychological reading: sovereignty belongs to the Self, not the ego.
Daylight assurance (implicit contrast with night/diminishment)
As the sun’s light is not ‘injured’ by passing clouds, so inner truth remains intact when founded in self-rule.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the inviolability of the god’s svārājya—Savitṛ’s autonomous sovereignty. In psychological terms, the Truth-impulsion once established cannot be diminished by hostile or obscuring movements.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √rāj (rājya) continues Indo-Iranian sacral kingship language; √mī ‘diminish’ reflects an old verbal root with broad IE parallels of measuring/lessening semantics. The compound svārājya encodes a characteristically archaic idea: sovereignty grounded in the self (sva-), not delegated.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi’s stance is declarative and faith-forming: he asserts the undiminishable sovereignty of Savitṛ, strengthening the practitioner’s alignment with that sovereignty as an inner law.
Rest in ‘svarājya’: let the witness-consciousness govern; affirm that what is true and dear to the Divine cannot be diminished.
Anāhata (secure inner good) and Ājñā (self-luminous seeing)
Gentle exhalation-lengthening while repeating ‘na minanti svarājyam’ to seal the practice; no strain.
Protected poise; inner autonomy from moods and external pressures.
When fear of ‘losing progress’ arises, recite 7 times, then sit and feel a calm crown-like sovereignty above the head and a steady light in the heart.
Rigvedic accents; keep the final ‘svarājyam’ as a grounded landing point.
Make ‘na minanti’ a clear negation (not harsh), then broaden on ‘svarājyam’ as the felt meaning.
asya hi: keep short vowels distinct, svayaśastaram: articulate ś clearly; avoid turning it into ‘s’, kac cana: separate lightly (kac-ca-na), priyam: ‘ya’ clear, not ‘jam’, minanti: dental n; short i, svarājyam: sv cluster clean; long ā; final yam soft
Low, steady, protective; minimal ornamentation.
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