Sukta 28
Sukta 8.28
Viśve Devāḥ (the Thirty-Three Gods)
Этот краткий гимн призывает Вишведевов — мыслимых как «тридцать три» божественные силы — занять свои должным образом упорядоченные места на жертвенной траве и поддержать правильное устроение обряда. Он просит этих всебогов стать всеобъемлющими хранителями со всех сторон (спереди, сзади, сверху, снизу) и завершается семеричным (семикратным) видением божественных сил, чьи огни, оружия и сияния прочно и безупречно установлены.
Mantras
Mantra 1
ये त्रिंशति त्रयस्परो देवासो बर्हिरासदन् । विदन्नह द्वितासनन् ॥
Те боги, что — тридцать и три сверх того, воссели на бархис, на священной траве. Воистину зная, они заняли места в двояком порядке.
Mantra 2
वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा स्मद्रातिषाचो अग्नयः । पत्नीवन्तो वषट्कृताः ॥
Варуна, Митра, Арьяман — несущие наше даяние, дарующее правоту, — и Агни. Супружные, с Шакти-супругами, они — совершители «вашат», что доводит наш возглас-волю до свершения.
Mantra 3
ते नो गोपा अपाच्यास्त उदक्त इत्था न्यक् । पुरस्तात्सर्वया विशा ॥
Да будут они нам хранителями Лучей (го-па), оберегая нас сзади и от всякого неверного поворота; сверху и снизу, и спереди — всей полнотой нашего существа.
Mantra 4
यथा वशन्ति देवास्तथेदसत्तदेषां नकिरा मिनत् । अरावा चन मर्त्यः ॥
Как боги желают и властвуют, так воистину и бывает; никто не умаляет их установления — ни один смертный, даже богатый средствами.
Mantra 5
सप्तानां सप्त ऋष्टयः सप्त द्युम्नान्येषाम् । सप्तो अधि श्रियो धिरे ॥
У Семерых — семь остриёв копий, семь их светозарных мощей; и семикратно на них утверждены великолепия (шри) — поставлены как совершенная полнота.
Inside Sukta 28
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn opens by calling the ‘thirty-three’ gods to sit upon the barhis, emphasizing their knowledge of the rite and the right placement of powers.
- Development
It expands from invitation to function: the all-gods are asked to become guardians, preventing harm from behind and from any deviation, extending protection in all directions.
- Climax
A comprehensive protective vision—front/back/above/below—where the divine host encloses the sacrificer and the ritual space.
- Where it settles
The hymn resolves in a symbolic sevenfold completion: seven weapons/points, seven lights, seven splendors—signifying a stabilized, perfected divine order resting upon the invoked powers.
The deity: Viśve Devāḥ
- In the VedaThe Viśve Devāḥ are the totality of divine powers invited together to the barhis, often addressed as a coordinated host who “know” the rite and take their seats in proper order. They function as an inclusive invocation that gathers many deities—Ādityas, Rudras, Vasus, and allied powers—into one liturgical presence.
- Cosmic functionThey sustain ṛta (cosmic order) by stabilizing the harmonized functioning of the divine forces, protecting the sacrificer from disorder on every side, and ensuring the rite becomes a complete, well-arranged field of power.
- Inner significancePsychologically, the Viśve Devāḥ represent an integrated wholeness of faculties—clarity, will, protection, and illumination—so that one’s inner ‘sacrifice’ (discipline, intention, offering) is not fragmented but rightly ordered and guarded.
Famous verses
ye triṃśati trayaḥ paraḥ
ते नो गोपा अपाच्यास्त उदक्त इत्था न्यक् । पुरस्तात्सर्वया विशा ॥saptānāṃ sapta
Attributes of the deity
- Collective divinity (all-gods as one host)
- Association with barhis and correct seating/order (āsadana, dvitā)
- All-direction protection (front/back/above/below)
- Upholders of ṛta and ritual correctness
- Symbolic completeness through sacred numbers (33 and 7)
Also by this seer
- Similar collective invocations to Viśve Devāḥ found across the Rigveda (e.g., multiple Viśve Devāḥ sūktas in various maṇḍalas)
- Ritual formulaic themes: barhis (sacred grass), āsadana (seating), and sarvato-rakṣā (all-sided protection) motifs common in yajña-liturgies
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the vedi and spread the barhis (sacred grass) as the divine seat.
- Invoke the Viśve Devāḥ as the ‘thirty-three’ to come and sit in the correct, twofold order (dvitā), affirming proper ritual arrangement.
- Offer oblations while mentally extending protection to all directions—rear, front, above, below, and every ‘wrongward turning.’
- Conclude with the sevenfold affirmation of divine completeness (seven spear-points, seven lights, seven splendors), sealing the rite with a sense of perfected establishment.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) oblations into Agni
- Soma/libation where applicable in the larger rite
- Barhis as the formal “seat” offering (āsana) to the gods
Frequently Asked Questions
They are the Viśve Devāḥ, the collective host of divine powers often counted as thirty-three (Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, and related forms). The hymn calls them together as one coordinated presence.
Barhis is the sacred grass spread on the ritual ground as a seat for the gods. Saying they “sit” means they are successfully invited, present, and properly arranged to receive offerings and support the rite.
Sevenfold language in the Veda often signals completeness and stable order. Here it portrays the divine powers as perfectly equipped (seven spear-points), luminous (seven lights), and fully endowed (seven splendors).
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