Rig Veda 1.159.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 159, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.159
- Rishi
- As RV 1.159
- Devata
- Dyāvāpṛthivī
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
उत मन्ये पितुरद्रुहो मनो मातुर्महि स्वतवस्तद्धवीमभिः । सुरेतसा पितरा भूम चक्रतुरुरु प्रजाया अमृतं वरीमभिः ॥
utá manye pitúr adrúho máno mātúr máhi svátavas tád havī́mabhiḥ | su-rétasā pitarā bhū́ma cakratur urú prajā́yā amṛ́taṃ várīmabhiḥ ||
उत मन्ये पितुरद्रुहो मनः, मातुर्महि स्वतवश्च; तद् हवीमभिराह्वयामः। सु-रेतसा तौ पितरौ नः अभवताम्; उरु प्रजायै अमृतं वरीमभिः परितः चक्रतुः।
Word by Word
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableconj./particleRoot उत
- मन्ये
- I think; I deemVerbpresent indicative (laṭ), 1st person singular, ātmanepadaRole Kartā (speaker)Root √मन् (मन्यते)
- पितुः
- of the fatherNounmasculine, genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot पितृ
- अद्रुहः
- non-injuring; non-hostileAdjectivemasculine, genitive singular (agreeing with पितुः)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of पितुः)Root अ-द्रुह् (द्रुह् ‘to harm, be hostile’)
- मनः
- mind; intentionNounneuter, nominative/accusative singularRole Karma (of मन्ये)Root मनस्
- मातुः
- of the motherNounfeminine, genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot मातृ
- महि
- greatAdjectiveneuter, nominative/accusative singular (agreeing with मनः)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of मनः)Root महि
- स्वतवः
- self-strong; of its own mightAdjectiveneuter, nominative/accusative singular (agreeing with मनः)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of मनः)Root स्व-तवस् (तवस् ‘strength, might’)
- तत्
- thatPronounneuter, accusative singularRole Karma (of हवीमभिः)Root तद्
- हवीमभिः
- with invocations; with callsNounneuter, instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot √ह्वे (ह्वयति) → हवीमन् (Vedic verbal noun ‘invocation/call’)
- सुरेतसा
- of good seed; strongly generativeAdjectivemasculine, nominative dual (agreeing with पितरा)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of पितरा)Root सु-रेतस् (रेतस् ‘seed, generative power’)
- पितरा
- the two parentsNounmasculine, nominative dualRole KartāRoot पितृ
- भूम
- earth; groundNounneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot भूमन्
- चक्रतुः
- they two made; fashionedVerbperfect (liṭ), 3rd person dual, parasmaipadaRoot √कृ (करोति)
- उरु
- wide; broadAdjectiveneuter, accusative singular (agreeing with अमृतम्)Role ViśeṣaṇaRoot उरु
- प्रजायाः
- of progeny; of offspringNounfeminine, genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot प्र-जा (स्त्री. ‘offspring, progeny’)
- अमृतम्
- immortality; the immortal (state)Noun/Adjectiveneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot अ-मृत (मृत ‘mortal’)
- वरीमभिः
- with wide spaces; with expansesNounneuter, instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot वरीमन् (from √वृ ‘to choose/cover’; ‘breadth, expanse, wide space’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (major): पितुरद्रुहो → पितुः + अद्रुहः
- मातुर्महि → मातुः + महि
- स्वतवस्तद्धवीमभिः → स्वतवः + तत् + हवीमभिः
- पितरा भूम → पितरा + भूम
- चक्रतुरुरु → चक्रतुः + उरु
- प्रजायाऽमृतं → प्रजायाः + अमृतम्. Accent marks in the saṃhitā text are not reproduced in the pada forms here
The meaning
Outer meaning
The speaker perceives the father’s undeceiving mind and the mother’s great self-law; by offerings we call that. With good seed the two became our parents; they made wide for offspring the deathless vastness by their encompassing powers.
Inner meaning
Heaven and Earth are experienced as Father and Mother principles in consciousness. The ‘father’s mind, undeceiving’ is the clear, truth-seeing mentality from above—unfallen, not tricked by appearances. The ‘mother’s great svatavas’ is the vast inherent law and power of the foundation—Nature’s right self-order when it is not distorted. The mantra says: we call to that by offerings—i.e., by giving our works and energies to the divine order, we invoke the pure Father-mind and Mother-law into our being. ‘Suretasā’ (good seed) indicates a right creative force: when higher mind and right foundational power unite, they generate in us a wide field for the ‘offspring’—new formations of consciousness. ‘Amṛtaṃ varīmabhiḥ’ is the deathless wideness created by their encompassing powers: the sense of immortality is not escape but a vast stable consciousness in which life can be born anew without being bound to decay-consciousness. This is the inner cosmogenesis: the divine parents make room for the soul’s future in a widened, deathless awareness.
Universal truth
When clear truth-mind and right nature-law unite, they create conditions for a new, wider life. Immortality begins as a stable vastness of consciousness that can generate higher possibilities.
Themes
cosmic-parentage, immortality-by-wideness, generative-order
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya (traditional for RV 1.159)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa (traditional association)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.159.1 (establishes dyāvāpṛthivī in r̥ta), RV 1.164 (father/mother, speech, and creation riddles)
Family tradition
Cosmic-parent hymns interpreted as inner structural principles of consciousness.
Significance
The seer articulates a psychology of creation: the union of truth-mind and right nature generates a deathless wideness for the soul’s future growth.
The deity
- Devata
- Dyāvāpṛthivī (as Father-Mother)
- Epithets
- pitarā (the two parents), adruhaḥ (undeceiving, of the father), mahi (great, of the mother)
- Related deities
- Prajāpati (creative principle, later), Aditi (infinite mother, thematically), Mitra-Varuṇa (guardians of order)
Cosmic role
Progenitors who establish the field for beings; they widen the world for manifestation under r̥ta.
Inner power
Truth-clarity above and lawful stability below; together they generate a protected vastness (varīman) for transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Heaven-Earth praise accompanying offerings (general)
उ॒त म॑न्ये पि॒तुर॒द्रुहो॒ मनो॑ मा॒तुर्महि॒ स्वत॑व॒स्तद्धवी॑मभिः । सु॒रेत॑सा पि॒तरा॒ भूम॑ चक्रतुरु॒रु प्र॒जाया॑ अ॒मृतं॒ वरी॑मभिः ॥
उ॒त । म॒न्ये॒ । पि॒तुः । अ॒द्रुहः॑ । मनः॑ । मा॒तुः । महि॑ । स्वऽत॑वः । तत् । हवी॑मऽभिः । सु॒ऽरेत॑सा । पि॒तरा॑ । भूम॑ । च॒क्र॒तुः॒ । उ॒रु । प्र॒ऽजायाः॑ । अ॒मृत॑म् । वरी॑मऽभिः ॥
uta | manye | pituḥ | adruhaḥ | manaḥ | mātuḥ | mahi | sva-tavaḥ | tat | havīma-bhiḥ | su-retasā | pitarā | bhūma | cakratuḥ | uru | pra-jāyāḥ | amṛtam | varīma-bhiḥ
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4 x ~11 syllables
Measured and generative; phrases build a sense of widening and encompassing.
Encourages a felt sense of parental support and inner spaciousness; stabilizes aspiration into embodied confidence.
- पितुः अद्रुहः मनः (pituḥ adruhaḥ manaḥ)
- Literal: father’s mind, non-deceiving. Symbolic: higher truth-mind free from distortion
- मातुः महि स्वतवः (mātuḥ mahi svatavaḥ)
- Literal: mother’s great self-power/self-law. Symbolic: right foundational nature-force; inherent order of embodied existence
- हवीमभिः (havīmabhiḥ)
- Literal: with oblations. Symbolic: inner offering of energies to invoke the divine principles
- सुरेतसा (suretasā)
- Literal: with good seed. Symbolic: right creative potency; pure generative force for higher becoming
- पितरा (pitarā)
- Literal: the two parents. Symbolic: Heaven-mind and Earth-foundation as complementary powers
- उरु (uru)
- Literal: wide. Symbolic: expansion of consciousness and life-field
- प्रजायाः (prajāyāḥ)
- Literal: for offspring. Symbolic: new births of realization, faculties, and transformed life-movements
- अमृतम् (amṛtam)
- Literal: deathless. Symbolic: immortal consciousness; freedom from decay-sense
- वरीमभिः (varīmabhiḥ)
- Literal: with encompassing powers. Symbolic: all-around wideness that holds and protects the new becoming
Praise and invocation for stability of worlds and generative rightness; suitable in rites emphasizing progeny and continuity of the sacrifice.
During invocations establishing cosmic parents and creative stability; suitable at beginnings of rites for ‘space’ and ‘protection’.
Offer ghee or intention to the two parents; ask for wideness and deathless consciousness for the ‘offspring’ (works, realizations).
Use as a mantra for grounding spiritual insight into life: invoke clear mind (father) and right body-life law (mother) before important decisions or creative work.
adruha (a- + druh ‘harm, betray’) emphasizes truth-intention. varīman (from √vṛ/var ‘to cover/encompass’ or semantic ‘breadth’) supports the repeated Vedic equation: wideness = safety/immortality.
amṛta (immortality), varīman (spaciousness as liberation), truth-intention (adruha)
Self-law (svatavas) and undeceiving mind are expressions of r̥ta in the two poles.
Adruhaḥ manaḥ: truth that does not betray; perception aligned with satya.
Cosmic parenting: right union generates space for new becoming and a taste of immortality.
Integral-yogic Vedism: immortality as consciousness-vastness enabling transformed life.
spring (suggestive via ‘seed’ and generation, not explicit)
Sky = truth-mind; Earth = embodied law; seed = creative will-force; wideness = varīman of consciousness; deathless = amṛta awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cosmogonic-parental pair: Sky and Earth as father and mother whose ‘good seed’ is right creative potency; their gift is urú amṛta—immortal wideness—for the growth of the soul’s progeny (powers, formations).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The father-sky / mother-earth dyad is a foundational PIE mythic structure (*Dyēus ph₂tḗr / *Dhéǵhōm meh₂tḗr). The Vedic diction preserves this archaic pairing with transparent semantics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi aligns through offering to perceive their true ‘mind’ and ‘self-law’; the devatā-pair reciprocates by granting wideness and immortality as conditions for the seeker’s inner progeny—new formations of consciousness.
Invoke the ‘father’s clear mind’ and ‘mother’s right law’ in oneself; rest in varīman (encompassing wideness).
Sahasrāra/Ājñā (clear mind) with Mūlādhāra/Svādhisthāna (foundational law/creative seed)
Inhale imagining clarity descending from above; exhale grounding into stable law below; then a brief pause sensing wideness around.
Sattvic integration; creative repose.
After chanting, contemplate one area of life needing rebirth. Offer it inwardly (havīṃṣi) to the two parents; wait for a ‘non-deceiving’ clarity and a ‘right-law’ feeling of what can be embodied.
Triṣṭubh accenting; ensure clarity on adruhaḥ, svatavaḥ, amṛtam; exact svara from marked text.
Let the verse breathe: slight pause after manaḥ and after svatavaḥ; broaden on uru and amṛtam for felt wideness.
adruhaḥ: keep aspirated h at end; do not drop visarga in careful recitation., svatavaḥ: articulate sv cluster; keep v audible., suretasā: long ā; keep retroflex ṭ absent; dental t., varīmabhiḥ: long ī; aspirate bh properly.
Warm, steady, nurturing; slightly fuller resonance on ‘amṛtam’.
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