Rig Veda 10.57.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 57, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.57
यो यज्ञस्य प्रसाधनस्तन्तुर्देवेष्वाततः । तमाहुतं नशीमहि ॥
yó yajñásya prasā́dhanas tántur devéṣv ā́tataḥ | tám ā́hutam naśīmahi ||
यो यज्ञस्य प्रसाधनः तन्तुः देवेषु आततः, तम् आहुतं नशीमहि।
Recitation emphasizing ritual continuity: the 'tantu' as the unbroken sequence of offerings and right intention binding the rite to the devas; applicable across Soma and fire rites as a coherence-formula.
bandhu (linking principle between human act and divine plane), continuity of consciousness (tantu), success of sacrifice (siddhi via sādhana)
The ‘thread’ is ṛta’s continuity ensuring right relation between planes.
Right offering aligns with satya—truth in intention—making attainment stable.
Weaving of worlds through exchange; the cosmos held by a connecting cord.
Yoga of works and mantra: continuity and right offering as means to realization.
A subtle ‘sutra’ of awareness running through all activities; offerings as purified movements rising through the inner fire.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The 'thread' (tantu) mythologem: a spanning link that binds human offering to the divine world. Rather than a single combat myth, the central action is the weaving/extension of yajña as a connective continuum among the devas, enabling attainment.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tan 'stretch' is a clear IE inheritance (PIE *ten-). The metaphor of stretching a thread to connect realms is widespread in IE poetics (e.g., 'weaving' fate/speech), here specialized to yajña as the stretched continuum between human and divine.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi/sacrificers seek not merely a boon but the very connective mechanism of divine commerce: by aligning with the yajña’s 'tantu' (its inner coherence), they can 'reach' (naś-) the offered power already carried into the gods (āhuta).
Unbroken continuity (tantu) of remembrance and offering.
Suṣumṇā thread imagery; Ājñā for linking intelligence
Japa on exhale; feel a ‘thread’ from navel/heart to brow; pause briefly after each repetition to sense the link ‘among the gods’.
Collected, continuous, quietly uplifted.
Choose one simple daily ‘āhuti’ (a repeated act done with consecration). Keep it unbroken for 21 days—this builds the tantu that ‘accomplishes’ the inner yajña.
Vedic accents per śākhā; keep lift on tantuḥ, deveṣu, ātataḥ, āhutam.
Chant in four equal quarters (if anuṣṭubh); let ‘tam āhutam’ be slightly emphasized as the ‘right offering’.
यज्ञस्य (yajñasya): palatal ñ, not ‘gn’, प्रसाधनः (prasādhanaḥ): long ā, तन्तुः (tantuḥ): dental t; u short; visarga soft, आततः (ātataḥ): long ā; t’s crisp
Soft, continuous, thread-like legato; minimal breaks between words.
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