Rig Veda 7.101.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 101, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.101
स्तरीरु त्वद्भवति सूत उ त्वद्यथावशं तन्वं चक्र एषः । पितुः पयः प्रति गृभ्णाति माता तेन पिता वर्धते तेन पुत्रः ॥
starī́r u tvád bhávati sū́ta u tvad yáthāvaśaṃ tanvàṃ cakra eṣáḥ | pitúḥ páyaḥ práti gṛbhṇāti mātā́ téna pitā́ vardhate téna putráḥ ||
स्तरीरु त्वद्भवति सूत उ त्वद्यथावशं तन्वं चक्र एषः। पितुः पयः प्रति गृभ्णाति माता तेन पिता वर्धते तेन पुत्रः॥
Contemplative reinforcement within rain/fertility hymns; supports rites for continuity of life-force and increase (plants, cattle, progeny as inner and outer prosperity).
Reciprocity of principles (giver/receiver), Embodiment (tanū), Increase (vṛdh), Triadic generation
The reciprocal increase of father/mother/son suggests an ordered cycle of exchange—an ṛta of nourishment.
True growth occurs when nature receives the genuine essence (payas) rather than substitutes (desire-driven excitations).
Embodiment by will: the shaping of tanū as conscious formation, not accident.
Sāṃkhya-like polarity (puruṣa/prakṛti) as Vedic symbol, interpreted integrally (Aurobindo) as conscious-force and its receptive formation.
unspecified
monsoon / generative season
Milk = concentrated nourishment of consciousness; mother = receptive nature; father = conscious source; son = evolving personality; birth = new inner realization becoming embodied.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A generative triad (Father–Mother–Son) sustained by a circulating essence (milk/sap). Inner sense: consciousness (Father/source) pours essence; nature (Mother/field) receives and distributes; the formed being (Son/instrument) grows—showing that growth is achieved by right exchange between source, field, and embodied personality under divine will (vaśa).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √stṛ ‘spread’ corresponds to PIE *ster- ‘to spread, strew’ (cf. Greek stornynai, Latin sternere). kinship terms pitṛ́/mātṛ́ continue PIE *ph₂tḗr, *méh₂tēr, central to Indo-European poetic genealogies, here re-purposed for a process-myth (generation of embodiment).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi reads Parjanya as the hidden operator behind embodiment and nourishment-cycles. The hymn aligns the aspirant with that cycle: receive the ‘milk’ (essence) consciously so that all principles in the being mutually increase rather than conflict.
Contemplate the exchange between receptive nature and conscious source; invite ‘payas’ (nourishing essence) to shape the instrument.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (generativity) supported by Anāhata (receptivity) and Ājñā (forming will).
Inhale: receive (mātā gṛbhṇāti). Exhale: offer/shape (tanvaṃ cakra). Keep smooth, unforced breathing.
Receptive-creative poise; quiet wonder with embodied readiness.
Sit with the sense of a wide ‘outspread’ field. Allow a subtle sweetness (payas) to descend into the body. Affirm that formation is ‘by the higher will’—let posture, breath, and intention align.
Tri-svara with clear udātta on key verbs (bhavati, cakra) as marked in recensional accenting; avoid flattening the parenthetical ūँ particles.
Maintain syntactic clarity: two opening clauses (from you...) then the will-formation clause, then the mother–father–son triad as a measured conclusion.
Keep cerebral ṛ in gṛbhṇāti (gṛ-bhṇā-ti), तन्वं (tanvaṃ): nasalized ‘ṃ’ before consonant, यथावशम् (yathā-va-śam): clear palatal ś, पयः (payaḥ): final visarga lightly released
Warm, nourishing tone; slightly softer on the mother/father lines to convey receptivity.
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