Rig Veda 7.79.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 79, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.79
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
व्यञ्जते दिवो अन्तेष्वक्तून्विशो न युक्ता उषसो यतन्ते । सं ते गावस्तम आ वर्तयन्ति ज्योतिर्यच्छन्ति सवितेव बाहू ॥
vy àñjate divó ánteṣv aktū́n víśo ná yuktā́ uṣáso yatante | sáṃ te gā́vas táma ā́ vartayanti jyótir yácchanti savitéva bāhū́ ||
दिवो अन्तेष्वक्तून् व्यञ्जते; विशो न युक्ता उषसो यतन्ते। ते गावस्तम आ वर्तयन्ति, ज्योतिर्यच्छन्ति—सविता इव बाहू प्रसारयन्।
Word by Word
- व्यञ्जते
- they manifest/appear, become visibleVerbPresent (laṭ), Ātmanepada, 3rd person pluralRole Kriyā (of subject ‘उषसः’)Root व्यञ्ज् (vy-añj) / √अञ्ज्
- दिवः
- of heaven/skyNounFeminine, Genitive singularRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root दिव् (prātipadika: दिव्/द्यौ-)
- अन्तेषु
- at the ends/bordersNounMasculine, Locative pluralRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अन्त (prātipadika)
- अक्तून्
- nights (dark periods)NounMasculine, Accusative pluralRole KarmaRoot अक्तु (prātipadika)
- विशः
- clans/settlementsNounFeminine, Nominative pluralRole Kartā (simile-subject) / UpamānaRoot विश् (prātipadika)
- न
- like/asIndeclinableComparative particleRole Upamā-vācakaRoot न
- युक्ताः
- yoked, harnessed, joinedAdjective/ParticipleMasculine, Nominative pluralRole Viśeṣaṇa (of implied subject in simile: ‘विशः’)Root युज् → युक्त (PPP)
- उषसः
- the DawnsNounFeminine, Nominative pluralRole KartāRoot उषस् (prātipadika)
- यतन्ते
- they strive/press on, hastenVerbPresent (laṭ), Ātmanepada, 3rd person pluralRole Kriyā (main verb of clause)Root यत् (√यत्)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinable (preverb)UpasargaRole Kriyā-viśeṣaṇaRoot सम्
- ते
- for you/to youPronounDative singular (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot त्वद्/युष्मद् (enclitic pronoun)
- गावः
- cowsNounFeminine, Nominative pluralRole KartāRoot गो (prātipadika)
- तमः
- darknessNounNeuter, Accusative singularRole KarmaRoot तमस् (prātipadika)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinable (preverb)UpasargaRole Kriyā-viśeṣaṇaRoot आ
- वर्तयन्ति
- they cause to turn/roll away, drive offVerbPresent (laṭ), Parasmaipada, 3rd person plural, CausativeRole KriyāRoot वृत् (causative: वर्तय-)
- ज्योतिः
- lightNounNeuter, Accusative singularRole KarmaRoot ज्योतिस् (prātipadika)
- यच्छन्ति
- they extend/grant, bestowVerbPresent (laṭ), Parasmaipada, 3rd person pluralRole KriyāRoot यम् (√यम्)
- सविता
- Savitar (the impeller Sun-god)NounMasculine, Nominative singularRole Kartā (of implied comparison) / UpamānaRoot सवितृ (prātipadika)
- इव
- likeIndeclinableComparative particleRole Upamā-vācakaRoot इव
- बाहू
- two armsNounMasculine, Accusative dualRole Karma (object of ‘यच्छन्ति’)Root बाहु (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved padapāṭha-style segmentation: दिवो→दिवः
- अन्तेष्वक्तून्→अन्तेषु अक्तून्
- विशो न→विशः न
- युक्ता उषसो→युक्ताः उषसः
- सं ते→सम् ते
- गावस्तम आ→गावः तमः आ
- ज्योतिर्यच्छन्ति→ज्योतिः यच्छन्ति
- सवितेव→सविता इव. (Accent marks in saṃhitā not reproduced in the pada forms.)
The meaning
Outer meaning
At the ends of heaven’s nights they extend themselves; like yoked peoples the Dawns press forward. Your rays—cows of light—turn back the darkness and offer the light, as Savitṛ stretches out his arms.
Inner meaning
Illuminations arise precisely where the ‘night’ of consciousness ends—at the boundary where ignorance thins. The Dawns are plural: repeated waves of awakening yoked to a single aim (yuktāḥ), disciplined energies moving together. The ‘cows’ are rays of knowledge that reverse the pull of tamas and present jyotiḥ to the seeking mind; Savitṛ’s ‘arms’ are impulsions of the Truth-force that set the will and thought in right action.
Universal truth
Progress is rhythmic and collective within us: repeated dawns, yoked to aspiration, push back darkness and extend the reach of light until right action becomes natural.
Themes
Dispelling darkness, Impulse and extension, Yoking of powers
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha (probable)
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.77, RV 7.78, RV 7.80
Family tradition
In Maṇḍala 7, Vasiṣṭha’s line often speaks of ordered inner progress—illumination yoked to effort and guided by ṛta.
Significance
The seer frames awakening as a repeated, disciplined movement: not a single flash but a series of dawns that train the being to reject darkness and receive the offered light.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas (with Savitṛ as simile/associated power)
- Epithets
- yuktā (yoked/ordered), tama-āvartayantī (turning back darkness), jyotir-yacchantī (holding out light)
- Related deities
- Savitṛ, Sūrya, Agni
Cosmic role
She marks the turning point of night into day and brings the first operative lights that prepare the solar day.
Inner power
Successive illuminations that discipline the energies and actively reverse obscurity; the offering of light to the aspirant.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning recitation invoking Uṣas’ rays and Savitṛ-like impulsion for right activity.
व्य॑ञ्जते दि॒वो अन्ते॑ष्व॒क्तून्विशो॒ न यु॒क्ता उ॒षसो॑ यतन्ते । सं ते॒ गाव॒स्तम॒ आ व॑र्तयन्ति॒ ज्योति॑र्यच्छन्ति सवि॒तेव॑ बा॒हू ॥
वि । अ॒ञ्ज॒ते॒ । दि॒वः । अन्ते॑षु । अ॒क्तून् । विशः॑ । न । युक्ताः॑ । उ॒षसः॑ । य॒त॒न्ते॒ । सम् । ते॒ । गावः॑ । तमः॑ । आ । व॒र्त॒य॒न्ति॒ । ज्योतिः॑ । य॒च्छ॒न्ति॒ । स॒वि॒ताऽइ॑व । बा॒हू इति॑ ॥
vi | añjate | divaḥ | anteṣu | aktūn | viśaḥ | na | yuktāḥ | uṣasaḥ | yatante | sam | te | gāvaḥ | tamaḥ | ā | vartayanti | jyotiḥ | yacchanti | savitāiva | bāhū iti
44
4×11 (approx.)
Striving, onward-driving rhythm matching yatante (‘they press onward’).
Energizes will and aspiration; good for breaking morning dullness and establishing clarity.
- अक्तून् (aktūn)
- Literal: nights. Symbolic: periods of obscurity, unconsciousness, inertia
- अन्तेषु (anteṣu)
- Literal: at the ends. Symbolic: threshold moments where a shift of consciousness is possible
- उषसः (uṣasaḥ)
- Literal: dawns (plural). Symbolic: successive waves of illumination in sādhanā
- युक्ताः (yuktāḥ)
- Literal: yoked, harnessed. Symbolic: disciplined energies aligned to one intention
- गावः (gāvaḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge (go = illumination)
- तमः (tamaḥ)
- Literal: darkness. Symbolic: covering force; subconscient resistance
- ज्योतिः (jyotiḥ)
- Literal: light. Symbolic: conscious illumination; guiding knowledge
- सविता (savitā)
- Literal: Savitṛ. Symbolic: impelling Truth-power that sets right movement
- बाहू (bāhū)
- Literal: arms. Symbolic: outstretched force of impulsion; executive energy of the truth
Dawn recitation emphasizing reversal of darkness and impulsion of right movement (Savitṛ-like); morning use (general).
At dawn or before beginning work/study.
Chant to ‘turn back darkness’—a conscious inner offering of inertia into light.
Use before focused work: set intention that thoughts become yoked (yuktāḥ) and distractions (tamas) are reversed.
अक्तु ‘night’ from √ak ‘be sharp/dark’ (semantic field of night/obscurity). यत from √yat ‘to strive, control, exert’: disciplined movement. वर्तयन्ति from √vṛt ‘turn, roll’: darkness is ‘turned back’ by rays. Savitṛ from √su ‘impel, vivify’: the archetypal impeller; ‘arms’ symbolize extension of force into manifestation.
go (rays) as knowledge, Savitṛ as impulsion (iṣ/pravṛtti), right effort (yat)
‘Yoked’ dawns imply ṛta: right harnessing of powers toward the goal.
Jyotiḥ is the operative face of truth—knowledge that can be acted upon.
Cosmic rhythm: recurring dawns re-establish order by turning back darkness.
Integral/psychological Vedism: multiplicity of illuminations leading to stable truth-conscious action.
dawn
Threshold states where consciousness can shift; rays as knowledges that reorganize the mind; Savitṛ as the force that impels right doing.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The rays-cows reversing darkness and offering light; Dawns as a disciplined, yoked host striving forward. It is the classic ‘cows of light’ mythologem recast as dawn’s own emanations.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛt ‘turn’ continues PIE *wert- ‘turn’ (cf. Latin vertere, English convert). The physical turning becomes a cognitive reversal: ignorance is actively re-turned by illumination.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi interprets Dawn’s rays as the goddess’s ‘cows’—recoverable illuminations. The prayer is implicit: may this Savitṛ-like extension continue, so the seeker’s darkness is reversed and the offered light becomes usable guidance.
Practice ‘tamas reversal’: notice dullness and consciously turn it back by invoking a clear intention and receiving light into the mind.
Maṇipūra (will/impulsion) and Ājñā (clarity)
3-part breath (dirgha) with slightly emphasized exhale to release tamas; then a few rounds of bhastrikā-light (gentle) if appropriate.
From tamasic to rajasic-ordered to sattvic lucidity.
Chant once briskly to awaken energy, then once moderately for clarity; visualize rays (gāvaḥ) pushing the night-mass outward from the forehead and chest; end in stillness receiving jyotiḥ.
Vedic svara per śākhā; keep clean transitions on clusters (vy añjate / uṣaso).
Highlight yuktā́ḥ, uṣáso, gā́vaḥ, támaḥ, jyótiḥ, savitā́iva bāhū́.
vy añjate: separate vy + añ- (avoid ‘vyan’ nasal blur)., uṣaso: retroflex ṣ, clear short a-o sequence., jyotiḥ: clear jy- consonant cluster; final visarga lightly aspirated.
firm, energizing, slightly brighter pitch to enact ‘striving onward’.
3
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