Rig Veda 1.113.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 113, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.113
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
रुशद्वत्सा रुशती श्वेत्यागादारैगु कृष्णा सदनान्यस्याः । समानबन्धू अमृते अनूची द्यावा वर्णं चरत आमिनाने ॥
ruśád-vatsā ruśátī śvetíyā́gād ā́raig u kṛ́ṣṇā sádānāny asyāḥ | samānáb-andhū amṛ́te anūcī́ dyā́vā varṇáṃ carata ā́mināne ||
ஒளிரும் கன்றுகளுடன் ஒளிர்ந்து, தானும் ஒளிர்ந்து—வெண்மையான பிரகாசத்துடன் அவள் வந்தாள்; அவளுடைய இருக்கைகளிலிருந்து கருமை (அந்தகம்) அகன்றது. ஒரே பந்தத்தையுடைய, அம்ருத (அமர) இரு சகோதரிகள்—ஒன்றன்பின் ஒன்றாகச் சென்று—தங்கள் நிறத்தைச் சேதமின்றி கடந்து செல்கின்றன.
Word by Word
- रुशद्वत्साः
- having bright calves (i.e., bright young rays)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषस्-विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (उषाः) / विशेषणRoot रुशद्-वत्स (प्रातिपदिक: रुशद् ‘दीप्त/श्वेत’ + वत्स ‘वत्स/बछड़ा’)
- रुशती
- shining, radiantAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (उषाः) / विशेषणRoot रुशत् (प्रातिपदिक; √रुश्/रुच् ‘दीप्तौ’ से) अथवा रुशती (विशेषण-स्त्री)
- श्वेत्य्
- brightly, in a white/gleaming mannerIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (आगात् इत्यस्य) / mannerRoot श्वेत्य (अव्यय/निपात; ‘श्वेत’ से, ‘श्वेतवत्/श्वेतया’ अर्थे)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableउपसर्गRole क्रियाविशेषण (आगात्) / directionRoot आ (उपसर्ग)
- अगात्
- cameVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √गम् (गच्छति)
- अरैगु
- Araigu (a name/epithet of Dawn)Noun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषाः)Role Kartā (उषाः) / विशेषणRoot अरैगु (प्रातिपदिक; उषसः नाम/विशेषण)
- कृष्णा
- dark (ones)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (सदनानि)Role Karma (चरति/आमिनाने इत्यस्य) / विशेषणRoot कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- सदनानि
- dwellings, seats, abodesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot सदन (प्रातिपदिक; √सद् ‘सीदति/वसति’ से)
- अस्याः
- of herPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- समानबन्धू
- having the same bond/kinshipAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (द्यावापृथिव्यौ) अथवा प्रथमा, एकवचन (समूहवाचक) — संदर्भतः द्विवचनRole Kartā (द्यावा) / विशेषणRoot समान-बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक; समान ‘सम’ + बन्धु ‘बंधु/सम्बन्ध’)
- अमृते
- immortal (pair)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (द्यावापृथिव्यौ) अथवा सप्तमी/सम्बोधन-द्विवचन; संदर्भतः प्रथमा-द्विवचनRole Kartā (द्यावापृथिव्यौ) / विशेषणRoot अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनूची
- following behind, subsequentAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उषाः) अथवा विशेषण-रूपेण; पद्ये उषसः विशेषणम्Role Kartā (उषाः) / विशेषणRoot अनूच्/अनूची (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अनु + अञ्च्/वच्’ → ‘अनुगामिनी/अनुवर्ती’, ‘पश्चात्-गामिनी’)
- द्यावा
- the two (heavens/sky-and-earth), the pair ‘Dyāvā’Nounपुं/स्त्री (वैदिक), प्रथमा, द्विवचन (द्यावापृथिव्यौ में ‘द्यावा’)Role KartāRoot द्याव् (प्रातिपदिक; द्यौ ‘sky’)
- वर्णम्
- color, appearanceNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- चरतः
- they two move, proceedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, द्विवचनRole क्रियाRoot √चर् (चरति)
- आमिनाने
- without diminishing/harming (i.e., uninjuring)Verb (participle-like finite form) / Kṛdantaवर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्/आनच्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमा-द्विवचन/एकवचन-सम्बद्ध; संदर्भतः ‘अमिनाने’ = ‘न हिंसन्तौ/न क्षपयन्तौ’ (नकार-लोप/पदपाठ-परम्परा)Role क्रियाविशेषण (चरतोः) / mannerRoot √मि/मीन् (मिनोति ‘क्षय/हिंसा/नाश’), उपसर्ग आ-; वैदिक मध्यम/आत्मनेपद-रूप
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: रुश॑द्वत्सा॒ रुश॑ती श्वे॒त्यागा॒दारै॑गु कृ॒ष्णा सद॑नान्यस्याः । स॒मा॒नब॑न्धू अ॒मृते॑ अनू॒ची द्यावा॒ वर्णं॑ चरत आमिना॒ने ॥ Sandhi-viccheda (मुख्य): श्वे॒त्यागा॒त् = श्वेत्य् + आ + अगात्। सद॑नान्यस्याः = सदनानि + अस्याः। टिप्पणी: ‘आमिनाने’ वैदिक प्रयोग में ‘अमिनाने’ (न-उपसर्ग/निषेधार्थ) के अर्थ-समीप ‘अहिंसन्तौ/अक्षपयन्तौ’ रूपेण व्याख्येय
- पदपाठ-परम्परा/स्वर-चिह्नानुसार रूप-भेद संभव।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Uṣas (Dawn), white and radiant, arrives with her shining “calves”; the black (Night) departs from her dwelling places. The two immortal sisters, bound together, move one after the other, each traversing her own color without harming the other.
Inner meaning
The awakening illumination (Uṣas) rises with her “calves”—the first rays/knowledges that follow her. As she manifests, the obscurity of the subconscient (kṛṣṇā, the black Night) recedes from the seats of consciousness. Night and Dawn are not enemies but complementary movements in the yoga of nature: alternation of concealment and revelation. The seeker learns to let the dark withdraw without violence, allowing the light to take its rightful place in the inner “seats” (sadanāni) of mind, life, and body.
Universal truth
Transformation proceeds by an ordered succession: concealment gives way to revelation according to a law (ṛta). Light does not need to destroy darkness by force; it fulfills its own nature, and darkness withdraws when the conditions of consciousness change. The world-process is a rhythmic alternation that preserves the integrity of both phases while serving evolution toward clarity.
Themes
dawn vs night, light/dark symbolism, cyclic order, revelation of knowledge
The seer
- Rishi
- Kutsa Āṅgirasa
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 1.112, RV 1.113, RV 1.114
Family tradition
Kutsa is linked with the Āṅgirasa line of seers associated with the recovery of light/knowledge (the ‘cows’) and the forward movement of the inner sacrifice.
Significance
As an Āṅgirasa, Kutsa’s vision often emphasizes the emergence of light from obscurity and the ordered advance of consciousness—especially through Dawn as the initiating illumination of the yoga.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas (with implicit Rātrī)
- Epithets
- ruśatī (radiant), śvetyā (white-bright), divo duhitā (Daughter of Heaven, implied in the hymn context)
- Related deities
- Rātrī, Sūrya, Agni, Indra
Cosmic role
Brings the daily and cosmic awakening; reveals forms, paths, and activities; establishes the transition from Night to Day.
Inner power
The power of progressive revelation—opening the inner worlds to clarity, truth-speaking, and right movement; gentle but irresistible dispelling of tamas.
In ritual
Where it is used
Morning praise at daybreak; recitation in prātaḥ-savana context (general uṣas-stuti usage)
रुश॑द्वत्सा॒ रुश॑ती श्वे॒त्यागा॒दारै॑गु कृ॒ष्णा सद॑नान्यस्याः । स॒मा॒नब॑न्धू अ॒मृते॑ अनू॒ची द्यावा॒ वर्णं॑ चरत आमिना॒ने ॥
रुश॑त्ऽवत्सा । रुश॑ती । श्वे॒त्या । आ । अ॒गा॒त् । अरै॑क् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । कृ॒ष्णा । सद॑नानि । अ॒स्याः॒ । स॒मा॒नब॑न्धू॒ इति॑ स॒मा॒नऽब॑न्धू । अ॒मृते॒ इति॑ । अ॒नू॒ची इति॑ । द्यावा॑ । वर्ण॑म् । च॒र॒तः॒ । आ॒मि॒ना॒ने इत्या॑ऽमि॒ना॒ने ॥
ruśat-vatsā | ruśatī | śvetyā | ā | agāt | araik | oṃ iti | kṛṣṇā | sadanāni | asyāḥ | samānabandhūitisamāna-bandhū | amṛteiti | anūcī iti | dyāvā | varṇam | carataḥ | āmināne ity āmināne
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3 pādas × 8 syllables (gāyatrī cadence)
Bright, swift, and crystalline; suited to quick dawning flashes of insight.
Produces a concentrated uplift; the short lines help the mind hold a single luminous perception and repeat it until it becomes experiential.
- uṣas
- Literal: dawn. Symbolic: spiritual illumination; awakening of higher consciousness
- kṛṣṇā
- Literal: the black (night/darkness). Symbolic: subconscient obscurity; inertia and concealment
- ruśat / ruśatī
- Literal: shining, radiant. Symbolic: luminous consciousness; clarity and truth-perception
- vatsāḥ
- Literal: calves. Symbolic: young rays of knowledge; first-born illuminations that follow Dawn
- sadanāni
- Literal: seats, dwelling places. Symbolic: stations of consciousness—mind, life-force, body; inner habitations
- amṛte
- Literal: immortal (two sisters). Symbolic: eternal powers in the cosmic order; recurring principles of manifestation
- samānabandhū
- Literal: of the same bond/kinship. Symbolic: complementary polarities in one divine economy
- varṇa
- Literal: color. Symbolic: mode/quality of consciousness (tamas vs. jyotis)
Dawn contemplation: establishes the doctrine of ordered alternation (night/dawn) as ṛta; used to awaken right perception of cyclic becoming.
At dawn, before or around kindling of Agni and beginning of daily duties.
Recitation/chanting facing the light; offering of attention and aspiration as the ‘inner oblation’.
Use at waking: chant to shift from inertia to clarity, setting a non-violent transition from sleep/subconscient to awakened awareness.
ruśat (√ruś ‘shine, be bright’): radiance as revelation. śveta ‘white’ signals clarity; kṛṣṇa ‘black’ signals concealment. samāna-bandhu ‘same bond’: night and dawn are not enemies but paired functions in ṛta. āmināna (a- + √mī/√min ‘damage, lessen’): the cosmic alternation does not violate order; it is the law of becoming.
ordered alternation as ṛta, complementarity of powers (samānabandhu), immortality of cosmic functions (amṛta)
The ‘two sisters’ move in succession without conflict—an image of ṛta governing alternation.
Truth is what becomes visible when Dawn arrives; satya is linked to revelation rather than argument.
Perpetual re-creation through rhythmic manifestation: each dawn renews the world and the seeker’s being.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral (Aurobindonian) reading: cosmic powers as psychological functions and stages of consciousness.
dawn (transition from night to day)
Transition from subconscient inertia to awakened mental and supramental-leaning clarity; first knowledges (‘calves’) following illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Dawn arrives with her ‘calves’ (rays), Night withdraws from her seats; the two sisters alternate without violating order. Psychologically: illumination brings forth multiple rays of insight; obscurity recedes from the inner ‘seats’; both are necessary phases in a lawful evolution of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The dawn goddess with radiant epithets parallels IE dawn-poetry (rosy/white imagery). The sister-pair motif (night/dawn) is a widespread IE structuring of time as alternating divine women. The ‘color’ (varṇa) as mode echoes archaic IE symbolic thinking of qualitative manifestation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s vision perceives the alternation as a single bonded process (samānabandhu), not a mere physical event. By naming Dawn’s rays as ‘calves’, he turns perception into mantra: speech that stabilizes the awakening of knowledge and accepts the cyclic discipline of night and dawn as part of the soul’s education.
Witness the alternation: allow obscurity to recede; invite the first rays of right perception into the ‘seats’ of the being.
ājñā (clarity/vision) and anāhata (gentle, non-violent opening)
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or 6-6 breathing while repeating the first pāda; exhale as ‘kṛṣṇā’ departs, inhale as ‘ruśatī’ arrives.
From tamasic heaviness to sattvic lucidity; poised receptivity.
On waking, sit briefly; repeat the mantra 9 or 27 times, feeling the ‘black’ leave the inner rooms and the ‘white’ enter without struggle.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita as per Ṛgvedic accent; key lifts often on luminous terms (ruśat-, śvetyā) with falling cadence toward closure.
Keep the natural Vedic rise on marked udātta syllables; avoid flattening ‘ruśád-’ and ‘śvetyā́’. Maintain clear caesura at the pāda break (|).
ruśadvatsā: pronounce ś as palatal ‘sh’; keep ‘ruśad’ crisp, śvetyāgād: cluster ‘tyā’ cleanly; long ā in āgāt, kṛṣṇā: retroflex ṣṇ cluster; do not insert extra vowel, amṛte: short a, syllabic ṛ (am-ṛ-te)
Bright, forward resonance; gentle firmness (no strain).
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