Rig Veda 2.28.6: Mandala 2, Sukta 28, Mantra 6
Sukta 2.28
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
अपो सु म्यक्ष वरुण भियसं मत्सम्राळृतावोऽनु मा गृभाय । दामेव वत्साद्वि मुमुग्ध्यंहो नहि त्वदारे निमिषश्चनेशे ॥
ápo su myakṣa varuṇa bhiyásaṃ mat samrā́ḷ ṛtā́vo 'ánu mā gṛbhāya | dā́meva vatsā́d ví mumugdhy áṃho náhi tvád āré ni-míṣaś canéśe ||
హే వరుణా, సమ్రాట్, నన్ను విడిచి భయాన్ని తొలగించు; ఋత మార్గంలో నన్ను పట్టుకోకు. తాడుతో కట్టిన దూడను విడిపించినట్లుగా, నన్ను విడిచి ‘అంహస్’—అపరాధపు వేదన—సడలించు; ఎందుకంటే నీవు లేక ఒక నిమిషమైనా బాధపడువానికి ఏ అధికారం/ఆధిపత్యం ఉండదు.
Word by Word
- अपः
- waters (as object)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सु
- well, completelyIndeclinableअव्ययRoot सु (निपात/उपसर्गीय अव्यय)
- म्याक्ष
- release! / let go!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot म्यक्ष् (धातु; ‘to release/let go’, Vedic)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- भियसम्
- fear, dreadNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भियस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘fear, dread’)
- मत्सम्राट्
- O sovereign over me / my overlordNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot मत्-सम्राज् (समास; ‘me + sovereign king’)
- ऋतावः
- O upholder of ṛta (cosmic order)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन (Vedic voc. in -oḥ)Role सम्बोधनRoot ऋतावन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘possessing ṛta, true/just’)
- अनु
- after, along; uponIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अनु (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
- मा
- mePronounद्वितीया; एकवचन (enclitic)Role कर्मRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- गृभाय
- seize! / take hold (of me)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot ग्रह्/गृभ् (धातु; ‘to seize, grasp’)
- दाम
- with a cord/bondNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot दामन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘cord, rope, bond’)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableअव्ययRoot इव (अव्यय)
- वत्सात्
- from a calfNounपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot वत्स (प्रातिपदिक; ‘calf’)
- वि
- apart, away, forthIndeclinableअव्ययRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मुमुग्धि
- set free! release!Verbआज्ञार्थ (Vedic imperative-type); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot मुच् (धातु; ‘to release, free’; reduplicated Vedic injunctive/imperative formation)
- अंहः
- from distress/sin (as that to be removed)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अंहस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘distress, sin, trouble’)
- नहि
- indeed not, surely notIndeclinableअव्ययRoot नहि (अव्यय)
- त्वत्
- from youPronounपञ्चमी; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- आरे
- far awayIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आरे (अव्यय)
- निमिषः
- a wink; a momentNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (of ‘is able’)Root निमिष्/निमेष (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wink, moment’)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च (अव्यय)
- न
- notIndeclinableअव्ययRoot न (अव्यय)
- ईशे
- is able / has powerVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot ईश् (धातु; ‘to be able, have power’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): अपो॒→अपः (द्वि.बहु.)
- म्य॑क्ष (लोट् 2sg) as given
- मत्सम्रा॒ळृता॒वोऽनु॑→मत्सम्राट् ऋतावः अनु (समास + विसर्ग/ओऽ- sandhi: -oḥ + a- → oऽ)
- दामे॑व→दाम इव
- व॒त्साद्वि→वत्सात् वि (त् + व् sandhi)
- मु॑मु॒ग्ध्यंहो॑→मुमुग्धि अंहः (इ + अ → य् sandhi in saṃhitā)
- त्वदा॒रे→त्वत् आरे (त् + आ- sandhi)
- च॒नेशे॑→च न ईशे (च + न; न + ईशे)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet asks Varuṇa to drive away fear, not to seize him along the path of Ṛta. As a calf is released from the rope, so may Varuṇa loosen his anguish of wrong; without Varuṇa, even for a moment, the afflicted has no mastery.
Inner meaning
Fear (bhīyasa) is a sign of the divided nature under the pressure of law without inner union. The seeker prays that Varuṇa’s truth-force not ‘seize’ him as punitive fate, but guide him along Ṛta as a liberating track. The calf bound to the rope is the soul’s growing consciousness tied to habitual limitation; Varuṇa’s grace releases the constriction (aṃhas) so the being regains īśitā—inner mastery. Without the truth-consciousness, even a moment of lapse allows suffering and confusion to dominate.
Universal truth
Freedom is not the absence of law but the right relation to it: when truth is inwardly accepted, law becomes liberation. Fear dissolves when one is held by a higher order rather than by inner error.
Themes
Release from fear, Unbinding from anguish, Dependence on divine support for mastery
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.28 (Varuṇa penitential sequence), Rig Veda 2.30 (Indra)
Family tradition
Bhārgavas frequently articulate the moral-psychological dimension of Vedic gods, especially the interplay of law (Varuṇa) and illumination (Indra/Agni).
Significance
Here the seer turns from confession to a yogic psychology of fear and mastery: liberation is pictured as the loosening of inner tethering so the soul can walk the ṛta-path unseized by distress.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Epithets
- Samrāṭ, Ṛtāva, Rājan
- Related deities
- Mitra, Savitar, Agni
Cosmic role
Overseer of truth’s path; restrains wrong, releases the sincere, maintains moral-cosmic equilibrium.
Inner power
A calm, vast discernment that removes fear, unties inner bonds, and restores sovereignty (īśitā) to the soul aligned with Ṛta.
In ritual
Where it is used
Expiatory/śānti recitation to Varuṇa; used where fear of fault and its consequences is ritually acknowledged and released.
अपो॒ सु म्य॑क्ष वरुण भि॒यसं॒ मत्सम्रा॒ळृता॒वोऽनु॑ मा गृभाय । दामे॑व व॒त्साद्वि मु॑मु॒ग्ध्यंहो॑ न॒हि त्वदा॒रे नि॒मिष॑श्च॒नेशे॑ ॥
अपो॒ इति॑ । सु । म्य॒क्ष॒ । व॒रु॒ण॒ । भि॒यस॑म् । मत् । सम्ऽरा॑ट् । ऋत॒ऽवः । अनु॑ । मा॒ । गृ॒भा॒य॒ । दाम॑ऽइव । व॒त्सात् । वि । मु॒मु॒ग्धि॒ । अंहः॑ । न॒हि । त्वत् । आ॒र्ते । नि॒ऽमिषः॑ । च॒न । ईशे॑ ॥
apo iti | su | myakṣa | varuṇa | bhiyasam | mat | sam-rāṭ | ṛta-vaḥ | anu | mā | gṛbhāya | dāma-iva | vatsāt | vi | mumugdhi | aṃhaḥ | nahi | tvat | ārte | ni-miṣaḥ | cana | īśe
44
4×11 syllables (approx.)
Assertive petition with a strong mid-line turn at the simile (dāmeva vatsād…).
Cuts through anxiety; the cadence supports a felt ‘untying’ and return to inner command.
- भियसम् (bhiyasam)
- Literal: fear. Symbolic: anxiety of the ego under truth’s pressure; vibration of insecurity
- सम्राट् (samrāṭ)
- Literal: sovereign. Symbolic: truth as governing consciousness, not mere rule
- ऋतावः (ṛtāvaḥ)
- Literal: in/along Ṛta; those of Ṛta. Symbolic: the right track of becoming; movement aligned to truth
- गृभाय (gṛbhāya)
- Literal: to seize, grasp. Symbolic: constriction by punitive law/fate when consciousness resists truth
- दाम (dāma)
- Literal: rope, tether. Symbolic: binding habit/limitation
- वत्स (vatsa)
- Literal: calf. Symbolic: young soul-force or nascent inner consciousness
- अंहः (aṃhaḥ)
- Literal: distress, sin, anguish. Symbolic: tightness and suffering produced by wrong movement
- निमिष (nimiṣa)
- Literal: wink, moment. Symbolic: even brief lapse in truth-awareness
Prayer for release from fear and constriction; expiation and reassurance under Varuṇa’s sovereignty
During prayers for forgiveness and protection in vows, truth-pledges, or after perceived transgression.
Recitation with water libation (Varuṇa’s element) or mental offering of sincerity; symbolic untying gesture may accompany.
For panic, guilt-spirals, or obsessive self-blame: chant to re-enter calm truth and regain mastery.
bhī- ‘fear’ from √bhī (PIE *bʰeyh₂- ‘fear’). gṛbh- √gṛbh ‘seize’ (binding/punitive grasp). aṃhas ‘distress/sin’ from √aṃh ‘to press, narrow’ → constriction (supports psychological reading: fear/anguish as narrowing). īś- √īś ‘to own, rule’ (mastery).
Fear as contraction (aṃhas/bhiyas), Divine sovereignty (samrāṭ) as inner mastery, Ṛta as a path/track (anu)
Varuṇa is asked not to seize the seeker ‘along Ṛta’—i.e., let Ṛta be a guiding track, not a punitive trap.
Truth grants mastery; separation from truth even briefly yields helplessness.
Life as guided movement on a track (anu…ṛtāvaḥ); wrong creates constriction.
Yogic ethic: mastery arises from alignment, not repression; anticipates later dharma-as-support view.
The tether is conditioning; the calf is the growing inner being; release is the opening of prāṇa and mind from fear-tightness into truthful movement.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Varuṇa as binder/unbinder: he can seize (gṛbh) but also release (mumugdhi). The calf-from-rope image encodes liberation of the vulnerable life-force from constricting aṃhas (anguish/sin), transforming punitive fear into trust in the sovereign of ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- bhī- ‘fear’ has clear IE cognacy (PIE *bʰeyh₂-). The semantic of aṃhas as ‘narrowing’ aligns with an archaic metaphor: suffering as constriction, liberation as widening—common across IE poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi confesses helplessness ‘even for a moment’ without Varuṇa; the devatā is both judge and savior. The relationship is remedial: the seeker asks not for license but for fearlessness and release so that he can remain on the ṛta-path.
Transform fear into surrendered sincerity; feel the ‘rope’ loosen around the heart and belly; rest in Varuṇa’s vastness.
Anāhata (fear-release, trust)
4-6 breathing: inhale 4, exhale 6 while repeating ‘apo su myakṣa’; on exhale visualize untying.
Protected openness; quiet authority returning to the mind.
When fear arises, do not argue with it—offer it to truth. Re-establish one truthful action immediately (a small correction) to restore īśitā.
Triṣṭubh with standard Vedic accents; keep ‘Varuṇa’ and ‘samrāṭ’ clear; slight lift on ‘vi mumugdhi’.
Stress the release verbs: ‘apo…’ (drive away), ‘vi mumugdhi’ (loosen). Maintain steady tone on ‘ṛtāvo’.
(mya) cluster in ‘myakṣa’—avoid inserting a vowel, ‘mumugdhi’—soft ‘dh’ at end, not ‘di’, ‘nimiṣaḥ’—retroflex ṣ, and visarga audible before ca
Soothing but firm; exhale-led phrasing.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
