Rig Veda 7.34.7: Mandala 7, Sukta 34, Mantra 7
Sukta 7.34
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- A luminous sustaining power
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
उदस्य शुष्माद्भानुर्नार्त बिभर्ति भारं पृथिवी न भूम ॥
úd asya śúṣmād bhānúr nā́rta bíbhar ti bhāráṃ pṛthivī́ ná bhū́ma
అతని శుష్మం (ఉద్వేగబలం) నుండి ఒక భాను (కాంతి) ఉదయిస్తుంది—అణచబడని, అప్రతిహతమైనది; అది భూమిలా భారాన్ని మోస్తుంది—విశాల ఆధారమై, కార్యార్థం మోయవలసినదాన్ని స్థిరంగా ధరిస్తుంది.
Word by Word
- उदस्य
- of him/its; up/out (as preverb)Indeclinable + Pronounउद् = उपसर्ग/अव्यय; अस्य = षष्ठी एकवचन (पुं/नपुं) सर्वनामRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation) / (उद् = क्रियाविशेषण-उपसर्ग)Root उद् (उपसर्ग) + अस्य (इदम्-सर्वनाम)
- शुष्मात्
- from (his) might/impetuous powerNounपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी एकवचनRole अपादानRoot शुष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- भानुः
- the beam/ray (of light)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like/asIndeclinableनिषेध/उपमा-निपात (here: comparative ‘like’/‘as’)Root न (निपात)
- आर्तः
- distressed, afflictedAdjective (Kṛdanta used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (भानुः के विशेषणरूपेण)Root आर्त (कृदन्त/विशेषण; √ऋ/अर्द् ‘to be distressed’)
- बिभर्ति
- bears, carriesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √भृ (भरणे)
- भारम्
- a burden, loadNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भार (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृथिवी
- the EarthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (द्वितीय-उपमान/समानाधिकरण-सम्बन्धे)Root पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like/asIndeclinableउपमा-निपात ‘like/as’Root न (निपात)
- भूम
- the ground/earth (as a base)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: ‘भूम’ for later ‘भूमिः/भूमम्/भूमन्’ depending on stem; here nominative neuter used as comparison-term)Role उपमान (comparison-term)Root भूमन्/भूम (प्रातिपदिक; ‘earth/ground’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolution): उदस्य | शुष्मात् | भानुः | न | आर्तः | बिभर्ति | भारम् | पृथिवी | न | भूम । 1) उद॑स्य॒ = उद् + अस्य (उपसर्ग ‘उद्’ + षष्ठी ‘अस्य’). 2) शुष्मा॑द्भा॒नुर्न = शुष्मात् + भानुः + न (त् + भ → द्भ; visarga before न often not shown in saṃhitā: भानुः न → भानुर्न). 3) नार्त = न + आर्तः (a- initial after particle n: n + ā- → nā- in saṃhitā). 4) भूम॑ = independent pada ‘भूम’ (Vedic nominative neuter comparison). Accents as in saṃhitā are noted on the original string
- pada-forms given here are unaccented lexical forms
The meaning
Outer meaning
From his force a radiance rises, untroubled; it bears the burden like the broad Earth, steady and vast.
Inner meaning
When the divine energy (śuṣma) is released, a ‘bhānu’—a raying radiance of consciousness—arises unoppressed by the lower nature. This luminous power can ‘bear the burden’ of transformation with the steadiness of Pṛthivī: wide, patient, foundational. The verse describes not merely a flash of light, but a sustaining illumination that carries responsibility.
Universal truth
Authentic spiritual power is both radiant and enduring: it illuminates and it supports; it does not collapse under the weight of life’s demands.
Themes
luminous strength, sustaining foundation, steadiness in effort, expansion into vastness
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.34, RV 7.35, RV 7.82
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha often pairs light with stability—illumination that is founded in wideness and ṛta, not in nervous excitement.
Significance
The seer indicates a mature stage of yoga: radiance that can bear the world’s weight—wideness (bhūma) as the condition for sustained light.
The deity
- Devata
- Luminous sustaining Power (contextually compatible with Agni/Indra field)
- Epithets
- bhānu (radiant) (implied), bhūma (vast) (implied)
- Related deities
- Agni (light from force), Indra (force releasing light), Pṛthivī (foundation/wideness)
Cosmic role
To manifest light from force and to uphold the worlds—illumination that supports order.
Inner power
Steady radiance: a consciousness that is bright yet grounded, capable of endurance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of sustaining luminous force that carries the rite’s burden; used to affirm steadiness and unoppressed radiance in the work.
उद॑स्य॒ शुष्मा॑द्भा॒नुर्नार्त॒ बिभ॑र्ति भा॒रं पृ॑थि॒वी न भूम॑ ॥
उत् । अ॒स्य॒ । शुष्मा॑त् । भा॒नुः । न । आ॒र्त॒ । बिभ॑र्ति । भा॒रम् । पृ॒थि॒वी । न । भूम॑ ॥
ut | asya | śuṣmāt | bhānuḥ | na | ārta | bibharti | bhāram | pṛthivī | na | bhūma
44
4 × ~11 syllables; descriptive triṣṭubh with weight-bearing cadence.
Grave, steady, carrying; less imperative, more revelatory.
Grounds the listener; evokes calm strength and wideness, stabilizing after intense effort.
- शुष्म (śuṣma)
- Literal: impetuous strength, might. Symbolic: dynamic spiritual force (tapas-energized power) released in the being
- भानुः (bhānuḥ)
- Literal: radiance, beam. Symbolic: ray of illumination/gnosis rising from awakened force
- न आर्त (na ārta)
- Literal: not distressed, not oppressed. Symbolic: unshaken by grief, fear, or pressure of the lower nature
- भारम् (bhāram)
- Literal: burden, load. Symbolic: responsibility of the work: transformation, service, carrying truth into life
- पृथिवी (pṛthivī)
- Literal: Earth. Symbolic: the vast foundation: steady receptivity and patient endurance in consciousness
- भूम (bhūma)
- Literal: vastness, greatness. Symbolic: wideness of being that can contain and support the process
Praise of sustaining luminous force that carries the rite’s burden; used to affirm steadiness and unoppressed radiance in the work.
As a descriptive affirmation within the hymn—often after invocations, to state the effect of divine force in the rite.
Praise/recognition of the sustaining luminous power supporting the sacrifice.
Use when overwhelmed: recite to shift from strain to wide steadiness—‘radiance that bears the burden’.
śuṣma- ‘force, vehemence’ (often the energetic intensity of a god/hero). bhānu- ‘light, radiance’. √bhṛ ‘to bear’ → bibharti. bhūma ‘vastness, plenitude’ (linked to √bhū ‘to be, become’ → ‘great being/expanse’).
steadfast support (bhṛ), unafflicted luminosity, bhūma (vast plenitude)
The burden is borne because the power is aligned with cosmic order; steadiness is a mark of Ṛta.
Unoppressed radiance suggests truth-consciousness that is not distorted by pain or pressure.
From force arises light; from wideness comes stability—two pillars of manifestation.
Upaniṣadic echo of Bhūman (vastness) as basis of freedom (later explicit in Chāndogya).
Sun-ray = illumination; Earth = grounded wideness; burden = the yoga of embodiment (bringing light into life).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The emergence of light from concentrated force and its capacity to sustain: radiance rises from śuṣma and bears the burden like Earth. Innerly, when energy is purified and intensified, it becomes luminous consciousness capable of steady endurance rather than strain.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhṛ ‘bear’ continues PIE *bʰer- (cf. English bear, Latin ferre). √bhū ‘be’ continues PIE *bʰuH- (cf. English be). The simile ‘like Earth’ is a classic Indo-European poetic strategy grounding abstract support in a cosmic image.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes a divine mode of action: true power becomes light and support, not oppression. By praising this quality, he aligns the sacrificer’s inner effort with a godlike steadiness that can carry the ‘burden’ of transformation.
Rest in the ‘earth’ of awareness—wide, steady—while allowing a gentle inner ray to rise from the core force.
Mūlādhāra (foundation) supporting Anāhata/Ājñā (radiant steadiness).
Lengthen exhale (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 8) to cultivate ‘bearing’; feel wideness on exhale.
Widened, luminous equanimity.
When force becomes strain, widen; let illumination rise without pressure. Practice being ‘not ārta’—unoppressed—by returning to vast foundational awareness.
Let bhānuḥ and bhāram receive clear prominence; keep the line weighty and unhurried.
Maintain the negation ‘na ārta’ distinctly (do not blur na); sustain long vowels to convey steadiness.
: śuṣmāt with retroflex ṣm cluster, : bhā-nuḥ long ā, : bi-bhar-ti (aspirated bh), : pṛ-thi-vī; vocalic ṛ clear
Deep, grounded, even; allow resonance.
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