Rig Veda 8.10.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 10, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.10
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यद्वा यज्ञं मनवे सम्मिमिक्षथुरेवेत्काण्वस्य बोधतम् । बृहस्पतिं विश्वान्देवाँ अहं हुव इन्द्राविष्णू अश्विनावाशुहेषसा ॥
yád vā yajñáṃ mánave sam-mimikṣáthurevá ít kāṇvásya bodhatam | bṛ́haspátiṃ víśvān devā́n aháṃ huve indrā́viṣṇū aśvínāv āśu-heṣasā ||
లేదా మీరు మనవే యజ్ఞాన్ని సమ్మిమిక్షథుః—కలిపి సుసంఘటితం చేసి స్థాపించి ఉంటే, కాణ్వస్య పిలుపుకు బోధతమ్—జాగ్రత్తపడండి. నేను బృహస్పతిని, సమస్త దేవులను, ఇంద్ర-విష్ణువులను, మరియు మిమ్మల్ని కూడా—హే ఆశుహేషసా, శీఘ్రగమన శక్తి గల అశ్వినౌ—ఆహ్వానిస్తున్నాను.
Word by Word
- यद्
- when/if; that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक ‘यद्’ = ‘यत्/यद्’)Role सम्बन्ध/अव्यक्त (correlative)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यद्-शब्द
- वा
- orIndeclinableअव्ययRoot वा (निपात)
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice; ritualNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनवे
- for ManuNoun (proper/ancestor)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्मिमिक्षथुः
- you two have mixed/combined; have duly arrangedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद), उत्तम? नहीं; प्रथमा, द्विवचन, 3rd person dual (perfect)Role क्रियाRoot √मिक्ष्/मिक्ष (मिश्रणे/संयोगे) with सम्-; reduplicated perfect stem मि-मिक्ष
- एव
- just; indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRoot एव (निपात)
- इत्
- indeed; preciselyIndeclinableअव्ययRoot इत् (निपात; emphatic)
- काण्वस्य
- of Kāṇva (the seer’s lineage)Adjective/Noun (patronymic)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot काण्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘of the Kāṇva’)
- बोधतम्
- you two perceive/understand; take noticeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √बुध् (अवबोधने)
- बृहस्पतिम्
- BṛhaspatiNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वान्
- allAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (देवान्) / कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहम्
- IPronounउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम)
- हुवे
- I invoke/callVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot √हू (आह्वाने)
- इन्द्राविष्णू
- Indra and ViṣṇuNoun (dual deities)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन (द्वन्द्व)Role कर्मRoot इन्द्र + विष्णु (द्वन्द्व-समास प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्विनौ
- the AśvinsNoun (deities)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचनRole कर्मRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक; dual deities)
- आशुहेषसा
- with swift neighing; swift-sounding (epithet, esp. of the Aśvins/steeds)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental of manner/quality; used as epithet)Role करण/विशेषण (आह्वान-प्रकारः)Root आशु-हेषस् (प्रातिपदिक; bahuvrīhi/compound epithet)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): यद् वा | यज्ञम् | मनवे | सम्मिमिक्षथुः | एव | इत् | काण्वस्य | बोधतम् || बृहस्पतिम् | विश्वान् | देवान् | अहम् | हुवे | इन्द्राविष्णू | अश्विनौ | आशुहेषसा । प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) यद्वा = यद् + वा (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि)
- (2) सम्मिमिक्षथुः = सम् + मिमिक्षथुः (उपसर्ग-संयोग; ‘म्’ + ‘म’ → ‘म्म’)
- (3) एवेत् = एव + इत् (स्वर-सन्धि: अ + इ → ए; लिखित ‘एवेत्’)
- (4) दे॒वाँ अ॒हं = देवान् + अहम् (नासिक्य/अनुस्वार-प्रयोग; पदपाठे देवान् अहम्)
- (5) इन्द्राविष्णू = इन्द्रा + विष्णू (द्वन्द्व-द्विवचन; संहिता-रूप)
- (6) अश्विनावाशुहेषसा = अश्विनौ + आशुहेषसा (औ + आ → आवा; संहिता-रूप ‘अश्विनाव्-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
If you have prepared and blended the sacrifice for Manu, then awaken to the Kāṇva’s call. I invoke Bṛhaspati, all the gods, Indra-Viṣṇu, and you too, O Aśvins of swift power.
Inner meaning
The hymn calls the Aśvins (twin powers of swift, harmonious action and luminous discernment) to “awake” within the seeker when the inner yajña is rightly compounded. “Manu” indicates the human mental being that first organizes the sacrifice; the Kāṇva seer-impulse is the inspired intuition that summons higher forces. The invocation widens: Bṛhaspati (the Word/Truth-force) opens the gates of understanding; Indra-Viṣṇu (illumined mind + all-pervading vastness) secure the victory and wideness; Viśve Devāḥ (the totality of powers) integrate the being. The verse is a psychological call to assemble the whole divine instrumentation for the inner offering.
Universal truth
When aspiration is rightly prepared and offered, the awakened higher faculties—truth-word, illumined intelligence, widening consciousness, and swift harmonizing energies—respond together; integral transformation requires a total invocation, not a single power alone.
Themes
Collective invocation, Yajna as inner work, Lineage assertion (Kāṇva), Swift divine dynamism
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.10.1, RV 8.10.3, RV 8.10.4, RV 8.10.5
Family tradition
Kāṇva seers are noted for dynamic invocations to multiple deities, emphasizing practical help, swift response, and the integration of powers in the yajña.
Significance
The mention of “kāṇvasya” marks the mantra as a call arising from the seer-line’s intuitive urgency: awaken the divine helpers when the inner sacrifice is properly arranged.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau (with broad invocation: Bṛhaspati, Viśve Devāḥ, Indra-Viṣṇu)
- Epithets
- āśuheṣasā (swift-impelled), nāsatyā (true helpers, implied in Aśvin corpus), dasrā (wondrous workers, implied)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Indra, Bṛhaspati, Viṣṇu, Soma
Cosmic role
Twin physicians and rescuers who bring dawn-like aid, restore harmony, and yoke swift movement to right direction; mediators between heaven and earth.
Inner power
Rapid, skillful intervention in the mind-vital: healing obscurations, aligning prāṇa and action with the soul’s aspiration, and enabling transitions from darkness to light.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin-related morning pressing/invocation within Soma-yajña contexts (general Vedic usage; specific assignment varies by śrauta tradition)
यद्वा॑ य॒ज्ञं मन॑वे सम्मिमि॒क्षथु॑रे॒वेत्का॒ण्वस्य॑ बोधतम् । बृह॒स्पतिं॒ विश्वा॑न्दे॒वाँ अ॒हं हु॑व॒ इन्द्रा॒विष्णू॑ अ॒श्विना॑वाशु॒हेष॑सा ॥
यत् । वा॒ । य॒ज्ञम् । मन॑वे । स॒म्ऽमि॒मि॒क्षथुः॑ । ए॒व । इत् । का॒ण्वस्य॑ । बो॒ध॒त॒म् । बृह॒स्पति॑म् । विश्वा॑न् । दे॒वान् । अ॒हम् । हु॒वे॒ । इन्द्रा॒विष्णू॒ इति॑ । अ॒श्विनौ॑ । आ॒शु॒ऽहेष॑सा ॥
yat | vā | yajñam | manave | sam-mimikṣathuḥ | eva | it | kāṇvasya | bodhatam | bṛhaspatim | viśvān | devān | aham | huve | indrāviṣṇūiti | aśvinau | āśu-heṣasā
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh norm)
Forward-driving, declarative, summoning cadence suited to invocation and command (“bodhatam”).
Energizes aspiration and will; produces a sense of gathering forces and widening the inner field.
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice, offering. Symbolic: inner consecration; the disciplined exchange between human nature and the Divine
- मनवे (manave)
- Literal: for Manu. Symbolic: the human mental being; the organizer of inner order and right intention
- सम्मिमिक्षथुः (sammimikṣathuḥ)
- Literal: you two have blended/mixed well. Symbolic: harmonizing the energies and elements of the sādhanā into a workable inner rite
- बोधतम् (bodhatam)
- Literal: awaken, become aware. Symbolic: the descent of wakeful light into the mind-vital; inner opening
- काण्वस्य (kāṇvasya)
- Literal: of Kāṇva. Symbolic: the inspired seer-current; intuitive call from the soul’s aspiration
- बृहस्पतिम् (bṛhaspatim)
- Literal: Bṛhaspati. Symbolic: Truth-Word, master of inner revelation and right formulation
- विश्वान् देवान् (viśvān devān)
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: the totality of psychological powers needed for integral progress
- इन्द्राविष्णू (indrāviṣṇū)
- Literal: Indra and Vishnu. Symbolic: illumined mind-force joined with vastness/pervasion; victory + wideness
- अश्विनौ (aśvinau)
- Literal: the Ashvins. Symbolic: twin divine helpers of swift right movement, healing, and luminous action
- आशुहेषसा (āśuheṣasā)
- Literal: with swift coursing/impulsion. Symbolic: rapid, obedient vital energies yoked to higher guidance
Comprehensive calling at the sacrifice: aligning multiple deities/powers to establish the yajña (inner and outer) in the line of Manu (right human order)
Dawn to early morning invocations; moments of calling swift divine aid
Āhvāna (invocation) and offering-intent; mental “blending” of oblations mirrored by inner recollection and alignment
Use as a pre-meditation invocation to assemble inner faculties: truth-word (Bṛhaspati), illumination (Indra), wideness (Viṣṇu), and swift harmonizing action (Aśvins).
manu- from √man ‘think’; Manu as archetype of mental man and law/order. sam-√mikṣ ‘mix’ indicates harmonising/compounding powers in rite and in inner offering. √budh ‘awaken’ (cf. English buddha via Sanskrit). √hū ‘call’ is standard Vedic invocation root. bṛhaspati: bṛh ‘expand’ + pati ‘lord’: lord of the expansive word/vision.
yajña as self-offering and ordering, Manu as archetype of human law and mind, awakening (budh) to the call
The ‘well-blended’ yajña suggests alignment of inner movements to Ṛta so higher powers can lawfully act.
Bṛhaspati signifies satya-vāc (truth-word) that clarifies and directs the sacrifice.
Integration of many gods indicates cosmic creation as coordinated powers working through the human instrument (Manu).
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-Kashyap psychological reading): gods as powers of consciousness acting in the adhvā (path).
dawn/early morning (Aśvins’ typical hour)
Dawn-speed becomes the quickening of inner perception; sacrificial fire becomes will; ‘all gods’ becomes the spectrum of awakened faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘founding of sacrifice for Manu’ mythologem: the gods establish the archetypal human rite/order. Psychologically, the Ashvins are harmonisers who ‘mix’ the elements of the inner yajña, while Bṛhaspati and other powers are invoked to make the consciousness expansive, victorious, and all-pervading.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Manu is a pan-Indo-European figure (cf. Germanic Mannus), reflecting inherited mythic anthropology. The root √man (think) underlies ‘man’ lexemes across IE, reinforcing the verse’s theme: human order and sacrifice arise from the shaping mind.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as Kāṇva, claiming a living link of inspiration; he calls and demands awakening (bodhatam). The exchange is: lineage-utterance and offering invite the gods; the gods, once ‘awakened,’ establish the yajña as a working field of divine forces within the human.
Invoke swift harmonizing energies to ‘blend’ mind, prāṇa, and will into a single offering; call for wakeful clarity (bodha).
ājñā (illumined mind) with support of viśuddha (truth-word/Bṛhaspati)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while mentally repeating key names (Aśvinā, Bṛhaspati, Indra, Viṣṇu)
Wakeful, widened, mobilized (from tamas to alert aspiration).
Begin by forming sankalpa (Manu), then ‘mix’ scattered energies through steady attention; invoke Aśvins for swift correction and Bṛhaspati for right articulation of the inner aim.
Use Vedic svara as per śākhā tradition; key imperatives like ‘bodhatam’ often carry emphatic udatta-svarita contours (requires pada-svara from a marked text for exactness).
Keep clear word boundaries: yád vā | yajñám | mánave | sammimikṣáthur | evét | kāṇvásya | bódhatam.
Maintain retroflex distinction: ṇ in kāṇvasya., Cluster care: sammimikṣathur (mm + ikṣ) articulate cleanly without swallowing the kṣ., Long vowels: bṛhaspatiṃ (short iṃ at end), viśvān (long ā)., Aśvināv āśuheṣasā: avoid merging v + ā; give a light pause.
Clear, summoning, slightly elevated tone; end each pāda with steady resolve.
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