Rig Veda 8.5.9: Mandala 8, Sukta 5, Mantra 9
Sukta 8.5
- Rishi
- Kāṇva/pragātha tradition
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- To be validated
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
उत नो गोमतीरिष उत सातीरहर्विदा । वि पथः सातये सितम् ॥
utá no gómatīr íṣa utá sātī́r aharvidā́ | ví patháḥ sātáye sitam ||
మరియు మాకు గోమతీ ఇష్—ప్రకాశసంపన్నమైన ప్రేరణలు—దయచేయండి; అలాగే అహర్విదా సాతీ—దినమును తెలిసిన విజయము—నూ ప్రసాదించండి. మా సిద్ధికై మార్గములను విశాలముగా, నిర్మలముగా చేయండి.
Word by Word
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableनिपात (समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ) अव्ययRoot उत (निपात)
- नः
- of us; for usPronounषष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- गोमतीः
- cow-rich; possessing cattleAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot गोमत् (गो- + मतुप्)
- इषः
- refreshments; provisions; invigorationsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot इष् / इषा (स्त्री.)
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableनिपातRoot उत (निपात)
- सातीः
- wins; gains; attainmentsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot साति (स्त्री.) < √सन्/सि (प्राप्तौ/जय)
- अहर्विदा
- day-finding; bringing the day/light (i.e., timely, bringing daylight)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (सातीः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot अहर् + विद् (विद् ‘जानाति’), बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समास
- वि
- apart; forth; widelyIndeclinableउपसर्गः (विभाग/विस्तार-अर्थ)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पथः
- paths; waysNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot पथ् (पन्थाः) पुं.
- सातये
- for winning; for gainNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot साति (स्त्री.)
- सितम्
- set/laid out; made ready (of the path)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (पथः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्/कर्म)Role KarmaRoot √सि (सिनोति ‘बन्धने/क्षेपे’) → सित (कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/ppp) अथवा ‘सित’ (विशेषण ‘श्वेत’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: उत | नः | गोमतीः | इषः | उत | सातीः | अहर्विदाः | वि | पथः | सातये | सितम् । 1) अहर्विदा इति मन्त्रपाठे एकवचन-रूपवत् दृश्यते, परन्तु सातीः (प्र.बहु.) इत्यन्वयात् पदपाठानुसारं अहर्विदाः (प्र.बहु.) ग्राह्यम्। 2) ‘वि’ उपसर्गः क्रियापदं अपेक्षते
- अत्र क्रिया (यच्छतु/कृणोतु/दधातु इत्यादि) ऋग्वैदिक-शैलीनुसारं अध्याहार्या
- तेन ‘वि पथः … सितम्’ इति कर्मपदम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Grant us nourishing impulses rich in cattle (wealth) and victories that know the day; make the paths wide for our winning.
Inner meaning
The prayer is for ‘iṣ’—inspirations/impulsions—rich in go (rays of knowledge), and for attainments that are ‘ahar-vid’ (knowing the Day: conscious illumination, not night-bound struggle). The Aśvins are asked to clear and widen the inner paths so progress becomes straightforward—channels open for realization and effective life-movement.
Universal truth
True prosperity is luminous impulse and clear direction; when the inner paths are widened by higher help, success becomes alignment with the Day-consciousness.
Themes
boon-request, illumination, path-clearing, victory/attainment
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (Kāṇva-pragātha tradition; RV 8.5 hymn milieu)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.5.9–10 (gomat/rayi sequence), RV 8.6 (Kāṇva invocations for gains and wideness)
Family tradition
Kāṇva hymns often convert material idiom (cows, wealth, paths) into a psychology of light, attainment, and right-going movement.
Significance
The seer frames ‘victory’ as illumination: success is measured by the Day (conscious clarity) and by open paths of becoming.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- helpers of the journey, openers of paths, bringers of day-knowledge
- Related deities
- Uṣas (Day), Indra (victory over cover), Sarasvatī (flowing inspiration)
Cosmic role
They restore, guide, and bring timely boons; associated with dawn and safe passage.
Inner power
Clearing force that removes inner congestion; bestows luminous impulses and practical attainments.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin praise in Soma-related morning recitations (general)
उ॒त नो॒ गोम॑ती॒रिष॑ उ॒त सा॒तीर॑हर्विदा । वि प॒थः सा॒तये॑ सितम् ॥
उ॒त । नः॒ । गोऽम॑तीः । इषः॑ । उ॒त । सा॒तीः । अ॒हः॒ऽवि॒दा॒ । वि । प॒थः । सा॒तये॑ । सि॒त॒म् ॥
uta | naḥ | go--matīḥ | iṣaḥ | uta | sātīḥ | ahaḥ-vidā | vi | pathaḥ | sātaye | sitam
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2×~12 syllables
Supplicatory but firm; the second pada opens out sonically like the widening of paths.
Encourages clarity and confidence; supports the feeling of ‘space’ and unobstructed movement in the mind.
- इष् (iṣ)
- Literal: impulse, refreshment, nourishment. Symbolic: inspired movement of consciousness; psychic-vital energy guided by light
- गोमतीः (gomatīḥ)
- Literal: rich in cows. Symbolic: rich in rays of knowledge/illumination
- सातीः (sātīḥ)
- Literal: winnings, victories. Symbolic: attainments in sādhanā; successful integrations
- अहर्विदा (aharvidā)
- Literal: knowing the day. Symbolic: illumined consciousness; knowledge that dispels night/ignorance
- पथः (pathaḥ)
- Literal: paths. Symbolic: inner channels, methods, life-lines of progress
- वि…सितम् (vi…sitam)
- Literal: spread out, loosened/cleared. Symbolic: obstructions removed; broadened access to higher movement
Boons asked at the Soma-invitation: iṣ (invigorations) and sāti (successful attainments) for the sacrificer.
When seeking boons—safe passage, success, clarity
Requesting gifts/attainments and removal of obstacles
Chant before planning, decision-making, career transitions, or when feeling blocked—asking for luminous impulses and clear next steps.
go-mat ‘possessing go’ where go in RV is multivalent: cow/ray/light/knowledge. iṣ (often ‘refreshment/impulse’) from √iṣ ‘to impel, invigorate’. sāti from √san/√sā ‘to gain, win’ (victory/attainment). ahar ‘day’ contrasts with aktu ‘night’; psychologically day = awakened consciousness. sita ‘bright/white; loosened’ connects to √sī/√sai ‘to bind/loosen’ in some analyses; RV usage supports ‘clear, opened’ sense in path imagery.
victory as attainment of R̥ta-aligned movement, illumination (day-consciousness) overcoming night
‘Paths’ are the lines of r̥ta in the being; widening them means aligning life with right order.
Ahar (Day) symbolizes satya as manifest clarity; victories are true when they ‘know the Day’.
Progress as path-making: consciousness evolves by opening channels for higher light to act.
Yoga of transformation: illumination (go/ahar) guiding impulse (iṣ) toward attainment (sāti).
daybreak into day
Day = awakened awareness; paths = neural/psychic channels of habit and choice; widening = freeing from constriction and fear.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘clearing of paths’ for sāti (attainment) is the mythologem of opening the way—removing inner obstruction so the luminous herds/energies can move. It is the same deep pattern as ‘finding the cows’: illumination is restored by making the routes wide and free.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- patha- ‘path’ reflects PIE *pent(h)₂- ‘path, way’ (cf. English path via Germanic; also Greek pátos ‘trodden way’). The light/dark polarity day/night is a widely inherited Indo-European semantic axis, here internalized as consciousness vs obscurity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seeker asks the Aśvins not merely for ‘goods’ but for go-matī iṣaḥ—impulses filled with illumination—and for ahar-vid sātīḥ—victories that carry the stamp of awakened consciousness. The gods are invoked as inner facilitators of right progress.
‘Let my impulses be light-filled; let my progress be day-conscious; let the way open.’
Manipura (iṣ as dynamic impulse) guided by Ajna (day-knowledge)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while contemplating ‘open paths’; chant on exhale for 12 rounds.
Clear, steady, practical illumination.
After chanting, write one ‘next right step’ (path) and one ‘obstruction’ to release; offer both inwardly to the Aśvins for harmonizing guidance.
Standard Ṛgvedic accents; keep the cadence gentle and opening in the second pada.
Articulate ‘gomatīr iṣaḥ’ distinctly; in ‘vi pathaḥ…’ slightly broaden the vowel space to mirror widening.
gomatīḥ: long īḥ ending; avoid shortening, aharvidā: clear ‘h’ and dental ‘d’; do not retroflex, sātaye: long ā; ‘t’ dental, sitam: ‘s’ dental; short ‘i’
Clear, soothing, confident.
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