Rig Veda 5.85.5: Mandala 5, Sukta 85, Mantra 5
Sukta 5.85
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
इमामू ष्वासुरस्य श्रुतस्य महीं मायां वरुणस्य प्र वोचम् । मानेनेव तस्थिवाँ अन्तरिक्षे वि यो ममे पृथिवीं सूर्येण ॥
imā́m ū̀ ṣvā́surasya śrutásya mahī́ṃ māyā́ṃ váruṇasya prá vocam | mā́nena-iva tasthivā́ṃ antárikṣe ví yó mamé pṛthivī́ṃ sū́ryeṇa ||
บัดนี้ข้าพเจ้าขอกล่าวถึงมายา (māyā) อันยิ่งใหญ่ของวรุณะ ผู้เป็นอสุระ (Asura) ผู้มีนามก้องไกล พระองค์ทรงยืนอยู่ในแดนกลาง (antarikṣa) ประหนึ่งถือไม้บรรทัดวัด และทรงวัดแผ่นดินด้วยสุริยะ (Sūrya)—ทรงตั้งสัดส่วนแห่ง ṛta (ระเบียบจักรวาล) ด้วยแสงแห่งสัจจะ.
Word by Word
- इमाम्
- this (her/this one)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊ
- indeed, nowIndeclinableनिपात (उद्गार/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)Root ऊ (निपात)
- षु
- verily, justIndeclinableनिपात (प्रेरण/बलवर्धन)Root षु (निपात)
- असुरस्य
- of the Asura (lord)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रुतस्य
- renowned, famedAdjective (Kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (असुरस्य का विशेषण)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root श्रुत (√श्रु ‘to hear’ से क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; ‘heard/renowned’)
- महीम्
- greatAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (मायाम् का विशेषण)Role कर्मRoot मही (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महान्/महती’)
- मायाम्
- power, wondrous artNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot माया (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणस्य
- of VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग (√वच् के साथ) / अव्ययRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वोचम्
- I proclaimed/spokeVerbलुङ् (अorist), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ (अहम्)Root √वच् (वच् ‘to speak’)
- मानेन
- with a measureNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot मान (प्रातिपदिक; ‘माप/मान’)
- इव
- as if, likeIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot इव (अव्यय)
- तस्थिवान्
- standing, having stoodParticiple (Kṛdanta)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कर्ता-विशेषण; वरुणः)Role कर्तृRoot √स्था (स्था ‘to stand’) + क्त्वसु/वस् (परिप्रास-परफेक्ट कृदन्त ‘तस्थिवांस्’)
- अन्तरिक्षे
- in the mid-air, atmosphereNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot अन्तरिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, in separationIndeclinableउपसर्ग (√मा के साथ) / अव्ययRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ममे
- measuredVerbलिट् (perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole कर्तृRoot √मा (मा ‘to measure’)
- पृथिवीम्
- the earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- सूर्येण
- with the sun (as instrument)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): इमाम् ऊ षु असुरस्य श्रुतस्य महीम् मायाम् वरुणस्य प्र वोचम् । मानेन इव तस्थिवान् अन्तरिक्षे वि यः ममे पृथिवीम् सूर्येण ॥ 1) ‘इ॒मामू॒’ = इमाम् + ऊ (निपात-सन्धि/संहितापाठ)
- 2) ‘ष्वा॑सु॒रस्य॑’ = षु + असुरस्य (उकार + अकार संधि → ‘ष्वा’)
- 3) ‘माने॑नेव’ = मानेन + इव (न + इ → ने; संहितायाम् ‘नेव’)
- 4) ‘वि यो’ = वि + यः (विसर्ग-लोप/संहितारूप ‘यो’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The seer proclaims Varuṇa’s mighty māyā: he stands in midspace as if with a measuring rod and has measured the earth by the Sun.
Inner meaning
Varuṇa’s māyā is not illusion but sovereign formative knowledge-power: the capacity to shape worlds by measure. Standing in the antarikṣa signifies the divine law present in the intermediary life-field, regulating exchanges between higher light and embodied action. Measuring the earth by the Sun means: the practical life (earth) is to be proportioned by truth-light (sūrya), not by desire or fear. Inner life becomes harmonious when actions, instincts, and choices are aligned to a luminous standard—satya as the measure.
Universal truth
Freedom is not lawlessness; it is right measure. A life measured by truth becomes stable, luminous, and capable of growth without distortion.
Themes
cosmic measurement, inner law and proportion, Varuṇa as sovereign Asura, revelatory speech
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.85.6, RV 1.25.1, RV 2.27.4
Family tradition
Atri’s poetic strength includes ‘measuring’ imagery—mapping inner law onto lived experience; his hymns often convert cosmic acts into psychological disciplines.
Significance
The rishi teaches a yogic ethic: let the solar truth be the measure of earth-life. This is the foundation of inner sincerity and integral ordering.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Epithets
- Asura (sovereign), Śruta (far-heard), Dhṛtavrata (firm in vow, implied), Ṛtasya gopā
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Mitra, Savitar (impulsion by light)
Cosmic role
Cosmic measurer and regulator; establishes proportions between planes; sustains vows and boundaries.
Inner power
Discernment, conscience, and the luminous standard that corrects excess/defect; the power that ‘sets right proportions’.
In ritual
Where it is used
Varuṇa hymns in soma ritual; also used in vrata (vow) contexts and expiation where ‘measure’ and truth are emphasized.
इ॒मामू॒ ष्वा॑सु॒रस्य॑ श्रु॒तस्य॑ म॒हीं मा॒यां वरु॑णस्य॒ प्र वो॑चम् । माने॑नेव तस्थि॒वाँ अ॒न्तरि॑क्षे॒ वि यो म॒मे पृ॑थि॒वीं सूर्ये॑ण ॥
इमाम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । सु । आ॒सु॒रस्य॑ । श्रु॒तस्य॑ । म॒हीम् । मा॒याम् । वरु॑णस्य॑ । प्र । वो॒च॒म् । माने॑नऽइव । त॒स्थि॒ऽवान् । अ॒न्तरि॑क्षे । वि । यः । म॒मे । पृ॒थि॒वीम् । सूर्ये॑ण ॥
imām | oṃ iti | su | āsurasya | śrutasya | mahīm | māyām | varuṇasya | pra | vocam | mānena-iva | tasthi-vān | antarikṣe | vi | yaḥ | mame | pṛthivīm | sūryeṇa
11
4 × 11; balanced, ‘measured’ feel matching the theme of māna (measure).
Even, architectonic, declarative.
Stabilizes attention; encourages self-observation and ethical alignment.
- आसुरस्य (āsurasya)
- Literal: of the Asura. Symbolic: of the sovereign lordship; commanding spiritual power
- श्रुतस्य (śrutasya)
- Literal: far-heard, renowned. Symbolic: that which is inwardly ‘heard’ as conscience/truth; the wide-reaching law
- महीम् मायाम् (mahīm māyām)
- Literal: great māyā, great power. Symbolic: formative knowledge-power that establishes order
- मानेन इव (mānena iva)
- Literal: as if with a measuring rod. Symbolic: principle of measure, proportion, discernment
- अन्तरिक्षे (antarikṣe)
- Literal: in midspace. Symbolic: in the life-plane regulating interchange
- ममे (mame)
- Literal: measured out. Symbolic: set boundaries/relations; made a workable order
- सूर्येण (sūryeṇa)
- Literal: by/with the Sun. Symbolic: by truth-light; illumined consciousness as standard
Recited to affirm Varuṇa’s ṛta-measure and to establish right order (māna) in the sacrificer; suitable for rites emphasizing truth, vows, and purification.
During Āditya offerings; when reaffirming vows, truthfulness, and right conduct.
Recitation as assertion of Varuṇa’s law; offerings with mindfulness of truth (satya).
A mantra for ‘integrity practice’: before decisions, chant to align choices with the ‘sun-measure’ (clarity, transparency).
Key terms: (1) māyā́ from √mā ‘to measure, form’ (and related to ‘artful power’); early Vedic māyā is constructive intelligence/skill, especially of sovereign deities—here Varuṇa’s power to set right measures. (2) mā́na ‘measure, standard’ also from √mā; the verse explicitly links Varuṇa’s governance to measurement/proportion. (3) sū́rya as the luminous principle; etymology debated, but functionally ‘revealer’—in inner reading, the truth-conscious light that enables right arrangement.
Ṛta as measure and proportion, Māyā as formative intelligence, Satya-light (Sūrya) as revealer and measurer
Ṛta as measurable order; Varuṇa’s distinctive action is to set boundaries and proportions.
Sūrya is the instrument of measure—truth-light defines right living.
World-building by measurement; cosmic architecture mirrored in inner discipline.
Bridges to later dharma/ṛta ethics and Vedāntic emphasis on satya; also resonates with ‘measure’ as buddhi-viveka.
midday (solar measure resonance)
Sun = clear discernment; measure = viveka; earth = embodied life; midspace = prāṇic exchange where choices manifest.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘measuring out’ of earth by the Sun, with Varuṇa stationed in the mid-region: a cosmogonic/ordering myth where the world becomes habitable through right measure. Inner sense: the life-plane is regulated by a standard of truth-light so that the embodied nature is apportioned according to ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mā ‘measure’ is a classic IE root (PIE *meh₁- ‘to measure’; cf. Greek métron, Latin mēnsura through related formations). The semantic network māyā/māna/mamé preserves an archaic worldview: cosmic order is fundamentally a matter of measure, not arbitrary decree.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s act is proclamation (pra-vocam): speech becomes a vehicle of ṛta by naming Varuṇa’s māyā as measure. The seer receives and re-utters the standard, seeking to have his own inner earth ‘measured’ by the solar truth rather than by desire or confusion.
Contemplate ‘measure’: bring one life area into truthful proportion—speech, time, desire, consumption—by the inner Sun of clarity.
Ājñā (discernment) and Anāhata (truthful intention).
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while mentally repeating ‘sūryeṇa’ on exhale to ‘measure’ the day’s actions.
Clear, honest, quietly firm.
After chanting, review the day: where was there excess, concealment, or distortion? Without guilt, ‘re-measure’ it by truth and set one corrective vow.
Respect accents on म॒हीं, वरु॑णस्य॒, सूर्ये॑ण; triṣṭubh should feel ‘measured’—avoid rushing.
Pause lightly at pāda ends; keep compound clarity in ‘āsurasya śrutasya’.
मायां: long ā, nasalization minimal, तस्थिवाँ: maintain conjunct ‘sth’, सूर्येण: ‘ry’ conjunct cleanly, long ‘e’
clear, even, luminous (as if ‘measuring’ each phrase)
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