Rig Veda 8.67.9: Mandala 8, Sukta 67, Mantra 9
Sukta 8.67
- Devata
- Devāḥ, in the hymn’s continuum likely under Āditya/Indra protection
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
मा नो मृचा रिपूणां वृजिनानामविष्यवः । देवा अभि प्र मृक्षत ॥
mā no mṛcā ripūṇāṃ vṛjinānām aviṣyavaḥ | devā abhi pra mṛkṣata ||
ขออย่าให้ความพินาศจากศัตรู ผู้กระทำคดเคี้ยว มาถึงพวกเราเลย; โอ้เหล่าเทพทั้งหลาย ขอจงกวาดพวกเขาออกไปจากรอบเรา และขับไล่ให้ห่างไกล.
Word by Word
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle, used esp. with injunctive/imperative)Root मा (निषेध) / mā́
- नः
- of us / usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन; enclitic ‘नः’ = ‘our/us’ (here best as genitive ‘of us’)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/affected party) / PossessorRoot अस्मद्
- मृचा
- may (it) harm / injureVerbलुङ्-आज्ञार्थ/इञ्जङ्क्टिव (injunctive/aorist-injunctive), मध्यम?—actually 3rd sg. active: ‘mṛc-a’ (Vedic injunctive ending -a)Root मृच् (धातु) / mṛc-
- रिपूणाम्
- of the enemiesNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole Apādāna (source/agent of harm) / Genitive relationRoot रिपु (प्रातिपदिक) / ripú-
- वृजिनानाम्
- of the evil-doers / of the wickedAdjective (substantivized)नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुं? (Vedic usage often as n. ‘evil’), षष्ठी बहुवचनRole Apādāna / Genitive relationRoot वृजिन (प्रातिपदिक) / vṛjiná-
- अविष्यवः
- O protectors / helpersNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (vocative-like address possible in hymnic style)Role Kartā (addressees as agents of protection) / SambोधनRoot अविष्यु (प्रातिपदिक) / aviṣyú-
- देवाः
- the gods / O godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (addressing the gods)Role Kartā / SambोधनRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक) / devá-
- अभि
- towards / againstIndeclinableउपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-अव्यय; directional ‘towards, against, upon’Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- प्र
- forth / forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग; ‘forth, forward’ (intensifies the verb)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मृक्षत
- wipe away / rub off / removeVerbलोट् (imperative), मध्यम?—actually 2nd pl. active: ‘mṛkṣata’ (Vedic imperative ending -ta)Root मृक्ष् (धातु) / mṛkṣ-
Sandhi Notes
- संहितापाठ: ‘वृजि॒नाना॑मविष्यवः’ = ‘वृजिनानाम् + अविष्यवः’ (म् + अ → मव्, i.e., nasal assimilates and joins with following vowel). No other obligatory sandhi changes beyond normal padapāṭha separation. Accent marks in the given text are preserved as in saṃhitā
- pada-forms here are unaccented lexical forms
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer that the harm from enemies and wrongdoers may not reach the worshippers; the gods are asked to sweep these hostile forces away and drive them off.
Inner meaning
A call for the inner Powers (devāḥ) to prevent the touch of hostile formations—impulses, suggestions, and crooked movements (vṛjina)—from entering the consciousness. The mantra asks for a cleansing circumference: the illumined forces “brush away” and expel intrusive vibrations that distort the yoga and the right movement of the soul.
Universal truth
Progress in consciousness requires both protection and purification: what is adverse cannot be merely resisted intellectually; it must be removed from the field of being by higher, luminous forces until the nature becomes a clear vessel for truth.
Themes
Apotropaic, Purification, Hostile forces, Restoration of Ṛta
The seer
Family tradition
Book 8 contains many hymns associated with Kāṇva and allied traditions; for this specific verse the rishi is not explicitly preserved in the provided source.
Significance
The anonymity underscores a universal yogic utility: the mantra functions as a protective formula of purification, usable by any seeker to establish an inner boundary against hostile suggestions.
The deity
- Devata
- Devāḥ (general protective divine powers; in hymn-continuum aligned with Āditya/Indra protection)
- Epithets
- śukra (luminous), rakṣitāraḥ (protectors), ṛtasya gopāḥ (guardians of right order)
- Related deities
- Indra, Ādityas, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aditi
Cosmic role
They maintain ṛta by repelling forces of disorder and restoring harmony in the worlds.
Inner power
A collective action of higher consciousness that clears the mental-vital atmosphere and re-establishes a sattwic, protected field for aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Apotropaic (evil-averting) verse; used for warding off hostility and restoring purity/protection around the sacrificer.
मा नो॑ मृ॒चा रि॑पू॒णां वृ॑जि॒नाना॑मविष्यवः । देवा॑ अ॒भि प्र मृ॑क्षत ॥
मा । नः॒ । मृ॒चा । रि॒पू॒णाम् । वृ॒जि॒नाना॑म् । अ॒वि॒ष्य॒वः॒ । देवाः॑ । अ॒भि । प्र । मृ॒क्ष॒त॒ ॥
mā | naḥ | mṛcā | ripūṇām | vṛjinānām | aviṣyavaḥ | devāḥ | abhi | pra | mṛkṣata
Appears as a two-line stanza in the provided segmentation; traditional scansion would treat it as 4 pādas if restored from saṃhitā cadence.
Imperative and expulsive—short commands and strong consonants support a ‘driving away’ cadence.
Creates a felt boundary and a forward-thrusting release; useful for clearing agitation and fear from the subtle body.
- mā
- Literal: not / may it not. Symbolic: the will of refusal—inner rejection of falsehood and attack
- mṛcā
- Literal: harm, injury, hurt. Symbolic: disturbance to the psychic-vital-mental balance; breach in the inner protection
- ripūṇām
- Literal: of hostile ones / enemies. Symbolic: hostile formations—forces of division, doubt, depression, inertia, violence
- vṛjinānām
- Literal: of the crooked, perverse, sinful. Symbolic: distorted movements of nature that bend away from ṛta (right order)
- devāḥ
- Literal: the gods, shining ones. Symbolic: powers of illumination and harmony acting in the inner sacrifice
- abhi
- Literal: around, upon, towards. Symbolic: the surrounding field of consciousness; protective circle
- pra mṛkṣata
- Literal: wipe off, brush away, sweep forth. Symbolic: psychic-energetic cleansing; expulsion of adverse vibrations
Apotropaic (evil-averting) verse; used for warding off hostility and restoring purity/protection around the sacrificer.
As an apotropaic (protective) utterance during periods of perceived hostility, obstruction, or before undertaking a rite/journey.
Protective recitation to ward off evil influences; mentally ‘sweeping’ the space around the reciter.
Use before meditation to clear intrusive thoughts; also as a brief protective chant before sleep or travel.
√mṛj ‘to wipe/cleanse’ gives a ritual action (cleansing) that becomes psychological: removal of hostile vibrations and crooked impulses. vṛjina ‘crooked’ marks deviation from straightness of ṛta; the gods are asked to restore straightness by sweeping away distorters.
Ṛta vs vṛjina (straight order vs crooked deviation), Purification (mṛj), Rakṣa (guarding)
The ‘crooked’ (vṛjina) signifies deviation from ṛta; the gods restore alignment by expulsion of anṛta.
Truth is preserved by preventing hostile falsehood from touching the seeker’s inner being.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo): gods as powers of consciousness acting on the human instrument.
A cleansing ‘wind’ of higher prāṇa and light moves through the aura, removing dark residues and re-establishing luminous order.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘cleansing expulsion’ mythologem: the gods as purifiers who wipe away hostile and crooked forces from the human sphere. It parallels many Vedic scenes where divine powers drive away rakṣas-like obstructions, but here framed as cleansing rather than combat.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mṛj ‘wipe/cleanse’ belongs to an inherited IE semantic domain of purification by rubbing/wiping (cf. Latin mergō ‘dip’ is not direct; but the ritual lexicon of cleansing is broadly IE). The moral-cosmic opposition ‘straight vs crooked’ is a widespread IE poetic schema.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi places himself within a protected divine perimeter and commands (imperatives) a divine action: the gods must actively remove distorters. The exchange is: the human maintains invocation and right intention; the gods enforce ṛta by expulsion of vṛjina forces.
Establish a protective luminous perimeter; observe and reject hostile thoughts as ‘not-self’ movements.
Manipura (will/defence) and Anahata (psychic protection)
Exhale-focused clearing: inhale quietly, exhale with the sense of ‘sweeping out’ intrusive energy; pause in stillness after exhale.
From disturbed/vital-anxious to collected, protected, and steady.
Before japa, visualize a ring of light around you; on ‘pra mṛkṣata’ feel the expulsion of negativity from the surrounding field. Maintain calm firmness rather than anger.
Not fully determinable from the provided saṃhitā text without svara-marked recension; treat as standard RV accenting with udatta on marked syllables and svarita as sandhi-resultant.
Keep the imperative ‘mṛkṣata’ clear; avoid flattening the cadence—let the command feel forward-moving.
mṛcā: vocalic ṛ (as in ‘ri’ but more central), long ā, ripūṇām: long ū; retroflex ṇ at the end of pūṇām, vṛjinānām: vocalic ṛ; soft j; long ā in nām, mṛkṣata: cluster kṣ (k+ṣ) articulated distinctly
Firm, protective, steady—more command than lament.
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