Rig Veda 5.83.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 83, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.83
- Devata
- Parjanya
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Vira (heroism)
वि वृक्षान्हन्त्युत हन्ति रक्षसो विश्वं बिभाय भुवनं महावधात् । उतानागा ईषते वृष्ण्यावतो यत्पर्जन्यः स्तनयन्हन्ति दुष्कृतः ॥
ví vṛkṣā́n hanty utá hanti rakṣáso víśvaṃ bibhāya bhúvanaṃ mahā́vadhāt | utā́nāgā īṣate vṛṣṇyā́vato yát parjányā́ḥ stanáyan hánti duṣkṛ́taḥ ||
Pinapalo niya ang mga puno at pinapalo niya ang mga puwersa ng kadiliman; ang buong mundo ng pagkakabuo ay nanginginig sa harap ng kanyang dakilang armas. Pati na ang mga walang sala ay nanginginig kapag si Parjanya, na dumadagundong, ay bumabagsak sa mga gumagawa ng kasamaan.
Word by Word
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root वि (upasarga)
- वृक्षान्
- treesNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- हन्ति
- strikes, smitesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot हन्
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अन्वर्थ निपातRoot उत (निपात)
- हन्ति
- slaysVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot हन्
- रक्षसः
- demons, harmful spiritsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन (वैदिक रूप: -सः = -आन्/-ः as acc.pl.)Role कर्मRoot रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वम्
- all, the wholeAdjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- बिभाय
- has frightened / makes afraidVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot भी
- भुवनम्
- the world, the living realmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- महावधात्
- with great slaughter/weapon (lit. by great killing)Noun (instrumental expression)पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot महावध (प्रातिपदिक; महा- + वध)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय निपातRoot उत (निपात)
- अनागाः
- sinless, guiltlessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (of ईषते) / विशेषणRoot अनाग (प्रातिपदिक; अ- + नाग)
- ईषते
- moves/presses on, hastensVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot ईष्
- वृष्ण्यावतः
- of the mighty/virile one (possessing manly power)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (gen. sg.)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root वृष्ण्यावत् (प्रातिपदिक; वृष्ण्य + वत्)
- यत्
- whenIndeclinable/Relativeसम्बन्धसूचक अव्यय (यदा/यत् = when/that)Root यद् (सर्वनाम)
- पर्जन्यः
- Parjanya (rain-god)Noun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पर्जन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तनयन्
- thunderingVerbal participleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (पर्जन्यः) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot स्तनय्
- हन्ति
- strikes, slaysVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot हन्
- दुष्कृतः
- evil-doers, wrong-doersNoun/Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन (वैदिक रूप: -तः = acc.pl.)Role कर्मRoot दुष्कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; दुष्- + कृत्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): वि | वृक्षान् | हन्ति | उत | हन्ति | रक्षसः | विश्वम् | बिभाय | भुवनम् | महावधात् | उत | अनागाः | ईषते | वृष्ण्यावतः | यत् | पर्जन्यः | स्तनयन् | हन्ति | दुष्कृतः । प्रमुख संधि/वैदिक रूप: (1) वृक्षान्हन्ति = वृक्षान् + हन्ति (न् + ह → न्ह)
- (2) रक्षसो (संहिता) → रक्षसः (वैदिक acc.pl. ending -सः)
- (3) बिभाय = √भी लिट् 3sg. (4) उतानागाः = उत + अनागाः (अ + अ → आ)
- (5) यत्पर्जन्यः = यत् + पर्जन्यः (त् + प → त्प)
- (6) स्तनयन्हन्ति = स्तनयन् + हन्ति (न् + ह → न्ह)
- (7) दुष्कृतः (संहिता) वैदिक acc.pl
- -तः
The meaning
Outer meaning
Parjanya strikes trees and strikes the rakṣasas; the world trembles at his great weapon. Even the guiltless are shaken when he thunders and smites the wrongdoers.
Inner meaning
The descending force does not only nourish; it also purifies by shock. Parjanya’s ‘weapon’ is the intense pressure that breaks rigid formations (trees as fixed growths/hardened structures) and strikes hostile or obscuring forces (rakṣasas) within the being. When the higher force acts, even innocent parts of nature tremble—because the transformation is total and the lower system must reorganize. The ‘doers of distortion’ (duṣkṛtaḥ) are the habitual false formations that oppose right becoming.
Universal truth
Deep change can feel disruptive: a higher purifying power breaks entrenched patterns and confronts inner darkness; temporary trembling is part of re-ordering toward truth.
Themes
storm as purifier, combat against darkness, apotrepaic force
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri-family hymn context (probable) for 5.83
- Lineage
- Atri (probable)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.83.1
Family tradition
Ātreya seers often portray nature-forces as instruments of purification and right-ordering; storm imagery becomes a psychology of cleansing force.
Significance
The rishi records the experiential ‘tremor’ of transformation when a higher power attacks inner falsehood; it is both awe-inspiring and purifying.
The deity
- Devata
- Parjanya
- Epithets
- stanayan (thundering), mahāvadhā (great-striking, implied), vṛṣṇyāvān (possessing virile force)
- Related deities
- Indra (slayer of Vṛtra; analogous purifier), Maruts (storm hosts), Rudra (fierce purifier, thematic kinship)
Cosmic role
Storm power that both destroys and renews; protector by striking down harmful forces and restoring balance.
Inner power
Purifying force that breaks rigidities and expels hostile formations; catalytic energy for radical change.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective and purificatory recitation; rain/storm rites; also invoked to ward off harmful influences (rakṣas).
वि वृ॒क्षान्ह॑न्त्यु॒त ह॑न्ति र॒क्षसो॒ विश्वं॑ बिभाय॒ भुव॑नं म॒हाव॑धात् । उ॒ताना॑गा ईषते॒ वृष्ण्या॑वतो॒ यत्प॒र्जन्य॑: स्त॒नय॒न्हन्ति॑ दु॒ष्कृत॑: ॥
वि । वृ॒क्षान् । ह॒न्ति॒ । उ॒त । ह॒न्ति॒ । र॒क्षसः॑ । विश्व॑म् । बि॒भा॒य॒ । भुव॑नम् । म॒हाऽव॑धात् । उ॒त । अना॑गाः । ई॒ष॒ते॒ । वृष्ण्य॑ऽवतः । यत् । प॒र्जन्यः॑ । स्त॒नय॑न् । हन्ति॑ । दुः॒ऽकृतः॑ ॥
vi | vṛkṣān | hanti | uta | hanti | rakṣasaḥ | viśvam | bibhāya | bhuvanam | mahāvadhāt | uta | anāgāḥ | īṣate | vṛṣṇya-vataḥ | yat | parjanyaḥ | stanayan | hanti | duḥ-kṛtaḥ
48
4 × ~12; strong emphatic beats on ‘hanti… hanti…’ and ‘mahāvadhāt’.
Hammering and awe-inducing; repetition and heavy consonants mimic striking thunder.
Mobilizes courage and surrender during inner upheaval; helps accept purification without fear.
- vṛkṣān
- Literal: trees. Symbolic: hardened structures in nature/psyche—fixed habits, rigid formations
- rakṣasaḥ
- Literal: demons, harmful powers. Symbolic: obscuring/hostile forces: impulses of falsehood, fear, violence, inertia
- bhuvanam
- Literal: the world, becoming. Symbolic: the whole field of one’s nature—mind, life, body in process
- mahāvadhāt
- Literal: with great weapon/strike. Symbolic: intense transformative pressure; decisive action of higher force
- anāgāḥ
- Literal: guiltless, innocent. Symbolic: neutral parts of the being that still react when change is strong
- stanayan
- Literal: thundering. Symbolic: vibratory shock of descent; awakening that cannot be ignored
- duṣkṛtaḥ
- Literal: evil-doers, wrong-doers. Symbolic: distortive formations—misuse of energy, false will, perversion of movement
- hanti
- Literal: he strikes/smites. Symbolic: the force of rejection and removal necessary for purification
Protective and purificatory storm invocation; used to ward off harmful influences and invoke cleansing force.
During storms/monsoon rites; symbolically when seeking removal of negativity or obstacles.
Chant as protective invocation; mentally offer the ‘rakṣas’ (inner darkness) to be struck down by truth-force.
Use when confronting addictions, compulsions, or entrenched habits; frame discomfort as the ‘trembling’ of re-patterning.
rakṣas: from √rakṣ ‘to guard’ in later Sanskrit, but Vedic rakṣas denotes hostile/demonic forces—psychologically obstructions. stanayan: from √stan ‘to thunder’ (onomatopoetic). duṣ-kṛt: dus- ‘bad’ + √kṛ ‘do/make’, ‘makers of the bad’—apt for inner reading as fabricators of false formation. mahā-vadha: ‘great blow/weapon’ (√vadh ‘to strike/kill’).
purification by force, destruction of obstruction (rakṣas), Ṛta defended by divine violence against distortion (duṣkṛt)
Parjanya’s striking removes anṛta formations so ṛta can re-establish in the world of becoming.
Truth often acts as a ‘weapon’ against distortion; satya is not merely gentle—it can be decisive and disruptive to falsehood.
Destruction as part of creation: clearing space for renewed growth and right fertility.
Integral transformation view: purification (rejection) precedes stable descent and growth.
monsoon / storm season
Lightning = sudden insight/force; thunder = reverberation through the system; trees = rigid habits; trembling = nervous/vital re-adjustment under higher pressure.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The storm power as warrior-purifier: Parjanya’s thunderbolt-like blow strikes both nature’s forms and the rakṣas, terrifying the whole bhuvana. Innerly, it is the force that shatters rigid structures and attacks obscuring formations, even causing tremors in neutral parts of the being as purification proceeds.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The ‘storm-god smites’ motif parallels IE thunderer myths (Perkʷunos/Thor-type patterns). duṣ- corresponds to IE *dus- (Greek dys-). √kṛ (do/make) is a central Indo-Iranian verb with broad IE parallels (PIE *kwer-/*kʷer- debated; functionally, an inherited basic verb of making/doing in Indo-Iranian). The semantics encode evil as ‘bad-making’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi acknowledges Parjanya’s terrible aspect as necessary for Ṛta: reverence includes consent to a cleansing violence that removes inner distorters (duṣkṛt) and breaks the hold of rakṣas-like obstructions.
Offer rigid patterns and inner darkness to the purifying force; cultivate fearless surrender during upheaval.
maṇipūra (force/courage)
Kapalabhāti (gentle, if appropriate) or strong exhale-focused breathing to support ‘hanti’ (striking/rejection); end with long exhale to settle trembling.
Purification under pressure; vigilant courage with inner surrender.
Name one ‘rakṣas’ (compulsion/fear) silently; chant; visualize a thunderbolt of light striking it, then feel calm rain-like relief spreading through the system.
Keep the repeated ‘hanti’ crisp; observe udātta marks; allow a slightly stronger stress on ‘mahāvadhāt’ and ‘stanayan’ to mirror thunder.
Use clear pauses at clause boundaries; do not blur ‘duṣkṛtaḥ’—articulate as the target of purification.
vṛkṣān: retroflex ṛ; ‘kṣ’ cluster sharp, rakṣaso: ‘kṣ’ clear; avoid ‘raksh’ English-like, mahāvadhāt: long ā; dental dh aspirate, duṣkṛtaḥ: retroflex ṣ; ‘kṛ’ with vocalic ṛ
Firm, protective, thunder-like resonance without shouting; end with a calmer tone to imply restoration.
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