Rig Veda 1.164.32: Mandala 1, Sukta 164, Mantra 32

Sukta 1.164

Rishi: Dīrghatamas Āucathya

Devata: Brahmanic riddle of creation/knowledge; Nirr̥ti appears as a limiting power

Chandas: Triṣṭubh

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

य ईं चकार न सो अस्य वेद य ईं ददर्श हिरुगिन्नु तस्मात् । स मातुर्योना परिवीतो अन्तर्बहुप्रजा निॠतिमा विवेश ॥

Sanskrit recitationRig Veda 1.164.32

Transliteration

yá īṁ cakā́ra ná sá asyá veda yá īṁ dadárśa híruk ín nu tásmāt | sá mātúr yónā pári-vīto antár bahu-prajā́ níḥ-ṛ́tim ā́ viveśa ||

Translation

He who fashioned it does not know it; he who has seen it has turned away from it. Wrapped within the mother’s womb, rich in births, he enters into dissolution—so secret is the law of becoming.

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Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Kartā (सम्बन्ध-कर्ता; यः = ‘he who’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ईम्: indeed; him/it (enclitic emphatic/accusative particle)
• ईम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ईम् (निपात/अव्यय)

• चकार: made; did
• चकार: Kartā-क्रिया (यः … चकार = ‘who made/did’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)

• न: not
• न: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध)

• सः: he
• सः: Kartā (न … वेद इत्यस्य कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• अस्य: of this; of it
• अस्य: सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of this/its’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• वेद: knows
• वेद: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)

• यः: who
• यः: Kartā (यः … ददर्श)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• ईम्: indeed; him/it
• ईम्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ईम् (निपात/अव्यय)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)

• हिरुक्: Hiruk (a mysterious being/thing; lit. ‘golden/gleaming one’ in RV usage)
• हिरुक्: Kartā/विषय (ददर्श इत्यस्य—‘the Hiruk (mysterious being/thing)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरुक् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘हिरुक्/हिरुग्’ RV-शब्दः)

• इत्: just; indeed
• इत्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत् (निपात)

• नु: now; indeed
• नु: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (निपात)

• तस्मात्: from him/that
• तस्मात्: Apādāna (ablative: ‘from him/that’)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• सः: he
• सः: Kartā (… विवेश इत्यस्य)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• मातुः: of (his/the) mother
• मातुः: सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the mother’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)

• योनौ: in the womb; in the birthplace
• योनौ: Adhikaraṇa (location: ‘in the womb’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)

• परिवीतः: wrapped around; enclosed
• परिवीतः: Kartṛ-विशेषण (सः … परिवीतः)
• Type: Participle (Adjective)
• Root: परि-वी (धातु) → क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; प्रातिपदिक: परिवीत

• अन्तः: inside
• अन्तः: Adhikaraṇa-निर्देशक (inside)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तः (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्)

• बहुप्रजाः: having many offspring; much-progenied
• बहुप्रजाः: Kartṛ-विशेषण (सः … बहुप्रजाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-प्रजा (समास; प्रजा-प्रातिपदिक)

• निऋतिम्: Nirṛti (goddess of dissolution/decay); destruction
• निऋतिम्: Karma (object of ‘entered’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निऋति (प्रातिपदिक)

• आ: towards; into
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• विवेश: entered
• विवेश: क्रिया (प्रवेश-कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग)