Rig Veda 1.22.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 22, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.22
- Devata
- Savitṛ
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
हिरण्यपाणिमूतये सवितारमुप ह्वये । स चेत्ता देवता पदम् ॥
híraṇyapāṇim ūtáye savitā́ram úpa hvaye | sá cettā́ devátā padám ||
مدد کے لیے میں ساوتری، سنہری ہاتھ والے کو پکارتا ہوں: وہ شعور رکھنے والا جاننے والا ہے جو دیوی قدم قائم کرتا ہے۔
Word by Word
- हिरण्यपाणिम्
- the golden-handed (one)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (ह्वये इति क्रियायाः)Root हिरण्य-पाणि (प्रातिपदिक) < पाणि ‘हस्त’
- ऊतये
- for help, for protectionNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन (for aid)Root ऊति (प्रातिपदिक) < अव्/अव् ‘रक्षणे, सहाय्ये’ (नामधातु-निर्माण)
- सवितारम्
- Savitṛ (the Impeller)Noun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (ह्वये इति क्रियायाः)Root सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक) < सू ‘प्रसवे’
- उप
- near, towardsIndeclinable (preverb/particle)अव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गभावः; ‘निकटम्/अभिमुखम्’)Root उप
- ह्वये
- I invoke, I callVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रिया (कर्तृ = अहम्)Root ह्वे (धातु) ‘आह्वाने’
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्ता (चेत्ता इति)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चेत्ता
- the perceiver, the wise oneNoun/Agent (participle-like)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्ता (अस्ति/भवति इति अव्यक्त-क्रियायाः)Root चित् (धातु) ‘चेतने’ → चेतृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवता
- a deity, divine (one)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध/विशेषणभाव (सः चेत्ता—देवता ‘as a deity’ / apposition)Root देवता (प्रातिपदिक) < देव
- पदम्
- step; place; stationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (गम्य/प्राप्य-अर्थे; understood object: ‘(our) place/step’)Root पद (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- मन्त्रपाठः: हिरण्यपाणिमू॒तये॑ = हिरण्यपाणिम् + ऊतये (म् + ऊ → म् ऊ; संहितायां दीर्घस्वर-सन्धिः/संयोगः)
- सवि॒तार॒मुप॑ = सवितारम् + उप (म् + उ → मुप; अनुस्वार/मकार-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
For help I call Savitṛ, the golden-handed; he is the conscious knower of the divine station/step.
Inner meaning
Savitṛ is the impeller of consciousness—the luminous power that sets things in motion toward truth. ‘Golden-handed’ suggests the effective, radiant action of the divine Will in manifestation: the ‘hands’ that shape our works with light. He is ‘cettā’—the conscious knower within, not a blind force: he discerns the right ‘padam’ (step/station) of the divine in us, establishing the correct poise of the being so our movement becomes aligned with the higher law. This is an invocation for inner guidance in action: to place the next step on the path, not merely to know abstractly.
Universal truth
True progress depends on a luminous intelligence that can both know and shape action—guidance that establishes the right step in each moment.
Themes
Savitar, Invocation, Conscious-guidance, Solar-force, Establishing-the-divine-step
The seer
Significance
The verse is a classic ‘yoga of guidance’ formula: calling the impeller to establish the right inner step—an archetypal need of all seekers.
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ (Savitar)
- Epithets
- Hiraṇyapāṇi (Golden-handed), Cettā (the Knower)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Mitra-Varuṇa, Agni
Cosmic role
Solar impeller who sets beings in motion, awakens faculties, and establishes right courses; sustains rhythms of day and life.
Inner power
Illumined will and discernment; the force that initiates right action and sets the ‘divine step’ in consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Savitṛ invocations in daily solar observances and shrauta contexts; thematically close to Sāvitrī/solar prayers
हिर॑ण्यपाणिमू॒तये॑ सवि॒तार॒मुप॑ ह्वये । स चेत्ता॑ दे॒वता॑ प॒दम् ॥
हिर॑ण्यऽपाणिम् । ऊ॒तये॑ । स॒वि॒तार॑म् । उप॑ । ह्व॒ये॒ । सः । चेत्ता॑ । दे॒वता॑ । प॒दम् ॥
hiraṇya-pāṇim | ūtaye | savitāram | upa | hvaye | saḥ | cettā | devatā | padam
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4×8
Clear invocation followed by definition; balanced and didactic.
Centers the mind; evokes a sense of luminous guidance and right decision.
- hiraṇyapāṇi
- Literal: golden-handed. Symbolic: radiant effective power shaping works; divine agency acting in life
- ūtaye
- Literal: for help, aid. Symbolic: supporting force that carries the seeker beyond limitation
- savitṛ
- Literal: the impeller, stimulator (solar deity). Symbolic: illumining impulsion of consciousness; awakener of the inner sun
- cettā
- Literal: knower, perceiver, conscious one. Symbolic: inner discernment; luminous intelligence guiding action
- devatā padam
- Literal: the step/station of the deity. Symbolic: right placement/poise of the godhead in the being; the true foothold of higher consciousness
General Savitṛ invocation for protection and right impulsion; Savitṛ is central in morning/evening contexts and in sanctifying movements of the rite.
Morning or before undertaking work; moments requiring right initiative and clarity.
Calling Savitṛ near (upa hvaye) for aid and right establishing of the divine ‘step’.
A mantra for beginning the day, starting study, ethical decision-making, or before any important action to align will with light.
savitṛ: agent noun from √sū/√su ‘to impel, set in motion, vivify’ (Vedic Savitṛ as impeller of all movements). hiraṇya ‘gold’ signifies luminous, solar substance; pāṇi ‘hand’ (PIE *penh₂- ‘hand’?; broad IE hand-lexemes) indicates capacity to bestow/shape. cettā from √cit ‘to perceive, notice, be conscious’; emphasizes conscious governance, not blind force. padam ‘step, place’ from √pad ‘to step’ (PIE *ped-; cf. Lat. pes, Gk. pous); in Vedic symbolism, the ‘step’ is a stable level of consciousness (notably later in Viṣṇu’s strides).
consciousness (cit) as guide, right station/plane (padam), ṛta as right impulsion of all activities
Savitṛ sets the right movement (ṛta) of inner and outer activities.
‘Devata padam’ as the true poise/seat of the divine in us.
The ‘step’ motif: manifestation proceeds by ordered steps of consciousness.
Vedantic-Yogic: inner knower establishing the divine position in the psyche (anticipates inner guide/antaryāmin themes).
morning
Rising inner sun; golden hands as luminous formative power shaping thought and action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Savitṛ as the divine Impeller whose ‘golden hands’ distribute luminous power and who establishes the ‘divine step’ (padam). Innerly, this is the descent of a conscious impulsion that places human action on a stable divine footing—movement aligned with ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- padam from √pad aligns with PIE *ped- ‘foot/step’ (Lat. pes, Gk. pous). The prominence of agent nouns (savitṛ, cettā) reflects an inherited Indo-European style of personifying functions (impeller, knower) as deities/powers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi calls Savitṛ ‘near’ (upa) for ūtí (effective aid). The boon sought is not external gain but the installation of a right inner stance (devatā padam), implying a partnership: human invocation and readiness answered by divine conscious impulsion.
Invoke the inner sun as conscious guide; ask for the right step/poise in action.
Ajna (discernment)
6–6 breathing with a brief pause after inhale while feeling ‘golden hands’ placing light in the mind.
Luminous clarity; poised intention.
Chant, then sit 2 minutes in silence asking: ‘What is the divine step now?’ Wait for the quiet discernment (cettā) rather than mental debate.
Vedic accenting; keep the udātta lift on key accented syllables (notably in hiraṇyá-, savitā́r- per recitation).
Do not overemphasize; let ‘hiraṇyapāṇim’ flow as one unit; slight pause after ‘upa hvaye’.
hiraṇya: retroflex ṇ; ‘ṇya’ palatal glide, pāṇim: long ā; retroflex ṇ, ūtaye: long ū; clear ‘ta-ye’, savitāram: dental t; long ā, cettā: double t (geminate), long ā, padam: short a, final m audible
Warm, steady, luminous; avoid harshness.
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