Rig Veda 2.21.5: Mandala 2, Sukta 21, Mantra 5
Sukta 2.21
यज्ञेन गातुमप्तुरो विविद्रिरे धियो हिन्वाना उशिजो मनीषिणः । अभिस्वरा निषदा गा अवस्यव इन्द्रे हिन्वाना द्रविणान्याशत ॥
yajñéna gātúm aptúro vividrire dhíyo hinvānā́ uśíjo manīṣíṇaḥ | abhí-svarā niṣádā gā́ avasyávo índre hinvānā́ dráviṇāny āśata ||
قربانی کے ذریعے اپتوروں نے راستہ پایا؛ اپنے خیالات کو ہلا کر، بے چین، حکمت والے۔ روشنی کی طرف پکار کے ساتھ، بیٹھنے میں بیٹھ کر، مدد چاہتے ہوئے، انہوں نے اندر میں خود کو ہلایا اور بھرموں کو حاصل کیا۔
Describes the sacrificers’ method: by yajña and concentrated session (niṣad) they find the path and attain draviṇa; applicable to Soma-pressing ideology and priestly self-description.
yajña as inner offering leading to the path (gātu), dhi as inspired cognition, attainment (āś) through alignment with Indra
gātu is the ṛta-path discovered through yajña; right action and right knowledge converge.
The ‘cows’ indicate truth-rays recovered and held in consciousness.
Path-finding and manifestation of plenitudes: the inner world becomes fertile when aligned to the sacrifice.
Karmayoga-like Vedic yoga: offering (yajña) as method of realization; knowledge and action integrated.
Path = progressive inner movement; cows = rays of knowledge; cry = mantra/aspiration; session = meditative gathering of faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘finding of the path’ through yajña and the gaining of cows/treasures: a recurrent Vedic mythic pattern where right offering and aspiration open the way to Light and plenitude. Inner sense: disciplined offering awakens dhi, discovers the upward passage, and yields illumination (go) and fullness (draviṇa).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘know/see’ is PIE *weyd- (cf. English wit, Latin videre). √man ‘think’ is PIE *men- (cf. Greek menos, English mind). The semantic pairing of ‘seeing/knowing’ and ‘path-finding’ is a shared IE poetic-cognitive trope.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi depicts the human side as active collaborators: they impel dhi and take their seat in concentrated offering, but the decisive empowering field is ‘in Indra’ (indre). The reciprocity is pedagogical: Indra is both goal and means—his force in the seeker yields attainment.
Use yajña as inner method: offer breath, thought, and emotion; then listen for the ‘path’ (gātu) that opens in quiet clarity.
Ājñā (dhī/insight) and Anāhata (receptive session/niṣad)
Sama-vṛtti 4-4-4-4 (box breathing) for 6 rounds; then chant once per exhale, feeling each exhale as an offering (yajña).
Settled, attentive collectiveness; a ‘seated assembly’ of faculties under a higher light.
Begin by offering one worry and one desire into the inner fire. Chant 5 or 9 times. After chanting, ask inwardly: ‘What is the next step on the path today?’ Write the first clear guidance and act on it.
Tri-svara; keep a calm, even intonation; emphasize the instructional flow rather than dramatic peaks.
Phrase as steps: (1) yajñena gātum… (2) dhiyo hinvānā… (3) abhisvarā niṣadā gāḥ… (4) indre hinvānā… draviṇāni āśata.
(yajñena): ‘jñ’ conjunct—no extra vowel, (gātum): long ā, (apturaḥ): ‘pt’ conjunct crisp, (dhiyaḥ): ‘dh’ aspirated; short i, (uśijaḥ): ‘ś’ palatal, (abhisvarā): ‘sv’ cluster; long ā, (niṣadā): retroflex ‘ṣ’, (gāḥ): long ā; soft visarga
Clear, steady, contemplative; let the sound feel like guiding footsteps.
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