Rig Veda 2.29.4: Mandala 2, Sukta 29, Mantra 4
Sukta 2.29
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Ādityas / gods of order
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
हये देवा यूयमिदापयः स्थ ते मृळत नाधमानाय मह्यम् । मा वो रथो मध्यमवाळृते भून्मा युष्मावत्स्वापिषु श्रमिष्म ॥
hayé devā yūyám id ā́payaḥ stha té mṛḷata nā́dhamānāya máhyam | mā́ vo rátho madhyamavā́ḷ ṛté bhūn mā́ yuṣmā́vatsv ā́piṣu śramiṣma ||
اے دیوتاؤ، بے شک تم تازگی کے پانی ہو؛ مجھ پر مہربان رہو جو محنت کرتا ہے اور دبا ہوا ہے۔ تمہارا رتھ سچائی کے درمیانی راستے سے نہ بھٹکے؛ ہم تمہارے ساتھ حاصل کی ہوئی چیزیں میں تھک نہ جائیں۔
Word by Word
- हये
- O! (hey!)Indeclinableसम्बोधनार्थ उद्गार (vocative interjection)Root हय (उद्गार/सम्बोधन-निपात)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव
- यूयम्
- you (pl.)Pronounउत्तम-पुरुष? (न), मध्यम-पुरुष सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (देवाः के विशेषण-रूपेण/सम्बोधन-सह)Root युष्मद्
- इद्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात; अव्ययRoot इद् (निपात)
- आपयः
- helpers, protectresses (aiding ones)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā/विशेषण-भाव (यूयम्… आपयः)Root आपि
- स्थ
- you areVerbलट् (वेदे वर्तमानार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot अस्
- ते
- you (those), you indeedPronounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा?; अत्र प्रथमा-बहुवचन (ते = they/you those) वैदिक-प्रयोगे; देवेषु निर्देशःRole Kartā (मृळत इत्यस्य)Root तद्
- मृळत
- be gracious, show mercyVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot मृळ्
- नाधमानाय
- to the supplicating oneNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot नाधमान (√नाध्/नन्ध् ‘to cry, to implore’ से कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- मह्यम्
- to mePronounचतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot अहम्
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध-निपात (prohibitive)Root मा (निषेध)
- वः
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी (gen.), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (possessor)Root युष्मद्
- रथः
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot रथ
- मध्यम
- in the middleAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत् ‘मध्यम्’ = in the middle)Role Adhikaraṇa (स्थानार्थे)Root मध्य
- अवाळृते
- in an uncovered/unguarded stateAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी/अव्ययीभाववत्?; अत्र ‘अवाळृते’ = ‘अव-आवृत’/‘अव-आळृत’ वैदिक रूप, लोकेटिव-भावेRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अव + √वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते) / ‘अवाळृत’ (कृदन्त/विशेषण)
- भूत्
- may it be / let it becomeVerbलुङ्/आशीर्लिङ्?; अत्र ‘भूत्’ = विधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (injunctive-like) 3rd sg.; परस्मैपदRoot भू
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध-निपातRoot मा (निषेध)
- युष्मावत्सु
- among those who have you / in your companyAdjectiveपुं/नपुंस?; सप्तमी, बहुवचन (युष्मद्-सम्बन्धि ‘having you/with you’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot युष्मावत्
- आपिषु
- in the helps, in the aidsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot आपि
- श्रमिष्म
- we have toiled / we have grown wearyVerbलिट् (परिप्रश्न/अनुभव), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (वैदिक ‘-इष्म’ 1pl. परफेक्ट)Root श्रम्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): हये | देवाः | यूयम् | इद् | आपयः | स्थ | ते | मृळत | नाधमानाय | मह्यम् || मा | वः | रथः | मध्यम् | अवाळृते | भूत् || मा | युष्मावत्सु | आपिषु | श्रमिष्म । मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेद: (1) यूयमिदा॒पयः → यूयम् + इद् + आपयः (द् + आ = दा)
- (2) स्थ॒ ते → स्थ + ते (पद-सीमा)
- (3) मध्यम॒वाळृ॒ते → मध्यम् + अवाळृते (म् + अ = म)
- (4) यु॒ष्माव॑त्स्वा॒पिषु॑ → युष्मावत्सु + आपिषु (स् + आ = स्वा)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet addresses the gods (Ādityas) as refreshing waters and asks for grace while under strain. He prays that their chariot not deviate from the “middle way” of ṛta (truth/order) and that the worshippers not become weary in the attainments granted by them.
Inner meaning
The Ādityas are powers of inner law and right discernment. When the seeker feels “pressed” (nādhamāna) by inner conflict and effort, these luminous powers become āpayaḥ—refreshing currents that restore clarity and strength. The “chariot” is the forward movement of consciousness; it must not swerve from the madhyamā-vāṭ (the central track) of ṛta—balanced truth, neither excess nor deficiency. The prayer ‘let us not tire in your āpiṣu’ asks that the higher attainments (approaches/contacts with the divine powers) not become exhausting through ego-effort, but remain sustained by grace and right rhythm.
Universal truth
In any genuine growth, renewal comes from aligning effort with an inner law. Progress is safest when it stays on the central path of truth—steady, balanced, and guided—so that achievement does not turn into fatigue or distortion.
Themes
refreshment, right path, endurance, divine guidance
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.23 (Bṛhaspati), RV 2.27–2.29 (Ādityas/Varuṇa-Mitra themes), RV 2.33 (Rudra)
Family tradition
Bhṛgu-line seers; hymns often emphasize right order (ṛta), confession/appeal to Ādityas, and the psychology of fault, release, and protection.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s voice frequently moves from human limitation and inner strain toward alignment with ṛta through grace—an archetype of the aspirant seeking purification, right guidance, and widening.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas (contextually Mitra–Varuṇa and companions)
- Epithets
- ṛtāvṛdha (increasing the ṛta, implied), pālayitṛ (protectors, implied), śucayaḥ (pure ones, implied)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Aṃśa, Savitṛ
Cosmic role
Guardians of cosmic law, moral order, and the harmonizing measures that sustain worlds and relationships.
Inner power
Establish discernment, self-regulation, truth-speaking, and the steady governance that keeps the yoga on its central line.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āditya/Varuṇa-oriented recitation within śrauta contexts; also suitable as an anuvākya-like prayer for protection and right course (general use).
ह॒ये दे॑वा यू॒यमिदा॒पय॑: स्थ॒ ते मृ॑ळत॒ नाध॑मानाय॒ मह्य॑म् । मा वो॒ रथो॑ मध्यम॒वाळृ॒ते भू॒न्मा यु॒ष्माव॑त्स्वा॒पिषु॑ श्रमिष्म ॥
ह॒ये । दे॒वाः॒ । यू॒यम् । इत् । आ॒पयः॑ । स्थ॒ । ते । मृ॒ळ॒त॒ । नाध॑मानाय । मह्य॑म् । मा । वः॒ । रथः॑ । म॒ध्य॒म॒ऽवाट् । ऋ॒ते । भू॒त् । मा । यु॒ष्माव॑त्ऽसु । आ॒पिषु॑ । श्र॒मि॒ष्म॒ ॥
haye | devāḥ | yūyam | it | āpayaḥ | stha | te | mṛḷata | nādhamānāya | mahyam | mā | vaḥ | rathaḥ | madhyama-vāṭ | ṛte | bhūt | mā | yuṣmāvat-su | āpiṣu | śramiṣma
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (with Vedic resolution/variations possible)
Forward-driving, balanced, suited to ethical-psychological appeal and steady aspiration.
Creates a firm inner stride—supporting prayer under pressure and re-centering on the ‘middle way’ of ṛta.
- देवाः (devāḥ)
- Literal: gods. Symbolic: luminous powers of consciousness, especially guardians of order
- आपयः (āpayaḥ)
- Literal: refreshing waters/refreshments. Symbolic: currents of renewal, clarity, and soothing force in the being
- मृळत (mṛḻata)
- Literal: be gracious, show mercy. Symbolic: descent of grace that softens inner pressure
- नाधमान (nādhamāna)
- Literal: one in distress/pressed, struggling. Symbolic: the aspirant under tapas (strain) and inner resistance
- रथ (ratha)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: dynamic movement/vehicle of the divine powers in the seeker
- मध्यमवाट् (madhyamavāṭ)
- Literal: middle track/central path. Symbolic: balanced discipline; the straight course of right seeing
- ऋत (ṛta)
- Literal: cosmic order/truth. Symbolic: law of harmony in consciousness; right alignment
- आपिषु (āpiṣu)
- Literal: approaches/attainments, enjoyments. Symbolic: contacts with higher states; realized gains that must be integrated
- श्रमिष्म (śramiṣma)
- Literal: we may grow weary. Symbolic: fatigue from ego-driven striving rather than guided effort
Supplication for refreshment and right course; suited to moments of strain in ritual performance and in the aspirant’s discipline.
Invocations seeking harmony with ṛta, especially when asking for forgiveness/protection and right guidance during offerings.
Recitation during offering sequences to invoke orderly protection and sustained progress.
Use as a mantra for ‘right alignment’: before work/decisions, or when fatigued—repeat to re-enter balanced effort and receive inner refreshment.
ā́paḥ ‘waters’ are nourishment/refreshment; psychologically the flowing life-currents that restore. nādhamāna- from √nādh ‘to be pressed, suffer, strive’ → the strained aspirant. madhyama ‘middle’ + vāṭ ‘track/path’ → the central course; linked with ṛta as right movement. śram from √śram ‘to toil’ → fatigue in sādhanā; prayer asks endurance in divine āpi (approach/attainment).
Ṛta as the right track, endurance in practice (śrama vs. divine support)
Explicit: the divine chariot must not deviate from ṛta’s central track.
Truth as the stabilizing measure that prevents extremes and fragmentation.
Sustaining order rather than cosmogony: maintenance of the right path that upholds the worlds within the seeker.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral Yoga reading (Aurobindo–Kashyap): gods as powers of consciousness; ṛta as law of inner realization.
Waters = renewing streams of consciousness; road/chariot = the directed movement of sadhana along truth’s central line.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic image is the divine ratha moving on the central track of ṛta. The aspirant, oppressed and striving, asks that the gods’ movement not deviate, and that the human not tire in the successive approaches (āpi) to the divine.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The chariot motif is pan-Indo-European in poetic diction. The verb √as ‘to be’ (sthā here as ‘you are’ in the padapāṭha tradition; actually stha) reflects PIE *h₁es-. The metaphorical mapping of ‘path/track’ to moral-cosmic order is also archaic IE.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi appeals for compassion (mṛḷ) precisely because the gods are experienced as sustaining currents (āpaḥ). The relationship is pedagogic and supportive: the devatās carry the seeker along ṛta, while the seeker asks for endurance and continued access to their help.
Return to the ‘middle way of ṛta’: balanced truth in thought, speech, and action; receive inner refreshment.
Anāhata (heart: fear/strain and grace) and Ājñā (discernment, right path).
Nādī-śodhana-like gentle alternate breathing (without strain) while repeating the mantra mentally on exhale.
From pressured effort to quiet clarity and guided will.
When fatigue arises, soften the push; invoke the Ādityas as inner governors. Intend: ‘May my movement not swerve from truth; may my gains be integrated without exhaustion.’
Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; preserve udātta peaks on key invocatory words (devāḥ, ṛte).
Keep a steady Triṣṭubh gait; avoid rushing the caesura; let ‘madhyamavāṭ ṛte’ be clearly separated and emphasized as the doctrinal pivot.
mṛḻata: retroflex ḻ distinct from ḍ/ḷ in modern tongues; keep ‘mṛ’ crisp, ṛte: vocalic ṛ, not ‘ri’, yuṣmāvatsv āpiṣu: maintain sandhi; do not drop ‘tsv’ cluster, nādhamānāya: lengthen ā; keep dh aspirated
steady, prayerful, slightly softened (invoking grace)
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