Rig Veda 2.35.12: Mandala 2, Sukta 35, Mantra 12
Sukta 2.35
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Apāṃ Napāt
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अस्मै बहूनामवमाय सख्ये यज्ञैर्विधेम नमसा हविर्भिः । सं सानु मार्ज्मि दिधिषामि बिल्मैर्दधाम्यन्नैः परि वन्द ऋग्भिः ॥
asmái bahūnā́m avamā́ya sákhyē yajñáir vidhema námasā havírbhiḥ | sáṃ sā́nu mārjmi dídhiṣāmi bílmair dadhā́my ánnaiḥ pári vande ṛ́g-bhiḥ ||
اس کے لیے - بہتوں اور کمزوروں کا بھی دوست - ہم یجنیوں سے، تعظیم سے، نذروں سے قربانی کریں گے۔ میں چوٹی کو صاف کرتا ہوں؛ میں مضبوط ستونوں سے سہارے رکھتا ہوں؛ میں غذا رکھتا ہوں، اور تعریف کے بھجنوں سے اس کا احاطہ کرتا ہوں۔
Word by Word
- अस्मै
- to him/for himPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (सर्वनाम), चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद्
- बहूनाम्
- of manyAdjective (used substantively)पुं/स्त्री/नपुं, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot बहु
- अवमाय
- to the lowest/youngest (one)Adjective (used substantively)पुं/स्त्री/नपुं, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अवम
- सख्ये
- in friendship/allianceNounनपुंसक, सप्तमी एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot सख्य
- यज्ञैः
- with sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot यज्ञ
- विधेम
- may we arrange/perform (for him)Verbविधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (injunctive-like Vedic usage), उत्तमपुरुष बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot धा (√धा) उपसर्ग: वि-
- नमसा
- with reverenceNounनपुंसक, तृतीया एकवचनRole करणRoot नमस्
- हविर्भिः
- with oblationsNounनपुंसक, तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot हविस्
- सम्
- together, completelyPreverb/Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Role क्रिया-विशेषणRoot सम्
- सानु
- the ridge/summitNounनपुंसक, द्वितीया एकवचन (Vedic: often also adverbial)Role कर्मRoot सानु
- मार्ज्मि
- I wipe/cleanVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot मृज् (√मृज्)
- दिधिषामि
- I desire to place/establishVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot धा (√धा) (desiderative: दिधिष-)
- बिल्मैः
- with shoots/twigs (stalks)Nounनपुंसक, तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot बिल्म
- दधामि
- I place/putVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot धा (√धा)
- अन्नैः
- with foods/grainsNounनपुंसक, तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot अन्न
- परि
- around, fullyPreverb/Indeclinableउपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषणRole क्रिया-विशेषणRoot परि
- वन्दे
- I praise/revereVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot वन्द् (√वन्द्)
- ऋग्भिः
- with hymns (ṛks)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole करणRoot ऋच्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): अस्मै | बहूनाम् | अवमाय | सख्ये | यज्ञैः | विधेम | नमसा | हविर्भिः || सम् | सानु | मार्ज्मि | दिधिषामि | बिल्मैः | दधामि | अन्नैः | परि | वन्दे | ऋग्भिः || प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) यज्ञैर्विधेम = यज्ञैः + विधेम (विसर्ग→र् before voiced consonant)
- (2) हविर्भिः = हविः + भिः (विसर्ग→र् before भ)
- (3) दधाम्यन्नैः = दधामि + अन्नैः (इ + अ → य्-अ; यण्-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The speaker offers sacrifice, reverence, and oblations to Apāṃ Napāt, friend of many and even the lowly. He cleanses the summit, sets supports with firm props, places nourishment, and surrounds him with hymns.
Inner meaning
The ‘friend of many and the lowly’ indicates the divine power accessible to every part of the being, even the least developed. The inner yajña is organized: cleansing the ‘summit’ (sānu) is purifying the mind’s height; setting supports (bilmair) is establishing stable disciplines and right formations in life and body; placing nourishment is feeding the awakened flame with right energies; surrounding with hymns is building a protective mantric atmosphere—right speech (ṛk) that holds consciousness in ṛta.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth requires both devotion and structure: aspiration must be supported by purification, stable foundations, right sustenance, and a surrounding field of true speech.
Themes
Consecration and purification, Stabilizing the awakened light, Devotion through ordered action
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.35, RV 2.2, RV 2.6
Family tradition
Emphasis on vidhi (right method) in yajña: not only praise but the careful ‘construction’ of the inner altar and stability of the practice.
Significance
A practical yogic verse: it maps inner ritual actions—purification, establishing supports, feeding the flame, and guarding the consciousness with mantra.
The deity
- Devata
- Apāṃ Napāt
- Epithets
- bahūnām sakhā (friend of many), avamāya sakhye (friend even to the lowly)
- Related deities
- Agni, Bṛhaspati (builder of inner order through word), Soma
Cosmic role
Mediator who accepts offerings from all levels of existence and uplifts them; establishes a luminous order in the waters of life.
Inner power
Capacity to transform even the obscure parts of nature through friendship (grace) and methodical inner sacrifice.
In ritual
Where it is used
General offering verse within Apāṃ Napāt stotra; adaptable to ghee/anna offerings
अ॒स्मै ब॑हू॒नाम॑व॒माय॒ सख्ये॑ य॒ज्ञैर्वि॑धेम॒ नम॑सा ह॒विर्भि॑: । सं सानु॒ मार्ज्मि॒ दिधि॑षामि॒ बिल्मै॒र्दधा॒म्यन्नै॒: परि॑ वन्द ऋ॒ग्भिः ॥
अ॒स्मै । ब॒हू॒नाम् । अ॒व॒माय॑ । सख्ये॑ । य॒ज्ञैः । वि॒धे॒म॒ । नम॑सा । ह॒विःऽभिः॑ । सम् । सानु॑ । मार्ज्मि॑ । दिधि॑षामि । बिल्मैः॑ । दधा॑मि । अन्नैः॑ । परि॑ । व॒न्दे॒ । ऋ॒क्ऽभिः ॥
asmai | bahūnām | avamāya | sakhye | yajñaiḥ | vidhema | namasā | haviḥ-bhiḥ | sam | sānu | mārjmi | didhiṣāmi | bilmaiḥ | dadhāmi | annaiḥ | pari | vande | ṛk-bhiḥ
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4 x ~11 syllables
Workmanlike and steady; conveys deliberate action and arrangement.
Grounding—supports resolve and disciplined offering; good for stabilizing scattered practice.
- सख्य (sakhya)
- Literal: friendship. Symbolic: intimate alliance between human aspiration and divine power
- अवम (avama)
- Literal: lowest, least. Symbolic: the undeveloped parts of nature; the subconscient/vital that also must be befriended and transformed
- यज्ञ (yajña)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: inner offering of energies to the Divine for transformation
- नमस् (namas)
- Literal: bow, reverence. Symbolic: ego-surrender; opening to higher power
- सानु (sānu)
- Literal: summit, ridge. Symbolic: higher mind/peak of consciousness to be cleansed
- बिल्म (bilma)
- Literal: support/prop (rare). Symbolic: firm inner supports: disciplines, right habits, stabilizing truths
- ऋक् (ṛk)
- Literal: hymn/verse. Symbolic: mantric word-force that surrounds and protects the work
Offering-verse concluding a sequence; suitable as dedication with havis and ṛk recitation; inwardly, a program of purification and establishment
During oblation sequences; at moments of altar preparation/purification (symbolically echoed)
Purification (prokṣaṇa), arranging fuel/offerings, recitation of ṛks as enclosure
Use as a ‘practice-setting’ mantra: chant while preparing meditation space, aligning posture, setting intention, and offering the day’s energies.
avamā́ya ‘to the lowly’ + sakhye ‘in friendship’ indicates the god’s accessibility: the divine radiance befriends even the least developed parts of the being. √mṛj ‘cleanse’ (mārjmi) is purification. √dhā ‘place/establish’ (vidhema, dadhāmi) is the key ritual-psychological verb: to ‘set’ the divine order in the human vessel. bilma ‘support/prop’ suggests stabilizing structures of practice (discipline, right habits) that hold the awakened fire.
Friendship of the divine with the ‘lowest’ (inclusion of all parts of being), Establishment (dhā) of order in consciousness, Consecration (yajña) as inner practice
‘Cleansing the summit’ and ‘setting supports’ indicates establishing ṛta in the being—right order as a lived structure.
Mantric enclosure by ṛk: truth-speech as protective field.
Construction of the inner altar; transformation of lower nature by alliance with the divine fire.
Karmayogic-vedic discipline interpreted psychologically (inner yajña).
Summit = higher mind; supports = stable nerves/habits/ethical bases; food = assimilable energy; hymns = vibratory protection and uplift.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A consecration-myth: the worshipper prepares the ‘summit’ (highest point of being), props and establishes the seat, and surrounds the deity with hymns—mirroring the building of a sacred place for the hidden fire. The god is ‘friend to the lowly’, meaning the divine radiance can inhabit even the obscure layers once purified and supported.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā ‘place’ (vidhema, dadhāmi) reflects PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘put/place’, central to both ritual construction and metaphysical ‘establishment’. The lexeme sakhya (friendship) echoes IE social-contract vocabulary (cf. Avestan ha-xša-? broadly), but most importantly shows an inherited relational framing of deity-human reciprocity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acts as builder of the inner altar: he cleanses, establishes supports, offers nourishment, and encloses the god with ṛks. The devatā responds as ‘friend’—not distant—accepting the ordered human effort as a basis for sustained illumination.
Inner preparation: purify the ‘summit’ (mind), establish supports (posture, ethics, rhythm), then offer nourishment (attention/energy) to the flame.
mūlādhāra (supports) to maṇipūra (fire) to ājñā (summit clarity)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to ‘set supports’ and calm the summit; exhale as offering.
Steady, resolved, protected; devotional strength without strain.
Use as a checklist in practice: (1) clean the summit—release cluttering thoughts; (2) set supports—align spine and intention; (3) place nourishment—offer attention; (4) surround—rest in the mantra’s field for a few minutes.
Triṣṭubh delivery with clear udatta lifts on key action-verbs (vidhema, mārjmi, dadhāmi) as per accent tradition.
Mark the caesura lightly after ~4–5 syllables; keep verbs crisp to preserve the ‘constructive’ feel.
asmái: keep ‘ai’ diphthong clear, havírbhiḥ: visarga before bh- lightly aspirated, mārjmi: ‘rj’ cluster clean, ṛgbhiḥ: vocalic ‘ṛ’ and clear ‘gbh’ cluster
Firm, grounded, devotional
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