Rig Veda 5.64.3: Mandala 5, Sukta 64, Mantra 3
Sukta 5.64
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Mitra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace)
यन्नूनमश्यां गतिं मित्रस्य यायां पथा । अस्य प्रियस्य शर्मण्यहिंसानस्य सश्चिरे ॥
yán nūnám aśyā́ṃ gátiṃ mitrásya yāyā́ṃ pathā́ | asyá priyásya śármaṇy áhiṃsānasya saścire ||
کاش ہم متر کے راستے اور گام کو حاصل کریں، اور اس محبوب طاقت کے سایہ میں چلیں جو زخمی نہیں کرتا، تاکہ ہم اس کے ساتھ اس کے امن میں رہیں۔
Word by Word
- यत्
- that; when; so thatIndeclinable/Pronounrelative pronoun; neuter nominative/accusative singular (used adverbially: ‘that/when/so that’)Role (connective; no direct kāraka)Root यद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- नूनम्
- now; indeedIndeclinableindeclinable particle/adverbRole (modifier)Root नूनम् (avyaya)
- अश्याम्
- may I attain / might I reachVerbaorist optative (precative-like), 1st person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kartā (implicit ‘I/we’)Root अश् (धातु; ‘to reach, attain’)
- गतिम्
- course; path; going; goalNounfeminine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot गति (स्त्री; from √गम्)
- मित्रस्य
- of MitraNounmasculine genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (genitival relation)Root मित्र (पुं; prātipadika)
- यायाम्
- may I goVerbpresent optative, 1st person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kartā (implicit ‘I/we’)Root या (धातु; ‘to go’)
- पथा
- by the path; along the wayNounmasculine instrumental singularRole Karaṇa (means/way)Root पथ (पुं; prātipadika)
- अस्य
- of this (one)Pronounmasculine/neuter genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot इदम् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- प्रियस्य
- of the dear (beloved)Adjective (substantivized)masculine/neuter genitive singular (agreeing with implied noun; ‘of the dear [one/thing]’)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot प्रिय (adj. prātipadika)
- शर्मणि
- in the shelter; in the protectionNounneuter locative singularRole Adhikaraṇa (locus/state)Root शर्मन् (नपुं; prātipadika)
- अहिंसानस्य
- of the non-injuring; harmlessAdjectivemasculine/neuter genitive singular (qualifying the same genitival referent)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot अहिंसान (adj. prātipadika; a- + हिंसान ‘injuring’)
- सश्चिरे
- they have accompanied / have followed / have joinedVerbperfect, 3rd person plural, ātmanepadaRole Kartā (implicit plural subject: ‘they’)Root सस्/सच् (धातु; ‘to accompany, follow, attach oneself’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): यन्नूनमश्यां → यत् नूनम् अश्याम् (final -t of यत् becomes -n before dental nasal: t+n → nn)
- Other words are already in near-pada form: गतिं मित्रस्य यायां पथा / अस्य प्रियस्य शर्मणि अहिंसानस्य सश्चिरे
- Accent marks in the saṃhitā text are not reproduced in the pada forms here
The meaning
Outer meaning
May we attain the going and path of Mitra, and move in the shelter of this beloved, non-wounding power, accompanying his peace.
Inner meaning
Mitra here is the inner Friend—power of harmony and luminous right relation—who reveals a ‘path’ (panthā) and a ‘movement/going’ (gati) for consciousness. To ‘attain’ that path is to find the rhythm of right action and right thought that does not injure (ahiṃsāna) oneself or others—non-violence as a spiritual quality of harmony, not mere restraint. ‘Śarma’ is the peace/shelter that arises when the being is gathered into concord; to ‘accompany’ it is to live continuously in that state during action.
Universal truth
True progress is a path of harmony: it advances without inner violence, and its sign is a stable peace that can be carried into movement.
Themes
Path-of-Rita, Non-violence, Guided-movement, Shelter-and-peace
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya (Atri-gotra)
- Other hymns
- RV 5.63 (Mitra–Varuṇa wideness and law), RV 5.81 (Savitar and the impulsion of the path motif)
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns often stress guidance, right movement, and the recovery of light; here the path-aspect of Mitra is foregrounded.
Significance
Atri’s vision supports practical yoga: discovering the right ‘gati’ and abiding in ‘śarma’ while acting.
The deity
- Devata
- Mitra
- Epithets
- priya (beloved), ahiṃsāna (non-wounding)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Savitar
Cosmic role
Establishes concord among beings and powers; maintains the ‘contract’ of truth in relations; brings social and cosmic harmony.
Inner power
Unifying love-light that organizes the mind and vital into right rhythm; creates non-violent strength and stable peace.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aditya invocation for harmony and safe movement; used where ‘path’ and protection are sought.
यन्नू॒नम॒श्यां गतिं॑ मि॒त्रस्य॑ यायां प॒था । अस्य॑ प्रि॒यस्य॒ शर्म॒ण्यहिं॑सानस्य सश्चिरे ॥
यत् । नू॒नम् । अ॒श्याम् । गति॑म् । मि॒त्रस्य॑ । या॒या॒म् । प॒था । अस्य॑ । प्रि॒यस्य॑ । शर्म॑णि । अहिं॑सानस्य । स॒श्चि॒रे॒ ॥
yat | nūnam | aśyām | gatim | mitrasya | yāyām | pathā | asya | priyasya | śarmaṇ i | ahiṃsānasya | saścire
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4 x ~11 syllables
Measured, path-like cadence; supports contemplation of ‘gati’ and ‘pathā’.
Creates a calm forward orientation—peace in motion; reduces impulsive reactivity.
- गति (gati)
- Literal: Going, movement, attainment. Symbolic: Inner progress; the right mode of advancing consciousness
- पथ (pathā/panthā)
- Literal: Path. Symbolic: Law of practice—disciplined way of being aligned with truth
- मित्रस्य (mitrasya)
- Literal: Of Mitra. Symbolic: Of the harmonizing Light; the inner Friend-guide
- शर्मणि (śarmaṇi)
- Literal: In shelter/peace. Symbolic: Protective peace of concord; resting-place of the soul
- अहिंसान (ahiṃsāna)
- Literal: Non-injuring. Symbolic: Harmonious force that does not fracture the being; gentle power of unity
- प्रिय (priya)
- Literal: Beloved. Symbolic: That which the soul naturally loves—truth of relation and mutuality
Recitation for ‘path-opening’ and protection: aligning the sacrificer with Mitra’s orderly course; suitable as a medhā/śānti-oriented insertion in Soma sequences
Before journeys/undertakings in ritual life; within Aditya sequences of Soma worship.
Recitation seeking ‘śarma’ (shelter) and right movement; offering of intention to act without harm.
As a daily ethical-meditative mantra: chant before speaking or acting, to align with non-wounding harmony.
aśyām: √aś ‘reach, attain’ (also ‘pervade’ in some contexts), here attainment of gati/path—an inner sādhanā-trajectory. pathā: √path/nominal path- ‘path’, a key Indo-European poetic symbol for right movement in order. śarmaṇi: śarman ‘shelter, ease, peace’; in Vedic psychology a settled wideness and safety of being. ahiṃsāna: hiṃs ‘injure’; with privative a- indicates a divine mode whose action does not violate, contrasting with forceful conquest—Mitra’s harmony.
Ṛta as path (pathā), ahiṃsā (non-injury) as divine mode, śarman (peace/shelter)
Mitra’s path is ṛta as lived practice—right relation expressed as right movement.
Truth as harmony: satya is not only factuality but right alignment that prevents harm.
Formation of a non-violent, harmonious soul-personality moving in the world.
Integral yoga reading: ‘path’ as sādhanā; non-violence as unity-consciousness.
Path = inner discipline; shelter = psychic peace; movement = progress of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘path of the god’ mythologem: the deity possesses a gati and a pathā that humans may attain and traverse. Mythically, Mitra is the opener of the right way; psychologically, the seeker enters a non-violent harmony (ahiṃsā) and abides in śarman, the settled protection of truth-aligned movement.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- path- ‘path’ is a pan-Indo-European poetic nucleus (cf. Greek póntos ‘way/sea’ in semantic expansions; Germanic ‘path’ cognate set is debated but the ‘way’ motif is IE-archaic). √sac ‘accompany’ reflects the IE social-religious value of ‘following with’ the god—companionship as ritual efficacy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asks not for external gain but for participation: to reach Mitra’s gati and to dwell in his śarman. The reciprocity is ethical-psychological—Mitra’s gift is a mode of movement that is ahiṃsā, and the human response is to ‘accompany’ (√sac) that mode through disciplined alignment.
Feel the ‘Mitra-path’: a golden line of harmonious intention from heart to forehead guiding speech and action.
Anāhata (friendship/peace)
Soft coherent breathing: inhale 5, exhale 5; chant mentally on exhale, rest in silence on inhale.
Peaceful friendliness; non-reactive clarity in action.
Chant 12 times; then for 2 minutes observe the next impulse to act—choose the option that least fragments and most harmonizes (ahiṃsā as unity).
Maintain Vedic accents; keep ‘mitrasya’ clear and bright; let pāda pauses support the sense of path-steps.
Do not rush ‘śarmaṇy ahiṃsānasya’—give a gentle emphasis to ahiṃsāna (non-wounding).
aśyām: ‘śy’ cluster crisp, yāyām: long ‘ā’ sustained evenly, śarmaṇi: retroflex ṇ, ahiṃsānasya: anusvāra ‘ṃ’ before ‘s’ as light nasalization
Soft, even, intimate—like speaking to the inner Friend.
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