Rig Veda 5.85.7: Mandala 5, Sukta 85, Mantra 7
Sukta 5.85
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
अर्यम्यं वरुण मित्र्यं वा सखायं वा सदमिद्भ्रातरं वा । वेशं वा नित्यं वरुणारणं वा यत्सीमागश्चकृमा शिश्रथस्तत् ॥
aryamyáṃ varuṇa mitryáṃ vā sakhā́yaṃ vā sadám id bhrā́taraṃ vā | véśaṃ vā nítyaṃ varuṇā́raṇaṃ vā yát sīm ā́gaś cakṛmā́ śiśráthas tát ||
چاہے وہ آریامن کے ہم آہنگی کے خلاف ہو، یا متر کے صحیح تعلق کی سچائی کے خلاف، یا کسی دوست کے خلاف، یا مستقل بھائی کے خلاف، چاہے اپنے گھر کے کسی کے خلاف یا ہمیشہ موجود ساتھی کے خلاف، جو بھی غلطی ہم نے کی ہے اے ورن اس گرہ کو کھول دو، اندرونی بندھن کو آزاد کرو تاکہ ہم صحیح وجود کے قانون کی طرف لوٹ سکیں۔
Word by Word
- अर्यम्यम्
- Aryaman (as the deity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root अर्यमन् (प्रातिपदिक) ← आर्य/अर्यमन्
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्र्यम्
- Mitra (as the deity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- सखायम्
- a friendNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- सदम्
- alwaysIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकारण (काल)Root सदम् (अव्यय/निपात; ‘सदा’ इत्यर्थे) अथवा सदस्- (प्रातिपदिक) का अव्ययीभूत रूप
- इत्
- indeedIndeclinableनिपात (एव/खलु-बलार्थक)Root इत्
- भ्रातरम्
- a brotherNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- वेशम्
- a dwelling/house; refugeNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root वेश (प्रातिपदिक; ‘गृह/आवास/आश्रय’)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- नित्यम्
- constantly; perpetual(ly)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्: ‘नित्यं’)Role अधिकारण (काल/नित्यत्व-भाव)Root नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणारणम्
- Varuṇa’s shelter/refugeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (स्तुत्य/आह्वेय-वस्तु)Root वरुणारण (प्रातिपदिक; वरुण + अरण ‘आश्रय/रक्षा/शरण’—समास)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- यत्
- that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा; एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक)Role कर्म/विषय (यद्-तद् सम्बन्धे ‘that which’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सीम्
- him/it (indeed)Indeclinableनिपात/सर्वनामिक-अव्यय (एनम्/तम् इत्यर्थे; ‘him/it’)Role कर्म (प्रत्यवमर्श्य-वस्तु)Root सीम्
- आगः
- sin; offenseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot आगस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्रिमा
- we have done/committedVerbलिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ (वयं)Root कृ (धातु)
- शिश्रथः
- loosen; releaseVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृ (त्वम्—वरुण)Root श्रथ् (धातु; ‘शिथिली-करणे/विमोचने’)
- तत्
- that (offense)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (यत्-सम्बद्ध ‘that’)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): अर्यम्यम् वरुण मित्र्यम् वा सखायम् वा सदम् इत् भ्रातरम् वा । वेशम् वा नित्यम् वरुणारणम् वा यत् सीम् आगः चक्रिमा शिश्रथः तत् ॥ मुख्य सन्धयः: (1) सदमिद् → सदम् + इत् (द् + इ → दि; पदान्ते ‘द्’ परे स्वर ‘इ’ इति संधि-प्रभाव)
- (2) यत्सीम् → यत् + सीम् (त् + स → त्स्)
- (3) सीमागः → सीम् + आगः (म् + आ; अनुस्वार/मकार-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A confession-prayer to Varuṇa: if we have offended Aryaman, Mitra, a friend, a brother, one of our household, or a constant companion—whatever fault we have done—Varuṇa is asked to loosen it (as a knot/bond) and release the binding.
Inner meaning
The seeker recognizes that disharmony can arise at multiple levels of the inner life: (1) Aryaman = the power of noble harmony and right belonging; (2) Mitra = the power of truth, clarity, and right relation; (3) sakhā/bhrātṛ = allied parts of the nature that should cooperate (mind–life–body) but fall into conflict; (4) veśa/nitya-arāṇa = the ‘household’ of habitual formations, the ever-present companion of ingrained samskāras. The ‘āgaḥ’ (fault) is not merely moral guilt but a knotting of consciousness that constricts the free flow of ṛta (right order). Varuṇa, lord of vastness and law, is invoked to unbind the inner contraction so the being can return to right being and wideness.
Universal truth
Human error often appears as a tightening—an inner contraction that breaks right relationship with truth, harmony, and our own parts. Restoration is not achieved by suppression but by widening, honest acknowledgment, and a higher order (law of truth) that can untie the knot and reintegrate the being.
Themes
confession, expiation and release, restoration of harmony, Āditya ethics as yoga
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.85.1-10 (Varuṇa hymn sequence), RV 5.86.1-6 (Indrāgnī), RV 5.87 (Maruts, Atri)
Family tradition
Atri lineage in Maṇḍala 5 emphasizes luminous discernment, purification, and restoration to ṛta through the Ādityas; a strong ethical-psychological note appears in Varuṇa hymns of this book.
Significance
Atri’s vision often turns repentance into a movement of widening: not self-blame but a call to the cosmic Truth to re-order the inner being. In Aurobindonian terms, this is the psychic consent to be governed by ṛta rather than ego-habit.
The deity
- Devata
- Varuṇa (Āditya; with implicit Mitra & Aryaman)
- Epithets
- Āditya, ṛtasya gopā (guardian of ṛta, implicit in Varuṇa hymns), urukṣaya (wide-dwelling, common Varuṇa epithet), pāśin (holder of the noose, traditional)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Savitar
Cosmic role
Upholder of ṛta (cosmic order) and satya (truth); oversees moral-cosmic causality; binds the false movement and releases the aligned seeker.
Inner power
The power of vast, luminous conscience and truth-law that dissolves inner guilt-knots and restores right relation among the parts of the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Varuṇa-related expiation and appeasement within Śrauta contexts (Āditya/Varuṇa invocations) and general confession-prayers in domestic recitation.
अ॒र्य॒म्यं॑ वरुण मि॒त्र्यं॑ वा॒ सखा॑यं वा॒ सद॒मिद्भ्रात॑रं वा । वे॒शं वा॒ नित्यं॑ वरु॒णार॑णं वा॒ यत्सी॒माग॑श्चकृ॒मा शि॒श्रथ॒स्तत् ॥
अ॒र्य॒म्य॑म् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । मि॒त्र्य॑म् । वा॒ । सखा॑यम् । वा॒ । सद॑म् । इत् । भ्रात॑रम् । वा॒ । वे॒शम् । वा॒ । नित्य॑म् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । अर॑णम् । वा॒ । यत् । सी॒म् । आगः॑ । च॒कृ॒म । शि॒श्रथः॑ । तत् ॥
aryamyam | varuṇa | mitryam | vā | sakhāyam | vā | sadam | it | bhrātaram | vā | veśam | vā | nityam | varuṇa | araṇam | vā | yat | sīm | āgaḥ | cakṛma | śiśrathaḥ | tat
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Grave, spacious, and judicial—suited to confession, truth-speaking, and restoration to order.
Creates a steady ‘widening’ cadence; supports introspection, sincerity, and the felt sense of being held within a higher law.
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: Āditya deity of cosmic law, waters, binding/loosing. Symbolic: Vast consciousness that holds the soul to ṛta; power to bind the false movement and to release the repentant seeker into wideness
- अर्य॒म्यं (aryamyaṃ)
- Literal: pertaining to Aryaman. Symbolic: Noble harmony, right belonging, the law of mutuality and inner cohesion
- मि॒त्र्यं (mitryaṃ)
- Literal: pertaining to Mitra. Symbolic: Truth of right relation, clarity, friendly light that establishes concord
- सखा (sakhā)
- Literal: friend. Symbolic: Allied inner force (helping power of mind/life) meant to collaborate in the yoga
- भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ)
- Literal: brother. Symbolic: A constant kin-power in the nature; intimate part of oneself that should not be violated
- वे॒श (veśa)
- Literal: house, clan, dwelling. Symbolic: The inner ‘household’ of habitual formations and familiar patterns
- आगः (āgaḥ)
- Literal: fault, offense, sin. Symbolic: Deviation from ṛta; an obscuring movement that knots consciousness
- शि॒श्रथः (śiśrathaḥ)
- Literal: loosen, unbind. Symbolic: Psychic release—undoing the binding of error so the being can widen and realign
Confessional/prāyaścitta tone: used for seeking release from bonds of transgression and restoring alignment with ṛta; applicable in expiatory recitations within śrauta frameworks.
During rites seeking purification, release from transgression, or re-establishing auspicious order; also suitable for personal sandhyā-like repentance recitation.
Japa/recitation with intention of ‘pāśa-mocana’ (release of bonds); offering into fire or water-libation may accompany in traditional settings.
Use as a guided inner ‘repair’ mantra: name the relationships/inner parts where disharmony occurred, then consciously release the knot into wideness (Varuṇa) and recommit to truth in speech and action.
Key terms: (1) ā́gas ‘fault, transgression’ (not merely moral in later sense; a misalignment with ṛta producing binding consequences). (2) śiśráthaḥ from √śrath ‘to loosen’—the central soteriological verb: Varuṇa as releaser of the bonds formed by wrong. (3) Mitra/Aryaman: Ādityas representing complementary aspects of ṛta—Mitra (clarity/contract), Aryaman (noble harmony/solidarity).
Ṛta and moral causality, bondage and release (pāśa-logic implicit), right relation (Mitra) and noble harmony (Aryaman)
Direct: wrongdoing is a deviation from ṛta; Varuṇa restores alignment by loosening the binding.
Truth in relationship (Mitra) and noble harmony (Aryaman) are invoked as standards of satya lived in the world and within the psyche.
Restoration rather than origination: re-establishing the created order within the human being by re-linking to the cosmic law.
Proto-Vedāntic/Upaniṣadic ethical-cosmological theism; also aligns with Integral Yoga psychology (widening, conscience, psychic sincerity).
Bond/knot = constriction in consciousness; household = habitual nature; Varuṇa’s ‘vastness’ = expansion into truth-order where constrictions dissolve.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Varuṇa as loosener of bonds caused by āgas (transgression): the mythic-juridical image of divine binding and releasing. Inner sense: wrong relation knots the consciousness; Varuṇa is invoked to relax the constriction so harmony with the Ādityas can be restored.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The binding/releasing semantics (√śrath) resonates with the IE juridical-poetic trope where cosmic order is maintained by bonds and oaths (cf. broad IE parallels: oath-binding in Greek/Roman traditions; Indo-Iranian especially preserves this in Varuṇa/Mitra domains).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Varuṇa as moral-cosmic sovereign and healer of relational breaches. The reciprocity is explicit: acknowledgement of fault + prayer for loosening → renewed belonging to the devic order (Ādityas) and restored inner freedom.
Release of guilt-knots and restoration of right relation (with others and within oneself) by entering Varuṇa’s wideness.
Anahata (repair of relation/forgiveness) and Vishuddha (truth in speech/confession).
Slow exhale-lengthening (e.g., 4–6 inhale, 6–8 exhale) while mentally repeating ‘śiśrathas tat’ on the exhale as ‘letting go’.
Quiet sincerity; widening awareness; moral clarity without self-harshness.
1) Recall disharmony (without drama). 2) Name it as ‘āgaḥ’ (a deviation). 3) Offer it to Varuṇa as a knot. 4) Feel the release into spacious order. 5) End with a concrete vow of right relation (Mitra/Aryaman).
Vedic svara as per Śākala tradition: maintain udātta peaks on marked syllables; svarita as the falling accent; anudātta as unaccented—follow pada text and reciter’s notation.
Lean into the vocative ‘varuṇa’ with clear udātta emphasis; soften into ‘śiśrathas tat’ as a releasing cadence at the close.
Keep retroflex ṣ in śiśrathas clear (śi-śra-thas)., Maintain dental t/d distinct from retroflex ṭ/ḍ (t in tat)., Do not over-aspirate k/g; keep ‘āgaś’ with clear long ā.
Low, steady, confessional; broaden vowels to evoke ‘vastness’.
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