Rig Veda 2.35.8: Mandala 2, Sukta 35, Mantra 8
Sukta 2.35
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Apāṃ Napāt
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
यो अप्स्वा शुचिना दैव्येन ऋतावाजस्र उर्विया विभाति । वया इदन्या भुवनान्यस्य प्र जायन्ते वीरुधश्च प्रजाभिः ॥
yó apsv ā́ śúcinā daivyéna ṛtā́vāj asrá urviyā́ ví-bhāti | vayā́ íd anyā́ bhúvanāny asya prá jāyante vīrúdhaś ca prajā́bhiḥ ||
Đấng ấy tỏa sáng giữa các dòng nước nhờ sự thanh khiết thần linh; luôn vận hành theo ṛta (trật tự chân chính của vũ trụ), đầy tràn sức lực và sung mãn, chiếu rạng khắp nơi. Quả thật từ Ngài mà các thế giới khác sinh ra; các loài chim của sự sống cũng sinh ra, và cây cỏ mọc lên cùng với các thế hệ của chúng.
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अप्सु
- in the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; intoIndeclinableउपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे) / निपातःRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- शुचिना
- with the pure (radiance/brightness)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम् (करणे)Role KaraṇaRoot शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दैव्येन
- with the divine (power/light)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot दैव्य (प्रातिपदिक) < देव
- ऋतावाजस्रः
- the truth-impelling/ṛta-driven (one), ever-strongAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot ऋतावाजस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समासः) = ऋत + वाजस्र
- उर्वियाः
- with/through the wide expanseNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot उर्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
- विभाति
- shines forth; appearsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √भा (भा दीप्तौ)
- वयाः
- birds; winged creaturesNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed; justIndeclinableनिपातः (एव/खलु-अर्थे)Root इत् (निपात) < इद्
- अन्याः
- other (fem. pl.)Adjective/Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- भुवनानि
- worlds; beings; realmsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) < √भू
- अस्य
- of him; of this onePronounपुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth; forwardIndeclinableउपसर्गः/निपातःRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- जायन्ते
- are born; ariseVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Root √जन् (जनीँ प्रादुर्भावे)
- वीरुधः
- plants; herbsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot वीरुध् (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थकःRoot च (निपात)
- प्रजाभिः
- with offspring; with progenyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role Karaṇa (सह/समेत-अर्थे) अथवा सहकारक-भावःRoot प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक; प्र + √जन्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (sandhi-resolved): यः | अप्सु | आ | शुचिना | दैव्येन | ऋतावाजस्रः | उर्वियाः | विभाति || वयाः | इत् | अन्याः | भुवनानि | अस्य | प्र | जायन्ते | वीरुधः | च | प्रजाभिः || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) अप्स्वा = अप्सु + आ (उकार + आ → वा)
- (2) उर्विया = उर्वियाः (ऋग्वैदिक-पाठे विसर्ग-लोप/पद-रूपभेद)
- (3) इदन्या = इत् + अन्याः (द्/त् + अ → दन्य/तन्य-समाससदृश संधि; निपात ‘इत्’)
- (4) भुव॑नान्यस्य = भुवनानि + अस्य (इ + अ → य)
The meaning
Outer meaning
He who shines in the waters through divine purity, ever moving with ṛta and plenitude of force; from him are born other worlds, the birds, and the plants with their progeny.
Inner meaning
Apāṃ Napāt is the hidden Fire in the Waters: the luminous soul-force concealed in the subconscient and life-depths, shining by ‘daivya śuci’ (divine purity). When this inner fire moves in ṛta with inexhaustible energy (ājāsra), it becomes generative: it births new ‘worlds’ (planes/states of consciousness), ‘birds’ (free movements of life-breath and thought), and ‘plants’ (growing formations of life and embodied realization).
Universal truth
When the divine purity awakens in the depths of life, it becomes a creative principle: new inner worlds and living forms arise from a single radiant source within the Waters of existence.
Themes
Cosmogony from waters, Hidden fire/light, Generativity of ṛta
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (commonly associated with the Gṛtsamada lineage in tradition).
- Other hymns
- RV 2.35.1, RV 2.35.2, RV 2.35.3, RV 2.35.4, RV 2.35.5, RV 2.35.6, RV 2.35.7, RV 2.35.9
Family tradition
Mandala 2 seers emphasize Agni and allied hidden fires (including Apāṃ Napāt) as the secret divine presence in life and cosmos.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s vision often reveals the concealed divine working in apparently inert or obscure domains—especially the ‘fire in the waters’ as the secret of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Apāṃ Napāt
- Epithets
- son/child of the waters, hidden fire, radiant within streams, ṛtāvā (mover in ṛta)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma (as bliss-substance in the waters), Aditi (wideness supporting manifestation)
Cosmic role
The luminous seed of creation concealed in the waters; mediator between formless depth and manifest worlds; awakener of life and growth.
Inner power
Psychic fire in the subconscient—purifies, illumines, and generates new formations of consciousness and life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Water-related invocations and Agni-in-waters theology; used in Soma and purification contexts.
यो अ॒प्स्वा शुचि॑ना॒ दैव्ये॑न ऋ॒तावाज॑स्र उर्वि॒या वि॒भाति॑ । व॒या इद॒न्या भुव॑नान्यस्य॒ प्र जा॑यन्ते वी॒रुध॑श्च प्र॒जाभि॑: ॥
यः । अ॒प्ऽसु । आ । शुचि॑ना । दैव्ये॑न । ऋ॒तऽवा॑ । अज॑स्रः । उ॒र्वि॒या । वि॒ऽभाति॑ । व॒याः । इत् । अ॒न्या । भुव॑नानि । अ॒स्य॒ । प्र । जा॒य॒न्ते॒ । वी॒रुधः॑ । च॒ । प्र॒ऽजाभिः॑ ॥
yaḥ | ap-su | ā | śucinā | daivyena | ṛta-vā | ajasraḥ | urviyā | vi-bhāti | vayāḥ | it | anyā | bhuvanāni | asya | pra | jāyante | vīrudhaḥ | ca | pra-jābhiḥ
48
4 pādas of ~12 syllables
Longer, rolling cadence like water-flow; expansive and generative.
Induces a sense of vast movement and continuous shining; supports contemplations of origin and unfolding.
- अप्सु (apsu)
- Literal: in the waters. Symbolic: in life-depths/subconscient; in the flowing field of existence
- शुचिना दैव्येन (śucinā daivyena)
- Literal: by divine purity. Symbolic: purified consciousness-force not mixed with ego-desire
- ऋतावा (ṛtāvā)
- Literal: possessing ṛta. Symbolic: moving by truth-order; right rhythm of becoming
- अजस्रः (ajasraḥ)
- Literal: unfailing, uninterrupted. Symbolic: inexhaustible inner flame/aspiration
- उर्विया विभाति (urviyā vibhāti)
- Literal: shines widely. Symbolic: widening illumination spreading through the being
- भुवनानि (bhuvanāni)
- Literal: worlds. Symbolic: planes/states of consciousness
- वयाः (vayāḥ)
- Literal: birds. Symbolic: free movements of prāṇa and thought; winged inspirations
- वीरुधः (vīrudhaḥ)
- Literal: plants. Symbolic: growth-forms of life and realization; organic unfoldings
Soma/Agni-related invocations where Apāṃ Napāt is called as hidden fire; supports rites emphasizing purification and generativity
When invoking hidden fire/purification or consecrating waters; thematically aligned with āpo rites.
Recitation to awaken purity in the ‘waters’ used ritually and inwardly; affirm generative power of ṛta.
Meditate on a luminous presence in the depth of emotions/subconscious; use as a purification mantra before journaling/therapy or deep inner work.
Devatā-context is Apāṃ Napāt (Waters’ Child) in RV 2.35. vi-bhāti from √bhā ‘shine’ (PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’; cf. Greek φαίνω related semantic field). √jan ‘be born’ (PIE *ǵenh₁-; cf. Latin gignō, English kin). uru/urvī ‘wide’ encodes the Vedic wideness principle; ṛtā́vāj combines ṛta + vā́ja (plenitude of force/prize), where vā́ja from √vaj/√vāj ‘be strong, speed’ indicates concentrated power rather than mere food.
Ṛta (ordering principle in creation), Vāja (plenitude of force), Cosmogony (birth of worlds)
The creative unfolding occurs because the hidden fire is ‘ṛtāvā’—it manifests by right law, not randomness.
Divine purity (daivya śuci) as truth-substance in the depths.
Emanation of worlds and life-forms from the luminous seed concealed in primordial waters.
Vedic creation-mysticism resonant with later Sāṃkhya/Vedānta: manifestation from subtle depths through an ordering principle.
Pre-dawn to dawn (hidden light beginning to shine)
Monsoon/spring (waters and growth; suggestive)
Subconscious/life-depths becoming luminous; emergence of new inner worlds, freer breath-thought, and organic growth of realization.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Apāṃ Napāt as the radiant ‘fire’ concealed in the waters, whose shining purity becomes the generative source of worlds, birds (life-motions), and plants (growth-forms). The waters are not merely physical; they are the subtle matrix of becoming from which ordered creation (ṛta) emerges.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhā ‘shine’ and √jan ‘be born’ preserve major IE roots (shine/birth) used for cosmogonic expression across IE traditions. The compositional style (ṛta + vāja) shows Vedic’s capacity to fuse ethical-cosmic law with dynamic power in a single epithet.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Apāṃ Napāt as a universal generator: by naming his mode of action (divine purity, ṛta, wideness), the seer aligns human consciousness with that same ordering radiance, implying that inner creation (new worlds of being) proceeds by the same law.
Locate the ‘hidden fire’ in the depth of feeling—quietly luminous, purifying, creative.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/emotions) purified and uplifted toward Anāhata/Ājñā.
Ujjāyī gentle: imagine breath as a stream; feel a warm point of light within the lower belly/heart ‘shining in the waters’.
Deep, flowing, luminous—creative quietude.
Sit with emotional currents without suppression; invoke ‘daivya śuci’—let a subtle warmth clarify the waters; watch new perceptions (‘worlds’) and freer movements (‘birds’) arise naturally.
RV svara; keep flowing continuity across pādas to mirror waters; udatta often highlights ‘śucinā’, ‘ṛtāvā’, ‘vibhāti’.
Do not clip vowels; allow jagatī length to ‘roll’. Pause lightly at pāda ends without breaking the flow-feel.
: sandhi—chant as ‘apsv ā’ with clear ‘psv’ cluster, : ‘śu-ci-nā’ (palatal ś), : vocalic ṛ clearly, : ‘a-jas-ra’, : ‘ur-vi-yā’, : long ī, retroflex ḍh in vīruḍh-
Liquid, resonant, continuous; slightly hushed to evoke depth.
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