Rig Veda 7.97.8: Mandala 7, Sukta 97, Mantra 8
Sukta 7.97
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Bṛhaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
देवी देवस्य रोदसी जनित्री बृहस्पतिं वावृधतुर्महित्वा । दक्षाय्याय दक्षता सखायः करद्ब्रह्मणे सुतरा सुगाधा ॥
devī́ devásya ródasī́ janítrī bṛ́haspátiṃ vāvṛdhatur mahitvā́ | dakṣā́yyāya dakṣatā sakhāyaḥ kárad bráhmaṇe sutárā sugā́dhā ||
Hai Nữ Thần Trời và Đất—những Bà Mẹ của thần linh—đã làm cho Bṛhaspati thêm lớn mạnh bằng uy lực vĩ đại của mình. Hỡi các bằng hữu, hãy trở nên tinh thông trong công việc của sự phân biệt; hãy làm cho brahman một bến vượt vững chắc và dễ qua.
Word by Word
- देवी
- the two goddessesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole KartāRoot देवी- (प्रातिपदिक; देव- ‘divine’ से स्त्री)
- देवस्य
- of the godNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive)Root देव-
- रोदसी
- Heaven-and-Earth (the two worlds)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (apposition to देवी)Root रोदसी- (द्वन्द्व/द्विवचन-प्रातिपदिक; द्यावा-पृथिवी ‘heaven and earth’)
- जनित्री
- the two begetters/mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole Kartā (apposition)Root जनितृ- (√जन् ‘to beget’ से कृत्; जनित्री- स्त्री)
- बृहस्पतिम्
- BṛhaspatiNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot बृहस्पति-
- वावृधतुः
- they have strengthened / made growVerbलिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √वृध् (वर्धते) ‘to grow, strengthen’
- महित्वा
- by greatness, through majestyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental of means)Role KaraṇaRoot महित्व- (मह् ‘great’ से भाव)
- दक्षाय्याय
- for the capable/skillful oneAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot दक्षाय्य- (दक्ष- ‘skill/strength’ से व्युत्पन्न विशेषण/नाम)
- दक्षत
- let him be capable / let him succeedVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √दक्ष् ‘to be strong/able; to accomplish’
- सखायः
- the comrades/alliesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सखि-
- करत्
- let him make / let him doVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √कृ ‘to do, make’
- ब्रह्मणे
- for the sacred formulation/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot ब्रह्मन्-
- सुतरा
- very well, most effectivelyAdverb/Indeclinableअव्यय (तुलनात्मक/प्रकारवाचक)Role (क्रियाविशेषण) —Root सु-तरा (सु- उपसर्ग + तर ‘crossing’/तॄ-भाव; अव्ययीभाव-प्राय)
- सुगाधा
- easy to ford; providing good footingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (ब्रह्मणे/वाक्/पथः आदि के साथ भावार्थ)Role (predicate/qualifier)Root सु-गाधा (गाधा- ‘ford, firm footing’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): देवी | देवस्य | रोदसी | जनित्री | बृहस्पतिम् | वावृधतुः | महित्वा । दक्षाय्याय | दक्षत | सखायः | करत् | ब्रह्मणे | सुतरा | सुगाधा ॥ 1) ‘देवी … रोदसी … जनित्री’—तीनों द्विवचन प्रथमा में समानाधिकरण (apposition) हैं: ‘दो देवियाँ = द्यावा-पृथिवी’। 2) ‘वावृधतुः’ लिट् 3द्वि: कर्ता = देवी/रोदसी। 3) ‘दक्षाय्याय’ चतुर्थी एकवचन: ‘दक्ष’ से व्युत्पन्न
- RV में -āyya- प्रकार के विशेषण मिलते हैं। 4) ‘दक्षत’ और ‘करत्’—लोट् 3एकवचन (आशीर्लिङ्/आज्ञार्थ-प्रयोग): ‘let …’. 5) ‘सुतरा सुगाधा’—क्रियाविशेषण + विधेय-विशेषण
- अर्थ: ‘(मार्ग/प्रार्थना) अत्यन्त सुगम-तरणीय हो’।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Heaven-and-Earth (Rodasī), the two divine Mothers, by their greatness have increased Bṛhaspati. The companions are urged to become skilled in discernment-work and to make for the brahman (sacred word/power) a safe, easy crossing (ford).
Inner meaning
Rodasī (the two worlds: higher and lower consciousness) give birth to and continually enlarge Bṛhaspati—the power of the inspired Word that builds the inner order. The seekers (sakhāyaḥ) are asked to grow in dakṣa (discerning skill, right executive intelligence) so that the mantra-force (brahman) can cross the difficult passage between obscurity and light—an inner ‘ford’ from the divided mind to the illumined mind.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth requires a harmonized support from ‘above and below’ (higher aspiration and embodied life). When discernment becomes skillful and steady, the Word of truth becomes a reliable bridge across inner uncertainty and resistance.
Themes
Cosmic parents of the god, Cultivation of discernment, Mantra as crossing, Communal exhortation
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha (Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi)
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.1, RV 7.18, RV 7.97, RV 7.98
Family tradition
Saptaṛṣi lineage; hymns emphasize ṛta, inner harmony, and the power of inspired speech.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s vision often unites cosmic order (ṛta) with practical inner discipline: the Word (brahman) must be made ‘fordable’ through trained discernment and wideness.
The deity
- Devata
- Bṛhaspati (supported by Rodasī)
- Epithets
- Brahmaṇaspati (lord of the brahman/word), Bṛhat (the Vast), Purohita (inner priest/leader)
- Related deities
- Agni, Indra, Sarasvatī, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Guardian and awakener of inspired speech; opener of paths; establisher of right order in the sacrifice.
Inner power
Mantric illumination that breaks confusion, founds right understanding, and builds a stable bridge from lower to higher consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Bṛhaspati-related stotras in Soma sacrifice contexts; also used as praise to strengthen brahman-force before offerings.
दे॒वी दे॒वस्य॒ रोद॑सी॒ जनि॑त्री॒ बृह॒स्पतिं॑ वावृधतुर्महि॒त्वा । द॒क्षाय्या॑य दक्षता सखाय॒: कर॒द्ब्रह्म॑णे सु॒तरा॑ सुगा॒धा ॥
दे॒वी । दे॒वस्य॑ । रोद॑सी॒ इति॑ । जनि॑त्री॒ इति॑ । बृह॒स्पति॑म् । वावृधतुर् महि॒त्वा । द॒क्षाय्या॑य दक्षता सखाय॒ह्क् कर॒द् ब्रह्म॑णे सु॒तरा॑ सुगा॒धा ॥
devī | devasya | rodasī iti | janitrī iti | bṛhaspatim | vāvṛdhatur mahitvā | dakṣāyyāya
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Firm, forward-driving cadence with room for expansive clauses.
Builds a sense of widening and ascent; supports ‘crossing’ imagery by a steady, bridging rhythm.
- रोदसी (rodasī)
- Literal: Heaven and Earth (the two worlds). Symbolic: higher and lower planes of consciousness; mind-life/body in harmony with the supramental/heavenly principle
- जनित्री (janitrī)
- Literal: mothers, generators. Symbolic: the generative powers that birth and sustain inner realization
- बृहस्पति (bṛhaspati)
- Literal: lord of the vast (prayer/word). Symbolic: illumined speech and truth-discerning wisdom that organizes the inner sacrifice
- महित्वा (mahitvā)
- Literal: by greatness. Symbolic: by wideness of being; expansion beyond narrow ego-limits
- दक्ष (dakṣa) / दक्षाय्याय (dakṣāyyāya)
- Literal: skill, capacity; for discernment-work. Symbolic: right discrimination and effective inner action; luminous intelligence applied in practice
- ब्रह्मन् (brahman)
- Literal: sacred formulation, prayer; also vastness. Symbolic: mantric truth-force; the creative Word that carries consciousness across states
- सुतरा (sutarā) / सुगाधा (sugādhā)
- Literal: very safe / easy to ford. Symbolic: a stable inner passage; a dependable transition into clarity and peace
Instructional/communal verse: aligns the officiants/companions to cultivate dakṣa (ritual and inner skill) so the brahman becomes ‘sutarā sugādhā’—effective and safely traversable toward the goal.
During Soma rites or recitations invoking brahman/word-power and right guidance.
Recitation to empower the priestly utterance and secure auspicious passage/continuity of the rite.
Before study/teaching/meditation: invoke ‘two worlds’ harmony (body-life with mind-spirit) and ask for a safe inner transition into clarity.
rodasī: dual of rodas- ‘heaven/space’ and ‘earth’ as paired worlds; archetypal dyad. vāvṛdhatur: perfect of √vṛdh ‘grow’ indicating established increase. dakṣa: skill, competence, discerning power; central to effective brahman. su-tara: from √tṛ ‘cross’ (PIE *terh₂- ‘cross over’). gādhā: from √gāh ‘to plunge/enter’—a firm ford, easy entry into the depth of brahman.
Dakṣa (right skill/intelligence), Brahman as path/ford to the beyond, Cosmic support of realization (Rodasī nurturing the Word-power)
Rodasī harmonized and Bṛhaspati increased indicates alignment of the two worlds under ṛta.
Truth becomes ‘fordable’ when speech is founded in discernment rather than impulse.
The Word as a creative bridge—manifesting order between heaven and earth within the seeker.
Proto-Vedāntic and yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): ascent and integration through mantric truth-force.
Heaven/Earth = higher/lower consciousness; ford = transition from ignorance to illumination through disciplined discrimination and mantra.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Heaven and Earth as Mothers increasing Bṛhaspati: the Word-lord is nourished by the cosmic foundations. Inner sense: higher and lower planes (mind and life/body) must harmonize to strengthen inspired speech; then disciplined skill (dakṣa) makes the brahman a safe crossing into wider truth.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The crossing lexeme √tṛ (su-tara) is a strong IE inheritance (*terh₂-). The dual Rodasī preserves archaic dual-number cosmology, a feature with parallels in other early IE traditions (paired sky/earth mythic structuring).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi mediates between cosmic and human: he notes the cosmic nurturing of the devatā and instructs the human comrades to become dakṣa so the devatā’s brahman can function as a reliable passage in the inner journey.
Unite ‘above and below’ in awareness; invoke the illumined Word to create a stable inner passage into clarity.
viśuddha (speech/mantra) and ājñā (discernment)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana or equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) while mentally repeating key phrases (dakṣāyyāya… sutarā sugādhā).
Widening (bṛhat) with quiet lucidity; a ‘bridging’ state between thought and intuition.
Begin with a felt sense of Heaven (aspiration) and Earth (body-life stability). Offer both to the inner priest (Bṛhaspati). Then cultivate dakṣa: notice impulses, select truth-supporting thoughts, and let the mantra form a calm crossing into silence.
Triṣṭubh recitation with Vedic accents (udātta/svarita/anudātta) preserved by śākhā tradition; apply udātta prominence on key nouns (devī, rodasī, bṛhaspatim, brahmaṇe).
Keep udātta syllables clear and slightly raised; svarita as a gentle fall; avoid flattening compounds (e.g., bṛhaspatíṃ).
Maintain retroflex ṛ in bṛhaspatiṃ (bṛ-), not ‘bri-’., : ‘ro-da-sī’ with long ī., : articulate gemination -yy- lightly but distinctly., : soft ‘gh’ (voiced aspirate), long ā at end.
Steady, resonant, priestly; emphasize ‘bridge-building’ calm.
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