Verses 1, 2, 3
त॒तं मे॒ अप॒स्तदु॑ तायते॒ पुनः॒ स्वादि॑ष्ठा धी॒तिरु॒चथा॑य शस्यते । अ॒यं स॑मु॒द्र इ॒ह वि॒श्वदे॑व्यः॒ स्वाहा॑कृतस्य॒ समु॑ तृप्णुत ऋभवः ॥
tatám me ápastádu tāyate púnaḥ svā́diṣṭhā dhītírucáthāya śasyate ǀ ayám samudrá ihá viśvádevyaḥ svā́hākṛtasya sámu tṛpṇuta ṛbhavaḥ ǁ
आ॒भो॒गयं॒ प्र यदि॒च्छंत॒ ऐत॒नापा॑काः॒ प्रांचो॒ मम॒ के चि॑दा॒पयः॑ । सौध॑न्वनासश्चरि॒तस्य॑ भू॒मनाग॑च्छत सवि॒तुर्दा॒शुषो॑ गृ॒हं ॥
ābhogáyam prá yádicchánta áitanā́pākāḥ prā́ñco máma ké cidāpáyaḥ ǀ sáudhanvanāsaścaritásya bhūmánā́gacchata savitúrdāśúṣo gṛhám ǁ
तत्स॑वि॒ता वो॑ऽमृत॒त्वमासु॑व॒दगो॑ह्यं॒ यच्छ्र॒वयं॑त॒ ऐत॑न । त्यं चि॑च्चम॒समसु॑रस्य॒ भक्ष॑ण॒मेकं॒ संत॑मकृणुता॒ चतु॑र्वयं ॥
tátsavitā́ vo’mṛtatvámā́suvadágohyam yácchraváyanta áitana ǀ tyám ciccamasámásurasya bhákṣaṇamékam sántamakṛṇutā cáturvayam ǁ
In this opening act, we enter the mystical workshop of the Ṛbhus—divine artisans who achieved immortality not through birth, but through supreme concentration, craftsmanship, and dedication to works of truth. The Ṛṣi proclaims that the sacrifice is extending outward, sweet and flowing, invoking these master-builders who are dear to all the gods. They are urged by Savitṛ, the divine instigator, to claim their divine status. The central marvel of this act is the fashioning of the single drinking cup (camasa) of the divine Tvāṣṭṛ into four. This legendary feat symbolizes the spiritual capacity to take the unified, undifferentiated divine consciousness and multiply its expressions without losing its essence. The Ṛbhus approach the home of Savitṛ, proving that human effort, perfected through tapas and skill, can bridge the mortal-immortal divide.
Verse 1: Spread out is this work of ours, extending anew; the sweetest prayer is chanted for the praise. This ocean, beloved of all gods, is here; O Ṛbhus, take your fill of the pressed Soma.
Verse 2: Seeking this attainment, they came forward, simple in ways, moving onward like my own kin. O sons of Sudhanvan, by the sheer greatness of your deeds, come to the house of Savitṛ, the bountiful giver.
Verse 3: Savitṛ impelled you toward immortality, that unhidden state toward which you went making it known. And the drinking-vessel of the Asura, being one, you made into four.
The translation reflects both the literal ritual narrative described by Sāyaṇa (where the Ṛbhus carved four cups out of one wooden bowl of Tvāṣṭṛ to win immortality) and the psychological interpretation favored by Sri Aurobindo, where the Ṛbhus represent mental powers that transmute human consciousness into divine immortality.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ऋभवः | ṛbhavaḥ | O Ṛbhus, the divine master-builders and artisans |
| समुद्रः | samudraḥ | Ocean, gathering place of waters or Soma |
| धीतिः | dhītiḥ | Thought, prayer, or vision |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सौधन्वनासः | saudhanvanāsaḥ | Sons of Sudhanvan, patronymic of the Ṛbhus |
| अपाकाः | apākāḥ | Simple, unassuming, or profound in understanding |
| सवितुः | savituḥ | Of Savitṛ, the divine impeller and creator |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अमृतत्वम् | amṛtatvam | Immortality, deathlessness |
| चमसम् | camasam | Soma-cup or vessel |
| चतुर्वयं | catuḥvayam | Fourfold, made into four parts |
Picture a master sculptor taking a single block of raw stone and miraculously carving four perfect, interconnected chalices from it—this is how the Ṛbhus multiplied the divine cup.
Verses 4, 5, 6
वि॒ष्ट्वी शमी॑ तरणि॒त्वेन॑ वा॒घतो॒ मर्ता॑सः॒ संतो॑ अमृत॒त्वमा॑नशुः । सौ॒ध॒न्व॒ना ऋ॒भवः॒ सूर॑चक्षसः संवत्स॒रे सम॑पृच्यंत धी॒तिभिः॑ ॥
viṣṭvī́ śámī taraṇitvéna vāgháto mártāsaḥ sánto amṛtatvámānaśuḥ ǀ saudhanvanā́ ṛbhávaḥ sū́racakṣasaḥ saṃvatsaré sámapṛcyanta dhītíbhiḥ ǁ
क्षेत्र॑मिव॒ वि म॑मु॒स्तेज॑नेनँ॒ एकं॒ पात्र॑मृ॒भवो॒ जेह॑मानं । उप॑स्तुता उप॒मं नाध॑माना॒ अम॑र्त्येषु॒ श्रव॑ इ॒च्छमा॑नाः ॥
kṣétramiva ví mamustéjanenam̐ ékam pā́tramṛbhávo jéhamānam ǀ úpastutā upamám nā́dhamānā ámartyeṣu śráva icchámānāḥ ǁ
आ म॑नी॒षामं॒तरि॑क्षस्य॒ नृभ्यः॑ स्रु॒चेव॑ घृ॒तं जु॑हवाम वि॒द्मना॑ । त॒र॒णि॒त्वा ये पि॒तुर॑स्य सश्चि॒र ऋ॒भवो॒ वाज॑मरुहंदि॒वो रजः॑ ॥
ā́ manīṣā́mantárikṣasya nṛ́bhyaḥ srucéva ghṛtám juhavāma vidmánā ǀ taraṇitvā́ yé pitúrasya saścirá ṛbhávo vā́jamaruhandivó rájaḥ ǁ
In this second movement, the Ṛṣi examines the mechanics of how mortals cross over into the divine realms. It is through intense spiritual labor (viṣṭvī śamī), swift energy (taraṇitva), and devotion that these mortal singers attained immortality. They measured out the field of existence with a measuring rod, just as a farmer measures his land, turning a single trembling vessel into a magnificent receptacle of grace. The Ṛṣi then offers his own mind as an oblation, pouring out the clarified butter of insight from the ladle of the heart into the antarikṣa (mid-region) for the divine lords. Through their supreme kinetic energy, the Ṛbhus climbed even to the luminous realm of heaven, scaling the heights of the divine sun.
Verse 4: Through zealous work, peaceful mastery, and swift endeavor, they being mortals attained immortality. The Ṛbhus, sons of Sudhanvan, of solar vision, in the course of a year united intimately with these thoughts.
Verse 5: Like a field measured out with a measuring rod, they measured the single trembling vessel, praised and exalted, begging for the supreme renown among the immortals.
Verse 6: We pour out the thought of the mid-world for the lords, as with a sacrificial ladle filled with ghee, through inner knowledge. By their swift energy, they who clung to this nourishment, the Ṛbhus, ascended to the heaven-world.
Yāska in the Nirukta emphasizes the cosmic ingenuity of the Ṛbhus, while Sāyaṇa details the legendary twelve-day sacrifice (Ahīna) associated with their yearly attainment. The symbolic layer portrays the ego's mastery over the physical and vital sheaths.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मर्तासः | martāsaḥ | Mortals, human beings |
| सूरचक्षसः | sūracakṣasaḥ | Having the vision or eyes of the sun |
| संवत्सरे | saṃvatsare | In the course of a year, signifying a complete cycle of effort |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| क्षेत्रमिव | kṣetramiva | Like a field |
| तेजनेन | tejanena | With a measuring rod or reed |
| जेहमानम् | jehamānam | Pantining, moving, or trembling |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मनीषाम् | manīṣām | Thought, insight, or intellect |
| स्रुचेव | srucāiva | Like a sacrificial wooden ladle |
| दिवो रजः | divo rajaḥ | The realm or atmosphere of heaven |
Imagine a tireless surveyor walking across vast, untamed fields at dawn, carefully staking out sacred boundaries under the bright rays of the morning sun.
Verses 7, 8, 9
ऋ॒भुर्न॒ इंद्रः॒ शव॑सा॒ नवी॑यानृ॒भुर्वाजे॑भि॒र्वसु॑भि॒र्वसु॑र्द॒दिः । यु॒ष्माकं॑ देवा॒ अव॒साह॑नि प्रि॒ये॒३॒॑ऽभि ति॑ष्ठेम पृत्सु॒तीरसु॑न्वतां ॥
ṛbhúrna índraḥ śávasā návīyānṛbhúrvā́jebhirvásubhirvásurdadíḥ ǀ yuṣmā́kam devā ávasā́hani priyé’bhí tiṣṭhema pṛtsutī́rásunvatām ǁ
निश्चर्म॑ण ऋभवो॒ गाम॑पिंशत॒ सं व॒त्सेना॑सृजता मा॒तरं॒ पुनः॑ । सौध॑न्वनासः स्वप॒स्यया॑ नरो॒ जिव्री॒ युवा॑ना पि॒तरा॑कृणोतन ॥
níścármaṇa ṛbhavo gā́mapiṃśata sám vatsénāsṛjatā mātáram púnaḥ ǀ sáudhanvanāsaḥ svapasyáyā naro jívrī yúvānā pitárākṛṇotana ǁ
वाजे॑भिर्नो॒ वाज॑सातावविड्ढ्यृभु॒माँ इं॑द्र चि॒त्रमा द॑र्षि॒ राधः॑ । तन्नो॑ मि॒त्रो वरु॑णो मामहंता॒मदि॑तिः॒ सिंधुः॑ पृथि॒वी उ॒त द्यौः ॥
vā́jebhirno vā́jasātāvaviḍḍhyṛbhumā́m̐ indra citrámā́ darṣi rā́dhaḥ ǀ tánno mitró váruṇo māmahantāmáditiḥ síndhuḥ pṛthivī́ utá dyáuḥ ǁ
The concluding act brings us face-to-face with the crowning miracles of the Ṛbhus: their ability to rejuvenate their aged parents (Heaven and Earth, or the primordial pair) and to strip away the old hide to make them young again. This biological and cosmic restoration mirrors the inner renewal of the human seeker. The Ṛṣi invokes Indra, who shares the powers of the Ṛbhus, and calls upon all cosmic guardians—Mitra, Varuṇa, Aditi, Sindhu, Earth, and Heaven—to shower wealth and victory upon the truthful singers. The Ṛbhus are thus established as masters of abundance, granting both material thriving and spiritual victory.
Verse 7: Indra is like a Ṛbhu in might, ever newer; the Ṛbhu is a bestower of treasures with his wealth and forces. O gods, may we, by your protection on that dear day, overcome the battle-hordes of the non-sacrificers.
Verse 8: Out of the hide, O Ṛbhus, you fashioned the cow, and reunited the mother with her calf. O sons of Sudhanvan, with your consummate craftsmanship, O heroes, you made the aged parents young again.
Verse 9: Help us in the winning of prize and power, O Indra accompanied by the Ṛbhus, and grant us wondrous wealth. May Mitra, Varuṇa, Aditi, Sindhu, Earth, and Heaven magnify this prayer of ours.
Commentators debate whether the 'hides' and 'parents' refer literally to ritual myths or cosmic principles. Sri Aurobindo views the rejuvenation of the parents as the renewal of the dual principles of Dyaus (Heaven) and Pṛthivī (Earth) within the human subtle body, lifting physical existence into divine consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| नवीयान् | navīyān | Newer, fresher, more vigorous |
| वाजेभिः | vājebhiḥ | With energies, prizes, or spiritual wealth |
| पृत्सुतीः | pṛtsutīḥ | Battles, hostile onslaughts |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| चर्मणः | carmaṇaḥ | From the skin or hide |
| पितरा | pitarā | The two parents (Heaven and Earth) |
| युवाना | yuvānā | Young, youthful |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वाजसातौ | vājasātau | In the winning of prize, wealth, or spiritual victory |
| ऋभुमान् | ṛbhumān | Accompanied or endowed with the powers of the Ṛbhus |
| अदितिः | aditiḥ | The indivisible cosmic mother |
Picture elderly, frail parents entering a magical fountain of light and emerging radiant, vibrant youths, while a golden rain of divine gifts pours down from the sky.