Verses 1, 2
आ त्वा॒ जुवो॑ रारहा॒णा अ॒भि प्रयो॒ वायो॒ वहं॑त्वि॒ह पू॒र्वपी॑तये॒ सोम॑स्य पू॒र्वपी॑तये । ऊ॒र्ध्वा ते॒ अनु॑ सू॒नृता॒ मन॑स्तिष्ठतु जान॒ती । नि॒युत्व॑ता॒ रथे॒ना या॑हि दा॒वने॒ वायो॑ म॒खस्य॑ दा॒वने॑ ॥
ā́ tvā júvo rārahāṇā́ abhí práyo vā́yo váhantvihá pūrvápītaye sómasya pūrvápītaye ǀ ūrdhvā́ te ánu sūnṛ́tā mánastiṣṭhatu jānatī́ ǀ niyútvatā ráthenā́ yāhi dāváne vā́yo makhásya dāváne ǁ
मंदं॑तु त्वा मं॒दिनो॑ वाय॒विंद॑वो॒ऽस्मत्क्रा॒णासः॒ सुकृ॑ता अ॒भिद्य॑वो॒ गोभिः॑ क्रा॒णा अ॒भिद्य॑वः । यद्ध॑ क्रा॒णा इ॒रध्यै॒ दक्षं॒ सचं॑त ऊ॒तयः॑ । स॒ध्री॒ची॒ना नि॒युतो॑ दा॒वने॒ धिय॒ उप॑ ब्रुवत ईं॒ धियः॑ ॥
mándantu tvā mandíno vāyavíndavo’smátkrāṇā́saḥ súkṛtā abhídyavo góbhiḥ krāṇā́ abhídyavaḥ ǀ yáddha krāṇā́ irádhyai dákṣam sácanta ūtáyaḥ ǀ sadhrīcīnā́ niyúto dāváne dhíya úpa bruvata īm dhíyaḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi Vāmadeva or another poet of the Vāyu tradition invokes the wind-god, Vāyu, to hasten toward the sacrifice on his swift, harnessed chariot. Vāyu is not merely a physical breeze; he is the cosmic breath, the life-force (Prāṇa) that quickens all movement and consciousness. The poet urges Vāyu to partake of the Soma first, setting the divine hierarchy where the breath of life receives the primary draught. The hymns describe the exhilarating speed of Vāyu's teams—radiant and eager—racing to the offering. Following this arrival, the second verse speaks of the exhilarating drops of Soma that gladden Vāyu. These pressed drops, well-crafted and shining like the light of day, draw the deity's attention. The mind of Vāyu, characterized by the light of truth (sūnṛtā), is called upon to direct his harnessed teams toward the generous giver. The sacrificial intelligence and the hymns of the priests entreat Vāyu to bestow his bounties, sealing a dynamic bond between human aspiration and divine speed.
Verse 1: May your radiant teams bear you hither, O Vāyu, rejoicing, to partake first of the Soma draught. May your conscious, truthful mind stand upright toward us, and with your harnessed chariot, come swiftly to grant the boon of the sacred rite.
Verse 2: May these gladdening, well-crafted drops of Soma—shining bright as day—exhilarate you, O Vāyu. When these deeds are wrought for abundance, your harnessed teams turn directly toward our prayers.
The translation adheres closely to Sāyaṇa's ritualistic commentary while retaining the symbolic resonance highlighted by Sri Aurobindo, where Vāyu represents the dynamic life-breath (Prāṇa) that activates the spiritual faculties.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वायु | vāyu | O Vāyu, the deity of wind and breath |
| पूर्वपीतये | pūrvapītaye | for the first drinking or draught |
| नियुत्वता | niyutvatā | equipped with harnessed teams |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मन्दन्तु | mandantu | may they exhilarate or gladden |
| इन्दवः | indavaḥ | the drops of pressed Soma |
| नियुतः | niyutaḥ | harnessed teams or winds |
Picture a magnificent chariot drawn by restless, shining steeds racing through the morning sky, stopping instantly at the altar the moment the sweet aroma of Soma fills the air.
Verses 3, 4
वा॒युर्युं॑क्ते॒ रोहि॑ता वा॒युर॑रु॒णा वा॒यू रथे॑ अजि॒रा धु॒रि वोळ्ह॑वे॒ वहि॑ष्ठा धु॒रि वोळ्ह॑वे । प्र बो॑धया॒ पुरं॑धिं जा॒र आ स॑स॒तीमि॑व । प्र च॑क्षय॒ रोद॑सी वासयो॒षसः॒ श्रव॑से वासयो॒षसः॑ ॥
vāyúryuṅkte róhitā vāyúraruṇā́ vāyū́ ráthe ajirā́ dhurí vóḷhave váhiṣṭhā dhurí vóḷhave ǀ prá bodhayā púraṃdhim jārá ā́ sasatī́miva ǀ prá cakṣaya ródasī vāsayoṣásaḥ śrávase vāsayoṣásaḥ ǁ
तुभ्य॑मु॒षासः॒ शुच॑यः परा॒वति॑ भ॒द्रा वस्त्रा॑ तन्वते॒ दंसु॑ र॒श्मिषु॑ चि॒त्रा नव्ये॑षु र॒श्मिषु॑ । तुभ्यं॑ धे॒नुः स॑ब॒र्दुघा॒ विश्वा॒ वसू॑नि दोहते । अज॑नयो म॒रुतो॑ व॒क्षणा॑भ्यो दि॒व आ व॒क्षणा॑भ्यः ॥
túbhyamuṣā́saḥ śúcayaḥ parāváti bhadrā́ vástrā tanvate dáṃsu raśmíṣu citrā́ návyeṣu raśmíṣu ǀ túbhyam dhenúḥ sabardúghā víśvā vásūni dohate ǀ ájanayo marúto vakṣáṇābhyo divá ā́ vakṣáṇābhyaḥ ǁ
Verse three paints a vivid picture of Vāyu harnessing his teams—red (rohitā), ruddy (aruṇā), and incredibly swift—to the pole of his chariot. These are the vahiṣṭhā, the most carrier-capable steeds that pull with lightning speed. As Vāyu moves, he acts as an awakener: he rouses the inner intelligence (puramdhi) just as an ardent lover awakens a sleeping maiden, and he illuminates the two worlds (heaven and earth) while clothing the dawns in light for the sake of divine glory. Continuing this luminous imagery, the fourth verse addresses Vāyu as the recipient of the bright dawns that weave their beautiful garments in the distant realms of space. For Vāyu, the milch-cow (dhenu) yielding abundant streams pours forth all treasures. Furthermore, Vāyu is celebrated as the generator of the Maruts—the storm-gods of dynamic vital energy—who spring forth from the great waters and the heights of heaven.
Verse 3: Vāyu yokes his red steeds, his ruddy steeds, swift at the pole to bear him, the most powerful to carry. Awaken our inner intelligence like a lover waking a sleeping maiden, and make the two worlds shine, clothing the dawns in light for our glory.
Verse 4: For you, O Vāyu, the bright dawns weave their fair garments in the distance, and the rich-yielding cow milks forth all treasures. You are the one who generates the Maruts from the vast waters and the heights of heaven.
Yāska in the Nirukta notes the significance of Vāyu's colors representing the varied frequencies of light and breath at dawn. The imagery of the lover waking the sleeping maiden is a traditional Vedic metaphor for the quickening of dormant consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| रोहिता | rohitā | red horses |
| अरुणा | aruṇā | ruddy or reddish-brown horses |
| पुरम्धिम् | puramdhim | inner wisdom, intelligence, or abundance |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| उषसः | uṣasaḥ | the dawns |
| सबर्दुघा | sabardughā | yielding rich milk or bounty |
| मरुतः | marutaḥ | the Maruts, deities of storm and wind |
Imagine a master charioteer hitching brilliant red and gold horses to his chariot, instantly chasing away the lingering shadows of night and waking up the world with pure vitality.
Verses 5, 6
तुभ्यं॑ शु॒क्रासः॒ शुच॑यस्तुर॒ण्यवो॒ मदे॑षू॒ग्रा इ॑षणंत भु॒र्वण्य॒पामि॑षंत भु॒र्वणि॑ । त्वां त्सा॒री दस॑मानो॒ भग॑मीट्टे तक्व॒वीये॑ । त्वं विश्व॑स्मा॒द्भुव॑नात्पासि॒ धर्म॑णासु॒र्या॑त्पासि॒ धर्म॑णा ॥
túbhyam śukrā́saḥ śúcayasturaṇyávo mádeṣūgrā́ iṣaṇanta bhurváṇyapā́miṣanta bhurváṇi ǀ tvā́m tsārī́ dásamāno bhágamīṭṭe takvavī́ye ǀ tvám víśvasmādbhúvanātpāsi dhármaṇāsuryā́tpāsi dhármaṇā ǁ
त्वं नो॑ वायवेषा॒मपू॑र्व्यः॒ सोमा॑नां प्रथ॒मः पी॒तिम॑र्हसि सु॒तानां॑ पी॒तिम॑र्हसि । उ॒तो वि॒हुत्म॑तीनां वि॒शां व॑व॒र्जुषी॑णां । विश्वा॒ इत्ते॑ धे॒नवो॑ दुह्र आ॒शिरं॑ घृ॒तं दु॑ह्रत आ॒शिरं॑ ॥
tvám no vāyaveṣāmápūrvyaḥ sómānām prathamáḥ pītímarhasi sutā́nām pītímarhasi ǀ utó vihútmatīnām viśā́m vavarjúṣīṇām ǀ víśvā ítte dhenávo duhra āśíram ghṛtám duhrata āśíram ǁ
The final movement of the Sūkta elevates Vāyu to a supreme cosmic protector. Verse five describes his bright, pure, and speeding forces surging forth in the intoxication of the rituals, rushing toward the waters and the active spheres of action. The poet approaches Vāyu as a seeker invoking divine fortune (Bhaga) during rapid heroic endeavors. He is recognized as the ultimate guardian who protects all existence and the divine law (ṛta/dharma) from spiritual falsehood or chaotic forces. The Sūkta concludes with a triumphant affirmation: Vāyu is acknowledged as the foremost and most ancient recipient among all who drink the Soma. All the streams of devotion and the varied paths of humanity converge upon him. For Vāyu, all sacred cows of abundance perpetually yield their milk mixed with sweetness, securing the endless flow of cosmic grace.
Verse 5: For you, bright, pure, and speeding, surge forward in the exultations, rushing toward the waters. Striving in swift feats, we invoke you as Bhaga. You protect every creature and shield the universe from falsehood by your eternal law.
Verse 6: You, O Vāyu, are the very first among these Somas to deserve the draught of pressed juices. To you turn all the twisting paths of human clans, and for you alone do all the milch-cows yield their sweet, flowing milk.
Sāyaṇa interprets 'asuryāt' as protection from demonic or chaotic influences, while modern spiritual interpretations see it as safeguarding the soul from untruth and ignorance, aligning with the broader Vedic concept of Ṛta.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| शुक्रासः | śukrāsaḥ | bright, radiant ones |
| भगम् | bhagam | lordship, fortune, or share |
| धर्मणा | dharmaṇā | by the cosmic law or ordinance |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अपूर्वྱः | apūrvyaḥ | unprecedented, primary, or most ancient |
| धेनवः | dhenavaḥ | milch cows representing bounties |
| घृतम् | ghṛtam | clarified butter or life-essence |
Envision an inexhaustible spring at the center of the universe where all rivers of life and streams of milk flow endlessly, sustained by the unseen breath of the wind-god.