Verses 1, 2
प्र वः॒ पांत॒मंध॑सो धियाय॒ते म॒हे शूरा॑य॒ विष्ण॑वे चार्चत । या सानु॑नि॒ पर्व॑ताना॒मदा॑भ्या म॒हस्त॒स्थतु॒रर्व॑तेव सा॒धुना॑ ॥
prá vaḥ pā́ntamándhaso dhiyāyaté mahé śū́rāya víṣṇave cārcata ǀ yā́ sā́nuni párvatānāmádābhyā mahástastháturárvateva sādhúnā ǁ
त्वे॒षमि॒त्था स॒मर॑णं॒ शिमी॑वतो॒रिंद्रा॑विष्णू सुत॒पा वा॑मुरुष्यति । या मर्त्या॑य प्रतिधी॒यमा॑न॒मित्कृ॒शानो॒रस्तु॑रस॒नामु॑रु॒ष्यथः॑ ॥
tveṣámitthā́ samáraṇam śímīvatoríndrāviṣṇū sutapā́ vāmuruṣyati ǀ yā́ mártyāya pratidhīyámānamítkṛśā́norásturasanā́muruṣyáthaḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi summons the poetic community to sing praise to the mighty, invincible pair: Indra and Viṣṇu. They stand firm like two great mountain peaks, unshakeable and smooth as moving steeds, holding the vault of existence together. Their divine dynamism is highlighted through their protective grace. When the fierce arrow of Kṛśānu—a celestial archer guarding the heavenly soma—is notched against the mortal seeker, Indra and Viṣṇu step in as the ultimate guardians, turning away danger and securing the welfare of human aspiration. Here, the collaborative vigor of Indra (the dynamic power of the divine mind conquering darkness) and Viṣṇu (the all-pervading cosmic space that accommodates the divine light) creates a bulwark against spiritual peril. The verses contrast human frailty with the steadfast, mountain-like protection of these deities, assuring the worshipper that divine grace is an active, shielding presence in the theater of spiritual battle.
Verse 1: Offer your song to the mighty, victorious Viṣṇu, who with Indra stands unshakeable like twin mountain peaks, sustaining the flowing soma for the seeker of truth.
Verse 2: Where Indra and Viṣṇu meet in the fierce battle of life, they protect the mortal who presses the soma, shielding him even from the flying arrow of Kṛśānu.
Sāyaṇa interprets these verses through the lens of ritual sacrifice and mythological defense against celestial guardians of Soma, whereas Sri Aurobindo sees Indra as the luminous mind and Viṣṇu as the pervading vastness protecting the human soul on its inner journey.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| प्र | pra | forward, forth |
| विष्णवे | viṣṇave | to Viṣṇu (the all-pervading deity) |
| शूराय | śūrāya | to the hero, the mighty one |
| पर्वतानाम् | parvatānām | of the mountains |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्राविष्णू | indrāviṣṇū | Indra and Viṣṇu as a dual divinity |
| मर्त्याय | martyāya | for the mortal human |
| कृशानोः | kṛśānoḥ | of Kṛśānu (the celestial archer) |
| उरुष्यतः | uruṣyathaḥ | you two rescue/protect |
Picture two massive, unyielding mountain peaks standing side by side against a stormy sky, catching every hostile arrow and turning it into harmless dust through divine friendship.
Verses 3, 4, 5
ता ईं॑ वर्धंति॒ मह्य॑स्य॒ पौंस्यं॒ नि मा॒तरा॑ नयति॒ रेत॑से भु॒जे । दधा॑ति पु॒त्रोऽव॑रं॒ परं॑ पि॒तुर्नाम॑ तृ॒तीय॒मधि॑ रोच॒ने दि॒वः ॥
tā́ īm vardhanti máhyasya páuṃsyam ní mātárā nayati rétase bhujé ǀ dádhāti putró’varam páram pitúrnā́ma tṛtī́yamádhi rocané diváḥ ǁ
तत्त॒दिद॑स्य॒ पौंस्यं॑ गृणीमसी॒नस्य॑ त्रा॒तुर॑वृ॒कस्य॑ मी॒ळ्हुषः॑ । यः पार्थि॑वानि त्रि॒भिरिद्विगा॑मभिरु॒रु क्रमि॑ष्टोरुगा॒याय॑ जी॒वसे॑ ॥
táttadídasya páuṃsyam gṛṇīmasīnásya trātúravṛkásya mīḷhúṣaḥ ǀ yáḥ pā́rthivāni tribhírídvígāmabhirurú krámiṣṭorugāyā́ya jīváse ǁ
द्वे इद॑स्य॒ क्रम॑णे स्व॒र्दृशो॑ऽभि॒ख्याय॒ मर्त्यो॑ भुरण्यति । तृ॒तीय॑मस्य॒ नकि॒रा द॑धर्षति॒ वय॑श्च॒न प॒तयं॑तः पत॒त्रिणः॑ ॥
dvé ídasya krámaṇe svardṛ́śo’bhikhyā́ya mártyo bhuraṇyati ǀ tṛtī́yamasya nákirā́ dadharṣati váyaścaná patáyantaḥ patatríṇaḥ ǁ
This act delves into the profound cosmology of Viṣṇu's famous three strides. The Ṛṣi describes how cosmic powers nourish the supreme heroic might of Viṣṇu, whose actions bridge the earthly and celestial realms. The son (the embodied soul or the manifest universe) establishes the lower and higher abodes of the Father, culminating in that ultimate third step situated in the highest luminous region of heaven—a realm so sacred and vast that neither soaring birds nor ordinary mortals can violate or fathom it. We are invited to contemplate the vastness of the divine expanse. Two of Viṣṇu's steps are easily comprehended by those who gaze upon the light of heaven, but the third step remains an absolute mystery, defying the reach of even the swiftest winged creatures of thought and breath. It represents the transcendental status of the Supreme, beyond all empirical measurement.
Verse 3: They nourish his immense heroism; the son establishes the lower and the upper status of the Father, even the third step in the luminous realm of heaven.
Verse 4: We sing of this great heroism of the bountiful, wolf-free protector, who with three grand strides traversed the earthly realms for the sake of man's wide-striding life.
Verse 5: The mortal beholds only two strides of this god of light, but his third stride no one dares to challenge, not even the swiftest birds in their flight.
Yāska in the Nirukta famously explains Viṣṇu's three steps as covering the earth, the atmosphere, and the sky (or the rising, culmination, and setting of the sun), while esoteric commentators view them as the physical, mental, and transcendental states of consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पौंस्यम् | pauṃsyam | manliness, heroic strength |
| पुत्रः | putraḥ | the son |
| पितुः | pituḥ | of the father |
| तृतीयम् | tṛtīyam | the third (step) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| त्रातुः | trātuḥ | of the protector |
| अवृकस्य | avṛkasya | free from wolves/harm, safe |
| पार्थिवानि | pārthivāni | earthly realms |
| उरुगायाय | urugāyāya | for the wide-going/wide-striding existence |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| क्रमणे | kramaṇe | strides, paces |
| स्वर्दृशः | svar-dṛśaḥ | seeing the light/heaven |
| भुरण्यति | bhuraṇyati | strives, eagerly looks |
| पतत्रिणः | patatriṇaḥ | winged ones, birds |
Imagine a giant stepping across two mountain ranges with ease, while his third step vanishes into the blazing sun where no eagle's wing dares to flutter.
Verses 6
च॒तुर्भिः॑ सा॒कं न॑व॒तिं च॒ नाम॑भिश्च॒क्रं न वृ॒त्तं व्यतीँ॑रवीविपत् । बृ॒हच्छ॑रीरो वि॒मिमा॑न॒ ऋक्व॑भि॒र्युवाकु॑मारः॒ प्रत्ये॑त्याह॒वं ॥
catúrbhiḥ sākám navatím ca nā́mabhiścakrám ná vṛttám vyátīm̐ravīvipat ǀ bṛháccharīro vimímāna ṛ́kvabhiryúvā́kumāraḥ prátyetyāhavám ǁ
The Sūkta culminates in a breathtaking cosmological image: the turning of the great wheel of time. With ninety-four names (or configurations of cyclical time, encompassing the seasons and lunar months), Viṣṇu sets the circular wheel in motion without a break, causing the opponents of order to tremble. He is described as one of vast body (bṛhaccharīra), measuring out the universe through sacred chants, eternally youthful yet wise—an ever-living presence who steps forth to meet every spiritual challenge in the cosmic arena. This final verse encapsulates the majesty of the Vedic macrocosm, where time is not a linear decay but a revolving wheel governed by divine rhythm. The singer hails the deity not as an aging monarch, but as a youthful warrior of infinite expanse who constantly regenerates the cosmic order through song.
Verse 6: With ninety and four names he spins the turning wheel like a revolving chariot disk without break; vast-bodied and measuring out with hymns, the youthful, ageless one steps forth to the battle.
Traditional commentators debate the exact mathematical symbolism of the 'ninety-four names' (often linked to the 360 days divided by seasons or cyclical time units), while spiritual commentators see the turning wheel as the unbroken continuity of cosmic law (Ṛta) driven by the divine force.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| नवतिम् | navatim | ninety |
| चक्रम् | cakram | wheel, disk |
| बृहच्छरीरः | bṛhat-śarīraḥ | having a vast body |
| युवा | yuvā | youthful |
| अकुमारः | akumāraḥ | no longer a child, vigorous youth |
| आहवम् | āhavam | the call, the battle/invocation |
Visualize a magnificent, glowing cosmic potter's wheel spinning effortlessly through the seasons, guided by an eternally youthful giant whose voice resonates across all dimensions.