Verses 1, 2
प्र द्यावा॑ य॒ज्ञैः पृ॑थि॒वी ऋ॑ता॒वृधा॑ म॒ही स्तु॑षे वि॒दथे॑षु॒ प्रचे॑तसा । दे॒वेभि॒र्ये दे॒वपु॑त्रे सु॒दंस॑से॒त्था धि॒या वार्या॑णि प्र॒भूष॑तः ॥
prá dyā́vā yajñáiḥ pṛthivī́ ṛtāvṛ́dhā mahī́ stuṣe vidátheṣu prácetasā ǀ devébhiryé deváputre sudáṃsasetthā́ dhiyā́ vā́ryāṇi prabhū́ṣataḥ ǁ
उ॒त म॑न्ये पि॒तुर॒द्रुहो॒ मनो॑ मा॒तुर्महि॒ स्वत॑व॒स्तद्धवी॑मभिः । सु॒रेत॑सा पि॒तरा॒ भूम॑ चक्रतुरु॒रु प्र॒जाया॑ अ॒मृतं॒ वरी॑मभिः ॥
utá manye pitúradrúho máno mātúrmáhi svátavastáddhávīmabhiḥ ǀ surétasā pitárā bhū́ma cakratururú prajā́yā amṛ́tam várīmabhiḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi approaches the primordial dualities of existence—Heaven and Earth (Dyāvāpṛthivī)—not merely as inert natural phenomena, but as living, conscious powers. They are ṛtāvṛdhā, 'growers of truth,' and pracetasā, deeply wise. The poet praises them during the sacrificial sessions (vidatheṣu), recognizing that they are the divine parents (devaputre) whose wondrous deeds (sudhaṃsasa) sustain all auspicious things (vāryāṇi). In the second verse, the Ṛṣi deepens his inner contemplation, reaching out to the mind of the Father, who is free from deceit (adruhaḥ), and the vast might of the Mother, self-luminous (svatavas). Through oblations and prayers, these two divine parents, rich in vital energy (suretasā), grant vastness and immortality to their offspring—humanity itself.
Verse 1: I praise Heaven and Earth, the vast, wise nourishers of the cosmic order during the sacrificial rites, who together with the gods and wondrous skill ever magnify our cherished boons.
Verse 2: Moreover, I meditate upon the un-deceitful mind of the Father and the vast, self-powerful might of the Mother; with offerings they have made the boundless expanse for their progeny, pouring forth immortality.
Sāyaṇa interprets these verses through the lens of ritual sacrifice, where Heaven and Earth are invoked to bring physical rain and abundance. Sri Aurobindo views them psychologically and spiritually: Heaven (Dyau) represents the pure mental or supramental light, and Earth (Pṛthivī) the physical foundation, both of which must grow in truth for spiritual birth to occur.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| द्यावापृथिवी | dyāvāpṛthivī | Heaven and Earth |
| ऋतावृधा | ṛtāvṛdhā | increasers of the cosmic truth (ṛta) |
| प्रचेतसा | pracetasā | deeply wise or conscious |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अद्रुहः | adruhaḥ | free from malice or deceit |
| स्वतवसः | svatavasaḥ | self-strong, self-luminous |
| अमृतम् | amṛtam | immortality, the undying principle |
Picture a cosmic mother and father embracing the entire universe, pouring immortal nectar into the lap of their children.
Verses 3, 4, 5
ते सू॒नवः॒ स्वप॑सः सु॒दंस॑सो म॒ही ज॑ज्ञुर्मा॒तरा॑ पू॒र्वचि॑त्तये । स्था॒तुश्च॑ स॒त्यं जग॑तश्च॒ धर्म॑णि पु॒त्रस्य॑ पाथः प॒दमद्व॑याविनः ॥
té sūnávaḥ svápasaḥ sudáṃsaso mahī́ jajñurmātárā pūrvácittaye ǀ sthātúśca satyám jágataśca dhármaṇi putrásya pāthaḥ padámádvayāvinaḥ ǁ
ते मा॒यिनो॑ ममिरे सु॒प्रचे॑तसो जा॒मी सयो॑नी मिथु॒ना समो॑कसा । नव्यं॑नव्यं॒ तंतु॒मा त॑न्वते दि॒वि स॑मु॒द्रे अं॒तः क॒वयः॑ सुदी॒तयः॑ ॥
té māyíno mamire suprácetaso jāmī́ sáyonī mithunā́ sámokasā ǀ návyaṃnavyam tántumā́ tanvate diví samudré antáḥ kaváyaḥ sudītáyaḥ ǁ
तद्राधो॑ अ॒द्य स॑वि॒तुर्वरे॑ण्यं व॒यं दे॒वस्य॑ प्रस॒वे म॑नामहे । अ॒स्मभ्यं॑ द्यावापृथिवी सुचे॒तुना॑ र॒यिं ध॑त्तं॒ वसु॑मंतं शत॒ग्विनं॑ ॥
tádrā́dho adyá savitúrváreṇyam vayám devásya prasavé manāmahe ǀ asmábhyam dyāvāpṛthivī sucetúnā rayím dhattam vásumantam śatagvínam ǁ
The Sūkta progresses to the cosmic architecture maintained by these divine parents. Wise and skillful, their offspring acknowledge them for ancient remembrance. Heaven and Earth uphold the steadfast law of both the stationary and moving creation, providing the ultimate footing for the truthful soul. Then, in verse four, the Ṛṣi unveils the mystical image of the divine poets (kavayaḥ) who weave the infinite threads of manifestation across the waters of the heavenly ocean. They are inextricably linked, dwelling in the same home (sayonī, samokasā). Finally, in the fifth verse, the poet turns directly to Savitṛ, the divine instigator, praying that today's radiant bounty may descend, asking Heaven and Earth to grant a rich, multi-streamed treasure of spiritual and material wealth.
Verse 3: The wise and skillful offspring acknowledge these two great mothers for ancient remembrance, for they support the truth of both the stable and moving worlds, establishing the supreme path of the truthful son.
Verse 4: Endowed with wondrous magic, the deeply wise sages have measured out these two sisters who share a common womb and home, and ever weave a fresh, new thread of creation in the heaven and within the ocean.
Verse 5: May we today call upon that supreme bounty of the god Savitṛ as he urges us forth; O Heaven and Earth, bestow upon us with clear awareness a wealth rich in substance and cattle.
Traditional commentators see the 'weaving of the thread' as the continuous performance of ritual sacrifice across generations. Esoteric commentators view it as the continuous unfolding of cosmic manifestation and the inner thread of consciousness connecting mortal life to the divine immortal planes.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सूनवः | sūnavaḥ | sons, offspring |
| धर्मणि | dharmaṇi | in the law, support, or ordinance |
| अद्वयाविनः | advayāvinaḥ | free from deceit, straightforward, truthful |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मायिनः | māyinaḥ | possessors of creative power (māyā) |
| तन्तुम् | tantum | the thread (of sacrifice or creation) |
| कवयः | kavayaḥ | seers, poets |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सवितुः | savituḥ | of Savitṛ, the divine impeller |
| वरेण्यम् | vareṇyam | most desirable, worthy of choice |
| शतग्विनम् | śatagvinam | abounding in hundreds, richly endowed |
Imagine master weavers at a cosmic loom, pulling golden threads across the sky and ocean to clothe the universe in divine order.