The Cosmic Parents: Heaven and Earth in Rigveda 1.160

📜 5 Verses

Act 1

Act I: The Radiant Cradle of All Beings

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

ते हि द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी वि॒श्वशं॑भुव ऋ॒ताव॑री॒ रज॑सो धार॒यत्क॑वी । सु॒जन्म॑नी धि॒षणे॑ अं॒तरी॑यते दे॒वो दे॒वी धर्म॑णा॒ सूर्यः॒ शुचिः॑ ॥

té hí dyā́vāpṛthivī́ viśváśambhuva ṛtā́varī rájaso dhārayátkavī ǀ sujánmanī dhiṣáṇe antárīyate devó devī́ dhármaṇā sū́ryaḥ śúciḥ ǁ

Verse 2

उ॒रु॒व्यच॑सा म॒हिनी॑ अस॒श्चता॑ पि॒ता मा॒ता च॒ भुव॑नानि रक्षतः । सु॒धृष्ट॑मे वपु॒ष्ये॒३॒॑ न रोद॑सी पि॒ता यत्सी॑म॒भि रू॒पैरवा॑सयत् ॥

uruvyácasā mahínī asaścátā pitā́ mātā́ ca bhúvanāni rakṣataḥ ǀ sudhṛ́ṣṭame vapuṣyé ná ródasī pitā́ yátsīmabhí rūpáirávāsayat ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi introduces us to Dyāvāpṛthivī—Heaven and Earth—not merely as physical elements, but as the universal parents who bestow bliss upon all creation. They are established in the truth (ṛtāvarī), holding the midspaces together with profound wisdom. They are boundless in expansion (uruvyaçasā) and completely unassailable in their mutual devotion. The imagery evokes a primal, majestic harmony where the Father (Heaven) and Mother (Earth) safeguard all manifested beings. The radiant sun moves purposefully between them, maintaining cosmic order through eternal laws. This opening act invites us to see our physical environment as a living, sacred sanctuary upheld by divine agency.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: These two world-parents, Heaven and Earth, bring universal bliss; firmly established in truth, they hold the midspace wide, while the pure, radiant Sun moves between them by cosmic law.

Verse 2: Vast in their expanse, immense and unhindered, Father and Mother guard all created things. The Father adorned these two shining realms with diverse forms like a wondrous masterpiece.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation closely follows Sāyaṇa's ritualistic commentary while incorporating Sri Aurobindo's psychological interpretation of 'Ṛta' as the divine truth-consciousness upholding the physical and psychological planes of existence.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
द्यावापृथिवी	dyāvāpṛthivī	Heaven and Earth
विश्वशम्भुवा	viśvaśambhuva	bringing bliss to all things
ऋतवरी	ṛtāvarī	possessing or abiding in ṛta (cosmic truth)
सूर्यः	sūryaḥ	the Sun

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
उरुव्यचसा	uruvyaçasā	vastly extended, wide-reaching
महिनी	mahínī	the two mighty ones
पिता	pitā	the Father
माता	mātā	the Mother

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine a vast, open tent stretched across the cosmos—Heaven is the roof, Earth is the floor, and the golden Sun is a glowing lamp suspended between them by the hands of the divine parents.

Act 2

Act II: The Son, the Sacrifice, and the Cosmic Udder

Verses 3, 4, 5

Verse 3

स वह्निः॑ पु॒त्रः पि॒त्रोः प॒वित्र॑वान्पु॒नाति॒ धीरो॒ भुव॑नानि मा॒यया॑ । धे॒नुं च॒ पृश्निं॑ वृष॒भं सु॒रेत॑सं वि॒श्वाहा॑ शु॒क्रं पयो॑ अस्य दुक्षत ॥

sá váhniḥ putráḥ pitróḥ pavítravānpunā́ti dhī́ro bhúvanāni māyáyā ǀ dhenúm ca pṛ́śnim vṛṣabhám surétasam viśvā́hā śukrám páyo asya dukṣata ǁ

Verse 4

अ॒यं दे॒वाना॑म॒पसा॑म॒पस्त॑मो॒ यो ज॒जान॒ रोद॑सी वि॒श्वशं॑भुवा । वि यो म॒मे रज॑सी सुक्रतू॒यया॒जरे॑भिः॒ स्कंभ॑नेभिः॒ समा॑नृचे ॥

ayám devā́nāmapásāmapástamo yó jajā́na ródasī viśváśambhuvā ǀ ví yó mamé rájasī sukratūyáyājárebhiḥ skámbhanebhiḥ sámānṛce ǁ

Verse 5

ते नो॑ गृणा॒ने म॑हिनी॒ महि॒ श्रवः॑ क्ष॒त्रं द्या॑वापृथिवी धासथो बृ॒हत् । येना॒भि कृ॒ष्टीस्त॒तना॑म वि॒श्वहा॑ प॒नाय्य॒मोजो॑ अ॒स्मे समि॑न्वतं ॥

té no gṛṇāné mahinī máhi śrávaḥ kṣatrám dyāvāpṛthivī dhāsatho bṛhát ǀ yénābhí kṛṣṭī́statánāma viśváhā panā́yyamójo asmé sáminvatam ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The Sūkta deepens as the Ṛṣi reveals the divine offspring born of these cosmic parents. The son is described as a wise purifier, wielding māyā (wondrous creative power) to sustain the universe. He draws forth the sweet, nourishing milk from the speckled cow of creation day after day. In the final verses, the poet praises this supreme deity—the most accomplished among the gods—who measured out the two realms with unshakable pillars. The hymn culminates in an earnest prayer: may Heaven and Earth grant us vast spiritual wealth and radiant energy so that we may overcome all obstacles and thrive in our human journey.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 3: That wise son of the two parents, endowed with the purifier, cleanses the worlds through his magic power. Day after day they milk his pure, sweet stream from the spotted cow and the vigorous bull.

Verse 4: He is the most active among the active gods, who brought forth the two world-parents that bring bliss to all. He measured out the two realms with supreme skill and rejoiced with eternal pillars of support.

Verse 5: O Heaven and Earth, praised by us, bestow upon us vast glory and mighty dominion! By your grace, may we continually conquer all human settlements and merge in splendid vigor.