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Rigveda · Maṇḍala 1

The Storm-Trod Path: Invoking the Ferocious Might of the Maruts

📜 10 Verses

Act 1

The Arrival of the Radiant Storm

Verses 1, 2, 3

Verse 1

प्र यदि॒त्था प॑रा॒वतः॑ शो॒चिर्न मान॒मस्य॑थ । कस्य॒ क्रत्वा॑ मरुतः॒ कस्य॒ वर्प॑सा॒ कं या॑थ॒ कं ह॑ धूतयः ॥

prá yáditthā́ parāvátaḥ śocírná mā́namásyatha ǀ kásya krátvā marutaḥ kásya várpasā kám yātha kám ha dhūtayaḥ ǁ

Verse 2

स्थि॒रा वः॑ सं॒त्वायु॑धा परा॒णुदे॑ वी॒ळू उ॒त प्र॑ति॒ष्कभे॑ । यु॒ष्माक॑मस्तु॒ तवि॑षी॒ पनी॑यसी॒ मा मर्त्य॑स्य मा॒यिनः॑ ॥

sthirā́ vaḥ santvā́yudhā parāṇúde vīḷū́ utá pratiṣkábhe ǀ yuṣmā́kamastu táviṣī pánīyasī mā́ mártyasya māyínaḥ ǁ

Verse 3

परा॑ ह॒ यत्स्थि॒रं ह॒थ नरो॑ व॒र्तय॑था गु॒रु । वि या॑थन व॒निनः॑ पृथि॒व्या व्याशाः॒ पर्व॑तानां ॥

párā ha yátsthirám hathá náro vartáyathā gurú ǀ ví yāthana vanínaḥ pṛthivyā́ vyā́śāḥ párvatānām ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The Ṛṣi opens with an atmosphere of awe, questioning the sudden and blinding descent of the Maruts. Coming from distant realms, they streak across the sky like blazing fire, their origin and drive veiled in profound mystery. Who are these divine shakers of the earth, and by whose supreme will and dynamic energy do they move? In the subsequent verses, the poet addresses the Maruts' formidable weaponry. Their armor and weapons are praised as unshakeable, designed to shatter obstacles and hold firm against any resistance. The imagery shifts to an earth-shaking cataclysm: when these fierce deities charge, they displace the heaviest mountains and sweep through the giant trees of the forest with terrifying velocity.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: When you thus streak from afar like a flame, by whose power, O Maruts, and by whose form do you move, and whom, O shakers, do you seek?

Verse 2: Let your weapons be firm for striking down, unshakeable for holding back; let your supreme might be ours, and not that of the deceptive mortal.

Verse 3: When you, O lords, strike down what is firm and make the heavy things roll, you course through the forests of the earth and the distant quarters of the mountains.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The translation relies on the direct sense of elemental turbulence described by Sāyaṇa, while Sri Aurobindo sees the Maruts as mental powers that break through rigid psychological structures to bring higher illumination.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
प्र	pra	forward, forth
शोचिः	śociḥ	flame, radiance
मरुतः	marutaḥ	O Maruts, storm deities

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
स्थिरा	sthirā	firm, unshakeable
आयुधा	āyudhā	weapons
तविषी	taviṣī	might, energy

Verse 3

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
स्थिरम्	sthiram	the firm, stable thing
गुरु	guru	heavy
पर्वतानाम्	parvatānām	of the mountains

🧠

Memory Hook

Picture a sudden, violent tempest tearing through an ancient forest, uprooting massive trees and shaking the very bedrock of the mountains—this is the raw, untamed entry of the Maruts.

Act 2

The Unmatched Host and Shaking Earth

Verses 4, 5, 6

Verse 4

न॒हि वः॒ शत्रु॑र्विवि॒दे अधि॒ द्यवि॒ न भूम्यां॑ रिशादसः । यु॒ष्माक॑मस्तु॒ तवि॑षी॒ तना॑ यु॒जा रुद्रा॑सो॒ नू चि॑दा॒धृषे॑ ॥

nahí vaḥ śátrurvividé ádhi dyávi ná bhū́myām riśādasaḥ ǀ yuṣmā́kamastu táviṣī tánā yujā́ rúdrāso nū́ cidādhṛ́ṣe ǁ

Verse 5

प्र वे॑पयंति॒ पर्व॑ता॒न्वि विं॑चंति॒ वन॒स्पती॑न् । प्रो आ॑रत मरुतो दु॒र्मदा॑ इव॒ देवा॑सः॒ सर्व॑या वि॒शा ॥

prá vepayanti párvatānví viñcanti vánaspátīn ǀ pró ārata maruto durmádā iva dévāsaḥ sárvayā viśā́ ǁ

Verse 6

उपो॒ रथे॑षु॒ पृष॑तीरयुग्ध्वं॒ प्रष्टि॑र्वहति॒ रोहि॑तः । आ वो॒ यामा॑य पृथि॒वी चि॑दश्रो॒दबी॑भयंत॒ मानु॑षाः ॥

úpo rátheṣu pṛ́ṣatīrayugdhvam práṣṭirvahati róhitaḥ ǀ ā́ vo yā́māya pṛthivī́ cidaśrodábībhayanta mā́nuṣāḥ ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The poet declares the utter supremacy of the Marut host, noting that no adversary can be found against them in heaven or on earth. They are the devourers of evil, fierce and invincible. When they ride out, they cause the mountains to tremble and the great trees to splinter, moving forward like intoxicated gods accompanied by their entire divine clan. Their magnificent chariots are hitched with spotted deer, driven by a swift leading steed of reddish hue. As their cosmic procession begins, even the earth shudders in response, and mortal men tremble at the majesty of their thundering approach.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 4: No foe of yours is found either in heaven or on earth, O destroyers of evil; may your supreme might be ours, O Rudras, joined with our alliance for daring deeds.

Verse 5: They make the mountains tremble, they splinter the forest trees; come forth, O Maruts, like the intoxicated, like gods with all their host.

Verse 6: You have yoked the spotted deer to your chariots, and the reddish steed drives as the leader; even the earth heard your coming, and mortals were filled with fear.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa takes 'durmadāḥ' literally as intoxicated, while spiritual commentators interpret it as being intoxicated by the bliss of divine energy (soma or spiritual ecstasy).

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 4

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
शत्रुः	śatruḥ	enemy, rival
रिशादसः	riśādasaḥ	devourers of foes, destroyers of harm
रुद्रासः	rudrāsaḥ	O Rudras (epithet of the Maruts)

Verse 5

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
वेपयन्ति	vepayanti	they cause to tremble
वनस्पतीन्	vanaspatīn	lords of the forest, trees
दुर्मदाः	durmadāḥ	intoxicated with divine ecstasy

Verse 6

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
पृषतीः	pṛṣatīḥ	spotted antelopes/deer
प्रष्टिः	praṣṭiḥ	side-horse, leader
पृथिवी	pṛthivī	the earth

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine a royal chariot fleet pulled by swift spotted deer crossing the horizon, causing the ground beneath your feet to vibrate and all onlookers to hold their breath in awe.

Act 3

Shelter and Blessing for the Seer

Verses 7, 8, 9, 10

Verse 7

आ वो॑ म॒क्षू तना॑य॒ कं रुद्रा॒ अवो॑ वृणीमहे । गंता॑ नू॒नं नोऽव॑सा॒ यथा॑ पु॒रेत्था कण्वा॑य बि॒भ्युषे॑ ॥

ā́ vo makṣū́ tánāya kám rúdrā ávo vṛṇīmahe ǀ gántā nūnám nó’vasā yáthā purétthā́ káṇvāya bibhyúṣe ǁ

Verse 8

यु॒ष्मेषि॑तो मरुतो॒ मर्त्ये॑षित॒ आ यो नो॒ अभ्व॒ ईष॑ते । वि तं यु॑योत॒ शव॑सा॒ व्योज॑सा॒ वि यु॒ष्माका॑भिरू॒तिभिः॑ ॥

yuṣméṣito maruto mártyeṣita ā́ yó no ábhva ī́ṣate ǀ ví tám yuyota śávasā vyójasā ví yuṣmā́kābhirūtíbhiḥ ǁ

Verse 9

असा॑मि॒ हि प्र॑यज्यवः॒ कण्वं॑ द॒द प्र॑चेतसः । असा॑मिभिर्मरुत॒ आ न॑ ऊ॒तिभि॒र्गंता॑ वृ॒ष्टिं न वि॒द्युतः॑ ॥

ásāmi hí prayajyavaḥ káṇvam dadá pracetasaḥ ǀ ásāmibhirmaruta ā́ na ūtíbhirgántā vṛṣṭím ná vidyútaḥ ǁ

Verse 10

असा॒म्योजो॑ बिभृथा सुदान॒वोऽसा॑मि धूतयः॒ शवः॑ । ऋ॒षि॒द्विषे॑ मरुतः परिम॒न्यव॒ इषुं॒ न सृ॑जत॒ द्विषं॑ ॥

ásāmyójo bibhṛthā sudānavó’sāmi dhūtayaḥ śávaḥ ǀ ṛṣidvíṣe marutaḥ parimanyáva íṣum ná sṛjata dvíṣam ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

Having depicted their terrifying grandeur, the Ṛṣi now turns to petitioning their grace for his lineage and descendants. He invokes their protection, recalling how they protected the ancient seer Kaṇva when he was filled with fear. He begs them to hurl their fierce energies against any malignant force or adversary who seeks to harm the seeker of truth. The Sūkta concludes with an affirmation of the Maruts' inexhaustible might. Their strength and bounties are never partial or deficient; they come with full abundance, descending like lightning-flashes bearing life-giving rain, while striking down anyone who opposes the inspired poet.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 7: We swiftly choose your protection for our progeny, O Rudras; come now with your grace to us, as you did of old to the terrified Kaṇva.

Verse 8: Impelled by you, O Maruts, and by mortals, whatever monster attacks us, drive him far away with your power, with your might, and with your manifold protections.

Verse 9: Not partial, O master-givers, is your gift to Kaṇva, O wise ones; with full protections, O Maruts, come to us like lightning bringing rain.

Verse 10: Complete is the vigor you hold, O liberal givers, complete the strength, O shakers; against the hater of the seer, O Maruts, hurl your arrow like a foe.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

The word 'asāmi' is crucial here, translated traditionally as 'not half' or 'complete/whole', highlighting that the divine grace of the Maruts is never stinted or incomplete.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 7

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
मक्षु	makṣu	swiftly, quickly
अवः	avaḥ	protection, favor
कण्वाय	kaṇvāya	for Kaṇva (the ancient seer)

Verse 8

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
अभ्वः	abhvaḥ	monster, formidable danger, chaos
शवसा	śavasā	by strength
ओजसा	ojasā	by vital energy

Verse 9

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
असामि	asāmi	complete, not partial, whole
प्रयज्यवः	prayajyavaḥ	lovers of sacrifice, supreme worshippers
वृष्टिम्	vṛṣṭim	rain

Verse 10

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
ओजः	ojaḥ	vigor, spiritual power
सुदानवः	sudānavaḥ	bountiful givers
ऋषिद्विषे	ṛṣidviṣe	to the hater of the seer

🧠

Memory Hook

Think of a trusted guardian standing before you with a shield of lightning, completely blocking out every danger while showering you with nourishing rain.