Verses 1, 3
प्रत्व॑क्षसः॒ प्रत॑वसो विर॒प्शिनोऽना॑नता॒ अवि॑थुरा ऋजी॒षिणः॑ । जुष्ट॑तमासो॒ नृत॑मासो अं॒जिभि॒र्व्या॑नज्रे॒ के चि॑दु॒स्रा इ॑व॒ स्तृभिः॑ ॥
prátvakṣasaḥ prátavaso virapśínó’nānatā ávithurā ṛjīṣíṇaḥ ǀ júṣṭatamāso nṛ́tamāso añjíbhirvyā́najre ké cidusrā́ iva stṛ́bhiḥ ǁ
प्रैषा॒मज्मे॑षु विथु॒रेव॑ रेजते॒ भूमि॒र्यामे॑षु॒ यद्ध॑ युं॒जते॑ शु॒भे । ते क्री॒ळयो॒ धुन॑यो॒ भ्राज॑दृष्टयः स्व॒यं म॑हि॒त्वं प॑नयंत॒ धूत॑यः ॥
práiṣāmájmeṣu vithuréva rejate bhū́miryā́meṣu yáddha yuñjáte śubhé ǀ té krīḷáyo dhúnayo bhrā́jadṛṣṭayaḥ svayám mahitvám panayanta dhū́tayaḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi Agastya captures the breathtaking and awe-inspiring arrival of the Maruts, the storm-deities who embody both fierce kinetic energy and divine brilliance. They are described as self-luminous, steadfast, and adorned with flashing ornaments, resembling stars strewn across the nocturnal sky. Their movement is so tremendous that the very earth tremblers beneath their tread, swaying like a wind-swept vessel on water. Yet this elemental fury is not destructive chaos; it is a sacred pageant of divine force, where the Maruts yoke their energies for glory, embodying a supreme mastery that compels even nature to marvel. As you visualize this scene, transport yourself to the high plateaus of ancient India, where the monsoon breaks with terrifying beauty. The thunder rolls, lightning flashes like spears, and the winds sweep across the plains. The Ṛṣi wants us to see beyond the physical storm to the cosmic hosts driving through the subtle realms of consciousness. They are the dynamic forces of spiritual awakening, shaking the rigid foundations of our everyday awareness to clear the path for higher illumination.
Verse 1: Ever-mighty, ever-strong, overflowing with vigor, unbroken and unshakable, bearing the thunder-stone; most beloved and most heroic through their ornaments, they shine forth like stars scattered across the sky.
Verse 3: When they yoke themselves for glory in their course, the earth trembles beneath their steps as if shaken by a storm. Playful, roaring, with lightning-spears, these shakers of worlds praise their own innate greatness.
Sāyaṇa interprets the physical descriptions primarily through the lens of atmospheric phenomena and ritual invocation, viewing the Maruts as deities governing wind and rain. In contrast, modern mystics like Sri Aurobindo read the Maruts as psychological forces—the nervous energies and vital powers that surge through the seeker, breaking down rigid mental structures to allow divine bliss to enter.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| प्रत्वक्षसः | pratvakṣasaḥ | exceedingly strong or energetic |
| प्रतवसः | pratavasaḥ | mightily powerful |
| विरप्शिनः | virapśinaḥ | abounding in vigor or bounty |
| अनानताः | anānatāḥ | unbending, never humbled |
| अविथुराः | avithurāḥ | unfaltering, steady |
| ऋजीषिणः | ṛjīṣiṇaḥ | possessing the intoxicating soma or thunder-stone |
| उस्रा इव स्तृभिः | usrā iva stṛbhiḥ | like bright lights or stars in the sky |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अज्मेषु | ajmeṣu | in their courses or movements |
| विथुरेव | vithurā-iva | like a swaying or trembling vessel |
| रेजते | rejate | shakes, trembles |
| भ्राजदृष्टयः | bhrājat-ṛṣṭayaḥ | having shining spears or lightning |
| धूतयः | dhūtayaḥ | the shakers, the storm-gods |
Picture a fleet of golden chariots riding across the storm clouds while the earth dances in rhythm beneath them; that is the thunderous, majestic march of the Maruts.
Verses 4, 5, 6
स हि स्व॒सृत्पृष॑दश्वो॒ युवा॑ ग॒णो॒३॒॑ऽया ई॑शा॒नस्तवि॑षीभि॒रावृ॑तः । असि॑ स॒त्य ऋ॑ण॒यावाने॑द्यो॒ऽस्या धि॒यः प्रा॑वि॒ताथा॒ वृषा॑ ग॒णः ॥
sá hí svasṛ́tpṛ́ṣadaśvo yúvā gaṇó’yā́ īśānástáviṣībhirā́vṛtaḥ ǀ ási satyá ṛṇayā́vā́nedyo’syā́ dhiyáḥ prāvitā́thā vṛ́ṣā gaṇáḥ ǁ
पि॒तुः प्र॒त्नस्य॒ जन्म॑ना वदामसि॒ सोम॑स्य जि॒ह्वा प्र जि॑गाति॒ चक्ष॑सा । यदी॒मिंद्रं॒ शम्यृक्वा॑ण॒ आश॒तादिन्नामा॑नि य॒ज्ञिया॑नि दधिरे ॥
pitúḥ pratnásya jánmanā vadāmasi sómasya jihvā́ prá jigāti cákṣasā ǀ yádīmíndram śámyṛ́kvāṇa ā́śatā́dínnā́māni yajñíyāni dadhire ǁ
श्रि॒यसे॒ कं भा॒नुभिः॒ सं मि॑मिक्षिरे॒ ते र॒श्मिभि॒स्त ऋक्व॑भिः सुखा॒दयः॑ । ते वाशी॑मंत इ॒ष्मिणो॒ अभी॑रवो वि॒द्रे प्रि॒यस्य॒ मारु॑तस्य॒ धाम्नः॑ ॥
śriyáse kám bhānúbhiḥ sám mimikṣire té raśmíbhistá ṛ́kvabhiḥ sukhādáyaḥ ǀ té vā́śīmanta iṣmíṇo ábhīravo vidré priyásya mā́rutasya dhā́mnaḥ ǁ
As the Sūkta deepens, the Ṛṣi portrays the Maruts as an eternal youth-group of divine warriors—self-moving, accompanied by spotted steeds, and radiating sovereign authority. They are bound to the cosmic order (satya) and act as protectors of the sacred insight (dhī). In verse five, the imagery shifts toward the divine origin of their power, linking them to the ancient Soma, the elixir of ecstasy and immortality. The tongue of Soma moves forth in vision when the singers attain Indra's grace, sealing the alliance between the storm hosts and the king of gods. The final verse brings us to a crescendo of celebration. Adorned with brilliant lights, united with the chanters of hymns, and wielding shining daggers (vāśī), the Maruts know the supreme dwelling place of the Marut host. This is a journey of total integration: the seeker's voice, the vital breath of the storm, and the intoxicating flow of divine joy become one single reality vibrating in harmony with the cosmos.
Verse 4: Self-moving, with spotted steeds, youthful is this host, radiant and enveloped in majesty. True, moving in the path of the cosmic law, faultless, you are the protectors of this vision, O bountiful host.
Verse 5: We speak of the birth of the ancient father; the tongue of Soma goes forth with vision. When the singers of hymns attained Indra in their sacred work, then indeed they assumed their worshipful names.
Verse 6: They mingle together with lights for glory, with rays, with chanters, sweet-toothed and joyous. Wielding bright daggers, impetuous, fearless, they have known the dear abode of the Marut realm.
Sāyaṇa connects the 'ancient father' in verse 5 to Rudra or Prajāpati, and the acquisition of names to the formal recognition of the Maruts as deities alongside Indra. Sri Aurobindo views the passage as an allegorical description of the vital energy (Maruts) maturing into divine ecstasy (Soma) through union with the supreme divine power (Indra).
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| स्वसृत् | sva-sṛt | self-moving, running freely |
| पृषदश्वः | pṛṣat-aśvaḥ | having spotted or speckled horses |
| युवा गणः | yuvā gaṇaḥ | youthful host or company |
| ऋणयावा | ṛṇa-yāvā | upholder of cosmic law, avenger of debt |
| प्रविता | prāvitā | protector, promoter |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| प्रत्नस्य | pratnasya | ancient, primeval |
| सोमस्य जिह्वा | somasya jihvā | the tongue or expression of Soma |
| ऋक्वाणः | ṛkvāṇaḥ | praisers, singers of hymns |
| यज्ञियानि | yajñiyāni | worthy of sacrifice, divine |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| श्रियसे | śriyase | for glory or splendor |
| सुखादयः | su-khādayaḥ | sweet-toothed or delightfully adorned |
| वाशीमन्तः | vāśīmantaḥ | armed with daggers or knives |
| इष्मिणः | iṣmiṇaḥ | impulsive, eager, swift |
| अभीरवः | abhīravaḥ | fearless, brave |
Imagine a circle of youthful warriors drinking the glowing nectar of immortality under a canopy of stars, their daggers flashing like lightning as they celebrate eternal truth.