Let Auspicious Impulsions Come To Us
Over a decade ago I came across a didactic statement in a book, “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides.” I was curious as to who the author of this statement was and finally managed to trace this to the ṛgveda, albeit to a more pristine form. This enigmatic statement was what first spurred me to start reading this ancient scripture and make the effort, as it still is, to understand what it contains.
Since that date, I have pursued the path of spiritual knowledge, to learn and understand the experiences of our human fathers and their yajña, in the hope that I will also benefit from and be able to emulate their example one day. Today I happened to reread the entire hymn that changed the course of my life so many years ago. It is a hymn of ten parts revealed to the ṛṣi gotama rāhūgaṇaḥ and I reproduce it here:
आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतोऽदब्धासो अपरितास उद्भिदः ।
देवा नो यथा सदमिद्वृधे असन्नप्रायुवो रक्षितारो दिवे दिवे ॥
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvato’dabdhāso aparitāsa udbhidaḥ
devā no yathā sadamidvṛdhe asannaprāyuvo rakṣitāro dive dive
May auspicious impulsions come to us from all sides
Which harm no one, are unimpeded and victorious over the forces of division
May the Gods always be for our increase, never moving away from us
But always guarding us day by day
देवानां भद्रा सुमतिरृजूयतां देवानां रातिरभि नो नि वर्तताम् ।
देवानां सख्यमुप सेदिमा वयं देवा न आयुः प्र तिरन्तु जीवसे ॥
devānāṁ bhadrā sumatirṛjūyatāṁ devānāṁ rātirabhi no ni vartatām
devānāṁ sakhyamupa sedimā vayaṁ devā na āyuḥ pra tirantu jīvase
May the auspicious and right thinking of the Gods be ours
May their gifts to righteous persons be also bestowed upon us
May we attend to the friendship of the Gods
May the Gods extend our life span
तान् पूर्वया निविदा हूमहे वयं भगं मित्रमदितिं दक्षमस्रिधम् ।
अर्यमणं वरुणं सोममश्विना सरस्वती नः सुभगा मयस्करत् ॥
tān pūrvayā nividā hūmahe vayaṁ bhagaṁ mitramaditiṁ dakṣamasridham
aryamaṇaṁ varuṇaṁ somamaśvinā sarasvatī naḥ subhagā mayaskarat
With the ancient word, we call them
bhaga, mitra, aditi, the unerring dakṣa
aryamaṇ, varuṇa, soma and the aśvins
May felicitious sarasvatī grant us bliss
तन्नो वातो मयोभु वातु भेषजं तन्माता पृथिवी तत्पिता द्यौः ।
तद् ग्रावाणः सोमसुतो मयोभुवस्तद् अश्विना शृणुतं धिष्ण्या युवम् ॥
tanno vāto mayobhu vātu bheṣajaṁ tanmātā pṛthivī tatpitā dyauḥ
tad grāvāṇaḥ somasuto mayobhuvastad aśvinā śṛṇutaṁ dhiṣṇyā yuvam
May vāyu waft for us the felicitious medicaments
May Mother Earth and Father Heaven bring it
May the felicitious stones preparing the soma secure it
May the aśvins hear our call with understanding
तमीशानं जगतस्तस्थुषस्पतिं धियंजिन्वमवसे हूमहे वयम् ।
पूषा नो यथा वेदसामसद्वृधे रक्षिता पायुरदब्धः स्वस्तये ॥
tamīśānaṁ jagatastasthuṣaspatiṁ dhiyaṁjinvamavase hūmahe vayam
pūṣā no yathā vedasāmasadvṛdhe rakṣitā pāyuradabdhaḥ svastaye
The lord, the protector of all things, mobile or stationary
Who fills all with enlightened thought, him we call for protection
He, pūṣān, has been the increaser and guardian of our knowledge
May he, unobstructed, promote our welfare
स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः ।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमि स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ॥
svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ
svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemi svasti no bṛhaspatirdadhātu
May indra, of wide fame, promote our welfare
May pūṣān, all knower, make us prosper
May tārkṣya, with non-injuring fellies, promote our welfare
May bṛhaspati make us prosper
पृषदश्वा मरुतः पृश्निमातरः शुभंयावानो विदथेषु जग्मयः ।
अग्निजिह्वा मनवः सूरचक्षसो विश्वे नो देवा अवसा गमन्निह ॥
pṛṣadaśvā marutaḥ pṛśnimātaraḥ śubhaṁyāvāno vidatheṣu jagmayaḥ
agnijihvā manavaḥ sūracakṣaso viśve no devā avasā gamanniha
The maruts, sons of pṛśni, with deer of pure white spots
Who are of happy gait, go frequently to the place of the inner yajña where knowledge is revealed
They are the knowers radiant as the sun, with agni as their tongue
May these Gcome here for our protection
भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरड़्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devā bhadraṁ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ
sthirairaṛgaistuṣṭuvāṁsastanūbhirvyaśema devahitaṁ yadāyuḥ
O Gods, may we hear only what is auspicious
O worshipful ones, may we behold with our eyes only what is auspicious
Praising you with bodies having firm limbs
May we enjoy the god-given span of life
शतमिन्नु शरदो अन्ति देवा यत्रा नश्चक्रा जरसं तनूनाम् ।
पुत्रासो यत्र पितरो भवन्ति मा नो मध्या रीरिषतायुर्गन्तोः ॥
śataminnu śarado anti devā yatrā naścakrā jarasaṁ tanūnām
putrāso yatra pitaro bhavanti mā no madhyā rīriṣatāyurgantoḥ
May we be in your proximity for a hundred years, o Gods
Before the decay or old age strikes our bodies
Before our sons become fathers
Interrupt not the span of our life journey in the middle
अदितिर्द्यौरदितिरन्तरिक्षम् अदितिर्माता स पिता स पुत्रः ।
विश्वे देवा अदितिः पञ्च जना अदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम् ॥
aditirdyauraditirantarikṣam aditirmātā sa pitā sa putraḥ
viśve devā aditiḥ pañca janā aditirjātamaditirjanitvam
aditi is heaven, aditi is the mid-world
aditi is the mother, aditi is the father and son
She is the collectivity of all the gods, she is the five people
aditi is all that is born and what is yet to be born
The idea behind this is that the cultivation of enlightened thought dealing with the welfare of all, automatically also gives us protection. The circumstances which confront us, beneficial or otherwise, are caused by our own thoughts
Even today, when I read these verses, I continue to be inspired by their profundity. Onward and upward.
Peace
S