Mandala 4

Sukta 13: Dawn, sunrise and the unpropped Sun

Rishi: वामदेवो गौतमः · Devata: अग्निः(लिङ्गोक्तदेवता इति एके) · Metre: त्रिष्टुप्

5 verses · 13 of 58

What happens in this chapter

Dawn, sunrise and the unpropped Sun

Vamadeva Gautama sings this morning hymn in trishtubh; the anukramani names Agni, though some take the gods named in it as deities. Agni wakes to the shining dawns, the Ashvins are called, and Savitar raises his light. Varuna and Mitra follow their vows as the gods lift Surya into the sky. Seven mighty mares carry the Sun, the spy of the whole moving world, and his rays roll back darkness like a hide sunk in the waters. The last verse asks a famous question: how does the Sun, unbound and unpropped, not fall? He is the pillar of heaven guarding the vault.

13.1

प्रत्य॒ग्निरु॒षसा॒मग्र॑मख्यद्विभाती॒नां सु॒मना॑ रत्न॒धेय॑म् ।
या॒तम॑श्विना सु॒कृतो॑ दुरो॒णमुत्सूर्यो॒ ज्योति॑षा दे॒व ए॑ति

pratyagniruṣasāmagramakhyadvibhātīnāṃ sumanā ratnadheyam |
yātamaśvinā sukṛto duroṇamutsūryo jyotiṣā deva eti

13.2

ऊ॒र्ध्वं भा॒नुं स॑वि॒ता दे॒वो अ॑श्रेद्द्र॒प्सं दवि॑ध्वद्गवि॒षो न सत्वा॑ ।
अनु॑ व्र॒तं वरु॑णो यन्ति मि॒त्रो यत्सूर्यं॑ दि॒व्या॑रो॒हय॑न्ति

ūrdhvaṃ bhānuṃ savitā devo aśreddrapsaṃ davidhvadgaviṣo na satvā |
anu vrataṃ varuṇo yanti mitro yatsūryaṃ divyārohayanti

13.3

यं सी॒मकृ॑ण्व॒न्तम॑से वि॒पृचे॑ ध्रु॒वक्षे॑मा॒ अन॑वस्यन्तो॒ अर्थ॑म् ।
तं सूर्यं॑ ह॒रित॑ः स॒प्त य॒ह्वीः स्पशं॒ विश्व॑स्य॒ जग॑तो वहन्ति

yaṃ sīmakṛṇvantamase vipṛce dhruvakṣemā anavasyanto artham |
taṃ sūryaṃ haritaḥ sapta yahvīḥ spaśaṃ viśvasya jagato vahanti

13.4

वहि॑ष्ठेभिर्वि॒हर॑न्यासि॒ तन्तु॑मव॒व्यय॒न्नसि॑तं देव॒ वस्म॑ ।
दवि॑ध्वतो र॒श्मय॒ः सूर्य॑स्य॒ चर्मे॒वावा॑धु॒स्तमो॑ अ॒प्स्व१॒॑न्तः

vahiṣṭhebhirviharanyāsi tantumavavyayannasitaṃ deva vasma |
davidhvato raśmayaḥ sūryasya carmevāvādhustamo apsvantaḥ

13.5

अना॑यतो॒ अनि॑बद्धः क॒थायं न्य॑ङ्ङुत्ता॒नोऽव॑ पद्यते॒ न ।
कया॑ याति स्व॒धया॒ को द॑दर्श दि॒वः स्क॒म्भः समृ॑तः पाति॒ नाक॑म्

anāyato anibaddhaḥ kathāyaṃ nyaṅṅuttāno'va padyate na |
kayā yāti svadhayā ko dadarśa divaḥ skambhaḥ samṛtaḥ pāti nākam

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