Mandala 5

Sukta 78: Saptavadhri freed and a prayer for birth

Rishi: सप्तवध्रिरात्रेयः · Devata: अश्विनौ (५-९ गर्भस्राविण्युपनिषद्) · Metre: अनुष्टुप्, १-३ उष्णिक्, ४ त्रिष्टुप्

9 verses · 78 of 87

What happens in this chapter

Saptavadhri freed and a prayer for birth

Saptavadhri Atreya calls the Ashvins, in Ushnih and Anushtubh: come like swans to the pressed Soma, like deer to the pasture. They came with a falcon's speed when Atri, going down into the pit, called them like a pleading woman. Then the rishi speaks of himself: O tree, open like the womb of a woman giving birth; Ashvins, hear me and free Saptavadhri. For the frightened, pleading rishi, by your powers you closed the tree and opened it. The last three verses, a prayer for safe birth, ask: as the wind stirs a lotus pond, may the ten-month child stir and come out, living and unharmed, from the living mother.

78.1

अश्वि॑ना॒वेह ग॑च्छतं॒ नास॑त्या॒ मा वि वे॑नतम् ।
हं॒सावि॑व पतत॒मा सु॒ताँ उप॑

aśvināveha gacchataṃ nāsatyā mā vi venatam |
haṃsāviva patatamā sutām̐ upa

78.2

अश्वि॑ना हरि॒णावि॑व गौ॒रावि॒वानु॒ यव॑सम् ।
हं॒सावि॑व पतत॒मा सु॒ताँ उप॑

aśvinā hariṇāviva gaurāvivānu yavasam |
haṃsāviva patatamā sutām̐ upa

78.3

अश्वि॑ना वाजिनीवसू जु॒षेथां॑ य॒ज्ञमि॒ष्टये॑ ।
हं॒सावि॑व पतत॒मा सु॒ताँ उप॑

aśvinā vājinīvasū juṣethāṃ yajñamiṣṭaye |
haṃsāviva patatamā sutām̐ upa

78.4

अत्रि॒र्यद्वा॑मव॒रोह॑न्नृ॒बीस॒मजो॑हवी॒न्नाध॑मानेव॒ योषा॑ ।
श्ये॒नस्य॑ चि॒ज्जव॑सा॒ नूत॑ने॒नाग॑च्छतमश्विना॒ शंत॑मेन

atriryadvāmavarohannṛbīsamajohavīnnādhamāneva yoṣā |
śyenasya cijjavasā nūtanenāgacchatamaśvinā śaṃtamena

78.5

वि जि॑हीष्व वनस्पते॒ योनि॒ः सूष्य॑न्त्या इव ।
श्रु॒तं मे॑ अश्विना॒ हवं॑ स॒प्तव॑ध्रिं च मुञ्चतम्

vi jihīṣva vanaspate yoniḥ sūṣyantyā iva |
śrutaṃ me aśvinā havaṃ saptavadhriṃ ca muñcatam

78.6

भी॒ताय॒ नाध॑मानाय॒ ऋष॑ये स॒प्तव॑ध्रये ।
मा॒याभि॑रश्विना यु॒वं वृ॒क्षं सं च॒ वि चा॑चथः

bhītāya nādhamānāya ṛṣaye saptavadhraye |
māyābhiraśvinā yuvaṃ vṛkṣaṃ saṃ ca vi cācathaḥ

78.7

यथा॒ वात॑ः पुष्क॒रिणीं॑ समि॒ङ्गय॑ति स॒र्वत॑ः ।
ए॒वा ते॒ गर्भ॑ एजतु नि॒रैतु॒ दश॑मास्यः

yathā vātaḥ puṣkariṇīṃ samiṅgayati sarvataḥ |
evā te garbha ejatu niraitu daśamāsyaḥ

78.8

यथा॒ वातो॒ यथा॒ वनं॒ यथा॑ समु॒द्र एज॑ति ।
ए॒वा त्वं द॑शमास्य स॒हावे॑हि ज॒रायु॑णा

yathā vāto yathā vanaṃ yathā samudra ejati |
evā tvaṃ daśamāsya sahāvehi jarāyuṇā

78.9

दश॒ मासा॑ञ्छशया॒नः कु॑मा॒रो अधि॑ मा॒तरि॑ ।
नि॒रैतु॑ जी॒वो अक्ष॑तो जी॒वो जीव॑न्त्या॒ अधि॑

daśa māsāñchaśayānaḥ kumāro adhi mātari |
niraitu jīvo akṣato jīvo jīvantyā adhi

Text source: Wikisource · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription of a public-domain text)