RV 1.

35
i: hirayastpa girasa; devat: 1st pda agni, 2nd pda mitrvarua, 3rd
pda rtri, 4th pda savit, 2-11 savit; chanda: triup, 1,9 jagat

ya?My! A/im! ?w/m< Sv/Stye/ ya?im im/av?[av! #/hav?se ,

ya?im/ raI/< jg?tae in/vez?nI/< ya?im de/v< s?iv/tar?m! ^/tye? . 1-035-01

Aa k/:[en/ rj?sa/ vtR?manae inve/zy?! A/m&t/m! mTy? c ,

ih/r/{yye?n siv/ta rwe/na de/vae ya?it/ -uv?nain/ pZy?n! . 1-035-02

yait? de/v> /vta/ yaTy! %/ta/ yait? zu/a_ya<? yj/tae hir?_yam! ,

Aa de/vae ya?it siv/ta p?ra/vtae =?p/ iva? ir/ta bax?man> . 1-035-03

A/-Iv&?t</ kz?nEr! iv/?p</ ihr?{yzMy< yj/tae b&/hNt?m! ,

AaSwa/d! rw?< siv/ta ic/-a?nu> k/:[a rja<?is/ tiv?;I/< dxa?n> . 1-035-04

iv jna?|! D(a/va> iz?it/padae? AOy/n! rw</ ihr?{y=g</ vh?Nt> ,

z/d! ivz>? siv/tur! dEVy?Syae/pSwe/ iva/ -uv?nain tSwu> . 1-035-05

it/ae *av>? siv/tur! a %/pSwa/ @ka? y/mSy/ -uv?ne ivra/;aq! ,

Aa/i[< n rWy?m! A/m&taix? tSwur! #/h ?vItu/ y %/ tc! icke?tt! . 1-035-06

iv su?p/[aR A/Ntir?]a{y! AOyd! g-I/rve?pa/ Asu?r> sunI/w> ,

KvedanI/< sUyR>/ kz! ic?ket kt/ma< *a< r/iZmr! A/Sya t?tan . 1-035-07

A/aE Vy! AOyt! k/k->? p&iw/Vyas! I xNv/ yaej?na s/ isNxU?n! ,

ih/r/{ya/]> s?iv/ta de/v Aaga/d! dx/d! ra? da/zu;e/ vayaR?i[ . 1-035-08

ihr?{ypai[> siv/ta ivc?;Ri[r! %/-e *ava?p&iw/vI A/Ntr! $?yte ,

ApamI?va/< bax?te/ veit/ sUyR?m! A/i- k/:[en/ rj?sa/ *am! \?[aeit . 1-035-09

ihr?{yhStae/ Asu?r> sunI/w> su?m&I/k> Svva? yaTv! A/vaR'! ,

A/p/sex?n! r/]sae? yatu/xana/n! ASwa?d! de/v> ?itdae/;< g&?[a/n> . 1-035-10

1
ye te/ pNwa>? sivt> pU/VyaRsae? =re/[v>/ suk?ta A/Ntir?]e ,

tei-?r! nae A/* p/iwi->? su/ge-I/ r]a? c nae/ Aix? c Uih dev . 1-035-11

Analysis of RV 1.3 5

ya?My! A/im! ?w/m< Sv/Stye/ ya?im im/av?[av! #/hav?se ,

ya?im/ raI/< jg?tae in/vez?nI/< ya?im de/v< s?iv/tar?m! ^/tye? . 1-035-01

hvymi agnm pratham suastye hvymi mitr v ruv ih v ase

hvymi r t r jgato nivan hvymi dev savit r am tye 1.035.01

Interpretation:
I call to Agni first for wellbeing! I call to Mitra and Varuna here for increase! I call to
Night who introduces [all] to the manifested world! I call to the God Savitar for a power
of growth!

rtr jagato niveanm (I.35.1), Sri Aurobindo t ranslat es as the Night

which hold s the world and all its unrev ealed p otentialities in her obscure
bosom.
nivean is derived from the root ni-vi, Causativ e, to introd uce, to mak e
ent er and sett le d own. So the phrase can be translat ed as I call for
Night, an introd ucer into the manifested world .
So, Rishi inv okes Agni first for well-being, M itra and Varuna for
protection and supp ort, Ratri to locate us in the world, and the Div ine
Savit ar for our growt h in t his manifest ed world, tay e.

The second v erse again mentions the d ark sp ace and Savit ar, who now
himself int roduces all mort al and immort al beings into the Manifest ation:

Aa k/:[en/ rj?sa/ vtR?manae inve/zy?! A/m&t/m! mTy? c ,

ih/r/{yye?n siv/ta rwe/na de/vae ya?it/ -uv?nain/ pZy?n! . 1-035-02

kr na rjas vrtamno niveyann am t am mrtiya ca

hirayyena savit rthena dev yti bhvanni pyan 1.035.02

Interpretation:
Expanding by or through the dark space, introducing and determining the
immortal and the mortal in Manifestation, the God Savitar comes in his
golden chariot, seeing all the becomings in this world.

2
It is interesting that now Savitar is also called niveayan, introducing,
placing, settling as the Night in the previous verse. He is placing in the
Manifestion of the Divine both immortal gods and mortal creatures for their
interaction, as it were. This function of Savitar manifesting the Divine by
bringing all creatures together is central for understanding of his role. For it
is by the dark space that He returns to Himself: kena rajas
vartamna, placing all in their right place during this Self discovering
return. (Cf. the Ananda circuit by the Mother).

yait? de/v> /vta/ yaTy! %/ta/ yait? zu/a_ya<? yj/tae hir?_yam! ,

Aa de/vae ya?it siv/ta p?ra/vtae =?p/ iva? ir/ta bax?man> . 1-035-03

y t i dev pravt y t i udvt y t i ubhr b hy yajat hribhym

dev yti savit parvto pa vv durit b d hamna 1.035.03

Interpretation:
The God moves by the downward path, and he moves by the upward. By
the two horses he moves, who is of the Sacrifice!
From the beyond the God Savitar comes to us, destroying all the difficulties
on our path.
This particular feature of Savitar to move in two directions is presenting
him as a Creator, who supports the Sacrifice, which is of the double
movement and exchange of consciousness between the higher and the
lower hemispheres (BhG 3.9-15). But himself he comes from the beyond
being neither in the higher nor in the lower hemisphere, but in both and
even beyond both of them. (cf. aUp 9-11)
The two horses also might symbolize the double character of his
manifestation, representing his double mastery and presence in the light
and in the night. So when he comes from the transcendental realms then all
the crookedness of the Night gets straightened up.

A/-Iv&?t</ kz?nEr! iv/?p</ ihr?{yzMy< yj/tae b&/hNt?m! ,

AaSwa/d! rw?< siv/ta ic/-a?nu> k/:[a rja<?is/ tiv?;I/< dxa?n> . 1-035-04

abh v r t a k anair vivrpa hrayaamya yajat br h ntam

s thd rtha savit citrbhnu kr rjsi tvi ddhna 1.035.04

Interpretation:
Savitar has mounted his chariot, which is covered with pearls, and has a
golden pole, being vast and of the universal Form! He is full of varied rays

3
of light, who is of Sacrifice, yajata, [moves] towards dark spaces,
establishing/ bearing power and might!
The last phrase can be also translated as establishing or holding mightily
the dark spaces. For it is because of his presence that the dark spaces
have at all their might, it is because he is there hidden within them that the
falsehood can act with power. It is falsehood only on the surface of its
being, in the depth it is the luminous Truth hidden by the darkness;
therefore falsehood can act on the basis of truth only.

Vocabulary:
hirayaamya, mfn. having golden pegs RV.
kana, n. a pearl, mother-of-pearl RV. i , 35 , 4 and x , 68 , 11 AV.

iv jna?|! D(a/va> iz?it/padae? AOy/n! rw</ ihr?{y=g</ vh?Nt> ,

z/d! ivz>? siv/tur! dEVy?Syae/pSwe/ iva/ -uv?nain tSwu> . 1-035-05

v jn chyv itip d o akhyan rtha hrayapraga vhanta

vad va savitr daviyasya upsthe vv bhvanni tasthu 1.035.05

Interpretation:
The white-footed Bay Horses of the Lord Savitar are carrying him in the
chariot with a golden fore-part, they see [and by seeing manifest] widely all
the beings who are born here in the material body, for all who have entered
this manifestation are for ever held in the lap of the Divine Savitar together
with all the worlds or becomings.

It is a statement that all the manifestation of the Divine [the container and
the contained] is in care of Savitar. It is he who is manifesting all the
beings here with his two powers, brown and white-footed horses, and all
the worlds are in his lap.

Voc ab ula ry:

iti pa d , ( str o ng fo rm - p d) m f (pa d ) n. wh ite -fo oted R V . A V . Ka u . ; b lac kfoo ted
MW .
iti , m fn . (pe rha ps fr . o) w hit e L. ; (c f . sita ) bla c k, da rk-b l ue.
y va , m f n . ( c o nn e c te d w i th y m a ) dar kb ro wn , b row n , dar k- c ol o u red , da r k R V .
A V . Br . &c . draw n b y bro wn o r bay ho rse s (sa i d of ch a ri ot s, V e d .) MW . ; m . a
bro wn hor se R V .
hi ra ya pra uga , m f n . ha vi ng a g old en for e- part ( sa i d of a cha ri o t-p ole ) R V . i ,
3 5, 5 .

it/ae *av>? siv/tur! a %/pSwa/ @ka? y/mSy/ -uv?ne ivra/;aq! ,

4
Aa/i[< n rWy?m! A/m&taix? tSwur! #/h ?vItu/ y %/ tc! icke?tt! . 1-035-06

tisr dy v a savitr dv upsthm k yamsya bhvane vir

n rthyam am t d hi tasthur ih bravtu y u tc cketat 1.035.06

Interpretation:
There are three heavens of Savitar: two are in his lap and one is in the
realm of Yama, the home of heroes. As on the pole of the car (all the parts
are fixed) similarly all the things which are immortal rest on him! Here the
one who perceives it should speak.
Savitar has three heavens, two of which are close to him: the Higher and
Illuminded Mind, and one heaven: the proper Mind is in the realm of Yama,
the place where the souls take the physical body. The very fact that Higher
and Illumined Mind are in his proper domain, though they are a part of the
lower hemisphere of the Night, is a significant characteristic of Savitar, who
expands by and through Night, manifesting the Divine in the World.

Sri Aurob indo explains the function of t he Illumined mind: T he world you
saw above the head was the pl ane of the Illumined Min d which is
a level of consciou sness much higher than the human i ntelligence.
It i s there that the Divine Light and Power come down to be
transmitted to the human consciousn ess and from there they
work and prepare the tran sformation of the human con sciousness
and even the physi cal nature. 1

Vocabulary:
virah, mfn. (Nom.-}; vira prob. for vr) subduing or confining or harbouring
men (applied to Yama's heaven) RV. i , 35 , 6.

iv su?p/[aR A/Ntir?]a{y! AOyd! g-I/rve?pa/ Asu?r> sunI/w> ,

KvedanI/< sUyR>/ kz! ic?ket kt/ma< *a< r/iZmr! A/Sya t?tan . 1-035-07

v supar antriki akhyad gabhrvep sura sunth

kved n s r iya k ciketa katam dy ramr asy tatna 1.035.07

Interpretation:
The one with perfect two wings (of the higher and lower hemisphere)
oversees and enlightens all the inner spaces between heaven and earth,
quivering deeply with the ecstasy of his supreme bliss; he is the Mighty
Lord, the perfect Guide!
1
Volume: 22-23-24 [SABCL] (Letters on Yoga), Page: 961

5
Where is Surya now? Who can perceive? Where, to what heaven has his Ray
expanded?
These are rhetoric sentences, which are meant to show the wonder of the
Rishi about the manifestation of the Supreme. Where would the Ray go or
extend? to what [new or another] heaven, manifesting the Divine? Who
knows it here, who can clearly see it here? In other words: Who can
declare here the end of possibilities of the Divine Manifestation? Who can
say how far he has extended his Ray?

Vocabulary:
gabhravepas, mfn. moved deeply or inwardly , deeply excited RV. i , 35 , 7.

A/aE Vy! AOyt! k/k->? p&iw/Vyas! I xNv/ yaej?na s/ isNxU?n! ,

ih/r/{ya/]> s?iv/ta de/v Aaga/d! dx/d! ra? da/zu;e/ vayaR?i[ . 1-035-08

aa v akhyat kakbha pr t hivy s tr dhnuva yjan sapt sndhn

hirayk savit dev g d ddhad rtn de v r iyi 1.035.08

Interpretation:
The eight peaks of the Earth he has illumined with his look, and the three
regions of the desert, and the Seven Rivers! Shining with his golden eyes
the God Savitar should come and establish the treasures, most desirable,
for the giver of Sacrifice.

Vocabulary:
kakubh, f. (cf. kakud) a peak, summit RV.
dhanvan, n. a bow RV.; dry soil, shore (samudasya; cf. dhanu) a desert, a waste
RV. &c. &c.
yojana, n. (sometimes m.; ifc. f. ) a stage or Yojana (i.e. a distance traversed in
one harnessing or without unyoking; esp. a partic. measure of distance,
sometimes regarded as equal to 4 or 5 English miles, but more correctly = 4
Kroas or about 9 miles ; according to other calculations = 2 1/2 English miles,
and according to some = 8 Kroas) RV. &c. &c.

ihr?{ypai[> siv/ta ivc?;Ri[r! %/-e *ava?p&iw/vI A/Ntr! $?yte ,

ApamI?va/< bax?te/ veit/ sUyR?m! A/i- k/:[en/ rj?sa/ *am! \?[aeit . 1-035-09

hrayapi savit vcarair ubh dy v pr t hiv antr yate

p m vm b d hate vti s r iyam abh kr na rjas dy m r oti 1.035.09

Interpretation:

6
Savitar, with golden arms, active, enters the space in-between heaven and
earth. He removes all obstacles and compels the Sun to appear! And
by/through the dark space He moves towards Heaven!

The key function of Savitar is stated here: abhi kena rajas dym oti,
he approaches or moves towards heaven by the dark space, or he
moves/spreads heaven by the dark space. It is this characteristic which
makes Savitar the god of the Sacrifice, yajata, for it is through and by the
darkness that he arrives at Heavenly light. Therefore it was mentioned in
the previous verse that there are three heavens of Savitar, of which one is
in the mortal heaven and the two are properly his: Higher and Illumined
Mind, in Sri Aurobindos terminology, and these two are still the extensions
of consciousness of Night. It is these two heavens of Savitar, which actually
make the connection with the supreme light from above of the Intuitive and
Ovemental levels. Thus He links the higher and the lower hemisphere over
these two regions of the Night, spreading them, as it were, abhi kena
rajas dym oti, he approaches or moves towards heaven by the dark
space.

Vocabulary:
v, 2. P. (Dhtup. xxiv , 39, veti) to go, approach , (either as a friend i.e. "seek or
take eagerly , grasp , seize , accept , enjoy", or as an enemy i.e. "fall upon ,
attack , assail , visit , punish , avenge") RV. AV. TS. Br.; to set in motion , arouse
, excite , impel RV.; to further , promote , lead or bring or help any one to (two
acc.) ib.
vicarai, (vi-), mfn. very active or busy RV. TAr.
oti, 8. P. A. to go, move.

ihr?{yhStae/ Asu?r> sunI/w> su?m&I/k> Svva? yaTv! A/vaR'! ,

A/p/sex?n! r/]sae? yatu/xana/n! ASwa?d! de/v> ?itdae/;< g&?[a/n> . 1-035-10

hrayahasto sura sunth sumr k suvm ytu arv

apasdhan rakso ytudh n n sthd dev pratido gr n 1.035.10

Interpretation:
May the Mighty God and the Perfect Guide, with his golden hands, come
straight to us, bringing his own power for our growth and protection,
supremely gentle!
Driving away all the Rakshasas and Yatudhanas, the God stood there, who
is invoked in the Darkness!

Again here we have a confirmation of Savitars relations with the Night; he

is the God who is invoked in the Night, pratidoa gna, driving away

7
all the Rakshasas and other demons, coming to us directly with his support,
protection, increase, mercy, perfect guidance, and mighty power in his
golden hands, he can always extend and save the soul in the darkness.

Vocabulary:
svavas, mfn. (nom. -vn) having or affording good protection RV.
pratidoam, ind. in the evening , in the dark RV.

ye te/ pNwa>? sivt> pU/VyaRsae? =re/[v>/ suk?ta A/Ntir?]e ,

tei-?r! nae A/* p/iwi->? su/ge-I/ r]a? c nae/ Aix? c Uih dev . 1-035-11

y te pnth savita prviy s o areva skr t antrike

tbhir no ady pathbhi sugbh rk ca no dhi ca brhi deva 1.035.11

Interpretation:
O Savitar, those paths of yours, which are first and pure, are well made in
the Antariksha. It is by those paths today, which are easy to travel, you
protect us, O God, and on those paths you protect us [from dark forces].
And again the presence of Savitar in the darkness is mentioned. It is his
ancient paths, prvyas panth, which are well made, sukt, on which
he can protect the travelers to the other shore and intercede for them with
the dark forces.

Vocabulary:
adhivac, to speak in favour of, advocate RV. VS.
adhibr, Ved. to speak in favour of (dat.) or favourably to (dat.) , intercede for.

8
Appendix

Savitar and the Night.

The sy mbol of the Godhead returning or coming back to Himself over the
regions of the Nig ht of the Inconscient is the secret p rocess of all
manifestat ion. It is as if the Div ine is revealing his own Being to his own
Consciousness in d etail by red iscovering Himself anew in all possible
varieties, q ualities and relations. In ord er to do so, He had t o mak e first
the Consciousness, Bliss and T ruth of his Infinite Being fall and then to
eng age Himself wit h them by entering t hem, as it were, bringing t hem
back to their full divine awareness and power. In this process of
eng aging himself the phenomena of Time, Space and Causalit y come into
being, reorganizing the fallen Consciousness, Bliss, Trut h and Being on
the scale of gradual recovery to b e able t o rev eal all t he infinite q ualities
of the Divine to t he Divine in all possible ways: to k now and experience
Itself not only in It s supreme ev erpresent Id ent ity, as t he Mother says,
but also in Its newly discov ered infinit e Unity.
The Nig ht conceals within her bosom the Lord growing towards his own
supreme id ent ity, towards Himself. And the Dawn grad ually rev eals what
the Nig ht k eep s hidd en there. The Dawn is a twin sist er of the Night. She
is the messeng er of Savitar, and the beloved of Sury a, the Suprament al
Godhead. He follows her pat hs as t he Lord and her husb and trav eling
from t he b eyond t hrough the Night towards Manifest ation.
It is t his fundament al characterist ic of Savit ar to b e engag ed wit hin the
creation and to manifest things in and through the Night that mak es him
a central figure among the Adityas.

The three heavens of Savit ar mentioned in this hy mn (1.35) are the key
to the underst anding of t his manifestat ion, for there is a place in t he
regions of the Night where the Night is no more, as it were, in t he t wo
heav ens of Sav itar: Higher and Illumined Mind. These are the realms
which none of the creat ures of the Infinite Nig ht can overtake, alt houg h
they can distort the outcome of it on t he lower planes when it passes
throug h the ment al, vital and physical regions, where they have their
access to, but t hey cannot stay in t he reg ions of the Higher and
Illumined Mind, and still these regions are within t he lower hemisphere,
at the top of it. It d oes not mean t hat Savitar is rest ricted only to these
three heav ens. In t he hy mn of Vamad eva RV 4. 53.5 to Sav itar, we find
such a v erse:

trr antrika savit mahitv an tr rjsi paribh s tr i rocan /

tisr dv a pr t hiv s tisr inv ati trib hr vratar abh no rakat i t mn//

9
Savitar is surrounding with his mightiness Antariksham and its three
spaces, and the three luminous realms, rocan, setting three heavens in
motion and three earths, protecting us as if surrounding by himself with his
three laws.
Vamadeva depicts Savitar as the all including, transcendental and at the
same time an involved Godhead, who is of the power of Ritam, a direct
characteristic of the Supramental Dynamic Truth in things, their right
positioning and relations. For He includes also the three luminous realms of
tri rocan and all that is below it, making the three heavens and the three
earths grow, revealing all the wonders of the Divine Manifestation on the
scale of time and space.
The Divine Dynamism presupposes two different relations: (1) the
enclosing, upholding, containing the whole, and (2) the involvement in it,
participating, being contained. It is only with the Supramental realization
that these two principles of the Divine Dynamism can be fully harmonized
and balanced.
The Night is a container which holds the Divine and yet it is contained by
the Divine. And this function is ascribed to Savitar who embraces the Night
from both ends as Shyavashva Atreya puts it in his hymn:

ut ysi savitas tr i rocan ut s r yasya rambhi sm ucyasi

ut r t rm ubhayta pryasa ut mitr bhavasi deva dhrmabhi 5.081.04

And thou reachest, 2 O Savitri, to the t hree luminous heav ens; and thou
art utterly expressed by the ray s of t he Sun; and thou encompassest the
Night upon either side; and thou becomest by the law of thy actions the
lord of Lov e, O God. 3

O Sav itar, you move towards the t hree luminous realms of Svar
(Int uitiv e Mind, Ov ermind and Suprament al Ov ermind), totally fit with t he
Rays of the Sun (t he outpouring of t he Supramental Light ), enclosing
Night from both sid es: from ab ove and from below, and b y your laws,
which are supp orting the Manifestation throughout, you t hus become
Mitra, t he Supreme Consciousness of the Divine Mother, Aditi, creat ing all
that is in your all measuring p ercept ion.

2
My note: that is why it is said that Savitar goes or reaches the three luminous realms, ysi
savitas tri roca, matching or fitting with the rays of Surya, the Supramental Sun, sryasya
ramibhi sam ucyasi, which implies the movement from another side: from within and through
the darkness. And that is how he encompasses the Night from both sides. This is the Secret of
the Veda.
3
Sri Aurobindos translation; see also: But also thou goest, O Savitri, to the three shining worlds
of heaven and thou art made manifest by the rays of the Sun, and thou encirclest on both sides
the Night, and thou becomest Mitra, O god, with his settled laws of Truth.

10
The p rofound percep tion here is that t he Light of Savitar is rising t o Sv ar
and inclosing the Night from bot h sides, manifest ing a perception of
simultaneous oneness with t ranscendental.
There is a passag e in the Secret of the V eda, where Sri Aurobindo
explains the phenomena of t he V edic Nig ht:
But the cav e is only the home of t he P anis, their field of action is eart h
and heav en and the mid-world. T hey are the sons of the Inconscience,
but themselves are not precisely inconscient in their action; they have
forms of app arent k nowledge, my , b ut these are forms of ig norance
the truth of which is concealed in the darkness of the inconscient and
their surface or front is falsehood, not t ruth. For the world as we see it
has come out of t he d ark ness concealed in d ark ness, t he d eep and
abysmal flood t hat covered all things, the inconscient ocean, aprak eta
salilam (X. 129. 3); in that non-exist ence t he seers have found by desire in
the heart and thought in the mind th at which builds u p the true
existence. This non-exist ence of t he t ruth of t hings, asat , is t he first
aspect of t hem t hat emerges from the inconscient ocean; and its great
darkness is t he Ved ic Night, rtr jagato niveanm (I.35.1), which holds
the world and all its unrev ealed potentialit ies in her ob scure bosom.
Night extends her realm over this triple world of ours and out of
her in heaven, in the mental being, Dawn is born who delivers the
Sun out of the darkness where it was lying concealed and eclipsed
and creates the vi sion of the suprem e Day in the non-existence, in
the Night, asati ketum. It is therefore in these three realms that t he
battle bet ween t he Lords of Lig ht and the L ords of t he Ig norance
proceed s through its continual vicissit udes.

11