Rig Veda (translation and commentary)

by H. H. Wilson | 1866 | 1,999,864 words | ISBN-10: 8171101380 | ISBN-13: 9788171101382

The Rig-Veda, English translation, including the commentary of Sayana and grammatical analysis. The hyms of the Rigveda Samhita represents some of the oldest and complex of Hindu Sanskrit literature. In ten books, these mantras form the core essence of rituals and ceremonies once widely performed throughout ancient India. This edition contains the...

Disclaimer: These are translations of Sanskrit texts and are not necessarily approved by everyone associated with the traditions connected to these texts. Consult the source and original scripture in case of doubt.

Rig Veda 10.129.1

Sanskrit text [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

नास॑दासी॒न्नो सदा॑सीत्त॒दानीं॒ नासी॒द्रजो॒ नो व्यो॑मा प॒रो यत् । किमाव॑रीव॒: कुह॒ कस्य॒ शर्म॒न्नम्भ॒: किमा॑सी॒द्गह॑नं गभी॒रम् ॥
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् । किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥
nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt tadānīṃ nāsīd rajo no vyomā paro yat | kim āvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarmann ambhaḥ kim āsīd gahanaṃ gabhīram ||

English translation:

“The non-existent was not, the existent was not; then the world was not, not the firmament, nor thatwhich is above (the firmament). How could there by any investing envelope, and where? Of what (could there be)felicity? How (could there be) the deep unfathomable water?”

Commentary by Sāyaṇa: Ṛgveda-bhāṣya

The non-existent: sat, asat: visible and invisibleexistence (asat śaśaviṣāṇavatrirupākhyam nāsīt: Taittirīya Saṃhitā 7.1.5.1); matter and spirit, prakṛtiand puruṣa; the First Cause or Brahmā was in the beginning undeveloped in its effects, and existed beforeboth; investing envelope: each element as created or developed is invested by its rudiment; of what could therebe felicity: i.e., of whom or of what living being could enjoyment, or fruition, whether of pain or plural asure, bepredicated, there being no life?

Details:

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): prajāpatiḥ parameṣṭhī [prajāpati parameṣṭhī];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): bhāvavṛttam ;
Chandas (meter): nicṛttriṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;

Padapatha [Accents, Plain, Transliterated]:

न । अस॑त् । आ॒सी॒त् । नो इति॑ । सत् । आ॒सी॒त् । त॒दानी॑म् । न । आ॒सी॒त् । रजः॑ । नो इति॑ । विऽओ॑म । प॒रः । यत् । किम् । आ । अ॒व॒री॒व॒रिति॑ । कुह॑ । कस्य॑ । शर्म॑न् । अम्भः॑ । किम् । आ॒सी॒त् । गह॑नम् । ग॒भी॒रम् ॥
न । असत् । आसीत् । नो इति । सत् । आसीत् । तदानीम् । न । आसीत् । रजः । नो इति । विओम । परः । यत् । किम् । आ । अवरीवरिति । कुह । कस्य । शर्मन् । अम्भः । किम् । आसीत् । गहनम् । गभीरम् ॥
na | asat | āsīt | no iti | sat | āsīt | tadānīm | na | āsīt | rajaḥ | no iti | vi-oma | paraḥ | yat | kim | ā | avarīvariti | kuha | kasya | śarman | ambhaḥ | kim | āsīt | gahanam | gabhīram

Multi-layer Annotation of the Ṛgveda

[Rigveda 10.129.1 English analysis of grammar]

nāsad < < na

[adverb]

“not; like; no; na [word].”

nāsad < asat

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“nonexistent; bad; wrong; wrong; asat [prefix]; dissident; fake.”

āsīn < āsīt < as

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

no < na

[adverb]

“not; like; no; na [word].”

no < u

[adverb]

“ukāra; besides; now; indeed; u.”

sad < sat < as

[verb noun], nominative, singular

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

āsīt < as

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

tadānīṃ < tadānīm

[adverb]

“at that time; then.”

nāsīd < na

[adverb]

“not; like; no; na [word].”

nāsīd < āsīt < as

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

rajo < rajaḥ < rajas

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“powder; menorrhea; dust; Rajas; atmosphere; rajas; pollen; passion; rajas [word]; sindūra; rust; tin; impurity; dark; sky.”

no < na

[adverb]

“not; like; no; na [word].”

no < u

[adverb]

“ukāra; besides; now; indeed; u.”

vyomā < vyoman

[noun], nominative, singular, masculine

“abhra; sky; ākāśa; Svarga; Vyoman.”

paro < paras

[adverb]

“beyond; away; farther.”

yat < yad

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“who; which; yat [pronoun].”

kim < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

āvarīvaḥ < āvarīvar < āvarvṛt < √vṛt

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“eddy; move back and forth.”

kuha

[adverb]

“wherein.”

kasya < ka

[noun], genitive, singular, masculine

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

śarmann < śarman

[noun], locative, singular, neuter

“protection; protective covering; refuge; joy.”

ambhaḥ < ambhas

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“water; juice; body of water; ambhas [word]; urine; perspiration.”

kim < ka

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“what; who; ka [pronoun].”

āsīd < āsīt < as

[verb], singular, Imperfect

“be; exist; become; originate; happen; result; be; dwell; be born; stay; be; equal; exist; transform.”

gahanaṃ < gahanam < gahana

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“impenetrable; profound; dense; abounding in(p); inexplicable; deep.”

gabhīram < gabhīra

[noun], nominative, singular, neuter

“deep; profound; immeasurable; unfathomable; unfathomable; mysterious; deep; countless.”

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