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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 951 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN CXIV. Viśvedevas.

1.Two perfect springs of heat pervade the Threefold, and come for their delight is Mātariśvan. Craving the milk of heaven the Gods are present: well do they know the praisesong and the Sāman.

2.The priests beard far away, as they are ordered, serve the three Nirrtis, for well they know them. Sages have traced the cause that first produced them, dwelling in distant and mysterious chambers.

3.The Youthful One, well-shaped, with four locks braided, brightened with oil, puts on the ordinances. Two Birds of mighty power are seated near her, there where the Deities receive their portion.

4.One of these Birds hath passed into the sea of air: thence he looks round and views this universal world. With simple heart I have beheld him from anear: his Mother kisses him and he returns her kiss.

5.Him with fair wings though only One in nature, wise singers shape, with songs, in many figures. While they at sacrifices fix the metres, they measure out twelve chalices of Soma.

6.While they arrange the four and six-and-thirty, and duly order, up to twelve, the measures, Having disposed the sacrifice thoughtful sages send the Car forward with the Rc and Sāman.

7.The Chariot’s majesties are fourteen others: seven sages lead it onward with their Voices. Who will declare to us the ford Apnana, the path whereby they drink first draughts of Soma?

8.The fifteen lauds are in a thousand places that is as vast as heaven and earth in measure. A thousand spots contain the mighty thousand. Vāk spreadeth forth as far as Prayer extendeth.

9.What sage hath learned the metres’ application? Who hath gained Vāk, the spirit’s aim and object? Which ministering priest is called eighth Hero? Who then hath tracked the two Bay Steeds of Indra?

10.Yoked to his chariot-pole there stood the Coursers: they only travel round earth’s farthest limits. These, when their driver in his home is settled, receive the allotted meed of their exertion.

Asked of Guide

Why are the priests described as serving the three Nirrtis and tracing their mysterious origin?

The chapter says the priests “serve the three Nirrtis” because ritual specialists enact obligations toward powers that bring disorder and transformation; they know those powers and their rites, so service keeps the world’s motions proper. The sages have “traced the cause that first produced them” by exploring hidden, “mysterious chambers,” which frames priestly knowledge as inquiry into origins behind ruin and renewal.

This passage treats ritual knowledge as both practical and explanatory: priests perform ordered rites while sages map how disruptive forces arise, a theme comparable to the Upanishads’ concern with tracing origins of being. The hymn links liturgical competence (measuring metres, arranging sacrifices) with cosmological insight about powers that must be known and ceremonially contained.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.