RĀTRI SŪKTA
(Ṛgveda 10.127)
rātrī vyakhyadāyatīpurutrā devyākṣabhiḥ, viśwā adhiśriyo’dhita (1)
(rātrī) night (devī) goddess (aksabhiḥ) with her eyes (vyakhyat) sees (āyati) approaching (purutrā) pervading (viśwā) all (śriyaḥ) glory (adhita) embraces
The Goddess Night, with her eyes sees; Approaching, pervading, her glory embraces all
orvaprā amatyā niyato devyudvataḥ, jyotiṣa bādhate tamaḥ (2)
(orvaprā) omnipresent (amartyā) immortal (ni-vataḥ) below (ut) and (vataḥ) above (devī) goddess (jyotiṣā) through her light (vādhate) destroys (tamaḥ) darkness
Omnipresent, Immortal from below and above; The Goddess, through her light, destroys darkness
niruswasāramaskṛtoṣasam devyāyatī, upedu hāsate tamaḥ (3)
(swasāram) her sister (uṣasam) the dawn (niru-skṛtaḥ) defined (devī āyati) comes (apeduhāsate) departs (tamaḥ) darkness
Her sister, the dawn, defined approaches and the darkness departs
sā no adya yasyā vayam nit e yāmanna vikṣmahi, vṛkṣe na vasatim vayaḥ (4)
(sā) she (naḥ) our (adya) this day (vayam) we (ni te yāman) in our homes/beds (āvikṣmahi) sleep (vrkṣe) in the tree (na) like (vayaḥ) birds (vasatim) nest.
She grants us this day, that in our beds; Like birds in their nests in the trees we sleep
Ni grāmāso avikṣata ni padvanto ni pakṣiṇaḥ, ni śyenāsaśidvartinaḥ (5)
(grāmāsaḥ) villagers (avikṣata) have sought (homes) (ni-padvantaḥ) beasts that walk (ni-paksinaḥ) those that fly (śyonāsaḥ) even falcons (cit) and (arthinaḥ) for this
Thus, villagers seek their homes, the beasts that roam and those that fly and even the falcons
yāvayā vṛkyam vṛkam yavaya stenamūrmye, athā naḥ sutarābhava (6)
(yāvayā) keep away (vṛkyam) she wolf (vṛkam) male wolf (yavaya) keep away (stenam) thief (ūrmya) O Urmi (athā) thus (bhava) be (easy) (naḥ) to us
Keep away the wolf and the vixen, Keep away the thief. O Urmi, may your favour be on us
upamā pepiśat tamaḥ kṛṣṇam vyaktam asthita, uṣā ṛṇeva yātaya (7)
(upa mā) near me (pepiśat) forms (asthita) existing (vyaktam) all pervasive (tamaḥ) darkness (kṛṣṇam) darkness (uṣa) O Dawn (ṛṇa iva) like a debt (yātaya) passes
Existing around me, covering me in all her forms, Darkness; O Uṣā, like a debt passes this darkness
Upa te gāivākaram vṛṇīṣva duhitardivaḥ, rātri stomam na jigyuṣe (8)
(upa te) to you (gā iva) like cows (vṛṇiśwa) accept (duhitar) O Daughter (divaḥ) of heaven (rātri) O Night (stomam) this hymn (jigyuse) for victory
O Daughter of Heaven, O Night, like cows bellowing to you, Accept this hymn for our victory
Day Dusk Darkness Dawn of Time born
Night with her eyes embraces all
Covering heaven beyond and below
Yet she conquers her Dark with Dawn
Nature’s strange bond, a law of blend
Sisters eternal immortal
Forms of each other, succeeding
Paths marking the cycle of Time
Villagers take to their homes
Beasts seek refuge, birds their cosy nests
Thieves and wolves, slaves of dark deeds
Preys make us not, let night pass
Silhouettes against a crimson hue
Forms of pictures weighing down heavy
Debt of pervasive darkness paid
Darkness of Despair, Night of Dreams
Then comes Dawn, Sky’s Daughter Divine
With birth, joy and colour so fine
Like the bellows of cows, benign
Listen to this hymn of mine.
As human beings we associate darkness with fear. The very same house and garden that we enjoy during the day we begin to dread at night. We cannot see in the dark and therefore are afraid of what may be lurking around us. That very space that during the day becomes our source of fun and joy, now becomes unknown and fearsome. This hymn tells us that the Night and Day are but sisters, different shades of the same space. The absence of the one marks the presence of the other. They are daughters of Heaven, one causing us to rise and enjoy life and the other bringing sleep and peace with it. At dawn, the light covers the sky and the darkness disappears. Life is born anew and the cycle makes a full turn again, the dusk followed by night and the dark followed by dawn. We rise at Dawn and begin our day and upon Dusk we all return to our homes, to the cosy nests that even the bird and beast seek at Night. We need to remember the day as being equally important as the night; both embodying the good and bad times, the cycle of life. We lend our fears and hopes to time eternal by likening the day and light to joy, and night and darkness to fear, the fear of the wolf, vixen and the thief that lurk both out there in the night and in the darkness of our minds. This prayer asks that we overcome our fear of the darkness of despair and remember that it also brings us rest and sweet dreams. Darkness and Light are also our spiritual ignorance and inner enlightenment.