1.88.1
आ वि॒द्युन्म॑द्भिर्मरुतः स्व॒र्कै रथे॑भिर्यात ऋष्टि॒मद्भि॒रश्व॑पर्णैः |
आ वर्षि॑ष्ठया न इ॒षा वयो॒ न प॑प्तता सुमायाः ||
COME hither, Maruts, on your lightning laden cars, sounding with sweet songs, armed with lances, winged with steeds. Fly unto us with noblest food, like birds, O ye of mighty power.
Come, Maruts, on lightning-laden cars, sweet-songed, lance-armed, steed-winged; fly to us with noblest food like birds, O mighty ones.
Vidyut-ratha and birdlike flight evoke Maruts as messengers between antarikṣa and earth. 'Noblest food' is both iṣ and spiritual nourishment carried on storm-wings.
Invite high-energy collaboration that arrives fast, sings, and feeds the work—not heavy bureaucracy.
1.88.2
ते॑ऽरु॒णेभि॒र्वर॒मा पि॒शङ्गै॑: शु॒भे कं या॑न्ति रथ॒तूर्भि॒रश्वै॑: |
रु॒क्मो न चि॒त्रः स्वधि॑तीवान् प॒व्या रथ॑स्य जङ्घनन्त॒ भूम॑ ||
With their red-hued or, haply, tawny coursers which speed their chariots on, they come for glory. Brilliant like gold is he who holds the thunder. Earth have they smitten with the chariot's felly.
With red or tawny coursers speeding their cars they come for glory; brilliant as gold is the thunder-holder; they have struck earth with the chariot's rim.
Hiraṇya-like thunderer and earth struck by nemi show storm-contact with bhūmi—divine force leaving a tangible track. Glory (yaśas) is the aim of their āgati.
High-impact arrivals leave marks. Ensure your 'rim on earth' is creative disruption, not careless damage.
1.88.3
श्रि॒ये कं वो॒ अधि॑ त॒नूषु॒ वाशी॑र्मे॒धा वना॒ न कृ॑णवन्त ऊ॒र्ध्वा |
यु॒ष्मभ्यं॒ कं म॑रुतः सुजातास्तुविद्यु॒म्नासो॑ धनयन्ते॒ अद्रि॑म् ||
For beauty ye have swords upon your bodies. As they stir woods so may they stir our spirits. For your sake, O ye Maruts very mighty and well-born, have they set the stone, in motion.
For beauty you wear swords on your bodies; as they stir the woods, may they stir our spirits. For your sake, mighty well-born Maruts, the pressing-stone was set in motion.
Outer astra-śobhā mirrors inner manas-stirring. Grāvāṇah move for the Maruts—Soma-pressing as response to their beauty-power. Forest and spirit shake together.
Beauty with edge—elegance plus capability—moves both environments and minds. Craft tools that answer inspired force.
1.88.4
अहा॑नि॒ गृध्रा॒: पर्या व॒ आगु॑रि॒मां धियं॑ वार्का॒र्यां च॑ दे॒वीम् |
ब्रह्म॑ कृ॒ण्वन्तो॒ गोत॑मासो अ॒र्कैरू॒र्ध्वं नु॑नुद्र उत्स॒धिं पिब॑ध्यै ||
The days went round you and came back O yearners, back, to this prayer and to this solemn worship. The Gotamas making their prayer with singing have pushed the well's lid up to drink the water.
Days circled you and returned, O yearners, to this prayer and solemn worship; the Gotamas, singing, have pushed up the well's lid to drink the water.
Circular kāla returning to brahman/yajña, and Gotamas lifting the well-lid (ūrdhva kapāta), symbolize unlocking hidden rasa—inspiration as groundwater released by song.
Persistent creative practice eventually pops the lid on blocked wells of insight. Keep returning to the work.
1.88.5
ए॒तत् त्यन्न योज॑नमचेति स॒स्वर्ह॒ यन्म॑रुतो॒ गोत॑मो वः |
पश्य॒न् हिर॑ण्यचक्रा॒नयो॑दंष्ट्रान् वि॒धाव॑तो व॒राहू॑न् ||
No hymn way ever known like this aforetime which Gotama sang forth for you, O Maruts, What time upon your golden wheels he saw you, wild boars rushing about with tusks of iron.
No hymn like this was known before, which Gotama sang for you, O Maruts, when on golden wheels he saw you as wild boars rushing with iron tusks.
Unique mantradṛṣṭi: Gotama's vision of Maruts as ayomukha varāha on hiraṇya-cakra is seer-poetry at peak—Rudra's sons as fierce boar-force. Novelty of hymn marks fresh revelation.
Original insight often arrives as startling metaphor. Trust the vivid image that no template prepared you to see.
1.88.6
ए॒षा स्या वो॑ मरुतोऽनुभ॒र्त्री प्रति॑ ष्टोभति वा॒घतो॒ न वाणी॑ |
अस्तो॑भय॒द् वृथा॑सा॒मनु॑ स्व॒धां गभ॑स्त्योः ||
To you this freshening draught of Soma rusheth, O Maruts, like the voice of one who prayeth. It rusheth freely from our hands as these libations wont to flow.
To you this freshening Soma draught rushes, O Maruts, like a praying voice; it flows freely from our hands as such libations are wont to flow.
Soma as praying vāk—liquid speech—captures Vedic unity of rasa and mantra. Spontaneous flow (syandate) from hands marks unforced offering.
Let contribution flow without over-control: generous, timely, voice-like offerings beat stiff, delayed perfectionism.