Rudrashtadhyayi: Adhyaya 1 - Shivasankalpa Sukta
हृदय - शिवसङ्कल्पसूक्तम्
The first adhyaya of the Rudrashtadhyayi, traditionally called Hridaya (the "heart" limb of the six-limbed recitation). Its first four mantras invoke Ganapati and the Vedic metres; its last six mantras, beginning "yaj jagrato duram udaiti", form the Shivasankalpa Sukta proper - the famous prayer for an auspicious, steady mind, repeated after every mantra as "tan me manah shivasankalpam astu" (may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve).
Sanskrit
हरिः॒ ॐ गणानां॑ त्वा ग॒णप॑तिꣳ हवामहे प्रि॒याणां॑ त्वा प्रि॒यप॑तिꣳ हवामहे निधी॒नां त्वा॑ निधि॒पतिꣳ॑ हवामहे॒ वसो॑ मम। आ॒हम॑जानि गर्भ॒धमा त्वम॑जासि गर्भ॒धम् ॥१॥
Transliteration
hariḥ oṃ gaṇānāṃ tvā gaṇapatiṃ havāmahe priyāṇāṃ tvā priyapatiṃ havāmahe nidhīnāṃ tvā nidhipatiṃ havāmahe vaso mama | āham ajāni garbhadhamā tvam ajāsi garbhadham ||1||
Translation
We invoke you, lord of the Ganas; we invoke you, lord of all that is dear; we invoke you, lord of treasures. Abide with us, O Vasu. I have come to be the womb of prayer; you have come to be born of that womb.
Deep Meaning
The adhyaya opens with the invocation already familiar from Ganapati worship throughout this book: Ganapati, protector of all the Ganas, is called as the one established in every treasure and every dear thing, asked to remain close. The closing line is an old and deliberately dense Vedic phrase about the mutual birth of prayer and its fruit - traditionally read as the worshipper and the deity each giving rise to the other through the act of invocation itself.
Sanskrit
गायत्री त्रिष्टुब्जग॒त्यनु॑ष्टुब्पङ्क्त्या स॒ह। बृ॒ह॒त्युष्णिहा॒ककु॒प्सूची॑भिः शम्य॒न्तु त्वा॑ ॥२॥
Transliteration
gāyatrī triṣṭub jagaty anuṣṭub paṅktyā saha | bṛhatyuṣṇihākakup sūcībhiḥ śamayantu tvā ||2||
Translation
Gayatri, Trishtup, Jagati, together with Anushtup and Pankti; with Brihati, Ushnih, Kakup and the Suchi metres, may they bring you peace.
Deep Meaning
The nine classical Vedic metres are invoked by name - the same metres that carry every mantra in this book - and asked to pacify and steady the one who recites. Naming the metres before using them is itself an act of respect toward the form the Veda takes.
Sanskrit
द्विप॒दा वा॒श्चतु॑ष्पदाश्च्चत्रिप॒दा वा॒श्चष॒ट्पदाः॑। वि॒च्छन्दा॒ वा॒श्च स॒च्छन्द॑साः सूची॒भिः शम्य॒न्तु त्वा॑ ॥३॥
Transliteration
dvipadā vāś catuṣpadāś ca tripadā vāś ca ṣaṭpadāḥ | vicchandā vāś ca sacchandasāḥ sūcībhiḥ śamayantu tvā ||3||
Translation
Whether two-footed, four-footed, three-footed or six-footed; whether irregular or properly metred - with the Suchi metres may they bring you peace.
Deep Meaning
Continuing the previous mantra, every possible metrical form a Vedic verse can take - regular or irregular, however many syllabic feet - is called on for the same pacifying purpose, so that nothing in the Veda's own form is left unacknowledged.
Sanskrit
स॒प्त ऋषयः॑ सा॒ह छन्द॑सा॒मावृ॑त॒ाः सप्र॑मा॒ऽऋष॑यः स॒प्तदैव्याः॑ ॥ पू॒र्वेषा॒म्पन्था॑मनु॒दृश्य॒ धीराऽअ॑न्वाले॒भिरेरत्र॑ थ्यो॒ नर॑श्मीन् ॥४॥
Transliteration
sapta ṛṣayaḥ sāha chandasām āvṛtāḥ sapramā ṛṣayaḥ saptadaivyāḥ | pūrveṣām panthām anudṛśya dhīrā anvālebhire ratnathyo naraśmīn ||4||
Translation
The seven sages, joined together with the metres, the measuring sages, the seven divine ones - beholding the path of those who went before, the wise ones took hold of the guiding reins.
Deep Meaning
The seven ancient rishis who first received and gave form to the Vedic metres are remembered here. The verse says the wise follow a path already shown by those before them - a reminder that this recitation itself is received, not invented, handed down rishi to rishi.
Sanskrit
यज्जाग्र॑तो दू॒रमु॒दैति॒ दैव॒न्तदु॑ सु॒प्तस्य॒ तथैवैति॑। दू॒र॒ङ्ग॒मं ज्योति॑षां ज्योति॒रेक॒न्तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥५॥
Transliteration
yaj jāgrato dūram udaiti daivaṃ tad u suptasya tathaiva eti | dūraṅgamaṃ jyotiṣāṃ jyotir ekaṃ tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||5||
Translation
That which, when one is awake, goes forth to a distance, and which, when one is asleep, returns in just the same way - that far-traveling light among lights, the one light - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
This is the opening verse of the Shivasankalpa Sukta proper, and one of the most quoted lines in the Yajurveda. It names the mind itself: restless in waking, still travelling even in sleep, yet always the single light behind every other light. The prayer asks that this very mind - not a different, calmer substitute - be turned toward what is auspicious.
Sanskrit
येन॑ क॒र्माण्यप॑सो मनी॒षिणो॒ यज्ञे॑ कृ॒ण्वन्ति॑ वि॒दथे॑षु॒ धीराः॑। यद॑पू॒र्वं य॒क्ष॒मन्तः॑ प्र॒जाना॒न्तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥६॥
Transliteration
yena karmāṇy apaso manīṣiṇo yajñe kṛṇvanti vidatheṣu dhīrāḥ | yad apūrvaṃ yakṣam antaḥ prajānāṃ tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||6||
Translation
That by which the wise, skilled in action, perform their rites at the sacrifice, the steady ones at the assemblies; that unprecedented, worshipful power within all beings - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
The mind is now named as the actual doer behind every skilled ritual act - nothing is accomplished in a yajna or in a gathering of the wise without it. It is called "apurva", without precedent, because this inner capacity to act with purpose cannot be reduced to anything prior to it.
Sanskrit
यत्प्र॒ज्ञान॑मु॒त चेतो॒ धृति॑श्च॒ यज्ज्योति॑र॒न्तरमृ॑तं प्र॒जासु॑। य॒स्मान्न ऋ॑ते॒ किञ्च॒न कर्म॑ क्रि॒यते॒ तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥७॥
Transliteration
yat prajñānam uta ceto dhṛtiś ca yaj jyotir antar amṛtaṃ prajāsu | yasmān na ṛte kiñcana karma kriyate tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||7||
Translation
That which is wisdom, and awareness, and steadfastness; that undying light within all creatures, without which no action whatsoever is performed - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
Three faculties are named as one and the same thing: prajnana (discerning wisdom), chetas (awareness) and dhriti (the steadiness to hold a course). The verse insists that literally nothing gets done in the world without this inner light, so its state matters more than any outer circumstance.
Sanskrit
येने॑दं भू॒तं भुव॑नं भविष्य॒त्परि॑गृहीत॒ममृ॑तेन॒ सर्व॑म्। येन॑ य॒ज्ञस्ता॒यते॑ स॒प्तहो॒ता तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥८॥
Transliteration
yened bhūtaṃ bhuvanaṃ bhaviṣyat parigṛhītam amṛtena sarvam | yena yajñas tāyate saptahotā tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||8||
Translation
That by which all that has been, that is, and that shall be, is wholly embraced by the immortal; by which the sacrifice, with its seven invoking priests, is extended - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
The mind's reach is widened here to cosmic scale: the same inner power that stretches a sacrifice through its seven officiating priests is what holds past, present and future together within the undying. Nothing in time escapes it.
Sanskrit
यस्मि॒न्नृचः॒ साम॒ यजूं॑षि॒ यस्मि॒न्प्रति॑ष्ठिता॒ रथ॑नाभा॒वि॑वा॒राः। यस्मि॒ꣳश्चि॒त्तꣳ सर्व॒मोत॑ं प्र॒जाना॒न्तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥९॥
Transliteration
yasmin ṛcaḥ sāma yajūṃṣi yasmin pratiṣṭhitā rathanābhāv ivārāḥ | yasmiṃś cittaṃ sarvam otaṃ prajānāṃ tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||9||
Translation
In which the Rig, Sama and Yajur verses are fixed like spokes in the hub of a chariot wheel, in which the consciousness of every creature is woven - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
The image is of a chariot wheel: the three Vedas sit in the mind the way spokes sit fixed in a hub, each held in place by the same centre. Every being's awareness is described as threads woven through that same hub - a single image for how the mind underlies both scripture and consciousness itself.
Sanskrit
सु॒षार॒थिरश्वा॑निव॒ यन्म॑नु॒ष्यान्नेनी॑यते॒ऽभीशु॑भिर्वा॒जिन॑ऽइव। हृत्प्रति॑ष्ठं॒ यद॑जि॒रं जवि॑ष्ठ॒ं तन्मे॒ मनः॒ शिव॑सङ्कल्पमस्तु ॥१०॥
Transliteration
suṣārathir aśvān iva yan manuṣyān nenīyate 'bhīśubhir vājina iva | hṛtpratiṣṭhaṃ yad ajiraṃ javiṣṭhaṃ tan me manaḥ śivasaṅkalpam astu ||10||
Translation
That which, like a skilled charioteer leading horses with the reins, leads men onward as if they were swift steeds; that which is seated in the heart, untiring and swiftest of all - may that mind of mine be of auspicious resolve.
Deep Meaning
The closing mantra of the sukta gives the mind its most vivid image yet: a charioteer who never tires, holding the reins of every person the way a driver holds the reins of horses. Fixed in the heart, moving faster than anything else, it is this same mind - not a replacement for it - that the entire sukta has been asking to turn toward what is auspicious.