Rig Veda · 1020 of 1027
Mandala 10: HYMN CLXXXIII. The Sacrificer, Etc.
1.I SAW thee meditating in thy spirit what sprang from Fervour and hath thence developed. Bestowing offspring here, bestowing riches, spread in thine offspring, thou who cravest children.
2.I saw thee pondering in thine heart, and praying that in due time thy body might be fruitful. Come as a youthful woman, rise to meet me: spread in thine offspring, thou who cravest children.
3.In plants and herbs, in all existent beings I have deposited the germ of increase. All progeny on earth have I engendered, and sons in women who will be hereafter.
Asked of Guide
Who is speaking to whom in this hymn about fertility and offspring?
A rishi addresses a divine or animating presence that works through Fervour and meditation to produce offspring; the speaker reports, “I saw thee meditating in thy spirit,” so the poem frames the addressee as a creative force who can “bestow offspring” and “spread in thine offspring.”
This voice aligns with other Rig Veda hymns where poets petition a deity—often personified powers like Prajāpati or Aditi—to grant fertility; compare Mandala 10 hymns that invoke creative progenitors and attribute generation to a single life-giving principle.
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