Rigvedokta Devi Suktam: The Vak Sukta

The Rigvedokta Devi Suktam – "the Devi Sukta as told in the Rigveda" – is the hymn of eight verses in the tenth Mandala of the Rigveda (10.125) in which the Goddess speaks of herself in the first person. Its seer is Vak, the daughter of the sage Ambhrina, and its deity is the all-pervading Supreme Self; it is also called the Vak Sukta and the Ambhrini Sukta. In the Durga Saptashati Path it is recited after the thirteen chapters and the closing Navarna japa, and before the three Rahasyas.

The hymn is the oldest scriptural statement of the idea the Devi Mahatmya tells as a story: that the one Goddess is the power behind every god. "I move with the Rudras and the Vasus," she says; "I uphold Mitra and Varuna, Indra and Agni, the Ashvins. Whoever eats, sees, breathes or hears does so through me. Whom I love I make a priest, a seer, a sage. I bend the bow for Rudra. My source is in the waters; I reach beyond heaven and earth." Three of its verses are also quoted in the Devi Atharvashirsha, which is recited earlier in the same Path.

All eight verses are given below with their Viniyoga and Dhyana, in Sanskrit, with transliteration and a simple English meaning.

Rigvedokta Devi Suktam at a Glance

Particular	Details
Name	Rigvedokta Devi Suktam; also the Vak Sukta and the Ambhrini Sukta
Source	Rigveda, Mandala 10, Sukta 125
Rishi	Vak Ambhrini – Vak, the Goddess of Speech, daughter of the sage Ambhrina
Deity	The Supreme Self, all-pervading, whose nature is existence, consciousness and bliss
Metre	Jagati for the second verse; Trishtup for the rest
Verses	Eight
Dhyana	Four-armed Durga on her lion, moon-crested, emerald-bright, with conch, discus, bow and arrows
Position in the Path	After Chapter 13 and the Navarna japa of the Upasamhara; before the Pradhanika Rahasya
Also found in	Verses 5–7 are quoted in the Shri Devi Atharvashirsham
Not to be confused with	The Tantrokta Devi Sukta – the hymn "Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu" of Chapter 5

Who Speaks in the Devi Sukta

The Rigveda names the seer of each hymn, and the seer of this one is a woman: Vak, the daughter of Ambhrina. Vak is Speech itself – the Goddess who is the word – and in this hymn the seer and the deity are one, for the Goddess who speaks is the subject of what she says. Every verse begins or turns on the word aham, "I". No other hymn of the Rigveda is spoken so completely in a Goddess's own voice.

The Shakta tradition reads the hymn as the Goddess's own declaration of her nature, and the Devi Mahatmya's story of the Goddess born from the radiance of all the gods (Chapter 2) and the Goddess who draws all her powers back into herself (Chapter 10) is the same teaching told at length. That is why the Vedic hymn closes the Path: the Purana's story ends in the Veda's statement.

What the Hymn Says

The Goddess begins with the gods. She moves with the Rudras and the Vasus, the Adityas and all the gods; she upholds Mitra and Varuna, Indra and Agni, and the two Ashvins; she upholds Soma, Tvashta, Pushan and Bhaga. The gods act by her, and the sacrificer who presses the Soma and offers to them receives wealth from her.

She is the sovereign queen, the gatherer of treasures, the knowing one, the first of all who deserve worship; the gods have placed her in many places, and she dwells in many homes and enters many beings. Whoever eats, sees, breathes or hears does so through her; those who do not know her waste away. "Listen," she says, "I tell you what is worthy of belief: I myself declare this, which gods and men welcome. Whom I love I make mighty – a priest, a seer, a sage."

She bends the bow for Rudra, so that his arrow may strike the hater of sacred speech; she rouses the struggle for the people; she has entered heaven and earth. On the summit of this world she gives birth to the father himself; her own source is in the waters, in the ocean; from there she spreads through all the worlds and touches the sky with her height. "I alone blow like the wind, taking hold of all the worlds. Beyond heaven, beyond this earth – so great have I become."

Structure of the Devi Sukta

The hymn can be understood in five parts:

The Goddess upholds the gods and rewards the sacrificer – Verses 1–2
She is the queen, the first of all to be worshipped – Verse 3
She is the power in every act of life, and the maker of sages – Verses 4–5
She bends Rudra's bow and enters heaven and earth – Verse 6
Her source in the waters; her greatness beyond heaven and earth – Verses 7–8

Rigvedokta Devi Suktam Sanskrit with Meaning

॥ ऋग्वेदोक्तं देवीसूक्तम् ॥

Viniyoga

ॐ अहमित्यष्टर्चस्य सूक्तस्य वागाम्भृणी ऋषिः, सच्चित्सुखात्मकः सर्वगतः परमात्मा देवता, द्वितीयाया ऋचो जगती, शिष्टानां त्रिष्टुप् छन्दः, देवीमाहात्म्यपाठे विनियोगः।

Om Aham Ity Ashtarchasya Suktasya Vagambhrini Rishih, Sach-Chit-Sukhatmakah Sarvagatah Paramatma Devata, Dvitiyaya Richo Jagati, Shishtanam Trishtup Chhandah, Devi-Mahatmya-Pathe Viniyogah |

Meaning: Of this hymn of eight verses beginning "Aham", the Rishi is Vak, daughter of Ambhrina; the deity is the all-pervading Supreme Self, whose nature is existence, consciousness and bliss; the metre of the second verse is Jagati and of the rest Trishtup. It is recited in the recitation of the Devi Mahatmya.

Dhyana

ॐ सिंहस्था शशिशेखरा मरकतप्रख्यैश्चतुर्भिर्भुजैः शङ्खं चक्रधनुःशरांश्च दधती नेत्रैस्त्रिभिः शोभिता।

आमुक्ताङ्गदहारकङ्कणरणत्काञ्चीरणन्नूपुरा दुर्गा दुर्गतिहारिणी भवतु नो रत्नोल्लसत्कुण्डला॥

Om Simhastha Shashi-Shekhara Marakata-Prakhyaish Chaturbhir Bhujaih Shankham Chakra-Dhanuh-Sharamsh Cha Dadhati Netrais Tribhih Shobhita |

Amuktangada-Hara-Kankana-Ranat-Kanchi-Ranan-Nupura Durga Durgati-Harini Bhavatu No Ratnollasat-Kundala ||

Meaning: May Durga, the remover of misfortune, be gracious to us – seated on her lion, crested with the moon, holding the conch, the discus, the bow and arrows in four arms bright as emerald, adorned with three eyes, wearing armlets, necklaces and bracelets, a jingling girdle and tinkling anklets, and earrings flashing with gems.

Verse 1

ॐ अहं रुद्रेभिर्वसुभिश्चराम्यहमादित्यैरुत विश्वदेवैः। अहं मित्रावरुणोभा बिभर्म्यहमिन्द्राग्नी अहमश्विनोभा॥१॥

Om Aham Rudrebhir Vasubhish Charamy Aham Adityair Uta Vishvadevaih | Aham Mitra-Varunobha Bibharmy Aham Indragni Aham Ashvinobha || 1 ||

Meaning: "I move with the Rudras and the Vasus; I move with the Adityas and with all the gods. I uphold both Mitra and Varuna; I uphold Indra and Agni; I uphold both the Ashvins."

Verse 2

अहं सोममाहनसं बिभर्म्यहं त्वष्टारमुत पूषणं भगम्। अहं दधामि द्रविणं हविष्मते सुप्राव्ये यजमानाय सुन्वते॥२॥

Aham Somam Ahanasam Bibharmyaham Tvashtaram Uta Pushanam Bhagam | Aham Dadhami Dravinam Havishmate Supravye Yajamanaya Sunvate || 2 ||

Meaning: "I uphold Soma, the swelling one; I uphold Tvashta, Pushan and Bhaga. I bestow wealth on the sacrificer who offers oblations, who presses the Soma and satisfies the gods."

Verse 3

अहं राष्ट्री संगमनी वसूनां चिकितुषी प्रथमा यज्ञियानाम्। तां मा देवा व्यदधुः पुरुत्रा भूरिस्थात्रां भूर्य्यावेशयन्तीम्॥३॥

Aham Rashtri Sangamani Vasunam Chikitushi Prathama Yajniyanam | Tam Ma Deva Vyadadhuh Purutra Bhuri-Sthatram Bhuryy Aveshayantim || 3 ||

Meaning: "I am the sovereign queen, the gatherer of treasures, the knowing one, the first of those who deserve worship. The gods have placed me in many places – me who dwell in many homes and enter into many beings."

Verse 4

मया सो अन्नमत्ति यो विपश्यति यः प्राणिति य ईं शृणोत्युक्तम्। अमन्तवो मां त उप क्षियन्ति श्रुधि श्रुत श्रद्धिवं ते वदामि॥४॥

Maya So Annamatti Yo Vipashyati Yah Praniti Ya Im Shrinoty Uktam | Amantavo Mam Ta Upa Kshiyanti Shrudhi Shruta Shraddhivam Te Vadami || 4 ||

Meaning: "Through me alone he eats food who eats, he sees who sees, he breathes who breathes, he hears who hears what is spoken. Those who do not know me waste away. Listen, you who have ears to hear: I tell you what is worthy of belief."

Verse 5

अहमेव स्वयमिदं वदामि जुष्टं देवेभिरुत मानुषेभिः। यं कामये तं तमुग्रं कृणोमि तं ब्रह्माणं तमृषिं तं सुमेधाम्॥५॥

Ahameva Svayamidam Vadami Jushtam Devebhiruta Manushebhih | Yam Kamaye Tam Tamugram Krinomi Tam Brahmanam Tamrishim Tam Sumedham || 5 ||

Meaning: "I myself declare this, which is welcomed by gods and by men. Whomever I love, I make him mighty – I make him a knower of Brahman, a seer, a man of great wisdom."

Verse 6

अहं रुद्राय धनुरा तनोमि ब्रह्मद्विषे शरवे हन्तवा उ। अहं जनाय समदं कृणोम्यहं द्यावापृथिवी आ विवेश॥६॥

Aham Rudraya Dhanura Tanomi Brahmadvishe Sharave Hantava U | Aham Janaya Samadam Krinomyaham Dyava-Prithivi A Vivesha || 6 ||

Meaning: "I stretch the bow for Rudra, so that his arrow may slay the hater of sacred speech. I rouse the struggle for the people, and I have entered heaven and earth."

Verse 7

अहं सुवे पितरमस्य मूर्धन्मम योनिरप्स्वन्तः समुद्रे। ततो वि तिष्ठे भुवनानु विश्वोतामूं द्यां वर्ष्मणोप स्पृशामि॥७॥

Aham Suve Pitaramasya Murdhanmama Yonir Apsvantah Samudre | Tato Vi Tishthe Bhuvananu Vishvotamum Dyam Varshmanopa Sprishami || 7 ||

Meaning: "On the summit of this world I give birth to the father himself. My source is within the waters, in the ocean. From there I spread through all the worlds, and I touch yonder sky with my height."

Verse 8

अहमेव वात इव प्रवाम्यारभमाणा भुवनानि विश्वा। परो दिवा पर एना पृथिव्यैतावती महिना संबभूव॥८॥

Ahameva Vata Iva Pravamy Arabhamana Bhuvanani Vishva | Paro Diva Para Ena Prithivyaitavati Mahina Sambabhuva || 8 ||

Meaning: "I alone blow like the wind, taking hold of all the worlds. Beyond the heaven, beyond this earth – so great have I become by my own might."

Conclusion

॥ इति ऋग्वेदोक्तं देवीसूक्तं समाप्तम् ॥

|| Iti Rigvedoktam Devisuktam Samaptam ||

Meaning: Thus the Devi Sukta as told in the Rigveda is complete.

Significance of the Rigvedokta Devi Suktam

The Devi Sukta is the Vedic foundation of Shakta worship. The Devi Mahatmya is a Purana; the Devi Atharvashirsha is an Upanishad; but this hymn stands in the Rigveda itself, the oldest of the Vedas, and it says in eight verses what the later texts spend chapters establishing – that the Goddess is the single power through which every god acts, every creature lives and every seer knows.

Its form is as striking as its content. The hymn is spoken entirely in the first person, by a seer who is a Goddess, about herself. Where the Rigveda's other hymns praise a deity from outside, here the deity speaks: aham – I. The Devi Mahatmya borrows the voice for its own climax: when the Goddess tells Shumbha "Ekaivaham jagatyatra – I alone exist in this world," she speaks as Vak speaks here.

In the Path, the hymn's place after the thirteen chapters is deliberate. The reciter has heard the story of the Goddess born from the gods' radiance, fighting through the Mothers, drawing them back into herself; the Devi Sukta is then recited as the Veda's own confirmation of what the story meant.

Main Teachings of the Devi Sukta

The gods act by the Goddess: she upholds Mitra and Varuna, Indra and Agni, Soma and the rest (Verses 1–2).
She is the first to be worshipped: the sovereign queen, the knowing one, placed by the gods in every place (Verse 3).
Every act of life is hers: eating, seeing, breathing and hearing happen through her; those who do not know her waste away (Verse 4).
She makes the sage: whom she loves she makes a knower of Brahman, a seer, a man of wisdom (Verse 5).
She is the strength of the righteous: she bends Rudra's bow against the hater of sacred speech (Verse 6).
She is before the father and beyond the worlds: she gives birth to the father, rises from the waters, and has become greater than heaven and earth (Verses 7–8).

The "I" of the Devi Sukta

Verse	"I…"
1	move with the Rudras, Vasus, Adityas and all the gods; uphold Mitra and Varuna, Indra and Agni, the Ashvins
2	uphold Soma, Tvashta, Pushan and Bhaga; bestow wealth on the sacrificer
3	am the queen, the gatherer of treasures, the knowing one, the first to be worshipped
4	am the one through whom all eat, see, breathe and hear
5	declare this myself; make whom I love mighty – a priest, a seer, a sage
6	stretch the bow for Rudra; rouse the struggle for the people; have entered heaven and earth
7	give birth to the father; rise from the waters; spread through the worlds; touch the sky
8	blow like the wind through all the worlds; have become greater than heaven and earth

Vedokta and Tantrokta Devi Sukta

Two hymns in the Durga Saptashati tradition are called the Devi Sukta, and the Path recites both.

Particular	Rigvedokta (Vedokta) Devi Sukta	Tantrokta Devi Sukta
Source	Rigveda 10.125	Durga Saptashati, Chapter 5, Verses 9–82
Speaker	The Goddess herself, as the seer Vak	The gods, praising the Goddess
Opening words	Aham Rudrebhir Vasubhish Charami	Namo Devyai Mahadevyai – and the refrain Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
Length	Eight verses	Seventy-four units
Recited	After the thirteen chapters and the closing Navarna japa	Within Chapter 5 of the Path, and again as a separate hymn at its end

The pairing matches that of the two Ratri Suktas recited before the Path: a Vedic hymn and a Tantric one, the Rigveda and the Devi Mahatmya, placed side by side.

The Devi Sukta in Other Scriptures

Verses 5, 6 and 7 of this hymn are quoted word for word in the Shri Devi Atharvashirsham, the Shakta Upanishad recited before the Path, where they form the Goddess's own account of herself (Verses 5–7 of that text). The hymn is also expounded in the Shakta commentaries as the Vedic authority for the identity of the Goddess with Brahman, and its seer Vak Ambhrini is remembered as the Goddess's voice in the Veda.

Why Is It Called the Rigvedokta Devi Suktam?

The name means "the Devi Sukta as told (ukta) in the Rigveda", to distinguish it from the Tantrokta Devi Sukta of Chapter 5. It is also called the Vak Sukta, after its seer and speaker, and the Ambhrini Sukta, after her father Ambhrina. In the Rigveda it is the hundred-and-twenty-fifth hymn of the tenth Mandala.

Traditional Recitation of the Devi Sukta

In the Durga Saptashati Path the Devi Sukta is recited after Chapter 13 and the Upasamhara – that is, after the closing Navarna japa – and before the three Rahasyas. Its Viniyoga states its use: Devi-Mahatmya-Pathe Viniyogah, "it is applied in the recitation of the Devi Mahatmya." The Dhyana of four-armed Durga is recited before it.

As a hymn of the Rigveda it is also recited on its own, with Vedic accent by those trained in it, at Devi worship, at the Sharad and Chaitra Navratri, and in the daily practice of Shakta devotees. The exact procedure varies by tradition, lineage and method, and devotees should follow the method prescribed by their Guru or family tradition.

Traditional Spiritual Significance

The Devi Sukta carries its own promises in the Goddess's words: she bestows wealth on the one who offers to the gods (Verse 2); whom she loves she makes mighty, a knower of Brahman, a seer and a sage (Verse 5); and those who do not know her waste away (Verse 4). Devotees traditionally approach it for:

Knowledge of the Goddess as the one power behind every god and every act of life
Wisdom, insight and the capacity for sacred learning, after Verse 5
Strength in a righteous struggle, after the bow bent for Rudra in Verse 6
Prosperity for the household that worships, after Verse 2
The completion and sealing of the Durga Saptashati Path with the Veda's own words

These are traditional devotional associations and should not be understood as guaranteed worldly or medical outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Rigvedokta Devi Suktam?

The hymn of eight verses in the Rigveda (10.125) in which the Goddess speaks of herself in the first person – as the power that moves with the gods, through whom all beings live, who makes the sage, who bends Rudra's bow, and who has become greater than heaven and earth. It is recited at the end of the Durga Saptashati Path.

Who is Vagambhrini?

Vak, the Goddess of Speech, called Ambhrini as the daughter of the sage Ambhrina. She is named in the Viniyoga as the Rishi of the hymn, and she is also its speaker: the seer and the Goddess are one.

What is the difference between the Vedokta and the Tantrokta Devi Sukta?

The Vedokta Devi Sukta is this Rigvedic hymn of eight verses, spoken by the Goddess herself. The Tantrokta Devi Sukta is the hymn of the gods in Chapter 5 of the Durga Saptashati, "Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu", in which the gods salute the Goddess in all beings. The Path recites both.

Where in the Path is the Devi Sukta recited?

After the thirteen chapters and the Upasamhara's Navarna japa, and before the Pradhanika Rahasya. Its own Viniyoga says it is applied "in the recitation of the Devi Mahatmya".

Is the Devi Sukta found in any other text?

Yes. Verses 5–7 are quoted in the Shri Devi Atharvashirsham, where the Goddess declares herself in the same words, and the hymn is cited throughout Shakta literature as the Vedic root of Goddess worship.

How many verses does the Devi Sukta have?

Eight, as its Viniyoga states ("the hymn of eight verses beginning Aham"). The second is in the Jagati metre and the other seven in Trishtup.

Can the Devi Sukta be recited on its own?

Yes. It is an independent hymn of the Rigveda and is widely recited by itself, with its Dhyana, at Devi worship and during Navratri. Those trained in Vedic recitation chant it with its accents.

Continue Reading Durga Saptashati

After the Devi Sukta, the Path continues with the three Rahasyas.

Next: Pradhanika Rahasya – the first of the three Rahasyas

Previous: Durga Saptashati Upasamhara

Durga Saptashati Path Vidhi
Navarna Vidhi · Saptashati Nyasa
Devi Kavacham · Argala Stotram · Keelakam Stotram
Vedoktam Ratri Suktam · Tantroktam Ratri Suktam
Shri Devi Atharvashirsham

All 13 chapters of the Durga Saptashati: Chapter 1 – Madhu-Kaitabha Vadha · Chapter 2 – Mahishasura-Sainya-Vadha · Chapter 3 – Mahishasura-Vadha · Chapter 4 – Shakradi Stuti · Chapter 5 – Devi-Duta Samvada · Chapter 6 – Dhumralochana-Vadha · Chapter 7 – Chanda-Munda Vadha · Chapter 8 – Raktabija-Vadha · Chapter 9 – Nishumbha-Vadha · Chapter 10 – Shumbha-Vadha · Chapter 11 – Narayani Stuti · Chapter 12 – Phala Stuti · Chapter 13 – Suratha-Vaishya Vara-Pradana