Durga Saptashati: Vedokta Ratri Suktam Lyrics and Meaning

Vedokta Ratri Suktam is a Vedic hymn to Ratri Devi, the Goddess of Night, from the Rigveda. In eight short verses it describes Night spreading over the world with the stars as her eyes, the stillness that settles on villages, travellers and birds, and the devotee's prayer for protection from wolves and thieves and for a safe place of rest until dawn.

In the Shri Durga Saptashati tradition the hymn is recited among the preliminary prayers. On this page you can read it in Sanskrit with English transliteration and the meaning of each verse.

What Is Vedokta Ratri Suktam?

"Vedokta" means "as stated in the Veda". This Ratri Suktam is the hymn to Night from the Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 127), as distinct from the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam, which is recited after it and comes from the Devi Mahatmya itself.

Its Viniyoga names Kushika Saubhara – or Ratri Bharadvaji – as its Rishi, Ratri as its deity and Gayatri as its metre. The hymn has eight verses, each of three short lines in the Gayatri measure, which is why every verse reads as a brief, complete prayer.

Place of Ratri Suktam in Durga Saptashati

In the Durga Saptashati sequence set out in the Sankalpa of the Path Vidhi, the Ratri Suktam follows the three preliminary hymns:

Devi Kavacham → Argala Stotram → Keelakam Stotram → Vedokta Ratri Suktam → Tantrokta Ratri Suktam

The Devi Atharvashirsha, Nyasa and Navarna Japa follow, and then the main Saptashati begins. The exact order and the accompanying prayers can vary by tradition or edition, so devotees should follow the method prescribed by their Guru or family tradition. The complete procedure is given in the Shri Durga Saptashati Path Vidhi.

Vedokta Ratri Suktam Sanskrit Lyrics with Meaning

॥ अथ वेदोक्तं रात्रिसूक्तम् ॥

Viniyoga

ॐ रात्रीत्याद्यष्टर्चस्य सूक्तस्य कुशिकः सौभरो रात्रिर्वा भारद्वाजो ऋषिः, रात्रिर्देवता, गायत्री छन्दः, देवीमाहात्म्यपाठे विनियोगः।

Om Ratrity Adyashtarchasya Suktasya Kushikah Saubharo Ratrirva Bharadvajo Rishih, Ratrir Devata, Gayatri Chhandah, Devi-Mahatmya-Pathe Viniyogah |

Meaning: The Rishi of this eight-verse hymn beginning with "Ratri" is Kushika Saubhara, or Ratri Bharadvaji; its deity is Ratri, its metre is Gayatri, and it is employed in the recitation of the Devi Mahatmya.

Verse 1

ॐ रात्री व्यख्यदायती पुरुत्रा देव्यक्षभिः।
विश्वा अधि श्रियोऽधित॥१॥

Om Ratri Vyakhyad Ayati Purutra Devy Akshabhih |
Vishva Adhi Shriyo'dhita || 1 ||

Meaning: As she approaches, the Goddess Night looks out over many places with her eyes, the stars. She has clothed herself in all her glories.

Verse 2

ओर्वप्रा अमर्त्या निवतो देव्युद्वतः।
ज्योतिषा बाधते तमः॥२॥

Orvapra Amartya Nivato Devyudvatah |
Jyotisha Badhate Tamah || 2 ||

Meaning: The immortal Goddess has filled the valleys and the heights; with her light she drives away the darkness.

Verse 3

निरु स्वसारमस्कृतोषसं देव्यायती।
अपेदु हासते तमः॥३॥

Niru Svasaram Askritoshasam Devyayati |
Apedu Hasate Tamah || 3 ||

Meaning: As she comes, the Goddess makes way for her sister Usha, the Dawn – and then the darkness too departs.

Verse 4

सा नो अद्य यस्या वयं नि ते यामन्नविक्ष्महि।
वृक्षे न वसतिं वयः॥४॥

Sa No Adya Yasya Vayam Ni Te Yamann Avikshmahi |
Vrikshe Na Vasatim Vayah || 4 ||

Meaning: O Night, be gracious to us today: at your coming may we settle into rest, as birds settle into their nest in a tree.

Verse 5

नि ग्रामासो अविक्षत नि पद्वन्तो नि पक्षिणः।
नि श्येनासश्चिदर्थिनः॥५॥

Ni Gramaso Avikshata Ni Padvanto Ni Pakshinah |
Ni Shyenasash Chid Arthinah || 5 ||

Meaning: The villages have gone to rest, and all that walk and all that fly; even the hawks that hunt for prey have settled for the night.

Verse 6

यावया वृक्यं वृकं यवय स्तेनमूर्म्ये।
अथा नः सुतरा भव॥६॥

Yavaya Vrikyam Vrikam Yavaya Stenam Urmye |
Atha Nah Sutara Bhava || 6 ||

Meaning: Keep away the she-wolf and the wolf, keep away the thief, O Night; and then be easy for us to pass through.

Verse 7

उप मा पेपिशत्तमः कृष्णं व्यक्तमस्थित।
उष ऋणेव यातय॥७॥

Upa Ma Pepishat Tamah Krishnam Vyaktam Asthita |
Usha Rineva Yataya || 7 ||

Meaning: Black, palpable darkness has closed in around me. O Usha, Dawn, clear it away as one clears a debt.

Verse 8

उप ते गा इवाकरं वृणीष्व दुहितर्दिवः।
रात्रि स्तोमं न जिग्युषे॥८॥

Upa Te Ga Ivakaram Vrinishva Duhitar Divah |
Ratri Stomam Na Jigyushe || 8 ||

Meaning: O Night, daughter of the Sky, I have brought this hymn to you as one brings cattle as an offering. Accept it, as a song of praise is accepted by a victor.

॥ इति ऋग्वेदोक्तं रात्रिसूक्तं समाप्तम् ॥

|| Iti Rigvedoktam Ratri Suktam Samaptam ||

Meaning: Thus ends the Ratri Suktam from the Rigveda.

Significance of Vedokta Ratri Suktam

The Ratri Suktam presents night not as mere darkness but as a divine presence that watches over the world. Its eight verses move with the rhythm of an actual night: Night arrives and spreads (Verses 1–2), the world settles into rest (Verses 4–5), the devotee asks to be guarded from what moves in the dark (Verse 6), and the hymn closes looking towards the Dawn (Verses 3 and 7) and offering itself to the Goddess (Verse 8). Protection through the hours of darkness is its central prayer.

Benefits of Reciting Ratri Suktam

The benefits traditionally associated with the Ratri Suktam are the intentions the hymn itself expresses:

What the devotee seeks	Where the hymn asks for it
Protection through the night	Verses 4 and 6
Safety from wild animals and thieves	Verse 6
A safe and peaceful place of rest	Verses 4 and 5
An easy passage through darkness and difficulty	Verse 6
The end of darkness and the coming of dawn	Verses 3 and 7
The grace of Ratri Devi	Verse 8

These are the devotional intentions the hymn expresses, not guaranteed worldly results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Vedokta and Tantrokta Ratri Suktam?

The Vedokta Ratri Suktam is the Rigvedic hymn to Night given on this page. The Tantrokta Ratri Suktam is Brahma's hymn to the Goddess as Yoganidra, taken from the first chapter of the Devi Mahatmya. Both are recited in the Durga Saptashati sequence, the Vedic one first.

Why is a hymn to Night recited before the Durga Saptashati?

The Devi Mahatmya opens with the Goddess as Yoganidra, the cosmic sleep in which Vishnu rests – night in its divine form. The Vedic hymn to Ratri is recited before the main text as a prayer to that same Goddess in her aspect as Night.

Who is Ratri Devi?

Ratri Devi is the Goddess of Night of the Rigveda – the daughter of the Sky (Duhitar Divah) and the sister of Usha, the Dawn, as the hymn itself calls her. She fills the night with her presence, looks over the world through the stars, and gives way to her sister when her time is complete.

Conclusion

The Vedokta Ratri Suktam turns the night into a prayer: Night arrives with the stars for eyes, the world settles into rest, and the devotee asks the Goddess to keep away wolf and thief and to carry them safely through to dawn. Recited in its place in the Durga Saptashati sequence, it prepares the devotee to approach the Divine Mother in her form as Night.