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Aghamarshana Suktam

Aghamarshana Suktam in English · English

🕉️ vedic·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 At dawn and dusk during Sandhyavandana; while bathing in a sacred river; on days of expiation or purification·📜 Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 190)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Aghamarshana Suktam is a short Rigvedic creation hymn of three verses (Mandala 10, Sukta 190) describing how cosmic order, truth, the night, the ocean, time, the sun, moon, and the worlds arose in succession from primordial tapas. Its name, 'agha-marshana' (effacer of sin), reflects its great purificatory power: it is recited during the daily Sandhyavandana, during ritual bathing, and as a prayascitta (expiation), where meditating on the cosmic order is said to dissolve sins. Despite its brevity it is among the most revered purificatory mantras of the Veda.

Origin & Story

Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 190) · Rishi Aghamarshana Madhucchandasa · Vedic period (c. 1500-1000 BCE)

The Aghamarshana Suktam stands near the very end of the Rigveda and is traditionally ascribed to the seer Aghamarshana, son of Madhucchandas. Though only three verses long, it is one of the Veda's great cosmogonic hymns, tracing how cosmic order and truth, the night, the cosmic ocean, time, the luminaries and the worlds came forth in sequence from primordial tapas. From its content and its seer's name it acquired its role as the supreme 'sin-effacing' mantra: in the Sandhyavandana an entire rite — the Aghamarshana — is built around it, in which the worshipper, holding water and meditating on the cosmic law, casts off impurity. It thus unites profound cosmology with daily practical purification.

✦ As told in scripture

By tradition, one who recites the Aghamarshana Suktam over water with concentrated mind, meditating on the cosmic order it unfolds, is cleansed of sin as surely as if he had bathed at the end of a great sacrifice — the texts liken its purifying power to that of the Avabhritha bath that concludes a major yajna. So great is its sanctity that it is woven into the daily Sandhya of the twice-born for the removal of accumulated wrongdoing.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

Ṛtaṃ ca satyaṃ cābhīddhāttapaso'dhyajāyata | tato rātryajāyata tataḥ samudro arṇavaḥ ||1||

Meaning:Cosmic order (Rita) and Truth (Satya) were born of kindled tapas (the glowing cosmic heat of creative austerity); from that arose the Night, and from that the surging, billowy ocean.

Verse 2

Samudrādarṇavādadhi saṃvatsaro ajāyata | ahorātrāṇi vidadhadviśvasya miṣato vaśī ||2||

Meaning:From that billowy ocean was born the Year, the Lord who ordains the days and nights, the controller of all that blinks (every living being).

Verse 3

Sūryācandramasau dhātā yathāpūrvamakalpayat | divaṃ ca pṛthivīṃ cāntarikṣamatho svaḥ ||3||

Meaning:The Creator (Dhata) fashioned the sun and the moon as in former cycles, and the heaven and the earth, the mid-air and the realm of light beyond.

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

ṛtaṃ🔊Cosmic order, the eternal law and rhythm of the universe

satyaṃ🔊Truth, the unchanging reality

abhīddhāt🔊From the blazing (kindled, glowing) one

tapasaḥ adhi ajāyata🔊Were born out of tapas (cosmic heat, creative austerity)

tataḥ rātrī ajāyata🔊Thence (from that) was born the Night

samudraḥ arṇavaḥ🔊The surging, billowy ocean (the cosmic waters)

samudrāt arṇavāt adhi🔊Out of that billowy ocean

saṃvatsaraḥ ajāyata🔊The year (Samvatsara — the unit of time) was born

ahorātrāṇi vidadhat🔊Ordaining (arranging) the days and nights

viśvasya miṣataḥ vaśī🔊The Lord and controller of all that blinks (all living, perceiving beings)

sūryācandramasau🔊The sun and the moon

dhātā🔊Dhata, the Creator, the divine Ordainer

yathāpūrvam akalpayat🔊Fashioned (them) as before, as in former cycles of creation

divaṃ ca pṛthivīṃ ca🔊The heaven and the earth

antarikṣam🔊The mid-region, the atmosphere (the space between)

atho svaḥ🔊And also Svah — the realm of light, the heavenly world

Benefits of Chanting Aghamarshana Suktam

✦

Known as 'Aghamarshana' — the effacer of sin; its recitation is held to wash away accumulated wrongdoing

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A core mantra of the daily Sandhyavandana ritual and of ritual bathing (snana)

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Used as a prayascitta (act of expiation and purification) in the Vedic tradition

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Meditating on the cosmic order (Rita) and truth (Satya) it describes purifies the mind

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One of the Veda's profound creation hymns, revealing the orderly unfolding of the universe

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Invokes Dhata the Creator and the rhythm of time, sun, moon and the worlds

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Brings inner steadiness, purity and reverence for the cosmic law

How to Chant Aghamarshana Suktam

Repetitions3times

Best TimeAt dawn and dusk during Sandhyavandana; while bathing in a sacred river; on days of expiation or purification

Traditionally recited as part of the Aghamarshana rite within Sandhyavandana: the worshipper takes water in the cupped palms, recites the three verses while meditating on the cosmic order they describe, and pours the water away — symbolically washing off sin. It is also chanted while standing in a river or during ritual bath. Recite slowly with clear Vedic pronunciation, dwelling on Rita (cosmic order) and Satya (truth). Three recitations, or as prescribed in the Sandhya, is customary.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Aghamarshana Suktam written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is a short hymn of three verses from the Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 190) describing the creation of the cosmos out of primordial tapas. Its name means 'effacer of sin', and it is one of the foremost purificatory mantras of the Veda, recited especially during Sandhyavandana and ritual bathing.

'Agha' means sin or impurity, and 'marshana' means rubbing away or effacing. The hymn is so called because its recitation, while meditating on the cosmic order and truth it describes, is traditionally held to wash away sins. The Aghamarshana rite uses it together with water as a symbolic act of purification.

It describes the orderly birth of the universe: from kindled tapas arose cosmic order (Rita) and truth (Satya), then night and the cosmic ocean; from the ocean came the year and the cycle of day and night; and the Creator then fashioned the sun, moon, heaven, earth, atmosphere and the heavenly world, as in earlier cycles of creation.

It is recited daily during the morning and evening Sandhyavandana, during ritual bathing in sacred rivers, and as a prayascitta (expiation). In the Aghamarshana rite one holds water in the palms, recites the verses, and pours the water away to signify the removal of sin.