Lexicon of Rig Veda

Lexicon

of Rig Veda

The word is a participle of a feminine gender from verb paś and uses its meanings to see, behold, look at, observe, perceive etc. The meaning of the word as a thought is well visible in 4.1.11: Agni was born in seeing thought in foundation of air space, in womb; without feet, without head, hiding his two extremities (i.e. its activities in the lowest world of the Earth, i.e. in physical consciousness, and in the worlds of Heaven), establishing himself to his work of the bull in stall, 4.1.11. Here foundation of air space is upper earth, mountains, figure for the mental consciousness, whereas womb in this context is a human mind. But the word pastyā is used in plural, whereas womb – in single, so they are connected but not identical. Most characteristic movement of the mental mind is thought, dhī, by the way of feminine gender like pastyā. But this thought, dhī, is not mental reasoning, but comprehension, perception, viewing in mind, dṛṣṭi, when an object of contemplation was placed in meditation before inner eye and consciousness “saw” and perceive the truth of this object.

The word occurs ten times in Rigveda and this meaning is relevant everywhere: Varuna holding firmly the law of workings, perfect in will has sat in seeing thoughts for sovereign reigning, 1.25.10. Breathing, living one (manomayaḥ puruṣaḥ prāṇa-śarīra-netā term of later Indian thought), swiftly going in laying one, eternal, moving among seeing thoughts, the life of mortal man moves by its laws, immortal together with mortal, both having one common womb, 1.164.30. Aditi, Ocean, I ask with hymns of light for friendship about happiness, about seeing thought, 4.55.3. Let Maruts with single mind come to us now with rik, with word. O goddess Aditi, do sit into seeing word, o Great one, 8.27.5. Trita, all-encompass, firmly standing in seeing thought, sits within womb, 10.46.6. Let Agni sacrifices to Tvashtri of seeing thoughts, 6.49.9. We want to call clear-voiced Brihaspati (Lord of wisdom-word) of seeing thoughts, 7.97.5. Somas (offering-hymns) amid seeing thoughts, 9.65.23. Who be equal to seeking divinity man, who – him strewing seat for the gods by sacred grass? The giver advanced by seeing thoughts further and further and established abode within, 1.40.7.

The vocabulary meaning of the word in the double number is enough significant: two halves of the press for pressing out the soma, of which one half is the human mind, the other is direct vision and hearing of the Truth (the same meaning that we find at mortar and pestle).

In most cases interpreters take that conjectural meaning of the word that they believe is appropriate in current context: abode, river, name of goddess.