Rig Veda Yoking

[earthpossum]

It is said that the first reference of Yoga as Yoking is found in the Rig Veda. I am a student of Yoga and I am searching for the correct reference in the Rig Veda to the reference of Yoga as Yoking. (Book, Hymn, Verse) I have only been looking in the Griffiths translation doing a search on the english words Yoga and Yolking but nothing comes up. I am hoping someone here is knowledgeable in the Rig Veda, I can not read sanskrit and the only translatations I have found are in English. Namaste

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté earthpossom

It is said that the first reference of Yoga as Yoking is found in the Rig Veda. I am a student of Yoga and I am searching for the correct reference in the Rig Veda to the reference of Yoga as Yoking. (Book, Hymn, Verse) I have only been looking in the Griffiths translation doing a search on the english words Yoga and Yolking but nothing comes up. I am hoping someone here is knowledgeable in the Rig Veda, I can not read sanskrit and the only translatations I have found
are in English. Namaste

I will answer your question in a moment, yet let me if I may expand the conversation just a bit. When you say yoga , or student of yoga, are you thinking haṭha or perhaps aṣṭāṅga yoga we find in patañjali’s yogadarśana? Patañjali’s first words on this matter are the following :
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

• yogaś - process of yoking; union from 'yuj'
• citta - as a noun it is thinking , reflecting , imagining , thought; some put this as active mind
• vṛtti - ' rolling , or rolling down' i.e. patterning, turnings, movements.
• nirodhaḥ - suppression , destruction ; some prefer stilling, cessation, restriction

How I see this yoga
Yoga योग is rooted in yuj the act of yoking , joining , attaching , harnessing. But to what? To the Supreme, to bind one back to the source, to yoke one back to anuttara ( the Supreme).
Yoga is also defined as a means , expedient , device , way , manner , a method.
Hence with 'method' we get various yoga-s; here are some of the names of the major approaches:

• rāja ( some write rāj ) राज- king , sovereign , chief or best of its kind
• karma (some write karman) कर्मन्- action consisting in motion ; act, special duty, skill in action
• jñāna ज्ञान - knowing , becoming acquainted with , knowledge , (esp.) the higher knowledge of SELF, Supreme.
• bhākti or bhākta भाक्त - ' the faithful ones'
• haṭha yoga हठ - 'by force' ; ' necessarily , inevitably , by all means ' ( we will review this one on another post if requested)
• kriyā क्रिया - action; doing , performing , performance , occupation. For me this looks much like a definition for karma yoga

Are there others? Yes. Some may add kuṇdalinī yoga to this list, which is fine. This is also tightly coupled with kriyā yoga practices.

There are other yoga practices that the originating guru may coin his/her self. Perhaps other HDF members that are interested in this subject may wish to post their insights/studies on one of the yoga-s mentioned above or add to the list.

So , this yuj ( to join, unite, make ready) in the ṛg ved ( some prefer rig veda ) may be yuj, or yukti युक्ति or other words that infer the yoking or union to the Supreme - that is the point i wish to make. It is found in the veda's again & again. This is the foundation.


Now all that said...
Let me offer the answer of where yoga comes about in the ṛg ved saṁhitā¹. The 1st time a full 10 sūkta-s are devoted to indra starts with 1.4.0 . This runs from 1.4.1 to 1.4.10.

This then prepares the aspirant for the next section 1.5.0 , yoga and the arrival of indra ( one must ask where will he arrive?). Hence in sūkta ( or mantra) 1.5.3 you will find the first introduction of yoga.

It is respectful and our obligation to note the seer (ṛṣi) , the meter (chandas) and the devatā of the verse ( śloka ) we are talking:
The ṛṣi is madhuchandāḥ ( some write madhuchandās); the meter (chandas) is gayātrī ; the devatā is indra

sa ghā no yoga ābhuvat sa rāye sa purandhyām |
gamat vājebhiḥ ā sa naḥ ||

I will let you look this up and we can compare and contrast what Mr. Griffith says of this śloka. Tell us what you find and we can use this as input to a deeper appreciation of this verse.

praṇām


words

saṁhitā - collection; hymns

[earthpossum]

Thank you, thank you Vaygan. I commenced practicing Hatha Yoga of the Satyananda type about 8 years ago. I am currently studying for an Advanced Diploma in Holistic Yoga Studies in Perth. This course is based on Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga but of course we also look at the other schools of yoga and thought.
At this moment I am working on an assignment ( due this Saturday) on the History of Yoga, enormous subject I know, and I can only skim over the surface. We are also looking at the ancient texts and in my assignment I wanted to reference the sloka in the Rig Veda to yoking and Yoga, but as I don't have any hard copies of the Rig Veda my only source that I could find is Griffiths online and there are no sanskrit (Devangani) only Griffiths english explanation. Now I will follow your suggestions. When I was looking for the Yoking references, all I could find were references to Yoking cows and horses
Aum,

[earthpossum]

namaste Yajvan, Griffiths is obviously not a good translation, below is what is written for Book 1:4:1 - 10
HYMN IV. Indri

1 As a good cow to him who milks, we call the doer of fair deeds,
To our assistance day by day.
2 Come thou to our libations, drink of Soma; Soma-drinker thou!
The rich One's rapture giveth kine.
3 So may we be acquainted with thine innermost benevolence:
Neglect us not, come hitherward.
4 Go to the wise unconquered One, ask thou of Indra, skilled in song,
Him who is better than thy friends.
5 Whether the men who mock us say, Depart unto another place,
Ye who serve Indra and none else;
6 Or whether, God of wondrous deeds, all our true people call us blest,
Still may we dwell in Indra's care.
7 Unto the swift One bring the swift, man-cheering, grace of sacrifice,
That to the Friend gives wings and joy.
8 Thou, Satakratu, drankest this and wast the Vrtras' slayer; thou
Helpest the warrior in the fray.
9 We strengthen, Satakratu, thee, yea, thee the powerful in fight,
That, Indra, we may win us wealth.
10 To him the mighty stream of wealth, prompt friend ot'him who pours the juice,
yea, to this Indra sing your song.

[earthpossum]

Thank you Yajvan, six hours ago I posted a reply to you with a translation of Griffiths 1:4:1 - 10 but it hasn't shown up here on the forum.
I have spent over 12 hours searching on the internet for a copy of the Vedas that also include the IAST of the slokas but no luck. I have been also trying to locate any books on the vedas by Maharishi Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Devi Chand also without results. I can't find any texts that have the IAST as well as the English, the only one of the complete vedas I found is in Sanskrit (Devangi ?). I also replied to your question regarding my studies. I came to Yoga about 9 years ago initially Satyananda style classes, then went on to do a Teacher Training Course of one year and also was a student of Swami Alokananda Saraswati. I am currently studying for an Advanced Diploma in Holistic Yoga Studies in Perth and the 2.5 year course is based on Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. I am currently working on an assignment on the History of Yoga and I did want to be able to reference the sloka where it mentions in the Rg Veda about Yoga and Yoking. I am very interrested in purchasing a copy for myself if there finds such a thing.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Now all that said...
Let me offer the answer of where yoga comes about in the ṛg ved saṁhitā. The 1st time a full 10 sūkta-s are devoted to indra starts with 1.4.0 . This runs from 1.4.1 to 1.4.10.

This then prepares the aspirant for the next section 1.5.0 , yoga and the arrival of indra ( one must ask where will he arrive?).

... where will he arrive?

The 1st mantra 1.5.1 asks indra to come quickly here and be seated. But where is this seat? It is in the aspirant, within the sādhu or the sacrificer.

praṇām

[earthpossum]

Thank you Yajvan, It appears that we are looking at different texts, the only translations available to me have NO mention of
"come quickly here and be seated.".
The following is the translation of RV1:5:1, there is no 1:5:0that is available to me
"Agni is wakened by the people's fuel to meet the Dawn who cometh like a milch-cow.
Like young trees shooting up on high their branches, his flames are rising to the vault of heaven."
Thank you all the same for your interest and assistance
namaste

[Arjuni]

Earthpossum, is it possible the verse you're seeing is mislabeled? The line you're quoting sounds more like RV3.5.1 instead of 1.5.1...

The translation I'm looking at of 1.5 doesn't mention Agni and begins with:
"O come ye hither, sit ye down: to Indra sing ye forth, your song,
companions, bringing hymns of praise."
(http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01005.htm)

The sentence arrangement of this translation implied to me that the "ye" at the beginning was addressed to "companions" rather than Indra. As in, "come sit down, everyone, and praise him." What a phenomenal and marvelous meaning comes from a slightly different version, so thanks to all of you for this thread and opening my eyes a bit.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté earthpossom.

Thank you Yajvan, It appears that we are looking at different texts, the only translations available to me have NO mention of
"come quickly here and be seated.".
The following is the translation of RV1:5:1, there is no 1:5:0that is available to me
"Agni is wakened by the people's fuel to meet the Dawn who cometh like a milch-cow.
Like young trees shooting up on high their branches, his flames are rising to the vault of heaven."
Thank you all the same for your interest and assistance
namaste

Let's see if I can help...

Number system
The numbering system I offer , 1.5.0, says look to the 5th hymn found in book 1 of the ṛg ved saṁhitā. Why do I offer 1.5.0 ? Because we count off the ṛc's (or single line) 1.5.1 or 1.5.2, 1.5.3 that reside in the sūkta (hymn). So you are correct there is no 1.5.0 mantra, yet the notion is number 1.5.0 indicates the ~section~ we're addressing.

The offering of agni in your post above
I can say, with the highest level of confidence this is not 1.5.1. Why so ? It is a hymn to agni and not indra.

The very 1st sūkta 1.1.1 to 1.1.9 is focused on agni . Then we pick up again with agni with sūkta 1.12.0 ( or if you prefer 1.12.1) and do not see the lines offered there either.
Yet we find agni very often co-mingled with other devatā being praised e.g. 1.13.0, 1.14.0. Why do I mention this?
About 2,000 mantra-s in the rig ved ( out of the total of 10,552 sūkta-s) are offered to agni. The one you offer is not easily recognized by me ...
I am not suggesting it does not exist, it is a mantra that, for me, is not top of mind or part of my awareness.

Mr. Griffith's translation of 1.5.1 to...
Let's look to Mr. Griffith's translation he offers regarding section1.5.1 to 1.5.10 to insure that agni is not the devatā of praise and that it ( as far as my inspection views it)
does not include the phrases you offer.

Note for the record I am not a fan of this translation, but offer it to depict this hymn is to indra, not agni. I am sure Mr. Griffith is a fine man, and I am not suggesting
otherwise with my comments.

Now Mr. Griffith's translation. Note the 1st line, 'come and sit down'...
1. O COME ye hither, sit ye down: to Indra sing ye forth, your song,
companions, bringing hymns of praise.
2. To him the richest of the rich, the Lord of treasures excellent,
Indra, with Soma juice outpoured.
3 May he stand by us in our need and in abundance for our wealth:
May he come nigh us with his strength.
4. Whose pair of tawny horses yoked in battles foemen challenge not:
To him, to Indra sing your song.
5. Nigh to the Soma-drinker come, for his enjoyment, these pure drops,
The Somas mingled with the curd.
6. Thou, grown at once to perfect strength, wast born to drink the Soma juice, Strong Indra, for preëminence.
7. O Indra, lover of the song, may these quick Somas enter thee:
May they bring bliss to thee the Sage.
8. Our chants of praise have strengthened thee, O Śatakratu, and our lauds So strengthen thee the songs we sing.
9. Indra, whose succour never fails, accept these viands thousandfold,
Wherein all manly powers abide.
10. O Indra, thou who lovest song, let no man hurt our bodies, keep
Slaughter far from us, for thou canst.

That said, I think there is little value ( other then curiosity) to see where this ṛc ( rik , line) resides.

"Agni is wakened by the people's fuel to meet the Dawn who cometh like a milch-cow. Like young trees shooting up on high their branches, his flames are rising to the vault of heaven."

Back to 'yoga'
Yet here is 1.5.1 to 1.5.10. 'Yoga' begins with 1.5.3 and I have left a quick translation ( non-Griffith oriented) for your consideration. I will hold off on my translation, but look to R.L.Kashyap's view on this matter.

The ṛṣi is madhuchandāḥ ( some write madhuchandās); the meter (chandas) is gayātrī ; the devatā is indra

ā tvetā ni ṣīdatendramabhi pra ghāyata |
sakhāya stomavāhasaḥ || 1

purūtamaṃ purūṇāmīśānaṃ vāryāṇām |
indraṃ some sacā sute || 2

sa¹ ghā no yoga ā bhuvat sa rāye sa purandhyām |
ghamad vājebhirā sa naḥ || 3

may he ( indra) be favorable to us in yoga;
may he be favorable to uun riches and in abundent knowledge.
may he ( indra) come to us with plenty and all riches

yasya saṃsthe na vṛṇvate harī samatsu śatravaḥ |
tasmā indrāya ghāyata || 4

sutapāvne sutā ime śucayo yanti vītaye |
somāso dadhyāśiraḥ || 5

tvaṃ sutasya pītaye sadyo vṛddho ajāyathāḥ |
indra jyaiṣṭhyāya sukrato || 6

ā tvā viśantvāśavaḥ somāsa indra ghirvaṇaḥ |
śaṃ te santu pracetase || 7

tvāṃ stomā avīvṛdhan tvāmukthā śatakrato |
tvāṃ vardhantu no ghiraḥ || 8

akṣitotiḥ sanedimaṃ vājamindraḥ sahasriṇam |
yasmin viśvāni pauṃsyā || 9

mā no martā abhi druhan tanūnāmindra ghirvaṇaḥ |
īśāno yavayā vadham || 10

praṇām

words
1. sa - is worthy to reivew:

• sa - this is a bit technical as it needs to be viewed as the 6th derivitive of 'sa' and that is 'tad' in its mascline use meaning 'he' ( sorry for getting too deep on this one ).
• The sound of this 'sa' is more like s as in sin for those interested. Yet the beauty here of 'he' suggests indra, and this 'sa' is a name for viṣṇu or śiva

[TatTvamAsi]

Namaste,

Yajvan has already answered your question but I wanted to add that you should look at Sri R.L Kashyap's "Rig Veda" also. His book has all three formats: Sanskrit, transliteration, and translation to English.

Yoga as well as the numeral system and infinity are discussed in the Rig Veda.

Namaskar.