Evidence of Heliocentric Model in Rgveda Hymn no. 164.1, 2, & 3 of the 1st Mandala (Part 1)

Evidence of Heliocentric model of planetary system in Rigveda.

Rgveda 164 (ऋषि:   (Rishi) :- दीर्घतमा औचथ्यः, देवता (Devataa) :- विश्वेदेवा:, छन्द: (Chhand) :- निचृत्त्रिष्टुप्)

164rth hymn of 1st mandala is addressed to pure vijñānkānḍa-Astrophysics. All the verses pertain to Solar system and their functioning, liberating of time and many contemporary astro sciences as fundamental elements including samvatsara-year; trinaabhi- three axels; seasons; why five season; need of shishir and hemanta samāsa etc. First mantra of this hymn gives a picture, via वामस्य पलितस्य*, of all planets in the Solar System orbiting the Sun in the direction of the Sun’s rotation, which is counterclockwise when viewed from above the Sun’s north pole. Lets see how these verses shows a Heliocentric model of planetary system. 

RV 164.1

अ॒स्य वा॒मस्य॑ पलि॒तस्य॒ होतु॒स्तस्य॒ भ्राता॑ मध्य॒मो अ॒स्त्यश्न॑: । तृ॒तीयो॒ भ्राता॑ घृ॒तपृ॑ष्ठो अ॒स्यात्रा॑पश्यं वि॒श्पतिं॑ स॒प्तपु॑त्रम् ॥

अ॒स्य । वा॒मस्य॑ । प॒लि॒तस्य॑ । होतुः॑ । तस्य॑ । भ्राता॑ । म॒ध्य॒मः । अ॒स्ति॒ । अश्नः॑ । तृ॒तीयः॑ । भ्राता॑ । घृ॒तऽपृ॑ष्ठः । अ॒स्य॒ । अत्र॑ । अ॒प॒श्य॒म् । वि॒श्पति॑म् । स॒प्तऽपु॑त्रम् ॥

Pada Paatha-अ॒स्य This। वा॒मस्य॑ counterclockwise’s। प॒लि॒तस्य॑ tamer’s/ feeder’s / keeper’s। होतुः॑ invocable। तस्य॑ His। भ्राता॑ brother। म॒ध्य॒मः middle । अ॒स्ति॒ is। अश्नः॑ (eat/get/enjoy)। तृ॒तीयः॑ third। भ्राता॑ brother। घृ॒तऽपृ॑ष्ठः । अ॒स्य॒ of this। अत्र॑ here। अ॒प॒श्य॒म् not seeing। वि॒श्पति॑म् chief। स॒प्तऽपु॑त्रम् seventh son॥

Notes of Nirukta

1. वामस्य- वननीय, स्तुति करने योग्य -desirable, but here I take the simple meaning of वामस्य as simple meaning of “counter clockwise- opposite”.

2. तृतिय भ्राता – The third brother.

3. भ्राता- भरति कर्मणः, भ्राता भरति कर्मणो हरते भागम्, अर्थात् भ्राता अपने दायभाग का हरण करते हैं अतः हरणार्थक ‘भृ’ धातु से तृन् प्रत्यय(उणादि २।९५) करके भातृ निष्पन्न होता है। Here the word bhrātā is very interestingly and intelligently used. It can be taken as-the sun swapping its position to it’s third “bhrātā” and here the third bhrātā-earth is swapping its position with Sun in a relative sense still Sun is seventh when counted from Saturn. Saturn the first, (the last visible planet) till madhya-center where Sun itself is posited makes a heliocentric planetary system.

4. घृतऽस्पृष्ट- घृत से स्पृष्ट होने वाला या घृत अपृष्ट-?

5. सप्तपुत्रम्- The seventh son.

Conclude

The first mantra is about the Earth and the Sun’s swapping position in sense of relativity. It also defines why Sun is called the Seventh- Sapta, position wise.

RV 164.2

स॒प्त यु॑ञ्जन्ति॒ रथ॒मेक॑चक्र॒मेको॒ अश्वो॑ वहति स॒प्तना॑मा । त्रि॒नाभि॑ च॒क्रम॒जर॑मन॒र्वं यत्रे॒मा विश्वा॒ भुव॒नाधि॑ त॒स्थुः ॥

**सप्त युञ्जन्ति रथमेकचक्रमेको अश्वो वहति सप्तनामा । त्रिनाभि चक्रमजरमनर्वं यत्रेमा विश्वा भुवनाधि तस्थुः ॥1.164.2

Anvaya – यत्र गवां सप्त नाम निहिता सन्ति तत्र स्वसार इव सप्ताऽभि संनवन्ते सप्ताश्वाश्च वहन्ति तमिमं सप्तचक्रं रथं ये सप्त जना अधितस्थुस्तेऽत्र सुखिनो भवन्ति ॥३॥

Pada Paatha- स॒प्त । यु॒ञ्ज॒न्ति॒ । रथ॑म् । एक॑ऽचक्रम् । एकः॒ । अश्वः॑ । व॒ह॒ति॒ । स॒प्तऽना॑मा । त्रि॒ऽनाभि॑ । च॒क्रम् । अ॒जर॑म् । अ॒न॒र्वम् । यत्र॑ । इ॒मा । विश्वा॑ । भुव॑ना । अधि॑ । त॒स्थुः ॥

स॒प्त seven। यु॒ञ्ज॒न्ति॒ yoking। रथ॑म् car/chariot । एक॑ऽचक्रम् one circle with axel/wheel । एकः॒ one। अश्वः॑ horse। व॒ह॒ति॒ flow। स॒प्तऽना॑मा seven। त्रि॒ऽनाभि॑ three navel of the wheel। च॒क्रम् wheel। अ॒जर॑म् ageless । अ॒न॒र्वम् unobstructed । यत्र॑ in which case/when । इ॒मा these । विश्वा॑ earth। भुव॑ना causing to exist। अधि॑ at। त॒स्थुः stationery॥

Notes of Nirukta

Conclude

Here “three navels” phrase is baffling since, two navels are of swapping of Sun’s position w.r.t earth’s elliptical orbit as shown in todays Kepler’s law and Milankovitch cycle, the third navel-axle is the axis of earth pointing upon circle of precession of earth’s axis. On the contrary Nirukta gives “three array of one navel-representing three seasons grishma, varsha and hemanta” which would mean only one wheel, while this can easily be understood from above that Mantra specifically mentions three separate navels and not one navel.

Purva Paksha

Many of the sites and researchers suggest that Saayana has explained this verse in below mentioned fashion. “The mantras 2-4 are dedicated to Aditya or the Sun . The Sun is also a symbol of supreme light or supreme sun god. The sun or supreme light has seven children , the visible Sun , Moon and five Planets.” “Moon” is brought in as one of the graha locator since heliocentric idea was not conceived well or was missed in interpretation completely in later i.e, Nirukta’s times. No one touches the first verse to elaborate due to much lost knowledge of understanding that might have prevailed before Saiddhantic times. Three navel has always been misunderstood for three seasons. Navel- nābhi is the axel/navel of the wheel.

RV 1.162.3 The mantra

इ॒मं रथ॒मधि॒ ये स॒प्त त॒स्थुः स॒प्तच॑क्रं स॒प्त व॑ह॒न्त्यश्वा॑: । स॒प्त स्वसा॑रो अ॒भि सं न॑वन्ते॒ यत्र॒ गवां॒ निहि॑ता स॒प्त नाम॑ ॥

Pada patha- इ॒मम् । रथ॑म् । अधि॑ । ये । स॒प्त । त॒स्थुः । स॒प्तऽच॑क्रम् । स॒प्त । व॒ह॒न्ति॒ । अश्वाः॑ । स॒प्त । स्वसा॑रः । अ॒भि । सम् । न॒व॒न्ते॒ । यत्र॑ । गवा॑म् । निऽहि॑ता । स॒प्त । नाम॑ ॥

इ॒मम्  this। रथ॑म् car । अधि॑ at। ये this। स॒प्त seven। त॒स्थुः stationed । स॒प्तऽच॑क्रम् seven cirlces with axel । स॒प्त seven । व॒ह॒न्ति॒ flowing water। अश्वाः॑ horses। स॒प्त seven। स्वसा॑रः home। अ॒भि । सम् । न॒व॒न्ते॒ assemble in front one after the other ( saamane milati hai- Achaarya Dayanand bhaashya)। यत्र॑ in order that। गवा॑म् rashmi-rassi-rope । निऽहि॑ता (nirantara saare sthaapit kiye hue), continuously kept in। स॒प्त seven । नाम॑ name (or bend or need investigation whether indeclinable).

Laudation to this car at which seven horses, like flowing water, assemble in front one after the other at seven wheels (circles with axel) roped and in order they move/go on, on seven fixed or are continuously kept in the fixed circle(orbit) as home, seven is thus name or seventh bend( Sun’s bend, this assures that they were ardent observer of black spot on the Sun confirming further that Sun also rotated on its own axis).

Distance from Sun 0.3870(Mercury)- 0.723(Venus)- 1(Earth)- 1.52(Mars)- 5.20(Jupiter)-9.58(Saturn), their orbits are अ॒भि । सम् । न॒व॒न्ते॒ , it appears to me that the mantra wants to say that the planets go on their positioned orbits in some ratio of a distance.

Notes of Nirukta

Nirukta in 4rth adhyaaya, 62 , asyashabdavyaakhyaanam understands and give meaning of some of the words from 164.1,2, and few words from 162.12, 11, & 48. We will make a note on it before pondering into few lost archaic meaning of the words which are very interesting. Some of the words are taken in a very complicated way which could had been rendering very simple meaning like vaamasya- vananiiya, -desirable, I take the simple meaning “counter clockwise- opposite” as discussed in the specific mantra notes.

Conclude:

In nutshell, planets including Sun itself, with-Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Jupiter and Saturn, all of these grahas-ratha ( means celestial body) are positioned on their fixed orbits, at some fixed distances, and are roped in with Sun’s one wheel and are revolving around one wheeled axis/chariot of sun. Sun itself is one horse on one wheeled chariot including other six planet horses on their chakras-orbits including Earth, hence making स॒प्तऽच॑क्रम् practical and usable in this hymn.