Ratri Suktam

 

 

Ratri Suktam is a Vedic hymn and forms part of the Rig Veda Rig Veda 10.127. It consists of 8 Riks (mantras).

Prevalent ideas about Ratri Suktam:

‘Ratri’ means night, and Suktam is a set of Vedic Mantras or hymns. And Ratri Suktam can simply mean ‘the hymn of the night.’ The term ‘Ratri’ can stand for darkness and also ignorance. Ratri Suktam sings the praise of the divine Mother and seeks her grace for clearing the negativities that darkness brings along, and also for removing Avidya, the ignorance.

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Prevalent ideas about Benefits of Chanting Ratri Suktam

Sleeping in the night can be a powerful rejuvenating factor, and sleeplessness can be a curse that can cause immense harm to a person’s physical and mental health. It is believed that recitation of Ratri Suktam can balance the energy levels in the body, calm the mind, and make it attuned to faster and deeper sleep. Hence Ratri Suktam is also often used by people having sleep disorders to get over the problem. Many recite Ratri Suktam 2 or 3 times, before sleeping in the night, for undisturbed and sound sleep. Ratri Suktam is also chanted to access divine energy, tone up our own energy levels, and also enhance our mental powers.

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Another version of Ratri Suktam also finds a place in the sacred text Devi Mahatmiyam or Durga Saptashati, and this is generally known as the Tantric Ratri Suktam. Devotees who perform Vedic rituals generally recite the Vedic Ratri Suktam, while those who do the Tantric practices recite the Tantric Ratri Suktam.

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According to Shri Aurobindo, in every Human lies the DIVINE energy in dormant stage and will be activated by getting rid of ignorance.

Ratri indicates the dormant stage of the DIVINE energy and uṣa (usha) indicates the activated stage of the DIVINE energy.

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uṣa (usha) is called daughter of the heaven - duhitar divaḥ.(Rig Veda 1.48.1)

saha vāmena na uṣo vy ucchā duhitar divaḥ | saha dyumnena bṛhatā vibhāvari rāyā devi dāsvatī ||

Ratri is also called daughter of the heaven - duhitar divaḥ.

upa te gā ivākaraṃ vṛṇīṣva duhitar divaḥ | rātri stomaṃ na jigyuṣe || (Rig Veda 10.127.8)