“Night” From the Rig-Veda, Essay Example

In the hymn, “Night”, there is a variety of purpose evident.  On one level, the verse is certainly a tribute to the goddess of night.  There are repeated references to her power, and her ability to exert that power over every living thing.  From the beginning, this divine ability is acknowledged as being all-seeing; she is “looking about on many sides with her eyes”, which conveys a vision beyond mortal.  Then, she is omnipresent, as goddess and force of nature, filling the entire space of the world.  However, the tribute takes on an unexpected quality, for the hymn glorifies Night as a bringer of light.  Her power here is in keeping with the other gods of nature, because her light is, “pushing aside her sister, the twilight”, in a strong image.  Most of all, this goddess is praised in the hymn for her role in guiding all beneath her to their proper places when the day is done.  When she appears, people turn toward home, as the birds return to the safety of their nests.

Beyond the tribute aspect, the hymn does not actually ask for help or mercy from the goddess.  It is more a salute, or a reverent statement made to present obedience and gratitude for the power of night.  In this verse, night is most definitely a goddess, for she is both a sister and a daughter.  Most of all, she is a goddess with a specific and highly appreciated job to do, every evening.  In the figurative phrase, she is “full of waves”; she is a tide to cross over, and the only supplication from the hymn is the request that she be “easy” in this regard.  The request, however, is not especially powerful.  It is almost routine, and there is a very practical feeling to the hymn as a whole.  This is reinforced by the conclusion, where the writer or speaker flatly asserts that the hymn is being sent forth as an ordinary herdsman moves his cattle along.  He asks only that night accept the verse, because tribute of this kind is necessary to a greater presence.