That Mystic Word Of Thine O Sovereign
Verse 1
THAT mystic word of Thine, O sovereign Lord, Is all too pure, too high, too deep for me; Weary of striving, and with longing faint, I breathe it back again in prayer to Thee.
Verse 2
Abide in me, I pray, and I in Thee; From this good hour, O leave me never more. Then shall the discord cease, the wound be healed, The lifelong bleeding of the soul be o’er.
Verse 3
Abide in me; o’ershadow by Thy love Each half-formed purpose, and dark thought of sin; Quench ere it rise, each selfish, low desire, And keep my soul as Thine, calm and divine.
Verse 4
As some rare perfume in a vase of clay Pervades with a fragrance not its own. So, when Thou dwellest in a mortal soul, All heaven’s own sweetness seems around it thrown.
Verse 5
Abide in me; there have been moments blest When I have heard Thy voice and felt Thy power; Then evil lost its grasp, and passion, hushed, Owned the divine enchantment of the hour.
Verse 6
These but were seasons, beautiful are rare; Abide in me, and they shall ever be; Fulfil at once Thy precept and my prayer Come and abide in me, and I in Thee.
Background: That Mystic Word Of Thine O Sovereign
The beautiful and profound phrase "O Sovereign Hymn," particularly when paired with "mystic word of thine," almost certainly refers to one of the most significant and ancient texts in human history: **The Purusha Sukta (Hymn X.90) from the Rigveda.**
Let's break down its history and meaning to make it easy to understand:
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**The "Mystic Word of Thine O Sovereign Hymn": A History** **1. The Phrase Itself: "O Sovereign Hymn"** * **Meaning:** This is an invocation, a call to a hymn (a sacred poem or song) that is considered supreme, ultimate, or divinely authoritative. "Sovereign" here implies it holds the highest power, importance, and truth. * **"Mystic Word of Thine":** This adds a layer of deep spiritual significance. It suggests that the words of this hymn are not just ordinary language but hold hidden, profound truths; they are divine in origin and reveal secrets of the cosmos and existence. "Thine" refers to the divine source or the hymn itself, personified. **2. The Source: The Rigveda** * **What it is:** The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas, which are the foundational scriptures of Hinduism. It's a collection of ancient Indian Vedic Sanskrit hymns. * **When it was Composed:** Most scholars date its composition between **1500 and 1200 BCE**, making it one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language and one of the oldest religious texts still in active use. * **Language:** It's written in Vedic Sanskrit, an archaic form of Sanskrit. * **Content:** The Rigveda contains 1,028 hymns (suktas), organized into ten books (mandalas). These hymns primarily praise various deities (Agni, Indra, Surya, Soma, etc.), describe rituals, offer philosophical insights, and explore the nature of the universe. **3. The Specific Hymn: The Purusha Sukta (Rigveda X.90)** * **Why it's "The Sovereign Hymn":** While all Vedic hymns are important, the Purusha Sukta is often considered uniquely significant due to its profound cosmological and sociological implications. It's often seen as a foundational text explaining the origin of everything. * **Central Theme: The Cosmic Being (Purusha):** This hymn describes **Purusha**, the Cosmic Man or the primordial being, who is immense and encompasses all of creation – past, present, and future. * **The Cosmic Sacrifice:** The most striking part of the hymn is the description of Purusha's **sacrifice**. The gods themselves perform this sacrifice, dismembering Purusha. From different parts of his body, the entire universe is created: * **The Vedas** (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda) * **The four Varnas (social orders/castes):** Brahmins (priests/intellectuals) from his mouth, Kshatriyas (warriors/rulers) from his arms, Vaishyas (merchants/farmers) from his thighs, and Shudras (laborers) from his feet. * **The natural world:** The moon from his mind, the sun from his eye, Indra and Agni from his mouth, the wind from his breath, the sky from his head, the earth from his feet, and the cardinal directions from his ears. * **Animals and plants:** Are also said to have originated from him. **4. Why it's "Mystic"** * **Symbolic Language:** The hymn uses highly symbolic and allegorical language. It's not meant to be read literally as a historical event but as a profound metaphor for creation, interconnectedness, and the divine origin of all things. * **Philosophical Depth:** It delves into fundamental questions of existence: Where did we come from? What is the source of the universe? How is society structured? * **Ritualistic Significance:** The concept of sacrifice (Yajna) in the Purusha Sukta is central to Vedic ritual, where offerings are made to sustain the cosmic order. * **Enduring Influence:** The Purusha Sukta has had an immense and lasting impact on Hindu thought, influencing everything from philosophy and cosmology to social structure (though the interpretation of the Varna system has been a subject of much debate and controversy over centuries). --- In summary, when you speak of "O Sovereign Hymn" and "mystic word of thine," you are almost certainly referring to the **Purusha Sukta** from the ancient **Rigveda**. It's a hymn considered supreme and divinely inspired, laying out a mystical creation story that has shaped a major world religion for thousands of years.
**The "Mystic Word of Thine O Sovereign Hymn": A History** **1. The Phrase Itself: "O Sovereign Hymn"** * **Meaning:** This is an invocation, a call to a hymn (a sacred poem or song) that is considered supreme, ultimate, or divinely authoritative. "Sovereign" here implies it holds the highest power, importance, and truth. * **"Mystic Word of Thine":** This adds a layer of deep spiritual significance. It suggests that the words of this hymn are not just ordinary language but hold hidden, profound truths; they are divine in origin and reveal secrets of the cosmos and existence. "Thine" refers to the divine source or the hymn itself, personified. **2. The Source: The Rigveda** * **What it is:** The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas, which are the foundational scriptures of Hinduism. It's a collection of ancient Indian Vedic Sanskrit hymns. * **When it was Composed:** Most scholars date its composition between **1500 and 1200 BCE**, making it one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language and one of the oldest religious texts still in active use. * **Language:** It's written in Vedic Sanskrit, an archaic form of Sanskrit. * **Content:** The Rigveda contains 1,028 hymns (suktas), organized into ten books (mandalas). These hymns primarily praise various deities (Agni, Indra, Surya, Soma, etc.), describe rituals, offer philosophical insights, and explore the nature of the universe. **3. The Specific Hymn: The Purusha Sukta (Rigveda X.90)** * **Why it's "The Sovereign Hymn":** While all Vedic hymns are important, the Purusha Sukta is often considered uniquely significant due to its profound cosmological and sociological implications. It's often seen as a foundational text explaining the origin of everything. * **Central Theme: The Cosmic Being (Purusha):** This hymn describes **Purusha**, the Cosmic Man or the primordial being, who is immense and encompasses all of creation – past, present, and future. * **The Cosmic Sacrifice:** The most striking part of the hymn is the description of Purusha's **sacrifice**. The gods themselves perform this sacrifice, dismembering Purusha. From different parts of his body, the entire universe is created: * **The Vedas** (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda) * **The four Varnas (social orders/castes):** Brahmins (priests/intellectuals) from his mouth, Kshatriyas (warriors/rulers) from his arms, Vaishyas (merchants/farmers) from his thighs, and Shudras (laborers) from his feet. * **The natural world:** The moon from his mind, the sun from his eye, Indra and Agni from his mouth, the wind from his breath, the sky from his head, the earth from his feet, and the cardinal directions from his ears. * **Animals and plants:** Are also said to have originated from him. **4. Why it's "Mystic"** * **Symbolic Language:** The hymn uses highly symbolic and allegorical language. It's not meant to be read literally as a historical event but as a profound metaphor for creation, interconnectedness, and the divine origin of all things. * **Philosophical Depth:** It delves into fundamental questions of existence: Where did we come from? What is the source of the universe? How is society structured? * **Ritualistic Significance:** The concept of sacrifice (Yajna) in the Purusha Sukta is central to Vedic ritual, where offerings are made to sustain the cosmic order. * **Enduring Influence:** The Purusha Sukta has had an immense and lasting impact on Hindu thought, influencing everything from philosophy and cosmology to social structure (though the interpretation of the Varna system has been a subject of much debate and controversy over centuries). --- In summary, when you speak of "O Sovereign Hymn" and "mystic word of thine," you are almost certainly referring to the **Purusha Sukta** from the ancient **Rigveda**. It's a hymn considered supreme and divinely inspired, laying out a mystical creation story that has shaped a major world religion for thousands of years.
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