Tejo asi tejo mayi dhehi – tolerance and strength
This mantra is a powerful and deeply personal prayer from the Yajur Veda. It is a dynamic invocation designed to imbue the individual with a series of divine qualities. The structure is a beautiful and potent series of six affirmations and petitions. For each quality, the devotee first acknowledges that the Supreme Reality is the ultimate embodiment of that attribute (You are…) and then prays for that same quality to be bestowed upon or awakened within themselves (…grant that to me). It is a profound exercise in aligning the individual self (microcosm) with the universal Self (macrocosm).
तेजोऽसि तेजो मयि धेहि
वीर्यमसि वीर्यं मयि धेहि
बलमसि बलं मयि धेहि
ओजोऽस्योजो मयि धेहि
मन्युरसि मन्युं मयि धेहि
सहोऽसि सहो मयि धेहि ॥
(यजुर्वेद १९.९)
Tejo-asi tejo mayi dhehi.
Veeryam-asi veeryam mayi dhehi.
Balam-asi balam mayi dhehi.
Ojo-asi-ojo mayi dhehi.
Manyur-asi manyum mayi dhehi.
Saho-asi saho mayi dhehi.
(Yajur Veda 19.9)
O Glorious and Illustrious Lord! Thou art the embodiment of the Light of all true scientific knowledge and we pray Thee to shed that light into our heart. Thou art the Source of infinite energy, bestow us with unfailing energy. Thou art the Origin of all might, we pray Thee to endow us with strength. Thou art Infinite power, endow us with great power. Thine is the righteous indignation; may we also not tolerate any injustice and vice. Thou art love and forbearance, make us also forbearing and tolerant.
(This English translation is from Swami Bhavani Dayal Sanyasi)
तेजोऽसि You are brilliance/splendor…You (the Supreme Reality) are the ultimate source of Spiritual Radiance and inner light. तेजो मयि धेहि Place brilliance in me…Grant that same divine radiance and clarity of perception to me. वीर्यमसि You are vigor/valor…You are the ultimate source of Dynamic Energy, courage, and heroic potential. वीर्यं मयि धेहि Place vigor in me…Grant that same driving energy and valor to me. बलमसि You are strength/power…You are the ultimate source of enduring Inner and Outer Strength. बलं मयि धेहि Place strength in me…Grant that same foundational stability and power to me. ओजो असि You are vitality/life-force…You are the ultimate source of Vital Life-Force, the subtle energy for creativity and immunity. ओजो मयि धेहि Place vitality in me…Grant that same deep wellspring of vitality to me. मन्युरसि You are the One in whom enemies and ignorance are dissolved…You are the ultimate source of Righteous Spirit and the power of conviction against injustice. मन्युं मयि धेहि Place determination and indignition in me…Grant me that same unyielding spirit and moral determination. सहोऽसि You are endurance/power to overcome…You are the ultimate source of Fortitude and the power to withstand all opposition. सहो मयि धेहि Place endurance in me…Grant me that same power of patient endurance and resilience.
Macrocosm and Microcosm
This mantra is a profound guide to self-transformation, based on the philosophical principle that the individual contains the potential for all the qualities that exist perfectly in the Supreme Reality. It is a practice of invoking and manifesting excellence.
1. The Principle of Macrocosm and Microcosm
The verse is a practical application of the core truth, यथा ब्रह्माण्डे तथा पिण्डाण्डे Yathaa Brahmaaṇḍe, Tathaa Piṇḍaaṇḍe (“As is the Macrocosm, so is the Microcosm”). The devotee is not asking for something alien to be given to them. Rather, they are acknowledging that the Supreme is the infinite ocean of these six perfect attributes. The prayer máyi dhéhi (“place in me”) is a conscious effort to open the individual self and allow those qualities, which exist as dormant potentials within, to become manifest. It is a prayer for attunement, asking for the divine blueprint of the cosmos to be actualized within the individual.
2. An Invocation for Holistic Excellence
The six attributes invoked represent a complete and balanced vision of a perfected human being. They are not random; they form a holistic system for inner development:
तेजः Tejah (Radiance, brilliance): This is the foundation of spiritual clarity. It is the light of a discerning intellect and a pure consciousness that allows one to see things clearly.
वीर्यम् Veeryam (valor, courage, energetic): Once one has clarity, one needs the dynamic energy and courage to act upon that vision. Vīryam is the heroic drive to put one’s truth into action.
बलम् Balam (stamina, power, strength (physical strength): This is the stable power, both inner and outer, that supports valorous action. It is the firmness and resilience needed to sustain effort.
ओजः Ojah (life’s vitality, essence of life, infinite power one who is indignant with wrong-doing): This is the deep, subtle life-force that fuels all other attributes. It is the wellspring of creativity, immunity, and spiritual stamina. Without Ojas, the other qualities cannot be maintained.
मंयह Manyah (properly focused indignation): This is a crucial, often misunderstood quality. Philosophically, it is not raw anger, but the power of conviction, righteous will, and an unyielding spirit against falsehood, injustice, and spiritual laziness. It is the “divine fire” that refuses to passively accept untruth.
सह saha (Fortitude, forbearance): Finally, this is the power of endurance. It is the quiet, patient strength that allows one to withstand all hardships, pressures, and setbacks on the path, persevering until the goal is reached.
Together, these six qualities create an individual who is not only spiritually radiant but also practically effective, strong, vital, morally determined, and unshakably resilient.
3. The Power of Affirmation: “You Are, Therefore Grant unto me”
The mantra’s structure, “You are …, please bestow … in me”), is philosophically potent. The prayer does not begin from a place of doubt – there is no doubt at to God’s attributes, so it does NOT say “O Lord, I hope you have some strength to give me”. It begins with a powerful affirmation of fact: bálam asi “You are Strength”). The existence of the quality in its perfect form is a given. This certainty provides the foundation for the petition. The act of prayer, therefore, becomes a dynamic process of first recognizing a universal truth, and then opening oneself to become a living vessel for that truth. It is less about pleading and more about aligning—aligning oneself with the ever-present reality of divine splendor, valor, strength, vitality, spirit, and fortitude.
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