Rig Veda 1.40.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 40, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.40
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
प्र नूनं ब्रह्मणस्पतिर्मन्त्रं वदत्युक्थ्यम् । यस्मिन्निन्द्रो वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा देवा ओकांसि चक्रिरे ॥
prá nūnáṃ bráhmaṇaspátir mántraṃ vadaty ukthyám | yásminn índro váruṇo mitró aryamā́ devā́ okā́ṃsi cakriré ||
الآنَ يَنْطِقُ بْرَهْمَنَسْبَتِي بِالمَنْتْرَا الجَدِيرَةِ بِالتَّرْتِيلِ—الَّتِي فِيهَا جَعَلَ إِنْدْرَا وَفَرُونَا وَمِتْرَا وَأَرْيَمَنْ، الآلِهَةُ، مَسَاكِنَهُمْ: قُوًى مُقِيمَةٌ فِي الكَلِمَةِ المُتَشَكِّلَةِ.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- नूनम्
- now, indeedIndeclinableadverbRoot नूनम्
- ब्रह्मणस्पतिः
- Brahmaṇaspati (Lord of prayer/sacred utterance)Nounmasculine; nominative singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root ब्रह्मणस्-पति (prātipadika)
- मन्त्रम्
- a sacred formula, mantraNounmasculine; accusative singularRole कर्म (Karma)Root मन्त्र (prātipadika)
- वदति
- speaks, uttersVerbpresent (laṭ); 3rd person singular; parasmaipadaRoot √वद् (वदँ)
- उक्थ्यम्
- worthy of recitation/praise; fit for the hymnAdjectiveneuter; accusative singular (agreeing with मन्त्रम्)Role कर्म (Karma) (as qualifier of the object)Root उक्थ्य (prātipadika; adj. from उक्थ)
- यस्मिन्
- in whichPronounmasculine/neuter; locative singularRole अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)Root यद् (relative pronoun)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounmasculine; nominative singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNounmasculine; nominative singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root वरुण (prātipadika)
- मित्रः
- MitraNounmasculine; nominative singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root मित्र (prātipadika)
- अर्यमा
- AryamanNounmasculine; nominative singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root अर्यमा (prātipadika)
- देवाः
- the godsNounmasculine; nominative pluralRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root देव (prātipadika)
- ओकांसि
- dwellings, abodesNounneuter; accusative pluralRole कर्म (Karma)Root ओकस् (prātipadika)
- चक्रिरे
- have made, have establishedVerbperfect (liṭ); 3rd person plural; ātmanepadaRoot √कृ (डुकृञ् करणे)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): वदत्यु॒क्थ्य॑म् → वदति + उक्थ्यम् (इ + उ → य् glide in saṃhitā: वदति उक्थ्यम् → वदत्युक्थ्यम्). Other junctions are straightforward saṃhitā continuations without word-internal change for pada separation here (e.g., ब्रह्मणस्पतिः मन्त्रं, इन्द्रः वरुणः मित्रः अर्यमा, देवाः ओकांसि). Accent marks are preserved as in saṃhitā text
- pada analysis does not reassign accents
The meaning
Outer meaning
Brahmaṇaspati now utters a hymn-worthy mantra; within that formed Word Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman and the Gods have established their dwelling-places.
Inner meaning
The Lord of the sacred Word (Brahmaṇaspati) releases the true mantra—not as mere sound, but as a living formulation of consciousness. When the Word is rightly formed (ukthya), the divine powers can “take their seats” in it: Indra as illumined Mind-force, Varuṇa as vast Truth-law, Mitra as harmony and right relation, Aryaman as noble aspiration and inner discipline. The mantra becomes an inner temple: the seeker’s speech turns into a stable field where higher faculties can act.
Universal truth
Right speech is not ornament but a vessel of power: when thought, will, and truth align, the word becomes a habitation for higher consciousness, and life-organizing powers naturally arrange themselves within it.
Themes
mantra-theology, divine-indwelling, ṛta-order
The seer
- Rishi
- Traditionally ascribed within RV 1.40–1.41 to the Kaṇva lineage (attribution varies in recensions); specific seer-name not preserved in the provided source.
- Lineage
- Kaṇva (probable, traditional Anukramaṇī attribution for this cluster)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.40.1-8, Rig Veda 1.41.1-9 (cluster with Āditya protection themes)
Family tradition
Kaṇvas are noted for hymns emphasizing inspired speech, right formation (brahman), and the powers that uphold ṛta.
Significance
The ‘unknown’ rishi-function here is itself instructive: the mantra foregrounds the impersonal source of revelation—speech arising from Brahmaṇaspati rather than personal authorship. The seer becomes a channel for the Word that houses the gods.
The deity
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati (with indwelling powers: Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman)
- Epithets
- Brahmaṇaspati, Vācaspati (by function), Dhīpati (lord of inspired thought, by sense)
- Related deities
- Agni (as priestly fire and carrier of offerings), Sarasvatī/Vāc (as the flowing power of speech), Bṛhaspati (closely allied/overlapping in later identification), Ādityas (Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman), Indra
Cosmic role
Organizer of the sacrificial order through the true Word; establishes the divine powers in human expression and consciousness.
Inner power
Capacity to shape thought into luminous, effective mantra—speech that becomes a stable plane for illumination, truth-law, harmony, and noble aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Recitation in soma-sacrifice contexts and general stotra/śastra settings where inspired speech is invoked; also suitable for beginning a recitation session as an invocation to the power of mantra.
प्र नू॒नं ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॒र्मन्त्रं॑ वदत्यु॒क्थ्य॑म् । यस्मि॒न्निन्द्रो॒ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॑र्य॒मा दे॒वा ओकां॑सि चक्रि॒रे ॥
प्र । नू॒नम् । ब्रह्म॑णः । पतिः॑ । मन्त्र॑म् । व॒द॒ति॒ । उ॒क्थ्य॑म् । यस्मि॑न् । इन्द्रः॑ । वरु॑णः । मि॒त्रः । अ॒र्य॒मा । दे॒वाः । ओकां॑सि । च॒क्रि॒रे ॥
pra | nūnam | brahmaṇaḥ | patiḥ | mantram | vadati | ukthyam | yasmin | indraḥ | varuṇaḥ | mitraḥ | aryamā | devāḥ | okāṃsi | cakrire
Anuṣṭubh (probable, based on two balanced pādas and typical RV diction; exact scansion requires full pada syllable count with Vedic elision rules)
32
4 pādas × 8 syllables (probable)
Compact, declarative, ‘seal-like’ cadence suitable for stating a principle about mantra itself.
Creates a firm inner ‘setting’—as if placing the mind into a stable frame—supporting the sense of the gods taking their seats in the Word.
- brahmaṇaspati
- Literal: Lord of brahman/prayer; master of sacred formulation. Symbolic: Power that forges the inspired Word and builds inner order through mantra
- mantra
- Literal: sacred utterance/formula. Symbolic: Concentrated vibration of truth-consciousness carrying force and guidance
- ukthya
- Literal: worthy to be recited as hymn. Symbolic: Rightly shaped expression that can bear the gods (powers) without distortion
- okāṃsi
- Literal: dwellings/homes/seats. Symbolic: Stable stations in consciousness—settled faculties of divine action in the being
- Indra
- Literal: Vedic god Indra. Symbolic: Illuminating Mind-force that breaks obstruction and releases light
- Varuṇa
- Literal: Āditya Varuṇa. Symbolic: Vastness and the law of Truth (ṛta) that holds and purifies
- Mitra
- Literal: Āditya Mitra. Symbolic: Harmony, right measure, friendship—unifying intelligence
- Aryaman
- Literal: Āditya Aryaman. Symbolic: Noble striving, inner discipline, the power of right aspiration and membership in the Truth
Metapoetic/ritual affirmation of mantra as the vessel of the gods; suitable at points emphasizing correct recitation and the ‘seating’ of deities in the rite.
At openings or transitions where the efficacy of mantra and the presence of deities is to be established.
Āhvāna (invocation) and saṃsthāpana (establishing) of devatā-power in speech; recited with attentive formation of sound.
Use before japa/meditation or before important truthful communication (teaching, counsel, vows) to align speech with inner truth and invite higher faculties to preside.
mántra from √man ‘to think’ → ‘instrument of thought’ (mantric formulation). ukthya from ukthá ‘hymn’ (√vac/√ukṣ?; Vedic uktha is a formal praise-recitation). oká- ‘home, dwelling’ (PIE *h₂ok- ‘sharp/point’? uncertain; in Vedic clearly ‘abode’). cakriré is perfect middle of √kṛ ‘make’.
mantra as embodiment, ṛta and divine indwelling, speech as a constructed abode (okas)
The gods ‘dwelling’ in the mantra implies speech aligned to ṛta becomes a vehicle of cosmic order in the human instrument.
Mantra as satya-vāk: speech that carries truth-force and therefore becomes effective (satyam = that which holds).
Word as formative power: the ‘formed word’ is a microcosmic creation where divine principles take shape.
Proto-Vedāntic/Mantra-śakti orientation; resonates with later Upaniṣadic emphasis on vāc and brahman (without reducing it to later metaphysics).
As a home shelters inhabitants, the rightly-formed mantra shelters powers of illumination, truth, harmony, and noble striving within the seeker’s consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mantra as a built ‘house’ where the gods take seat. The mythic action is not combat but embodiment: divine powers become present by inhabiting the correctly formed word.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The √man ‘think’ → mantra line is an inherited cognitive-ritual nexus (thought → word → power). The ‘fame/word as container’ trope is widespread in Indo-European poetics, here specialized into Vedic mantra-theology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Brahmaṇaspati is the divine agency behind the rishi’s effective utterance; the rishi’s role is to articulate the ukthya mantra so that multiple cosmic powers can establish stable presence within the seeker’s inner space.
‘Speech as a temple’: feel each syllable as a seat for higher powers; practice truth-aligned expression emerging from silence.
viśuddha (throat)
Slow nāḍī-śodhana for 6–12 rounds, then chant on long exhalations keeping the throat relaxed and resonant.
From mental dispersion to collected inspired intelligence (dhī) and quiet authority of truth-speech.
Before chanting, pause in inner silence; intend that the mantra is not ‘said by me’ but ‘spoken through me’ from a higher poise. After chanting, remain still and sense which power (Indra/Varuṇa/Mitra/Aryaman) becomes most active in the mind-life.
Follow RV śākhā tradition: udatta/anudatta/svarita as marked in the saṃhitā; key lift on accented syllables like bráhmaṇas pátiḥ, índro, váruṇo, mítraḥ.
Keep udatta slightly raised and clear; let svarita glide gently downward; avoid flattening the cadence on the list of deities—each name should ‘seat’ distinctly.
brahmaṇas patir: keep retroflex ṇ in brahmaṇas; light tap on r in patir, ukthyam: pronounce ‘uk-thyam’ with clear aspirate thya cluster, okāṃsi: long ā, nasalized ṃ; do not turn into ‘okansi’, cakrire: ‘ca-kri-re’ with crisp r
Steady, resonant, priestly; emphasize clarity over volume.
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