Rig Veda 5.5.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 5, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.5
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Narāśaṃsa
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
नराशंसः सुषूदतीमं यज्ञमदाभ्यः । कविर्हि मधुहस्त्यः ॥
narāśáṃsaḥ suṣūdátīm imáṃ yajñám adā́bhyaḥ | kavír hí mádhuhastyaḥ ||
نَرَاشَمْسَا، الرَّائِي الَّذِي لَا يُغْلَبُ، يُتِمُّ هَذَا الْيَجْنَا الَّذِي يَمْضِي حَسَنًا إِلَى غَايَتِهِ؛ فَإِنَّهُ كَافِيٌّ ذُو أَيْدٍ مُعَسَّلَةٍ—يَصُوغُ حَلَاوَةَ الْقُرْبَانِ فِي طَقْسِهِ.
Word by Word
- नरा॒शंसः
- Narāśaṃsa (a divine/Agni-epithet), the ‘men-praised one’Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot नराशंस (प्रातिपदिक; नर + शंस) / देवता-नाम
- सुषूदतीम्
- well-impelling / strongly furtheringAdjective (participial)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root सु- + √सू/√सूद (to impel/press/urge; Vedic) → सुषूदती (स्त्री. कृदन्त-विशेषण)
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (निर्देशकः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice; ritual offeringNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अदाभ्यः
- unharming; unassailable; not to be deceivedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root अ- + √दभ् (to deceive/harm) → अदाभ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- कविः
- seer; sage; wise poetNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण-रूपेण)Root कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- for; indeedIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root हि (निपात)
- मधुहस्त्यः
- having honey/sweetness in the hand; honey-handedAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root मधु + हस्त्य (बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: नरा॒शंसः | सुषूदतीम् | इमम् | यज्ञम् | अदाभ्यः | कविः | हि | मधुहस्त्यः || 1) ‘क॒विर्हि’ = ‘कविः’ + ‘हि’ (विसर्ग-लोपः/रेफादेशः: ः + ह → र्ह). 2) अन्यत्र स्पष्ट-सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न
- ‘सुषूदतीम् इमम्’ इत्यत्र केवलं पद-संयोगः (स्वर/संहिता-प्रभावः) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Narāśaṃsa, the unfailing kavi, perfects this sacrifice that proceeds well; he is ‘honey-handed’.
Inner meaning
Narāśaṃsa here is the power of inspired affirmation and right articulation in the sacrifice—Agni’s refining, formative aspect that shapes the offering into a harmonious movement toward its goal. ‘Honey-handed’ signifies a consciousness that handles experience with sweetness (madhu: delight/essence), turning raw energies into a nourishing rite.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is not only intensity but right formation: the inspired intelligence that sweetens and perfects our offerings makes the journey effective and safe.
Themes
ritual facilitation, power of inspired speech, sweetness/delight (madhu), yajña perfection
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.5 (whole sūkta), RV 1.13 (Aprī hymns: Narāśaṃsa appears)
Family tradition
Ātreya Aprī/Agni sequences often include subsidiary powers that ‘complete’ the rite—here Narāśaṃsa as the shaping intelligence within the sacrificial movement.
Significance
Atri’s vision integrates will (Agni) with inspired formation (kavi-power), emphasizing a sacrifice that is both intense and beautifully ordered—an inner liturgy of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Narāśaṃsa
- Epithets
- Adābhya (unfailing), Kavi (seer), Madhu-hastya (honey-handed)
- Related deities
- Agni, Sarasvatī (inspired speech), Bṛhaspati (mantric formation)
Cosmic role
A facilitating divine power in the sacrificial order (often in Aprī hymns), associated with praise, auspicious proclamation, and the successful ‘conduct’ of the yajña.
Inner power
The faculty that perfects aspiration through right speech, right arrangement, and delight—turning effort into a luminous, effective offering.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aprī-type invocations within iṣṭi/Agni rites; Narāśaṃsa is called to perfect the sacrificial sequence.
नरा॒शंस॑: सुषूदती॒मं य॒ज्ञमदा॑भ्यः । क॒विर्हि मधु॑हस्त्यः ॥
नरा॒शंसः॑ । सु॒सू॒द॒ति॒ । इ॒मम् । य॒ज्ञम् । अदा॑भ्यः । क॒विः । हि । मधु॑ऽहस्त्यः ॥
narāśaṃsaḥ | susūdati | imam | yajñam | adābhyaḥ | kaviḥ | hi | madhu-hastyaḥ
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3×8
Smooth, well-proportioned gait—matching susūdati (‘well-driving’).
Creates a sense of orderly progress; stabilizes mind and makes speech/mantra feel ‘well-placed’.
- नराशंसः (narāśaṃsaḥ)
- Literal: praised by men / the ‘man-praised’. Symbolic: the power that receives and returns right human aspiration; formative ritual-intelligence
- सुसूदति (susūdati)
- Literal: drives well / perfects well. Symbolic: arranges energies into a well-moving inner process
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: integral self-offering; disciplined transformation
- अदाभ्यः (adābhyaḥ)
- Literal: not to be harmed/deceived; unfailing. Symbolic: reliable discerning power, not overpowered by confusion
- कविः (kaviḥ)
- Literal: seer-poet. Symbolic: inspired consciousness that knows by vision
- मधुहस्त्यः (madhu-hastyaḥ)
- Literal: honey-handed. Symbolic: one who works with delight/essence; sweetens speech and offering into truth
Invocation of Narāśaṃsa in the sequence of ritual deities connected to the yajña’s correct performance and sweetness of offering.
During preparatory/auxiliary invocations that ensure the rite proceeds without obstruction.
Recitation invoking Narāśaṃsa to ‘carry’ and perfect the yajña through praise and right formulation.
Before japa or chanting, invoke the ‘honey-handed’ power: set an intention that speech be truthful, kind, and effective; let practice proceed with sweetness rather than strain.
narāśaṃsa- (nṛ ‘man’ + āśaṃsa ‘praise/celebration’, from √śaṃs ‘praise’) → ‘he who is praised by men’ / ‘praise of men’, an invoked power in ritual. kavi- from √kav/√ku ‘to see/poetize’ (seer function). madhu ‘honey/sweetness’ is a key Vedic symbol for delight (ānanda-like savor) and truth-essence; hasta ‘hand’ indicates effective action.
kavi as illumined mind, madhu as delight/essence, infallibility (adābhya) of truth-guidance
Narāśaṃsa ensures the yajña moves according to ṛta—right sequence and right measure.
Truth expressed as right word and right rhythm; speech that does not distort experience.
Creation through inspired speech and ordered offering—forming new inner realities by mantra and intention.
Vedic psychology of Vāc and ṛta; bridges toward Upaniṣadic emphasis on speech/knowledge as creative power.
Honey = delight/essence that harmonizes; ‘hands’ = capacity to shape and handle energies; kavi = intuitive mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘seer-power that perfects the sacrifice’: Narāśaṃsa as the effective poetic/ritual force whose ‘honeyed hands’ bring the sweetness of delight into the rite—mythically, the yajña is a crafted path guided by a divine poet.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śaṃs ‘praise’ belongs to a widespread IE speech-act domain; kavi as seer-poet parallels the IE figure of the inspired poet (cf. Celtic fili, Greek aoidos as functional cognates). madhu is an Indo-Iranian cultural keyword (Avestan maδu) indicating inherited sacral ‘sweetness’ symbolism.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acknowledges a mediating divine function: not only Agni but Narāśaṃsa as the kavi-power that makes the human offering effective; the reciprocity is that human praise invokes the very power of praise, which in turn perfects the sacrifice.
Refine speech and intention: let the inner ‘kavi’ arrange the practice in right order and sweetness.
vishuddha
Slow exhale with soft humming (bhrāmarī-lite) to ‘sweeten’ inner speech; then recite once with clear articulation.
Clear, harmonious, benevolent attention; speech aligned with heart.
Before chanting, pause: ‘May my words be honey—true, kind, and effective.’ Feel the throat center brighten; let mantra arise from quiet clarity rather than effort.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita; emphasize narāśáṃsaḥ, adā́bhyaḥ, kavíḥ, mádhu-hastyaḥ with clear pitch lift on accented syllables.
Maintain even pacing across the three pādas; let the final word of each pāda settle gently (no abrupt drop).
narāśaṃsaḥ: nasal ‘ṃ’ before s—light anusvāra, susūdati: long ū sustained, adābhyaḥ: dental bhy cluster—keep crisp, madhuhastyaḥ: split madhu-hastyaḥ; ‘dh’ voiced aspirate
Smooth, ‘sweet’ timbre; avoid harshness—clear but gentle.
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