Rig Veda 1.142.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 142, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.142
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Devata
- Tanūnapāt
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
घृतवन्तमुप मासि मधुमन्तं तनूनपात् । यज्ञं विप्रस्य मावतः शशमानस्य दाशुषः ॥
ghṛtávantam úpa māsi mádhumantaṃ tanū-napāt | yajñáṃ víprasya mā́vataḥ śaśamā́nasyá dā́śuṣaḥ ||
হে তনূনপাত, ঘৃতসমৃদ্ধ আৰু মধুময় এই আহুতিৰ ওচৰলৈ আহা। দানশীল, আত্মসংযমে নীৰৱ হোৱা বিপ্ৰৰ যজ্ঞক স্থিৰ কৰ, উন্নত কৰ।
Word by Word
- घृतवन्तम्
- buttery, ghee-bearingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot घृत-वत् (प्रातिपदिक; वत्-प्रत्यय) ← घृत
- उप
- near, towardsIndeclinableRoot उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- मासि
- measure out / mete out (imperative)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot मा (धातु) + सि (लोट् मध्यमपुरुष-एकवचन)
- मधुमन्तम्
- honeyed, sweet, rich in meadAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot मधु-मत् (प्रातिपदिक; मत्-प्रत्यय) ← मधु
- तनूनपात्
- O Tanūnapāt (Agni as ‘offspring of himself/embodied’)Noun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot तनू-नपात् (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice, riteNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) ← √यज्
- विप्रस्य
- of the inspired poet/priestNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मावतः
- of the bountiful/possessing abundance (lit. ‘having measure’)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root मावत् (प्रातिपदिक; -वत्) ← मा (मापन/परिमाण ‘measure’)
- शशमानस्य
- of the praising one / of him who is chantingParticipleपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वर्तमान/आचरित-भाव participial stem)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root शशमान (कृदन्त; परिप्रसिद्ध ‘शशमान’ = √शंस्/√शम्?; RV में ‘शशमान’ ‘स्तुवन्/प्रशंसन्’ अर्थे)
- दाशुषः
- of the giver, worshipper (the one who offers)Noun/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root दाशुष् (कृदन्त; √दा ‘to give’ का परिपूर्ण/परिणत-स्तेम ‘दाश्वस्/दाशुष्’ ‘दाता’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: घृतवन्तम् | उप | मासि | मधुमन्तम् | तनूनपात् | यज्ञम् | विप्रस्य | मावतः | शशमानस्य | दाशुषः । 1) ‘घृतवन्तम् उप’ इत्यत्र संधिः नहीं (अन्त्य -म् + उप-)
- 2) ‘उप मासि’ में उपसर्ग ‘उप’ क्रिया ‘मासि’ के साथ प्रयोग
- 3) ‘मधुमन्तं तनूनपात्’ → ‘मधुमन्तम् तनूनपात्’ (अनुस्वार/परसवर्ण; पदान्त -म्)
- 4) ‘दाशुषः’ RV-रूप: √दा से ‘दाशुष्’ (दाता) का षष्ठी एकवचन
The meaning
Outer meaning
An invocation to Tanūnapāt to come near the offering that is rich in ghee and honey, and to strengthen/confirm the sacrifice of the inspired priest who gives.
Inner meaning
Tanūnapāt (the “child of the body,” Agni as the inborn flame) is called to approach the inner oblation made luminous (ghṛta) and blissful (madhu). The yajña is the disciplined consecration of the whole nature; the vipra is the illumined seeker. “Śaśamāna” hints at quieting of the outer turbulence—self-mastery and inward poise—so the act of offering (dāśuṣ) becomes a stable power of surrender and receptivity in the being.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on an inner fire that can receive our clarified aspiration and sweetened joy, and then consolidate our practice so it becomes steady, not episodic. True giving is perfected by inner silence and luminous intention.
Themes
Agni-invocation, inner sacrifice, delight (madhu) and clarity (ghṛta), embodied divinity (tanū-napāt)
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Lineage
- Āucathya (Angirasa-related seer line in later tradition)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.140, RV 1.141, RV 1.143, RV 1.144
Family tradition
Visionary hymn-craft emphasizing inner light, the right word, and the ordered ascent by ṛta.
Significance
Dīrghatamas is associated with profound symbolic speech and the unveiling of hidden meanings; here the seer’s emphasis is on making the sacrifice inwardly “rich” (light + delight) and then firmly established through self-mastery.
The deity
- Devata
- Tanūnapāt (Agni as the inborn fire)
- Epithets
- tanūnapāt, ghṛtavant, madhumant
- Related deities
- Agni, Jātavedas, Narāśaṃsa, Soma
Cosmic role
The self-born flame that carries offerings to the gods; the mediator that makes the oblation effective.
Inner power
Psychic fire and divine will within the body that digests experience into light and joy, and stabilizes surrender into a lasting force.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agni-pravara/invocation sequence within soma-yajña style liturgy (as an invitatory to the inborn Agni).
घृ॒तव॑न्त॒मुप॑ मासि॒ मधु॑मन्तं तनूनपात् । य॒ज्ञं विप्र॑स्य॒ माव॑तः शशमा॒नस्य॑ दा॒शुष॑: ॥
घृ॒तऽव॑न्तम् । उप॑ । मा॒सि॒ । मधु॑ऽमन्तम् । त॒नू॒ऽन॒पा॒त् । य॒ज्ञम् । विप्र॑स्य । माऽव॑तः । श॒श॒मा॒नस्य॑ । दा॒शुषः॑ ॥
ghṛta-vantam | upa | māsi | madhu-mantam | tanū-napāt | yajñam | viprasya | māvataḥ | śaśamānasya | dāśuṣaḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to invocation and establishment.
Builds a firm inner momentum: aspiration (calling near) followed by consolidation (confirming the yajña).
- tanūnapāt
- Literal: “offspring/son of the body”. Symbolic: the inborn divine flame in the embodied being; innate will to offer and transform
- ghṛtavantam
- Literal: possessing ghee/clarified butter. Symbolic: clarified light of consciousness; purified intention that feeds the inner fire
- madhumantam / madhu
- Literal: honey/sweet. Symbolic: Ananda (delight) that makes the sacrifice attractive and fruitful
- yajña
- Literal: sacrifice/ritual offering. Symbolic: integral self-offering; inner work of transformation
- vipra
- Literal: inspired sage/priest. Symbolic: illumined intelligence (seeing mind) that can offer rightly
- śaśamāna
- Literal: growing quiet, pacified. Symbolic: mastery of the vital; settling into inner stillness that stabilizes sadhana
- dāśuṣ
- Literal: giver, worshipper. Symbolic: the part of us that consents to surrender and offering
Prātaḥ-savana / general Agni-invocation sequences in Soma and Haviryajña contexts; supports the ‘āhvāna’ (calling-near) of Agni as carrier and establisher of the rite
Early in the offering sequence when establishing Agni and sanctifying the oblation.
Calling the deity to approach and empower the offering; strengthening the sacrificer-priest’s act.
Before meditation: offer breath and intention as ‘ghṛta’ (clarity) and ‘madhu’ (gratitude/delight), then sit briefly in quietude to let practice ‘settle’.
tanū-napāt: tanū ‘body’ + napāt ‘offspring/descendant’ (PIE *nepōt- ‘descendant’, cf. Lat. nepos). ghṛta from √ghṛ/√ghṝ ‘to sprinkle/anoint, shine’ (Vedic usage links ghṛta with luminous clarity, not only butter). madhu from √mad ‘to be glad, intoxicate’ → sweetness/delight; cognate with Avestan maδu-, English ‘mead’. śaśamāna: desiderative/intensive formation around √śam ‘to be quiet, pacify’ → collected calm. dāśuṣ: perfect/participial from √dāś/√daś ‘to worship, offer’ (ritual giving as inner self-donation). māsi: from √mā ‘to measure, form, apportion’; in inner sense the right measure/order of the offering.
Ṛta as right measure and right movement (implicit via √mā ‘measure’ and the ordered yajña), inner yajña (self-offering) as a technology of transformation, śama (quieting) as prerequisite for receptivity to higher light
The sacrifice becomes effective when aligned with ṛta—right rhythm of offering and inner quiet.
Clarity (ghṛta) implies truthful seeing; the offering is purified from distortion.
Agni as the formative power within embodiment—turning substance into light.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: psychic fire leading nature’s transformation.
Ghee = clarified consciousness; honey = delight; fire = will/psychic heat that converts offering into ascent.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘descent/approach of the inborn Fire’ (Tanūnapāt) to the offering: a recurring mythic action where Agni is not merely kindled externally but is invited as the self-born power within embodiment. The ghṛta and madhu mark the twofold perfection of the offering—clarity (light-substance) and delight (sap)—by which the rite becomes capable of bearing the gods.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- tanū-napāt preserves the archaic kinship term *nepōt- ‘descendant’ (Lat. nepos, OIr. nia ‘sister’s son’), showing inherited Indo-European poetic diction for divine lineage. madhu corresponds to PIE *médʰu ‘honey/mead’ (Skt. madhu, Av. maδu-, Gk. méthy, Eng. mead), retaining the semantic field of sweetness/intoxicating delight, here psychologized as ānanda.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer positions himself as dāśuṣ (giver) and śaśamāna (quieted/collected), indicating reciprocity: the human offers clarified light and delight (ghṛta, madhu) and in return the divine Fire ‘comes near’ and stabilizes the yajña. The exchange is not transactional wealth-seeking but a mutual intensification—offering refines the human measure (mā), and Agni’s approach makes the inner work effective.
Kindle the inborn flame: offer a clarified intention and invite a sweetness of devotion into the practice.
anahata (heart)
Gentle nāsikā-breath; on inhale ‘upa māsi’ (draw near), on exhale ‘yajñaṃ…’ (offer).
Collected, quietly luminous (settled aspiration).
Begin with a short inner offering: name one intention (clarity) and one gratitude (sweetness). Sit 2–3 minutes in ‘śaśamāna’—let the mind and vital quiet so the offering becomes stable.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita per Rigvedic recitation; maintain the udātta peaks on key invocatory words (e.g., tanūnapāt).
Keep each pāda clearly segmented; avoid rushing the caesura after tanūnapāt.
ghṛ-: pronounce ṛ as syllabic ‘ri’ (ghri-tá) without inserting a full vowel, tanūnapāt: long ū in tanū; pāṭ has retroflex ṭ, śaśamānasya: both ś are palatal; keep ‘mā’ long, dāśuṣaḥ: ś is palatal; final ḥ lightly aspirated
Warm, steady, inwardly offered; end each pāda with a gentle settling.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
