Rig Veda 1.46.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 46, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.46
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
या दस्रा सिन्धुमातरा मनोतरा रयीणाम् । धिया देवा वसुविदा ॥
yā́ dasrā́ síndhumātarā manotarā́ rayīṇā́m | dhiyā́ devā́ vasuvídā ||
Ihr beiden Wundertäter (dasrā), Mütter des Sindhu, die dem Geist am heitersten sind, die Reichtümer bringen — o Götter: durch die erweckte Einsicht (dhī), die das Gute findet (vasu-vid), verschafft uns die Schätze.
Word by Word
- याः
- who (fem. pl.)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- दस्रा
- wondrous, skillfulAdjective (epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot दस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सिन्धुमातराः
- mothers of the Sindhu (river/sea)Noun (compound epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सिन्धु + मातृ (समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः ‘सिन्धोः मातरः’)
- मनॊतराः
- more mind-delighting / more intentAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मनॊतर (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक-प्रत्यय -तर)
- रयीणाम्
- of riches, of wealthNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- धिया
- by insight / with thoughtNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धी (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवा
- the two godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (वैदिक रूप; = देवौ)Role KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसुविदा
- with wealth-finding (power)Adjective (kṛdanta, compound)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (विशेषण-रूपेण ‘धिया’ सह)Role KaraṇaRoot वसु + विद् (√विद् ‘to find/know’; कृत्: -विद् ‘finder/knower’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: याः | दस्रा | सिन्धुमातराः | मनॊतराः | रयीणाम् | धिया | देवा | वसुविदा । विशेष: ‘सिन्धुमातराः’ समासरूपम् (सिन्धोः मातरः)
- ‘देवा’ वैदिक प्रथमा-द्विवचनम् (क्लासिकल ‘देवौ’)
- ‘वसुविदा’ कृत्समासः (वसु-विद्) तृतीया एकवचन, ‘धिया’ इत्यनेन सह करण-भावे।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Aśvins are praised as wondrous, born of the rivers/waters, gladdening to the mind and bringers of riches; by inspired thought they are asked to find treasures.
Inner meaning
The twin powers arise from the ‘waters’—the flowing life-force and the ocean of consciousness (āpas) that carries potential forms. They are manotarā: most delightful to the mind because they restore harmony and ease. The ‘riches’ (rayīṇām) are inner plenitudes—energies, capacities, joys. Through dhī (illumined thought) the seeker calls them to become vasu-vidā: finders of the true treasures—stable values of the soul rather than transient gains.
Universal truth
When illumined intelligence guides aspiration, the harmonizing forces in us discover the real wealth: clarity, health of the psyche, right energy, and gladness that supports right living.
Themes
twin saviors, waters as source, treasure-finding, inner cognition
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Lineage
- Kaṇva-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 1.46.1-12, RV 1.47 (Aśvin-related, Kaṇva)
Family tradition
Kaṇva Aśvin hymns frequently connect healing/help with dhī (illumined thought), showing the Vedic method: invoke powers through awakened intelligence.
Significance
Kaṇva frames divine aid as cooperation: the gods respond to dhī—an inner alignment that makes the being receptive to true riches.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- dasrā, sindhumātarā, manotarā, vasuvidā
- Related deities
- Āpas (waters), Uṣas, Soma (often linked with waters and delight)
Cosmic role
Divine physicians and rescuers; they mediate transitions (night→dawn, disorder→order) and bring plenitude.
Inner power
Integration and healing of mind-life; swift right arrangement of energies; bringing hidden resources to the surface.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin morning invocation; healing/prosperity requests in soma-related settings
या द॒स्रा सिन्धु॑मातरा मनो॒तरा॑ रयी॒णाम् । धि॒या दे॒वा व॑सु॒विदा॑ ॥
या । द॒स्रा । सिन्धु॑ऽमातरा । म॒नो॒तरा॑ । र॒यी॒णाम् । धि॒या । दे॒वा । व॒सु॒ऽविदा॑ ॥
yā | dasrā | sindhu-mātarā | manotarā | rayīṇām | dhiyā | devā | vasu-vidā
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3×8
Even, balanced—mirrors the Aśvins’ harmonizing duality.
Stabilizes and clarifies; supports a feeling of being helped and inwardly ‘set right’.
- dasrā
- Literal: wondrous, marvelous. Symbolic: powers that effect swift, almost miraculous inner shifts
- sindhumātarā
- Literal: having the river/ocean as mother. Symbolic: born of the flowing consciousness-waters; arising from life-force and the deep subliminal
- manotarā
- Literal: most gladdening to the mind. Symbolic: restorers of mental ease, harmony, and hope
- rayīṇām
- Literal: of riches, treasures. Symbolic: inner wealth: energies, wideness, capacities, joy
- dhiyā
- Literal: by thought, by dhī. Symbolic: illumined intelligence; inspired discernment that can ‘find’ truth
- vasuvidā
- Literal: finders of goods/treasures. Symbolic: discoverers/revealers of hidden inner resources and right values
Aśvin morning invocation; emphasizes their function as ‘finders’ and helpers for the sacrificer’s gain of vasu/rayi
Morning recitation; also before journeys or undertakings seeking protection and smooth functioning.
Praise + petition for discovery of ‘vasu’ (goods/values).
Chant when seeking practical clarity and inner resources—before study, therapy, or important decisions.
dasrā́: traditional epithet of Aśvins; linked to √das/√daś ‘to accomplish/serve’ (semantic: skillful, beneficent). síndhu ‘river/stream’ from IE river/flow vocabulary; in Vedic symbolism ‘waters’ = life-forces, streams of consciousness. dhiyā́ (instr.) from dhī- ‘thought/vision’ (√dhī/√dhyai ‘to think, contemplate’), specifically illumined cognition. vasu-vidā: vasu ‘good, treasure’ + √vid ‘to know/find’ (PIE *weid- ‘see/know’).
dhī (illumined thought), rayi (plenitude of being), knowledge as finding (vid) rather than mere belief
Aśvins restore ṛta in the functioning of mind and life, turning scattered movement into right rhythm.
True ‘vasu’ is what accords with satya—enduring inner value rather than mere acquisition.
Waters as matrix of manifestation; divine twins bring forth forms of order and health from the flow.
Symbolic cosmopsychology: waters = consciousness-substance; dhī = instrument of revelation.
early dawn (Aśvin hour)
unspecified
Waters = subconscious and life-energy currents; riches = recovered prāṇa, joy, insight; dhī = illumined mind that navigates the currents.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Aśvins as ‘finders of treasure’ emerging from the Waters: a mythic image where saving powers arise from the life-stream and recover hidden goods. Psychologically, the ‘waters’ are the flowing vital energies; when purified, they give birth to capacities that retrieve rayi (spiritual abundance) through dhī (illumined thought).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vasu-vidā contains √vid ‘know/find’ from PIE *weid- ‘see/know’ (cf. Latin videre, English wit). The twin divine helpers align with the widespread Indo-European ‘Divine Twins’ motif; while not a single lexical item, the formulaic dual address and horse-associated identity (aśva) reflect inherited mythopoetic structures.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi defines the Aśvins by their origin (waters) and function (treasure-finding), then implicitly requests their action ‘by dhī’: the human contribution is the clarified thought-offering; the divine response is the discovery and bestowal of vasu/rayi—inner riches that stabilize the journey from darkness to light.
Let illumined thought (dhī) call harmonizing forces to reveal inner resources.
svadhisthana (waters/flow)
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) 5 rounds, then chant once per exhale to emphasize twin harmony.
From restless flow to coherent flow; calm, resourceful clarity.
Sense two supportive currents rising along ida/pingala, meeting in a clear thought at the brow; ask inwardly: ‘Show the true treasure needed now.’
Keep the dual address (yā… dasrā…) with a gentle rise; sustain clarity on long vowels (sindhū-, manotarā) according to śākhā rules.
Emphasize ‘dhiyā’ slightly—this is the operative key; ‘vasuvidā’ should land firmly (finding/knowing).
dasrā: retroflex ‘ṣ’ absent—here ‘sr’ cluster, keep it clean, sindhumātarā: nasal ‘ndh’, long ‘ā’, manotarā: dental ‘t’, long ‘ā’, rayīṇām: long ‘ī’, retroflex ‘ṇ’, dhiyā: aspirate ‘dh’, glide ‘iy’, vasuvidā: short ‘u’ in vasu, clear ‘vidā’ long ‘ā’
Even, balancing left-right; soothing and confident.
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