Sukta 49
Sukta 4.49
Vāmadeva Gautama (traditional for RV 4.49)
Triṣṭubh (probable; requires confirmation)
Dieser kurze Hymnus lädt die Zwillingsmächte Indra und Bṛhaspati ein, die dargebrachte Opfergabe und den Soma zu empfangen und sich am uktha (feierlichen Lobpreis) und am mada (freudigen Rausch) des Opfernden zu erfreuen. Er bittet das göttliche Paar, im Haus des Gebers Wohnung zu nehmen und einen reichen, weit ausgreifenden rayi zu verleihen — Wohlstand und siegreiche Mehrung, sichtbar in Pferden, Fülle und „hundertfachem“ Wachstum.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
इदं वामास्ये हविः प्रियमिन्द्राबृहस्पती । उक्थं मदश्च शस्यते ॥
Dies ist die liebe Opfergabe, euren Mündern bereitet, o Indra und Bṛhaspati; und es werden der erhobene Hymnus und die berauschende Wonne verkündet.
Mantra 2
अयं वां परि षिच्यते सोम इन्द्राबृहस्पती । चारुर्मदाय पीतये ॥
Dieser Soma wird ringsum für euch beide ausgegossen, o Indra und Bṛhaspati – lieblich, zur Trunkenheit (mádāya), zum inneren Trank.
Mantra 3
आ न इन्द्राबृहस्पती गृहमिन्द्रश्च गच्छतम् । सोमपा सोमपीतये ॥
Kommt zu uns, o Indra und Bṛhaspati; kommt in das Haus unseres Seins – auch du, o Indra; ihr Somatrinker, zum inneren Trank des Soma.
Mantra 4
अस्मे इन्द्राबृहस्पती रयिं धत्तं शतग्विनम् । अश्वावन्तं सहस्रिणम् ॥
In uns, o Indra und Bṛhaspati, legt den Reichtum der Fülle nieder: hundertfach sich mehrend, rossreich, tausendfach in seiner Weite.
Mantra 5
इन्द्राबृहस्पती वयं सुते गीर्भिर्हवामहे । अस्य सोमस्य पीतये ॥
Indra und Bṛhaspati, wir rufen euch mit inspirierten Gesängen, wenn Soma gepresst ist, zum Trank, zur inneren Aufnahme dieser Soma-Wonne.
Mantra 6
सोममिन्द्राबृहस्पती पिबतं दाशुषो गृहे । मादयेथां तदोकसा ॥
Trinkt den Soma, o Indra und Bṛhaspati, im Haus des Gebers; freut euch dort, in jener Wohnstatt — macht sie zu eurem festen Sitz in uns.
Inside Sukta 49
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn opens by presenting a ‘dear offering’ for the two deities’ mouths and declaring the uktha and mada as active, living praise (RV 4.49.1).
- Development
It moves from invitation and praise to concrete requests: may the divine pair accept Soma, favor the giver, and place in the worshippers a rich, victorious rayi marked by abundant increase (e.g., RV 4.49.4).
- Climax
The peak is the direct, intimate summons: ‘Drink the Soma in the house of the giver’—a request for immediate divine presence and delight within the sacrificer’s space (RV 4.49.6).
- Where it settles
The hymn resolves by seeking settled indwelling and sustained blessing—divine joy becoming stability (a lasting ‘seat’) and prosperity for the community of worshippers.
The deity: Indra-Bṛhaspati
- In the VedaTogether they are invoked as a complementary pair—force and insight—receiving the offering and empowering the sacrificer.
- Cosmic functionThey secure victory and increase: Indra as the conquering power that clears impediments, and Bṛhaspati as the ordering intelligence that establishes right ritual, right counsel, and the opening of hidden riches.
- Inner significanceThe hymn figures an inner alliance of will and illumination: Indra as decisive energy and courage, Bṛhaspati as guiding wisdom and mantra-born clarity. Their ‘dwelling’ in the giver suggests stabilizing inspired power within the practitioner—so action and understanding work in harmony.
The seer
- Vāmadeva GautamaGautama gotra (Vāmadeva as a seer of the Gautamas; traditional attribution in Mandala 4) · A principal seer of the Fourth Maṇḍala, renowned for powerful Indra hymns and for voicing profound, visionary insights (including the celebrated self-realization verses attributed to Vāmadeva).
Famous verses
idaṃ vām āsye haviḥ priyam
asme ... rayiṃ dhattaṃ
somam ... pibataṃ dāśuṣo gṛhe
Attributes of the deity
- Dual invocation (warrior power + priestly wisdom)
- Soma-enjoying, praise-loving deities
- Bestowers of rayi (prosperity, increase, success)
- Establishers of a blessed ‘home’/seat for divine force
- Supporters of inspired speech (uktha) and ecstatic uplift (mada)
Also by this seer
- Rig Veda Maṇḍala 4 is largely attributed to Vāmadeva and his family line (Gautamas).
- Hymns to Indra, Agni, and allied deities across RV 4 (family collection).
- Tradition associates Vāmadeva with the famous declaration of identity-realization in RV 4.26–4.27 (often cited in later Vedāntic reflection).
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the offering (havis) and Soma; seat the intention that the deities ‘come to the mouth’ of the rite (receive the oblation).
- Recite the uktha (solemn praise) to invite Indra-Bṛhaspati and to intensify mada (uplift/joy) in the rite.
- Offer havis into the fire (where applicable) and present Soma for drinking, invoking their presence in the sacrificer’s dwelling.
- Petition for rayi: abundant increase, strength, and expansive wealth (symbolized by horses and thousandfold plenty).
- Conclude by asking the divine pair to rejoice and remain established (tad-okasā) in the giver’s home/seat.
Offerings
- Soma (pressed and offered for drinking)
- Havis (oblations—commonly ghee and ritual food offerings, per Soma rite conventions)
- Uktha (formal chant/praise as a ‘verbal offering’)
Frequently Asked Questions
They are called as a pair: Indra represents victorious power and force, while Bṛhaspati represents sacred speech, priestly wisdom, and right guidance. Together they bring success through both strength and insight.
It asks the deities to accept the offering and Soma, to be present in the giver’s home, and to place within the worshippers abundant rayi—prosperity, increase, and victorious well-being.
On the ritual level it means the gods are invited to make the sacrificer’s space their seat and favor it. On an inner level it suggests stabilizing divine strength and inspired clarity within the practitioner.
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