Rig Veda 5.19.3: Mandala 5, Sukta 19, Mantra 3
Sukta 5.19
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Agni
- Chandas
- Tristubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shringara (love)
आ श्वैत्रेयस्य जन्तवो द्युमद्वर्धन्त कृष्टयः । निष्कग्रीवो बृहदुक्थ एना मध्वा न वाजयुः ॥
ā́ śvaitreyásya jantávo dyumád vardhanta kṛ́ṣṭayaḥ | niṣkágrīvo bṛháduktha enā́ madhvā́ na vājayúḥ ||
Zu Śvaitreya wachsen die Völker und die ackerbauenden Stämme an leuchtender Kraft; der Goldhalsige, von weitem Lied — dadurch bewegt er sich wie Honig, ein Sucher der Fülle.
Word by Word
- आ
- towards; forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग (preverb), direction ‘towards’Root आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- श्वैत्रेयस्य
- of ŚvaitreyaNounपुंलिङ्ग (patronymic), षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root श्वैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक; patronymic from श्वैत्रेय/श्वैत्रेय-)
- जन्तवः
- creatures; peopleNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यु॒मद्वर्धन्त
- grew splendidly; increased in brillianceVerbलङ् (imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3 बहुवचन; ‘they grew/increased’ (with dyúmat- ‘splendid’ as adverbial/qualifying element)Role क्रियाRoot वृध् (धातु) + द्युमत् (उपपद/विशेषण)
- कृष्टयः
- the peoples; communitiesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to जन्तवः)Root कृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
- निष्कग्रीवः
- (he) with a gold neck-ornamentAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेष्य-विशेषण (subject epithet)Root निष्कग्रीव (प्रातिपदिक; niṣka- ‘gold ornament’ + grīva- ‘neck’ → ‘having a niṣka on the neck’)
- बृहदुक्थः
- (he) of great hymn; great-chantingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषणRoot बृहद् + उक्त्थ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘great’ + ‘hymn/chant’)
- एना
- with this; therebyPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम-रूप, तृतीया एकवचन (Vedic instrumental)Role करणRoot एना (सर्वनाम/अव्यय-प्रयोग; instr. of एतद् in Vedic: ‘by this/therewith’)
- मध्वा
- with sweetness; with honey/meadNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (Vedic instr.)Role करणRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableउपमा-निपात (comparative particle) ‘like/as’Root न (अव्यय)
- वाजयुः
- the prize-seeker; racer (striving for the prize)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (of implied verb ‘(he) goes/strives’)Root वाजयु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘seeking/impelling prize, eager for victory’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi resolution): आ | श्वैत्रेयस्य | जन्तवः | द्युमद्-वर्धन्त | कृष्टयः | निष्क-ग्रीवः | बृहद्-उक्थः | एना | मध्वा | न | वाजयुः । प्रमुख संधि: (1) द्युमद्वर्धन्त = द्युमद् + वर्धन्त (द् + व → द्व)
- (2) निष्कग्रीवः = निष्क + ग्रीवः (समास/संधि)
- (3) बृहदुक्थ = बृहद् + उक्त्थ (द् + उ → दु)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Toward Śvaitreya, peoples and cultivating races increase in luminous strength; the gold-collared one of vast utterance—by this he moves like honey, a seeker of plenitude.
Inner meaning
The verse describes an empowered figure (Śvaitreya—either patron or an inspired leader) as the locus toward which collective energies gather and grow in light (dyumat vardhanta). Esoterically, this ‘toward’ (ā) indicates orientation of the being toward a luminous center established by Agni: when the inner fire is strong, the ‘peoples’ (jantavaḥ) and ‘races’ (kṛṣṭayaḥ)—the many parts of our nature—begin to increase in illumined force. The ‘gold-collared’ (niṣkagrīva) suggests a purified vital wearing the sign of truth (gold = solar truth). ‘Vast utterance’ (bṛhaduktha) is the expansive mantra-word born of inspiration; ‘honey’ (madhu) is the sweetness of truth and a foretaste of soma-bliss. Thus the awakened being moves in the world as a seeker of plenitude (vājayuḥ), propelled by sweetness and widened speech.
Universal truth
When consciousness orients toward a luminous center, the many parts of life grow in clarity and harmony. True speech becomes vast, and action becomes sweet and effective—seeking plenitude, not scarcity.
Themes
Increase of the People, Luminous Growth, Delight and Plenitude, Patronage/Lineage Reference
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.20, RV 5.21, RV 5.27
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns often connect individual realization to collective increase—how the parts of nature ‘peoples’ gather around the flame and grow luminous.
Significance
Atri’s seer-poetry here shows the social/collective image as a psychology: the many inner ‘peoples’ can be turned toward a luminous leader-principle and thereby increase.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- bṛhaduktha (vast-uttered) (applicable to Agni as inspirer of speech), dyumat (luminous) (through whom increase comes)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (speech/inspiration), Bṛhaspati (lord of the Word), Soma (madhu/sweetness)
Cosmic role
Giver of inspired speech and organizer of collective forces toward illumination.
Inner power
The flame that turns scattered impulses into a harmonized, truth-bearing life and a wide mantra-voice.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise connected to patronage and increase; also suitable as an Agni hymn-verse in recitation cycles
आ श्वै॑त्रे॒यस्य॑ ज॒न्तवो॑ द्यु॒मद्व॑र्धन्त कृ॒ष्टय॑: । नि॒ष्कग्री॑वो बृ॒हदु॑क्थ ए॒ना मध्वा॒ न वा॑ज॒युः ॥
आ । श्वै॒त्रे॒यस्य॑ । ज॒न्तवः॑ । द्यु॒ऽमत् । व॒र्ध॒न्त॒ । कृ॒ष्टयः॑ । नि॒ष्कऽग्री॑वः । बृ॒हत्ऽउ॑क्थः । ए॒ना । मध्वा॑ । न । वा॒ज॒ऽयुः ॥
ā | śvaitreyasya | jantavaḥ | dyu-mat | vardhanta | kṛṣṭayaḥ | niṣka-grīvaḥ | bṛhat-ukthaḥ | enā | madhvā | na | vāja-yuḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Expansive middle-weight rhythm; feels like gathering and increase.
Encourages wideness of speech and a sense of collective uplift; sweetness and strength together.
- dyumat
- Literal: luminous. Symbolic: illumined strength; clarity increasing in the parts of nature
- jantavaḥ / kṛṣṭayaḥ
- Literal: peoples / cultivating races. Symbolic: multiplicity of inner faculties and life-movements that can be organized toward light
- niṣkagrīva
- Literal: gold-collared. Symbolic: purified vital bearing the solar sign of truth; consecrated life-energy
- bṛhaduktha
- Literal: of vast utterance/hymn. Symbolic: wide mantra-speech; inspired word that opens consciousness
- madhu
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: sweetness of truth; rasa of realization; soma-like delight
- vājayuḥ
- Literal: seeker of vāja (prize, plenitude). Symbolic: one who seeks fullness of being and victorious accomplishment in truth
Praise tied to patronage and the expansion of the community’s luminous prosperity under divine favor; recited in contexts affirming social/ritual cohesion.
During laud of patron/inspirer; when seeking increase of strength and inspired utterance
Recitation as offering of speech; sometimes linked to dāna (gifts) context in the hymn milieu
Use for harmonizing ‘many parts’ of oneself toward a single luminous aim; also for strengthening truthful speech and creative expression.
vardhanta < √vṛdh ‘grow’; madhu ‘honey/sweet’ often symbolizes delight of illumination; vāja from a semantic field of strength/plenitude/victory (root associations with vigor and prize); bṛhat from √bṛh ‘expand’; niṣka ‘gold ornament’ (solar value). Śvaitreya: likely a proper name/patronymic; innerly can be read as orientation toward ‘brightness/whiteness’ (śveta) but kept as onomastic datum.
Bṛhat (vastness of utterance/consciousness), Madhú (delight of truth-consciousness), Vāja (plenitude of force)
Increase is ‘right’ increase when oriented toward the luminous—parts grow in ordered harmony rather than chaotic expansion.
Gold (niṣka) symbolizes satya’s solar purity; speech becomes truth-bearing.
From multiplicity to organized unity: the many ‘peoples’ gather toward a luminous center and grow.
Integral-psychological: collective symbolism as inner integration; speech as creative power.
morning (symbolically: growth in light)
spring (symbolically: increase and sweetness)
Gold = solar truth in the vital; honey = sweetness of realization; morning/spring = awakening and growth of integrated powers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is communal increase under a luminous power, coupled with the ‘honey-like’ movement toward vāja (plenitude). Innerly, it depicts the growth of the organized human nature (kṛṣṭayaḥ) when aligned to the bright principle, and the sweet flow of inspired force that seeks victorious fullness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu- reflects PIE *dyeu- (sky/day). √vṛdh ‘grow’ is Indo-Iranian and likely from PIE *werdh- ‘grow’ (cf. English ‘worth’ is not direct but shows semantic neighborhood in Germanic; better: OCS vьrd-). madhú has IE cognates (cf. English ‘mead’ < *medhu-), showing a shared ‘honey/intoxicating sweetness’ poetic substance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and affirms the Devatā’s effect as social-luminous expansion: the god’s force increases the peoples and makes the inspired utterance vast. The Devatā’s gift is not only individual illumination but collective right-ordering and sweetness of movement toward plenitude.
Orient all parts of the being toward a single luminous aim; cultivate ‘vast speech’—truthful, spacious expression arising from inner fire.
Viśuddha (speech) supported by Anāhata (sweetness) and Maṇipūra (force)
Bhrāmarī (gentle humming) to sweeten and widen inner resonance; then silent listening before speaking
Integrated uplift—sweet, luminous expansiveness with organized force.
Before communication or creative work, kindle a quiet inner flame; feel scattered parts gather; speak only after a ‘honeyed’ clarity appears—sweet, wide, and exact.
Observe Saṃhitā accents; keep compound epithets (niṣkagrīvo, bṛhaduktha) clearly articulated with slight udatta lift on accented syllables.
Let ‘dyumat vardhanta’ rise slightly (increase in light), then soften on ‘madhvā na’ to convey sweetness.
śvaitreyasya: ‘śvai’ is clear; don’t reduce to ‘shre’, kṛṣṭayaḥ: retroflex ‘ṣṭ’ cluster; final ḥ light, niṣkagrīvaḥ: retroflex ‘ṣk’; long ī in grī-, bṛhaduktha: vocalic ṛ; keep ‘uktha’ with clear ‘kh’ aspiration
Luminous and open-throated; slightly sweet tone on ‘madhu’ phrases.
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