Rig Veda 5.48.1: Mandala 5, Sukta 48, Mantra 1
Sukta 5.48
- Devata
- Unclear in isolation
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
कदु प्रियाय धाम्ने मनामहे स्वक्षत्राय स्वयशसे महे वयम् । आमेन्यस्य रजसो यदभ्र आँ अपो वृणाना वितनोति मायिनी ॥
kádu priyā́ya dhā́mne manāmahe svákṣatrāya sváyaśase mahé vayám | āmenyásya rájaso yád abhrá ā́ṃ apó vṛṇānā́ vitanóti māyínī ||
Wann werden wir den Sinn richten auf den lieben Wohnsitz (dhāman) des Großen, der aus eigener Herrschaftskraft und eigenem Glanz erstrahlt? Wenn die mächtige Weberin, die Wasser in der Wolke ergreifend, durch ihre Māyā (māyā) den weiten Raum ausspannt.
Word by Word
- कदु
- when? indeedIndeclinableप्रश्नार्थ-अव्यय (काल/प्रसङ्ग-प्रश्न)Root कदु (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) / कदा (प्रश्नार्थ)
- प्रियाय
- for the dear (one/thing)Adjectiveपुं/नपुं? (सामान्यतः पुं.), चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाम्ने
- for (his) abode/splendourNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot धामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनामहे
- we think/ponder; we revereVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √मन् (मनुते) / √मन् (to think, to honour)
- स्वक्षत्राय
- for the one of good dominion/powerAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot स्व-क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष)
- स्वयशसे
- for the one of good fameAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot स्व-यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- महे
- for the great (one)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot मह्/महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वयम्
- wePronounउत्तम-पुरुष, प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आमेन्यस्य
- of the wondrous/approachable oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root आमेन्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘to be approached/desired’ sense, Vedic)
- रजसः
- of the space/region (mid-air)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- which/thatPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (सापेक्ष)Role Karma (of implied verb ‘is/exists’ or as object of ‘knows/does’ in sense)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभ्रः
- cloudNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (RV usage also masc.); प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (of implied ‘is/comes’)Root अभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आन्
- towards, hither (intensifier)Indeclinable (particle/preverb)उपसर्ग/निपातRoot आ (उपसर्ग) + √अन्/√अ (गत्यर्थ; here as preverbial particle in RV)
- अपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृणाना
- choosing/takingParticipleवर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (with वितनोति)Root √वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते ‘to choose, to take’)
- वितनोति
- spreads out, extendsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root वि + √तन् (तनुते/तनोति ‘to stretch, spread’)
- मायिनी
- the wondrous/possessing māyā (magic power)Adjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition to वृणाना)Root मायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic): कदु | प्रियाय | धाम्ने | मनामहे | स्वक्षत्राय | स्वयशसे | महे | वयम् || आमेन्यस्य | रजसः | यत् | अभ्रः | आन् | अपः | वृणाना | वितनोति | मायिनी || प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) कदु = कद् + उ (निपात-समास/प्रगृह्य-भाव)
- (2) यदभ्र = यत् + अभ्रः → यदभ्रः (त्→द् परे स्वर)
- (3) अभ्र आँ = अभ्रः + आन् (विसर्ग-लोप/सन्धि-प्रयोग RV)
- (4) आँ अपः = आन् + अपः (नासिक्य-निपात + स्वरारम्भ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When shall we turn our thought to the dear seat of the Great One, sovereign in power and glory? When the mighty weaver, taking the waters in the cloud, spreads out the wide realm by her māyā.
Inner meaning
The rishi asks for the right moment of inner turning (manāmahe) toward the ‘dear seat’ (priyāya dhāmne) of the Mahat—the Great Being/Greatness. This is the aspiration to enter the true station of consciousness where sovereign power (svakṣatra) and self-splendour (svayaśas) are native. The second hemistich reveals how manifestation occurs: a ‘māyinī’—a formative power of consciousness (not illusion but creative measuring)—gathers the waters (āpaḥ: conscious energies) in the cloud (abhra: the subtle mental-vital formation) and spreads out the realm (rajas: the luminous expanse/space) into wideness. Psychologically, when the higher formative intelligence collects our dispersed energies into a concentrated inner ‘cloud’, it can rain/spread the needed force to widen and organize our life-field.
Universal truth
Aspiration seeks the true seat of greatness; realization comes when our energies are gathered and shaped by a higher formative intelligence, which then expands our world from within—turning chaos into a wide, ordered field.
Themes
Invocation, Cosmic formation, Waters and expansion, Aspiration-question
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 5.48.2, RV 5.48.3, RV 5.48.4
Significance
The verse is a pure aspiration-question (kad u…): a rishi’s urgency to find the inner station of greatness and to understand the Shakti that spreads the inner world by gathering the waters of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Māyinī Śakti (formative power), with rain/expanse imagery often associated with Parjanya/Indra but here emphasized as creative Māyā
- Epithets
- māyinī (the formative one), svakṣatra (self-sovereign; of the Great), svayaśas (self-glorious), āmenya (mighty/impelling; as given)
- Related deities
- Indra (lord of rain/illumination-force), Parjanya (rain-bringer), Aditi (infinite matrix), Sarasvatī (inspired flow)
Cosmic role
Gathers the waters in the cloud and extends the regions—organizes potential into manifested wideness; enables access to the ‘dear seat’ of the Great.
Inner power
Concentration → formation → expansion: the Shakti that collects scattered energies and spreads them as a harmonious, empowered field of consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Suitable for rites invoking expansion/prosperity through the release and distribution of ‘waters’ (life-energies), especially in soma contexts where waters/pressing/expansion motifs recur.
कदु॑ प्रि॒याय॒ धाम्ने॑ मनामहे॒ स्वक्ष॑त्राय॒ स्वय॑शसे म॒हे व॒यम् । आ॒मे॒न्यस्य॒ रज॑सो॒ यद॒भ्र आँ अ॒पो वृ॑णा॒ना वि॑त॒नोति॑ मा॒यिनी॑ ॥
कत् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । प्रि॒याय॑ । धाम्ने॑ । म॒ना॒म॒हे॒ । स्वऽक्ष॑त्राय । स्वऽय॑शसे । म॒हे । व॒यम् । आ॒ऽमे॒न्यस्य॑ । रज॑सः । यत् । अ॒भ्रे । आ । अ॒पः । वृ॒णा॒ना । वि॒ऽत॒नोति॑ । मा॒यिनी॑ ॥
kat | oṃ iti | priyāya | dhāmne | manāmahe | sva-kṣatrāya | sva-yaśase | mahe | vayam | āmenyasya | rajasaḥ | yat | abhre | ā | apaḥ | vṛṇānā | vi-tanoti | māyinī
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Interrogative drive in the first half, expansive release in the second—mirrors ‘when?’ → ‘spreading out’.
Creates aspiration and then a felt widening; good for moving from questioning mind to receptive openness.
- धामन् (dhāman)
- Literal: seat, abode, station. Symbolic: stable plane/state of consciousness; inner ‘home’ of the Great
- प्रिय (priya)
- Literal: dear, beloved. Symbolic: the soul’s natural attraction to the true state; psychic consent to the higher
- महि (mahi) / महे (mahe)
- Literal: the Great. Symbolic: the Great Being/Greatness (bṛhat/mahat): vast consciousness and power
- स्वक्षत्र (svakṣatra)
- Literal: own sovereignty/power. Symbolic: intrinsic mastery of consciousness (not ego-control) that comes from alignment with truth
- स्वयशस् (svayaśas)
- Literal: own glory/splendour. Symbolic: self-luminous truth-force; radiance of realized consciousness
- रजस् (rajas)
- Literal: space/region (often midspace). Symbolic: the expanse of the inner world-field; luminous extension to be widened
- अभ्र (abhra)
- Literal: cloud. Symbolic: subtle formation where energies gather—mental-vital ‘cloud’ of potential
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: conscious energies, life-force currents, inspirative streams
- मायिनी (māyinī)
- Literal: possessing māyā, a shaper. Symbolic: formative power of consciousness (measuring, arranging, creating forms); Shakti of manifestation
- वितनोति (vitanoti)
- Literal: spreads out, extends. Symbolic: expands consciousness; makes a wide field for right action and knowledge
Suitable for rites invoking expansion/prosperity through the release and distribution of ‘waters’ (life-energies), especially in soma contexts where waters/pressing/expansion motifs recur.
Could accompany invocations for rain/expansion or general praise of cosmic powers; in inner use, it functions as an aspiration mantra.
Recitation during stotra/śastra praising the Great and the spreading power; symbolically linked to calling the waters/rains.
Use when seeking direction: ‘When shall I turn to the true seat?’—then sit quietly and let attention gather (cloud) and widen (rajas) without forcing.
dhā́man : from √dhā ‘to place, set’; hence ‘seat/abode/established domain’. kṣatrá: from √kṣi ‘to rule/possess’ (semantic development to dominion); indicates inherent sovereign force. yaśás: from √yaś ‘to be glorious’; radiance as self-manifestation. māyínī: from māyā (√mā ‘to measure, form’), the power that shapes and arranges; psychologically, the executive-formation that organizes the waters (energies) into a widened field (rajas) for manifestation.
Māyā as formative measurement (not mere illusion), Expansion (bṛhat/mah) as growth of consciousness, Waters as life-energies/streams of inspiration
Implied: the spreading is not arbitrary but by māyā—measured formation, the signature of ṛta in manifestation.
The ‘dear seat’ is a station of self-luminous truth (svayaśas) and true sovereignty (svakṣatra).
Creation as weaving/spreading: waters gathered in cloud become the extended regions; potential becomes ordered wideness.
Bridges Vedic cosmology to later Vedānta/Tantra: māyā as creative power (not merely illusion), Mahat as vast principle.
Rainy season imagery (monsoon) implied by cloud and waters
Cloud = gathered potential in mind-life; waters = conscious energies; spreading = widening of inner space and capacity; rain = descent of force/clarity into life.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘spreading of the waters’ from the cloud: a cosmogonic/psychogonic act where the formative power (māyinī) takes the waters and extends the realm (rajas). In inner terms, the energies held in a compact mass are organized and released into a widened consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- div/sky-water imagery aligns with PIE poetic inheritance: *dyew- (sky/day) and the recurrent IE theme of waters in the mid-region. vi-√tan ‘stretch out’ parallels IE creation idioms of ‘spreading’ (cf. Greek teínō ‘stretch’), used for world-expansion as well as mental expansion.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s stance is longing and orientation: ‘when shall we think toward the dear abode?’ The devatā is approached as the one who already possesses self-sovereignty (svakṣatra) and self-splendour (svayaśas), implying the seeker’s aim is to participate in that autonomous divine power by inner alignment.
Aspiration to the ‘dear seat’ of the Great: feel where in you there is natural nobility/wideness; invite the formative Shakti to gather energies and spread calm power through the being.
Ājñā (seat of direction/sovereignty) opening to Sahasrāra (the Vast)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for 6 cycles to ‘gather the cloud’, then 8 slow exhales to ‘spread’ wideness through the body.
Aspiring openness (mumukṣutva-like) moving into wide receptivity.
Begin with the question ‘kad u…?’ sincerely. Then stop seeking answers mentally; feel attention collecting at the brow/heart like a cloud. Let the exhale widen the inner space, as if the Shakti extends your rajas into calm, luminous breadth.
Mixed udatta–anudatta–svarita; interrogative ‘kad u’ carries a natural lift; keep emphasis on dhāmne, svakṣatrāya, svayaśase, māyinī.
Treat the first hemistich as a single rising question; second as a descriptive unfolding—slightly broaden pace on ‘vitanoti’.
: ‘kad u’ separated; don’t merge into ‘kadu’ too heavily, : long ā; retroflex ṇ in -mne cluster kept clear, : ‘kṣa’ crisp; avoid ‘suksh’ insertion, : ‘abhra’ with clear ‘bhr’ cluster, : long ā; nasal nī with long ī
Aspirational at start, then expansive and smooth; let the last phrase open into space.
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