Rig Veda 7.96.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 96, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.96
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Sarasvant
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
जनीयन्तो न्वग्रवः पुत्रीयन्तः सुदानवः । सरस्वन्तं हवामहे ॥
janīyánto nv ágravaḥ putrīyántaḥ sudā́navaḥ | sárasvantam havāmahe ||
Neu zeugend begehrend, vorandrängend, nach der Sohneskraft — der inneren Frucht — verlangend, rufen wir, die Gabenreichen, Sarasvant herbei.
Word by Word
- जनीयन्तः
- being born / coming into beingAdjective (participial)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (हवामहे इत्यस्य कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Root √जन् (जनि) / प्रातिपदिक: जनीयन्त- (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- नु
- now; indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRoot नु
- अग्रवः
- foremost/leading onesNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (हवामहे इत्यस्य कर्ता)Root प्रातिपदिक: अग्रव- (अग्र + व)
- पुत्रीयन्तः
- desiring sons; seeking offspringAdjective (participial)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (हवामहे इत्यस्य कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Root √पुत्रीय (denom.) / प्रातिपदिक: पुत्रीयन्त- (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- सुदानवः
- good givers; bountiful onesNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (हवामहे इत्यस्य कर्ता/कर्तृ-विशेषणम्)Root प्रातिपदिक: सुदानु-
- सरस्वन्तम्
- Sarasvant (the Sarasvat-associated deity); the one possessing Saras (waters/speech)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (हवामहे इत्यस्य कर्म)Root प्रातिपदिक: सरस्वन्त-
- हवामहे
- we invoke; we call uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √हू (ह्वे) / √ह्वा
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: जनीयन्तः नु अग्रवः | पुत्रीयन्तः सुदानवः | सरस्वन्तम् हवामहे || 1) न्वग्रवः = नु + अग्रवः (उ + अ → व्-अग्रहणं; संहितायां ‘न्व’).
- ‘सरस्वन्तम्’ कर्मपदम्, ‘हवामहे’ क्रियापदम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The worshippers, eager to generate anew and to obtain sons, call upon Sarasvant to come.
Inner meaning
The seekers press forward in the inner sacrifice to generate a new birth of consciousness. “Son-power” indicates an inner issue: a formed, effective spiritual capacity (new creation in the being). Sarasvant (the dynamic masculine power of Sarasvatī) is invoked as the impelling current of inspired Truth that enables this new formation.
Universal truth
True progress is a conscious self-begetting: the being can be re-created by invoking the descending power of inspiration and truth-flow, which gives a new inner progeny—capacities of knowledge, right will, and effective action.
Themes
Progeny as inner issue, Invocation of Sarasvant, Regeneration
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa lineage, traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.96.1-6, RV 7.97.1-10, RV 7.33, RV 7.18
Family tradition
Seer-family of Maṇḍala 7; hymns often emphasize ṛta, harmony, and the right ordering of inner and outer life through inspired speech.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s vision frequently moves from ritual forms to inner rightness: the Word (vāc) aligned with ṛta becomes a means of transformation and victorious passage.
The deity
- Devata
- Sarasvant (Sarasvatī complex)
- Epithets
- Sarasvant (he who possesses the saras, the flowing current), Truth-flow (ṛtasya dhārā, implied), Inspiration-bearing power (dhī-śakti, implied)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī, Bṛhaspati (lord of inspired word), Agni (inner priest), Indra (illumined mind)
Cosmic role
Channel and impeller of the rivers of truth and inspiration; awakens and nourishes the right formation of thought and creation in the sacrifice.
Inner power
A descending current that clarifies, fertilizes, and gives birth to new faculties—especially inspired speech, discerning intelligence, and right impulsion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-related praise/invocation within a larger offering sequence (Sarasvatī/Sarasvant as supportive power)
ज॒नी॒यन्तो॒ न्वग्र॑वः पुत्री॒यन्त॑: सु॒दान॑वः । सर॑स्वन्तं हवामहे ॥
ज॒नी॒यन्तः॑ । नु । अग्र॑वः । पु॒त्रि॒ऽयन्तः॑ । सु॒ऽदान॑वः । सर॑स्वन्तम् । ह॒वा॒म॒हे॒ ॥
janīyantaḥ | nu | agravaḥ | putri-yantaḥ | su-dānavaḥ | sarasvantam | havāmahe
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4 pādas of ~8 syllables
Compact, forward-driving cadence; suited to invocation and resolve.
Creates a firm, marching aspiration—good for setting intention before meditation or study.
- janīyantaḥ
- Literal: seeking to be born/beget anew. Symbolic: aspiration for a new inner birth; self-renewal of consciousness
- agravaḥ
- Literal: pressing forward; foremost. Symbolic: the advancing will of sādhanā; the front-line effort toward light
- putrīyantaḥ
- Literal: desiring sons. Symbolic: seeking inner ‘sons’: formed powers/realizations that carry the lineage of Truth in the being
- sudānavaḥ
- Literal: good givers. Symbolic: those who offer rightly (energies, works, attention) into the inner yajña; receptivity that also becomes generous in action
- sarasvantam
- Literal: Sarasvant. Symbolic: the active force of Sarasvatī: inspired truth-current that fertilizes mind and life
Invocation for progeny and increase—outer: offspring/continuity; inner: generation of spiritual 'sons' (new powers) in the sacrificer.
During hymns to Sarasvatī/Sarasvant in Soma-yajña contexts; also adaptable to study/recitation rites invoking inspired speech.
Calling the deity to the seat of offering; aligning the sacrificer’s intention toward ‘progeny’ and increase.
Use as a sankalpa-mantra for ‘new birth’ in practice—before learning, creative work, or beginning a new discipline.
√jan 'to beget, generate' → janīyantaḥ: the urge toward a new birth of consciousness. putra is from √pū/√put (protect/cleanse) in later etymologies; Vedicly 'son' functions as 'issue, new formation'—psychologically, emergent capacities. √dā 'to give' → sudā́navaḥ: those aligned with generous exchange (dakṣiṇā principle). √hū 'to call' → havāmahe: invocation as inward summoning of the power.
New birth (punar-janman as regeneration motif), Dakṣiṇā reciprocity (sudā́navaḥ as good givers)
Invocation of Sarasvant implies entry into the truth-current that restores right order in mind and life.
Truth as a generative power—what is ‘true’ becomes ‘born’ as capacity and work.
Inner begetting: formation of new powers (‘sons’) from the truth-flow.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-Vedic (Aurobindo-style psychological reading)
The flowing river symbolizes the continuous movement of inspiration and truth in consciousness that enables new formation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is regeneration through the waters/flow: Sarasvant is invoked as the power that enables 'begetting'—outerly children, inwardly new formations of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √jan is a direct continuation of PIE *ǵenh₁- 'beget' (cf. Latin gignere, English kin). The desiderative/aspirational nuance (janīyantaḥ) fits Indo-European poetics of 'seeking birth' as a metaphor for attainment.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions the community as 'foremost' and 'good-giving', implying readiness and right exchange; Sarasvant is asked to respond by granting the generative outcome—new inner offspring/powers that continue the sacrifice within the being.
Invoke a ‘truth-current’ descending through the mind to generate a new inner capacity (a ‘son’ of the soul).
Viśuddha (speech/clarity) and Ājñā (insight)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–12 rounds, then chant on a steady exhale.
Aspiring, formative concentration (dhāraṇā moving toward dhyāna).
Hold the intention: ‘Let a new power be born in me from the truth-flow.’ After chanting, sit silently and feel a subtle stream descending through head and throat into the heart-will.
Default Vedic recitation with udatta/anudatta/svarita as per śākhā tradition; follow pada-text accents (not fully specified here).
Keep ‘sarasvántam’ with clear stress on -vánt-; avoid flattening sandhi; articulate ‘putrīyántaḥ’ distinctly.
(janīyantaḥ): long ī, nasal n clearly, (agravaḥ): light ‘a’, clear ‘vaḥ’ visarga, (putrīyantaḥ): retroflex ṭ in putra; long ī, (sarasvantam): ‘sv’ cluster clean, no extra vowel
Clear, forward, invoking; steady pitch with crisp consonants.
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