Sukta 48
Rishi: Traditionally Atharvanic/Angiras lineage (AV 20 often reuses RV material; attribution follows the borrowed RV hymn’s ascription in many recensions).
Devata: Várchas (Splendour) / the praised subject as bearer of radiance; implicitly Agni/Soma-style consecratory power via speech.
Chandas: Triṣṭubh/Jagatī-type cadence typical of RV-derived material (exact metrical identification depends on pada-count in the source RV verse).
Mantras
Mantra 1
अभि त्वा वर्चसा गिरः सिञ्चन्तीराचरण्युवः । अभि वत्सं न धेनवः
Over thee, with splendour, the moving utterances sprinkle their might, as milch-cows over a calf.
Mantra 2
ता अर्षन्ति शुभ्रियः पृञ्चन्तीर्वर्चसा प्रियः । जातं जात्रीर्यथा हृदा
Those bright ones stream forth, blending the dear man with splendour, as birth-mothers [cherish] the newborn with the heart.
Mantra 3
वज्रापवसाध्यः कीर्तिर्म्रियमाणमावहन्।मह्यमायुर्घृतं पयः
Fame, hard to win, hath brought hither to me—when I was perishing—life, and ghee, and milk.
Mantra 4
आयं गौः पृश्निरक्रमीदसदन्मातरं पुरः । पितरं च प्रयन्त्स्वः
This speckled Cow hath stepped forth; she hath sat before her Mother, and, going on, [hath reached] the Father in the heavenly light.
Mantra 5
अन्तश्चरति रोचना अस्य प्राणादपानतः । व्यख्यन्महिषः स्वः
Within him moves the shining realm, from in-breath and from out-breath; the Mighty One hath made heaven manifest.
Mantra 6
त्रिंशद् धामा वि राजति वाक् पतङ्गो अशिश्रियत्। प्रति वस्तोरहर्द्युभिः
Thirty are the stations: widely it shineth forth; Speech—the winged one—hath taken seat. Against the dawn, against the day, by the bright days (it worketh).
Frequently Asked Questions
Várchas is radiant splendour—charisma, prestige, vitality, and the kind of visible excellence that brings recognition and authority. The hymn treats it as something that can be conferred and stabilized through mantra (Vāc).
The image says the uttered mantras nourish and empower the recipient the way milch-cows feed a calf—abundantly, protectively, and in a way that makes growth visible. It also links prosperity (cows) with consecration (sprinkling).
It can be recited at dawn or before an important public or professional moment to cultivate confident, auspicious presence. Some traditions add a simple water (or water-and-milk) sprinkling to embody the hymn’s ‘anointing by speech,’ but clear recitation and intention are central.