Sukta 48
Rishi: Not specified in the excerpt (svastivācana formulaic unit)
Devata: Chandas (Gāyatrī) personified; ‘Śyena’ as carrier-form
Chandas: Gāyatrī (explicit)
Mantras
Mantra 1
स्वस्तिवाचनम्। श्ये॒नोऽसि गाय॒त्रच्छन्दा॒ अनु॒ त्वा र॑भे । स्व॒स्ति मा॒ सं व॑हा॒स्य य॒ज्ञस्यो॒दृचि॒ स्वाहा॑
Thou art the Falcon, with Gāyatrī for thy metre: in accordance therewith I lay hold of thee. In safety bear me wholly to the sacrifice’s farthest reach—svāhā!
Mantra 2
ऋ॒भुर॑सि॒ जग॑च्छन्दा॒ अनु॒ त्वा र॑भे । स्व॒स्ति मा॒ सं व॑हा॒स्य य॒ज्ञस्यो॒दृचि॒ स्वाहा॑
Thou art R̥bhu, with Jagatī for thy metre: in accordance therewith I lay hold of thee. In safety bear me wholly to the sacrifice’s farthest reach—svāhā!
Mantra 3
वृषा॑सि त्रि॒ष्टुप्छ॑न्दा॒ अनु॒ त्वा र॑भे । स्व॒स्ति मा॒ सं व॑हा॒स्य य॒ज्ञस्यो॒दृचि॒ स्वाहा॑
Thou art the Bull, with Triṣṭubh for thy metre: in accordance therewith I lay hold of thee. In safety bear me wholly to the sacrifice’s farthest reach—svāhā!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is recited for svasti—safe, obstacle-free progress and successful completion of a sacrifice or ritual sequence.
The hymn treats these metres (chandas) as protective powers; aligning speech with them is believed to stabilize and ‘carry’ the rite to its intended end.
Not from this excerpt. The key act is correct recitation and intention; if performed in a fire-rite, one may optionally accompany each svāhā with a small ghee oblation.
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