Mandala 3
मण्डल 3
The Family Book of Vishvamitra
Rigveda Mandala 3 is the Viśvāmitra family book, presenting a tightly ritual-centered vision in which Agni as Hotṛ and Jātavedas establishes the sacrifice, carries Soma, and secures victory and splendour for the yajamāna. Indra—often paired with Agni—arrives swiftly to drink Soma, grows in might through repeated pressings, and grants strength, nourishment, and triumph over hostility. Solar and Savitṛ-oriented hymns culminate in the celebrated Gāyatrī (3.62.10), linking correct ritual performance with illumination and right order. Across its anuvākas, the mandala repeatedly stresses sequence (ṛta), firm installation of the fire, and the transformation of offerings into immortality and victorious varchas.
Suktas in Mandala 3
Sukta 1
Sukta 3.1
This hymn to Agni presents him as the luminous priest and messenger who makes the sacrifice effective, brings the gods near, and establishes peace and right order. Agni is praised in many cosmic forms—born in the Waters, rising like a swift tawny steed, and releasing the “cows” (rays/wealth)—while the seer asks for lasting prosperity, harmony, and victorious offspring.
Sukta 2
Sukta 3.2
RV 3.2 is a Triṣṭubh hymn to Agni that praises him as the divinely radiant priestly power whom the gods themselves “bring to birth” through kratu (will) and dakṣa (skill). The seer seeks Agni as the most choice-worthy means to vāja (victorious plenitude), portraying him as Bhṛgu-gift, lion-like Vaiśvānara, and the generous distributor of treasures to the sacrificer.
Sukta 3
Sukta 3.3
This hymn praises Agni as Vaiśvānara, the universal Fire who establishes firm foundations (dharuṇa) for human progress and carries worship to the gods. It presents Agni as the immortal priestly power who expands the yajña among gods, humans, and all beings, preserves ṛta (the enduring law), and is born great through his own skill while exalting Heaven and Earth.
Sukta 4
Sukta 3.4
RV 3.4 is an Agni-hymn that installs the fire as Hotṛ—the priestly voice of the rite—asking him to awaken with every kindling and to bring the gods to the offering. The poet weaves a dawn-lit setting and a harmonized invocation of multiple deities, so that the sacrifice becomes a single, well-ordered meeting of divine powers for blessing, right thought, and prosperity.
Sukta 5
Sukta 3.5
This hymn praises Agni as the awakened flame that meets Uṣas (Dawn) and “opens the doors of darkness,” guiding seers onto the luminous path. It celebrates Agni as the knowing, well-kindled priest and guardian of divine order and inspired workmanship, and it ends with petitions for Iḷā (nourishing abundance/insight), enduring gains, and strong progeny under Agni’s goodwill.
Sukta 6
Sukta 3.6
This hymn of Viśvāmitra invokes Agni as the inspired Hotṛ who turns human thought and speech godward and carries the offering to the gods. Agni is urged to yoke his ruddy, ghee-bright steeds according to ṛta (cosmic order), bring the deities to the sacrifice, and grant enduring wealth, light (go), and victorious progeny to the worshipper.
Sukta 7
Sukta 3.7
This hymn to Agni presents him as the luminous power who is born and established within the cosmic Parents—two Mothers and two Fathers—while the “seven voices” (sapta vāṇīḥ) rise and enter his bright foundation. Through dense cosmological imagery (Night’s garment, the Bull-force, and the spanning Parents), the poet asks Agni to extend life, lead the singer safely into his own dhāman (abode), and grant enduring prosperity, “rays/cattle” (go), and strong offspring.
Sukta 8
Sukta 3.8
This hymn venerates Vanaspati—the sacred tree/post prepared for the yajña—as a living divine support that carries offerings to the gods and stabilizes the rite. It blesses the anointing, raising, and shaping of the wooden pillar with “divine honey,” asking that prosperity, progeny, and auspicious increase arise for the sacrificers.
Sukta 9
Sukta 3.9
This hymn praises Apām Napāt—Agni in his hidden, watery form—chosen as a divine ally and protector of mortals. It recalls the mythic recovery and establishment of the sacred fire (with Mātariśvan as the bringer), and culminates in a grand vision of many divine powers serving and enthroning Agni as Hotṛ.
Sukta 10
Sukta 3.10
This hymn praises Agni as the sovereign king among the peoples and the indispensable Hotṛ who makes the sacrifice whole. It emphasizes that both seers and ordinary mortals kindle him in the rite, and that he bears the inspired “lights” (jyotīṃṣi) of the vipras, carrying offerings to the gods and increasing human strength and capacity.
Sukta 11
Sukta 3.11
This hymn praises Agni as the foremost priest (hotṛ) placed at the head of the rite, the one who knows the sacrifice in its proper human sequence (ānuṣak) and carries it forward without error. Agni is invoked as the unconquerable leader of the clans, swift and ever-renewed, who brings the gods to the offering and helps the worshippers win desirable riches and strength.
Sukta 12
Sukta 3.12
RV 3.12 is an invocation to the paired deities Indra and Agni (Indrāgnī) to come to the freshly pressed Soma, accept the singers’ praise, and grant strength, nourishment, and victory. The hymn fuses Indra’s heroic might with Agni’s priestly fire-power, portraying them as a coordinated force that makes divine energy “visible” and effective for the worshipper.
Sukta 13
Sukta 3.13
This short Agni hymn of Viśvāmitra calls the divine Fire to arrive with the gods and to be seated on the barhis (sacred spread), establishing the rite in right order. It asks Agni for peace-giving shelters, radiant wealth across heaven, earth, and waters, and for unfailing, luminous heroic power (suvīrya) that increases rather than declines.
Sukta 14
Sukta 3.14
This hymn enthrones Agni as the joyful Hotṛ who stands firm in the vidathas (sacrificial gatherings), spreading his radiance and protective power across the earth. It portrays him as the son of Sahas (Force), lightning-charioted and flame-haired, praised even by Mitra, Varuṇa, and the Maruts. The poet finally dedicates the whole rite to Agni, asking him to know and “taste” the offering in its fullness and sweetness.
Sukta 15
Sukta 3.15
This hymn invokes Agni as an expansive, blazing power who repels hostile forces—haters, rakṣasas, and afflictions—while establishing the worshipper in a “vast” shelter of peace and protection. Agni is praised as invincible leader and guardian of the sacrifice, guiding the rite to its successful outcome and opening “fronts of felicity.” The closing prayer asks for enduring gains symbolized by the Cow (light/wealth/knowledge), along with progeny and Agni’s steady goodwill.
Sukta 16
Sukta 3.16
This six-verse hymn to Agni presents him as the sovereign of heroic power (suvīrya), prosperity (saubhaga), and wealth (rāy), and as the effective force behind victory over obstructing powers (vṛtra-han). It praises Agni as the accomplisher who has “worked” across the worlds and among the gods, and it turns that vision into a direct exhortation to strive toward the gods through sacrifice. The hymn concludes with a compact prayer for vāja (vital strength and winning power), abundant increase, delight-bearing energy (mayobhū), wide splendor (tuvi-dyumna), and lasting fame (yaśas).
Sukta 17
Sukta 3.17
This short Agni hymn from Viśvāmitra praises the fire-god as the first to be kindled according to r̥ta (ritual-cosmic order), the purifier whose flame leads the sacrifice and brings the gods. It highlights Agni’s anointing through the cycle of nights and days, his kinship with the dawns, and asks him—wise and law-abiding—to secure divine help, well-being, and a smooth course for the adhvara (sacrificial rite).
Sukta 18
Sukta 3.18
This brief Agni hymn asks the Fire-god to approach as a benevolent friend and fatherly protector, repelling the many hostile forces that arise among human settlements. The seer kindles Agni with fuel and ghee for strength, victory, and the “jewel” of well-won riches, so that the worshipper’s dwelling becomes radiant and prosperous with Agni’s forms.
Sukta 19
Sukta 3.19
This brief hymn selects Agni as the Hotṛ (invoking priest) and praises him as the inspired, all-knowing seer who establishes the divine powers within the sacrifice. It asks Agni to intensify the worshipper’s mind, teach self-mastery, and bestow wealth, strength, and the capacity to hear and receive truth (śravas). The closing turns to Agni’s primordial appointment by the gods and prays that he awaken as protector “here” in the embodied human being.
Sukta 20
Sukta 3.20
This short hymn is a dawn-time collective invocation that calls Agni together with Uṣas, the Aśvins, and Dadhikrāvan, asking the “gods of good light” to hear and move with the sacrifice. It widens into an inclusive summons of major divine powers (Bṛhaspati, Savitṛ, Mitra-Varuṇa, Bhaga, Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas), presenting the yajña as a coordinated journey guided by luminous order and right movement.
Sukta 21
Sukta 3.21
This brief hymn invokes Agni as Jātavedas and Hotṛ to place the sacrificer’s rite “among the immortals,” ensuring it is accepted and carried in the right order. It emphasizes ghee-rich oblations (stokāḥ ghṛtaścutaḥ) and Agni’s role as the foremost participant—seated first, kindled as the best ṛṣi, and acting as the sacrifice’s protector and arranger.
Sukta 22
Sukta 3.22
This brief Agni hymn presents the sacrificial Fire as the divine vessel in whom Indra places and enjoys the pressed Soma, making Agni the shared center of offering and victory. It expands Agni’s reach from earth to the “flood of heaven,” calling the gods to their seats of power and invoking supporting Waters for the movement of light. The sukta concludes with a prayer for Iḷā-inspired insight, enduring gain of the “cows/rays,” and prosperity of lineage through Agni’s kindly favor.
Sukta 23
Sukta 3.23
This short Agni-hymn praises Jātavedas as the freshly kindled, well-established priest of the sacrifice who brings “immortality” into the ritual seat. It describes Agni’s birth through churning and kindling, his delight among the Mothers (the kindling-sticks/waters), and asks him to accomplish Iḷā-inspired abundance, cattle/radiance, and strong offspring for the worshipper.
Sukta 24
Sukta 3.24
This brief Agni-hymn asks the sacrificial Fire to overpower hostile forces in both outer conflict and inner obstruction, and to establish “várchas” (splendour, victorious brilliance) for the yajamāna. Agni is invited to the prepared ritual seat (barhis), awakened by luminous power, and requested to grant “rayi” (prosperity/abundance) rich in heroic strength while refining the worshippers’ intention.
Sukta 25
Sukta 3.25
This brief Agni hymn presents the fire-god as Heaven’s son and Earth’s embodied presence, the all-knowing priest who correctly arranges the gods in sacrifice. It praises Agni as a universal, deathless radiance that grows through reverent homage and, when kindled “amid the waters,” widens and protects the shared seats of human life.
Sukta 26
Sukta 3.26
This hymn of Viśvāmitra’s Kuśika line invokes Agni Vaiśvānara as the universal Fire who discovers the “luminous world” (svar) and faithfully carries the offering along the true course of ṛta. As the praise unfolds, Agni’s power is amplified through the Maruts—fierce, rain-bright allies—until Agni is revealed as an inexhaustible, many-streaming fountain: the wise “father of utterances” (vāc) whom Heaven and Earth themselves sustain.
Sukta 27
Sukta 3.27
This hymn to Agni presents him as the forward-leading power of the sacrifice who carries the clarified offering upward and makes the path to the gods accessible. It repeatedly frames “vāja” (plenitude, victorious force) as something set in motion and guided by Agni through the adhvara (the sacrificial journey). The sukta culminates in kindling Agni as the bull-force, asking him to blaze widely in the Vast (bṛhat), granting grace and accomplishment of the yajña.
Sukta 28
Sukta 3.28
This short Agni hymn invites Jātavedas to accept the puroḷāśa (sacrificial cake) and the āhuti at the Soma pressings, especially the morning and midday savanas. It emphasizes Agni’s rightful share in the sacrifice and the role of the dhīraḥ (steadfast wise) in preserving the integrity of the rite, so that inspired thought (dhī) and well-being are strengthened.
Sukta 29
Sukta 3.29
This hymn is a vivid liturgy of kindling Agni by manthana (fire-churning), treating the fire’s birth as a deliberate, sacred generation that renews the ancient rite. As Agni rises—smoke and flame as signs—he becomes the chosen Hotar who leads the sacrifice forward, grants strength and victory over obstructing forces, and brings the worshippers to the settled, “sure” seat where Soma-delight is approached through him.
Sukta 30
Sukta 3.30
RV 3.30 is a vigorous Indra-hymn in which Viśvāmitra’s clan invokes the Soma-loving hero as the sole clear discerner and decisive protector in human conflict. It praises Indra’s law-like power to break bonds and remove obstructions, urging him to hear the singers, accept offerings, and grant victory, wealth, and well-being.
Sukta 31
Sukta 3.31
This hymn from Viśvāmitra’s circle praises Agni through dense “family” and generational imagery—father, daughter, kinship—hinting at the hidden relations by which Ṛta (cosmic order) is kindled and sustained. It moves from the inner, law-knowing fire that joins and harmonizes powers, toward a broader cosmogonic vision of establishing a seat/support for the Father and expanding the luminous world. The close turns martial and practical, calling on Indra as the force that breaks obstacles and secures wealth and victory, showing how sacrificial order culminates in protection and plenitude.
Sukta 32
Sukta 3.32
This hymn invites Indra as Soma-lord to the midday pressing, urging him to drink, become exhilarated, and turn his victorious power toward the worshippers. It praises his innate, unbounded might—said to have manifested from birth—and asks him to hear the call in battle, smash obstacles (vṛtrāṇi), and secure true wealth and winning.
Sukta 33
Sukta 3.33
This hymn praises the paired river-goddesses Vipāṭ and Śutudrī as life-giving, swift, and maternal waters emerging from the mountains, and petitions them for safe passage and protection. It also recalls Indra’s archetypal deed of releasing the waters by striking the obstructing serpent/closures, linking the rivers’ free flow with divine victory over constraint. The sukta culminates in a practical, compassionate prayer that obstacles be swept away and that the “two guiltless ones” reach safety and well-being.
Sukta 34
Sukta 3.34
This hymn praises Indra as the fort-breaker who, empowered by sacred speech (brahman), overthrows Dāsa/Dasyu opposition, scatters enemies, and wins true wealth for the seers. It celebrates the magnitude and rightness of his deeds—straightening the crooked and conquering by irresistible strength—and ends as a battle-prayer asking Indra to hear and aid the worshippers in contest and prosperity.
Sukta 35
Sukta 3.35
This hymn is an urgent Soma-invitation to Indra: his tawny steeds are called to the chariot, and he is asked to come swiftly and drink the pressed Soma set out on the barhis. The poet praises Indra as the most manly winner of spoils who smashes Vṛtra-like obstructions, and petitions him for victory, protection in contests, and the gathering of wealth.
Sukta 36
Sukta 3.36
This hymn invokes Indra as the ever-strengthened hero who grows with each Soma pressing and becomes “well-heard-of” through his great deeds. It links Indra’s widening power to Soma’s filling force, using the rivers’ rush to the ocean as a cosmic image of irresistible momentum. The sukta culminates in a direct battle-prayer: may the bountiful Indra hear, strike down obstacles (vṛtrāṇi), and win treasures for the worshippers.
Sukta 37
Sukta 3.37
RV 3.37 is a compact, forceful invocation to Indra as Vṛtra-slayer and battle-winner, urging him to turn toward the worshippers and empower their victories. The hymn repeatedly calls Indra from near and far, asking him to arrive swiftly, accept the offering, and break the obstructing powers that withhold light, waters, and progress.
Sukta 38
Sukta 3.38
This hymn of Viśvāmitra sets the poet’s inspired thought in motion like a well-yoked racing steed, seeking inner vision and the company of the seers, while calling Indra to break obstructions and win plenitude. Indra is praised not only as the heroic power in outer struggle but as the illumined Mind-Power that makes the hidden “breaths” and truths wake and move. A later visionary turn brings in subtle cosmic order—Gandharvas within the law—and an ancillary presence of Savitṛ as the awakener and impeller of right seeing.
Sukta 39
Sukta 3.39
This Triṣṭubh hymn to Indra presents the inspired “thought-hymn” (mati/stoma) rising from the heart to the Lord, asking him to recognize and awaken his own power within the sacrificer. It recalls Indra’s Truth-deed of finding the hidden Sun with the Navagvas and Daśagvas—light recovered from darkness—then turns to a present plea for aid in struggle, victory over obstructers, and the winning of riches and well-being.
Sukta 40
Sukta 3.40
This hymn calls Indra, the bull of strength, to the freshly pressed Soma and asks him to drink, protect, and increase the sweet essence (madhu/andhas) that empowers the sacrificer. It repeatedly urges Indra to come from the far and the near, to enter the “middle space” and make it a channel for victory, light, and nourishing force.
Sukta 41
Sukta 3.41
RV 3.41 is an invitation-hymn (āhvāna) calling Indra to turn his delight toward the sacrificers and come swiftly with his two bay steeds to drink Soma. It praises him as the “lord of force” who is naturally drawn to the offering and to the well-prepared seat (barhis), and it depicts the worshipper’s thoughts clustering around Indra like mothers around a calf. The hymn’s purpose is to secure Indra’s presence, exhilaration by Soma, and consequent bestowal of strength, protection, and victory.
Sukta 42
Sukta 3.42
This hymn is an invitatory Soma-song to Indra: the poet calls him to come swiftly with his two bay horses and drink the freshly pressed Soma. It repeatedly urges Indra to place the Soma within his belly and be strengthened, so that he may grant protection, power, and victory to the Kuśika/Viśvāmitra lineage who invokes him.
Sukta 43
Sukta 3.43
This hymn is an ardent invitation to Indra to come swiftly on his chariot to the Soma-pressing and take his seat on the strewn barhis, joining the sacrificers as a beloved ally. It praises Indra as the battle-winning, Vṛtra-slaying lord of power and wealth, and asks him to become protector, kingly leader, and inspirer of seerhood through Soma. The hymn’s purpose is both ritual (drawing Indra to drink and empower the rite) and existential (securing victory, abundance, and inspired vision).
Sukta 44
Sukta 3.44
This brief Gāyatrī-style hymn invites Indra to the soma-pressing, asking him to come with his tawny horses and take his seat on the radiant chariot at the sacrifice. It then praises Indra as the upholder of Heaven and Earth who establishes abundant nourishment, culminating in the image of Indra as the tawny Bull who arms himself with the vajra for victorious action.
Sukta 45
Sukta 3.45
This short hymn calls Indra to arrive swiftly with his tawny steeds/energies (harī), unhindered by any restraints, to partake of the offering and empower the sacrificer. It praises Indra’s deep, ocean-like resolve (kratu) that nourishes increase like well-guarded streams and cattle moving to pasture. The hymn culminates in affirming Indra as self-impelled and self-ruling, praying that his growing might bring the worshipper the highest, most enduring fame and auspicious hearing.
Sukta 46
Sukta 3.46
This short Indra-hymn magnifies the thunderbolt-bearing Lord as a self-sovereign, ever-youthful yet unaging Bull whose heroic deeds are vast and widely renowned. It portrays Indra as overflowing all measures—surpassing heaven, earth, and midspace—while the rite culminates in Soma prepared and offered so he may drink and empower protection and victory.
Sukta 47
Sukta 3.47
This short Indra–Marut hymn invites Indra, the battle-bull accompanied by the Maruts, to drink the pressed Soma and become exhilarated for victory and protection. It links Indra’s might to ṛta (right order and right timing), recalling how the Maruts followed him in the Vṛtra-slaying and “set” power within him. The purpose is practical and ritual: to secure fresh aid, force, and triumph for the worshippers through a well-timed Soma offering.
Sukta 48
Sukta 3.48
This short Indra hymn praises the god’s innate, birth-born potency: like a young bull he immediately advances to receive and bear the freshly pressed Soma. It recalls his seeking nourishment from the Mother, discerning the sharp power in Soma, and then surpassing all to perform great deeds. The hymn culminates in a battle-prayer, calling Indra the best helper in conflict who smites the Vṛtras (obstructors) and wins wealth and well-being for the singers.
Sukta 49
Sukta 3.49
This short Triṣṭubh hymn proclaims Indra as the god whom all Soma-drinking peoples desire and invoke—born for the work of breaking obstructions (Vṛtra) and securing victory. It portrays him as the battle-crosser who widens the two worlds and pours fruitful abundance, then culminates in a direct prayer for his listening help in the present struggle and for the conquest of riches.
Sukta 50
Sukta 3.50
This brief hymn invokes Marutvat Indra—the impetuous, wide-pervading bull who comes with the Maruts—to drink Soma and empower the sacrificer. It asks Indra to be filled by the offerings, to grant the “cows” (rays/wealth) of fullness, and to slay the Vṛtra-like obstructions so victory and well-being are secured in the struggle.
Sukta 51
Sukta 3.51
This hymn is a vigorous invitation to Indra—“upheld by the peoples” and “much-invoked”—to come to the sacrifice, accept the well-fashioned praise, and drink the pressed Soma. It recalls Indra’s past drinkings and victories as a guarantee of present help, and it culminates in a compact prayer that the offering and mantra empower Indra’s whole being—belly, head, and arms—for bestowing gifts and fulfilment.
Sukta 52
Sukta 3.52
This hymn to Indra frames the Soma-sacrifice across its pressings, inviting him especially at dawn and again at midday to accept the prepared foods and the poet’s praise. It asks that the offerings (grains, cakes, and hymn) become “effective/beautiful” and that Indra’s heroic force increase day by day for Soma-drinking and victory.
Sukta 53
Sukta 3.53
This hymn invokes Indra together with Parvata to arrive on their great chariot, drink the Soma, and empower the sacrificers with strength, victory, and abundant “nourishing streams” (iṣaḥ). It weaves praise of Indra’s vajra-power with the poet’s crafted brahman (sacred formulation), aiming to secure prosperity, heroic force, and success in contest and battle for the Bharata people.
Sukta 54
Sukta 3.54
This hymn of Viśvāmitra chiefly invokes Agni as the ever-awake hearer of prayer and the divine power who gathers strength, inspiration, and victory for the worshippers. As the praise unfolds, allied deities—especially Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, and later Tvaṣṭṛ with the Ṛbhus (and Pūṣan)—enter to affirm the sacrificial order: right crafting, right offering, and right protection. The hymn culminates in a direct petition for Agni to sweeten the oblations, blaze with kindling-force, and conquer enemies in battle while illuminating the sacrificer day by day.
Sukta 55
Sukta 3.55
RV 3.55 contemplates how the Many gods are upheld by a single, vast sovereignty (asuratvam ekam) that becomes manifest when Dawn opens the hidden order. Through a chain of symbolic images—Word in the “step of Light,” paired milch-cows, waters and plants, Earth’s plenitude—the hymn praises the inner coherence of Ṛta that empowers the deities and sustains sacrifice and life.
Sukta 56
Sukta 3.56
This hymn praises the inviolable Ṛta—the firm, first ordinances (vratā) by which the gods uphold the cosmos—so steady that even the worlds and mountains are not made to bend. Through recurring triads (three realms, three powers, three waters), it portrays cosmic order as a patterned, rhythmic governance that descends into the sacrificial session. The sukta’s purpose is to align the sacrificer’s rite and thought with that higher, unbreakable law so the gods may “come” and establish well-being.
Sukta 57
Sukta 3.57
This hymn praises the paired powers Indra–Agni as discoverers and secure possessors of the “Cow” of inspiration (manīṣā), a flowing source of nourishment, insight, and victory. It links poetic illumination to sacrificial action—especially the Soma-pressing—so that the hidden abundance rises upward to the gods and returns as guidance, prosperity, and a universal “good mind.”
Sukta 58
Sukta 3.58
This hymn summons the Aśvinau at dawn, linking their swift advent with Uṣas’ awakening light and Dakṣiṇā’s right-ordered, generous offering. Through vivid images of the “cow of light” and “treasuries of honey,” it invites the twin healers to travel the devayāna paths and drink the honey-sweet Soma in the sacrificer’s house.
Sukta 59
Sukta 3.59
This hymn praises Mitra as the Āditya who speaks and establishes the “right word,” setting human communities into orderly, harmonious movement. It presents Mitra as the steady upholder of Heaven and Earth, the all-seeing guardian of social truth and right conduct, and urges clarified offerings through Agni to gain his favor, protection, and prosperity.
Sukta 60
Sukta 3.60
This hymn praises the Ṛbhus (Saudhanvanas), the divine craftsmen whose “well-wrought deeds” perfect the works of sacrifice and raise mortals toward excellence. It invites them to the ritual space by the “kinship of mind,” celebrates their immeasurable skill and glory with Indra near the pressed Soma, and culminates in a joint summons for Indra-with-Ṛbhus to come to the offering with manifold guidance for the seeker.
Sukta 61
Sukta 3.61
This seven-verse Triṣṭubh hymn praises Uṣas (Dawn) as the ancient-yet-ever-young goddess who arrives according to ṛta (cosmic law), awakening life, wealth, and right activity. It depicts her as a luminous, skillful power spreading from the far edge of heaven to earth, and links her radiance to the wider order upheld by Mitra–Varuṇa, through which light is distributed and the worlds are set in motion.
Sukta 62
Sukta 3.62
RV 3.62 is a praise-hymn that chiefly invokes the paired sovereignty and power of Indra–Varuṇa—victory-force joined to moral-cosmic order—to protect allies, overcome hostile pressures, and restore the gods’ renowned “glory” that brings fullness to the community. Within this sukta appears the celebrated Gāyatrī mantra (3.62.10) to Savitṛ, turning the hymn inward toward illumination of the intellect, so outer triumph and inner right-guidance are yoked together under Ṛta (truth-order).
Frequently Asked Questions
Mandala 3 is a “family book” attributed to the seer Viśvāmitra Gāthina and his descendants. Its hymns preserve that lineage’s characteristic liturgical style, especially Agni-centered priestly themes and Savitṛ-oriented illumination.
The best-known is 3.62, which contains the Gāyatrī Mantra (3.62.10) addressed to Savitṛ. It is widely recited as a prayer for inspired intellect and divine illumination.
The mandala repeatedly presents Agni as the flawlessly installed Hotṛ and Jātavedas who establishes the sacrifice, carries Soma, and grants immortality and varchas. Indra (often with Agni) is invoked to arrive swiftly for Soma, grow in power through repeated pressings, and secure victory, strength, and nourishment for the sacrificer.