Rig Veda 8.87.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 87, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.87
- Rishi
- Priyamedha
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
पिबतं घर्मं मधुमन्तमश्विना बर्हिः सीदतं नरा । ता मन्दसाना मनुषो दुरोण आ नि पातं वेदसा वयः ॥
pibatam gharmaṃ madhumantam aśvinā barhiḥ sīdatam narā | tā mandasānā manuṣo duroṇa ā ni pātaṃ vedasā vayaḥ ||
Drink the warm draught, honeyed with delight, O Aśvins; sit upon the sacred seat, O two heroes. Rejoicing, come to the human dwelling and bring down (into us) the powers of plenitude by your true knowing.
Word by Word
- पिबतम्
- drink (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root पा (पिबति)
- घर्मम्
- the hot drink/oblation (gharma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot घर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुमन्तम्
- honeyed, sweetAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (घर्मम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root मधुमन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + मन्त्)
- अश्विना
- O Aśvins (you two)Noun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- बर्हिः
- the sacrificial grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole अधिकारण (आसन/स्थल-भावे) अथवा कर्म (सीदतं इति क्रियायाः)Root बर्हिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सीदतम्
- sit down (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root सद् (सीदति)
- नरा
- O two men/heroesNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- ता
- those two (they/you two)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (अश्विनौ)Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्दसानाः
- rejoicing, exhilaratedParticiple (Adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (ता इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root मन्द् (धातु) → मन्दसान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; मध्यम/आत्मनेपद-भावः)
- मनुषः
- of Manu / of the man (the sacrificer’s line)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मनु (प्रातिपदिक) → मनुष्य (जन-नाम)
- दुरोणे
- in the house/dwellingNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot दुरोण (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinableउपसर्गः (पा/पत्-क्रिययोः सह)Role (क्रिया-विशेषक)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- नि
- down, inIndeclinableउपसर्गः (पा/पत्-क्रिययोः सह)Role (क्रिया-विशेषक)Root नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पातम्
- drink (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root पा (पिबति) / (वेदिके) पा ‘पिबत’ इत्यर्थे लोट्
- वेदसा
- with knowledge/skill (ritual know-how)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot वेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वयः
- refreshment; vital strength/foodNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved sandhi/pada-division: मधु॑मन्तम् + अश्वि॒ना → मधुमन्तम् अश्विना
- ब॒र्हिः सी॑दतं → बर्हिः | सीदतम्
- ता म॑न्दसा॒ना → ता मन्दसानाः (प्रथमा-द्विवचन)
- मनु॑षो दुरो॒ण → मनुषः दुरोणे
- आ नि → आ | नि
- पा॑तं॒ वेद॑सा॒ वय॑: → पातम् वेदसा वयः. Accents are retained as in Saṃhitā text
- analysis is on resolved padas
The meaning
Inner meaning
The ‘warm draught’ (gharma) is the warmed offering—psychologically, the heat of tapas transformed into a sweet nourishment (madhumantam). The Aśvins are invited to ‘sit on the barhis’—to take their place in the prepared consciousness (the spread seat = a made-ready field of receptivity). ‘Rejoicing’ (mandasānā), they enter the human house (manuṣo duroṇa): the embodied life. Then they ‘bring down’ (ā ni pātaṃ) vayas—vigorous powers/strengths of growth—by vedasā, by their luminous knowledge: divine discernment organizing the descent of force into life. This is integral yoga: not escape from the house of man, but a divine visitation that installs higher energies within it.
Universal truth
When aspiration is heated by discipline and sweetened by devotion, higher help can ‘sit’ in the prepared mind and bring down real powers for life. True knowledge is not abstract—it is a descending force that nourishes growth.
Themes
Hospitality-to-gods, Descent-of-delight, Knowledge-powered-plenitude
The seer
- Rishi
- Priyamedha (probable hymn-family attribution)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa (traditional association, not uniformly fixed)
- Other hymns
- RV 8.87.1, RV 8.87 (hymn context)
Family tradition
Priyamedha line emphasizes effective invocation and the descent of beneficent powers into human life.
Significance
The seer frames the sacrifice as a meeting-place: divine powers seated in the prepared consciousness, bringing down vayas through vedas—knowledge as force.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- aśvinā, narā, mandasānā (rejoicing ones, contextual)
- Related deities
- Agni (inner heat/tapas), Soma (sweetness), Savitṛ (impulsion/bringing down)
Cosmic role
Receivers and enhancers of offerings; mediators who bring divine energies into the human domain.
Inner power
They convert tapas into honeyed vitality, seat themselves in receptivity, and precipitate growth-forces through luminous knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin Soma offering / Pravargya-adjacent thematic (gharma is also a technical term in Pravargya, though here used as warm draught).
पिब॑तं घ॒र्मं मधु॑मन्तमश्वि॒ना ब॒र्हिः सी॑दतं नरा । ता म॑न्दसा॒ना मनु॑षो दुरो॒ण आ नि पा॑तं॒ वेद॑सा॒ वय॑: ॥
पिब॑तम् । घ॒र्मम् । मधु॑ऽमन्तम् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । आ । ब॒र्हिः । सी॒द॒त॒म् । न॒रा॒ । ता । म॒न्द॒सा॒ना । मनु॑षः । दु॒रो॒णे । आ । नि । पा॒च॒म् । वेद॑सा । वयः॑ ॥
pibatam | gharmam | madhu-mantam | aśvinā | ā | barhiḥ | sīdatam | narā | tā | mandasānā | manuṣaḥ | duroṇe | ā | ni | pācam | vedasā | vayaḥ
Likely Gāyatrī (or a close short meter), consistent with brisk Aśvin invitations in this hymn
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3×8 (probable)
Compact, imperative-driven, with quick turns—suited to invitation and descent verbs.
Stimulates warmth and receptivity; the listener feels ‘energized calm’—heat made sweet.
- घर्म (gharma)
- Literal: warm drink, heat. Symbolic: tapas-heat refined into usable energy; warmth of consecrated effort
- मधुमन्त (madhumant)
- Literal: honeyed, sweet. Symbolic: delight mixed with effort; sweetness that makes discipline fruitful
- बर्हिः (barhiḥ)
- Literal: sacrificial grass seat. Symbolic: prepared receptive consciousness; a purified foundation for divine presence
- मन्दसान (mandasāna)
- Literal: rejoicing, exhilarated. Symbolic: divine joy responding to sincere offering
- दुरोण (duroṇa)
- Literal: house, dwelling. Symbolic: the embodied being; the human life-field
- वेदसा (vedasā)
- Literal: by knowledge. Symbolic: luminous discernment-power that guides descent and right distribution of energies
- वयः (vayaḥ)
- Literal: vigor, strength, vital powers. Symbolic: forces of growth, life-energy uplifted and organized by higher knowledge
Invitation for Aśvins to sit on barhis and drink the offering; typical of Soma/gharma-related offerings (Pravargya associations possible due to gharma).
Morning/dawn offerings; invitation to seat the Aśvins and offer warm sweet drink.
Offering (pibataṃ), seating (sīdataṃ), and request for descent of powers (ā ni pātaṃ).
Before asana/pranayama: chant to ‘warm and sweeten’ effort and invite harmonizing help into the body.
gharma- ‘heat, warm drink’ from √ghṛ/√ghar ‘to heat, glow’; psychologically tapas-like warmth that carries delight (madhu). barhis is the ‘spread’ seat (√bṛh/√stṛ semantic field of spreading), inwardly the prepared consciousness for reception. √mand ‘rejoice’ indicates the glad acceptance of the offering. vedasā instrumental of veda ‘knowing’ (√vid ‘to know’; PIE *weid-). ni- marks descent into the embodied field.
Veda (true knowing as operative power), Descent of powers into embodiment (ā + ni)
Right seating on barhis implies ordered receptivity; vedasā ensures right measure in the descent.
Vedasā as truth-knowing that makes energies trustworthy and formative.
Transformation of heat into life-power; divine entry into human dwelling—sanctifying embodied existence.
Integral Yoga reading: tapas + ananda + knowledge as the triad for descent into life.
dawn
Inner heat refined into sweet vitality; prepared ground of consciousness receiving divine presence; energies descending into embodied life.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine guests enter the human house and bring down powers: the Aśvins are invited to the prepared seat and asked to ‘bring down’ vigor by knowledge. Mythically it is sacred hospitality; psychologically it is the descent of higher twin energies into the embodied dwelling, carrying delight and strength.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vedasā from √vid reflects PIE *weid- ‘see/know’ (cf. Greek oida). The dual imperatives (pibatam, sīdatam) preserve archaic dual grammar, a hallmark of early IE poetic diction especially in twin-deity hymns.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi prepares the barhis (inner foundation) and offers the honeyed heat; the Aśvins reciprocate by entering the human domain and installing ‘vayaḥ’—effective powers—through their veda (luminous knowing).
Feel tapas as warmth, then invite sweetness; allow knowledge to ‘bring down’ strength into the body.
Manipura (heat/tapas) and Anahata (sweetness/rejoicing)
Kapalabhati 3 rounds (gentle), then settle into slow breathing; chant on exhale to ‘seat’ the Aśvins on barhis (receptive mind).
Warm, receptive, quietly joyful.
Visualize a golden seat in the heart-space; invite the twin helpers to sit there. With each exhale, let ‘vayaḥ’ descend as steady strength into spine and limbs, guided by clear discernment (vedasā).
Maintain crisp imperatives ‘pibataṃ’ and ‘sīdataṃ’; keep a gentle lift on ‘ā ni pātaṃ’ to enact descent. Exact udatta markings depend on pada accents.
Pause after ‘aśvinā’ and ‘narā’ vocatives; let ‘vedasā vayaḥ’ be articulated clearly as the key request.
: ‘gh’ voiced aspirate; do not reduce to ‘garm’, : visarga lightly audible; ‘rh’ cluster clear, : retroflex ‘ṇ’, : separate ‘ā’ and ‘ni’ cleanly; avoid merging
Warm, inviting, slightly smiling tone; clear diction.
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