Rig Veda 2.41.21: Mandala 2, Sukta 41, Mantra 21
Sukta 2.41
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Viśve Devāḥ / ritual assembly of gods
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
आ वामुपस्थमद्रुहा देवाः सीदन्तु यज्ञियाः । इहाद्य सोमपीतये ॥
ā́ vām upá-stham adruhā devā́ḥ sīdantu yajñíyāḥ | ihā́dyá sóma-pītaye ||
Que hoy, aquí, en vuestro asiento sin tacha, oh vosotros dos, se sienten los dioses dignos del sacrificio; aquí, hoy — para beber el Soma.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither; towardsIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग (गत्यर्थे ‘towards, hither’)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- वाम्
- you two (to/for you two)Pronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी द्विवचन (enclitic form ‘वाम्’)Role Karma (गत्यर्थे ‘आ’ सह) / संबन्ध (contextual)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उपस्थम्
- lap; seat; presenceNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (सीदन्तु—‘sit (into) the lap/seat’)Root उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रुहा
- non-deceitful; non-hostileAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (देवाः इति विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (देवाः सह)Root अ-द्रुह् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सीदन्तु
- let (them) sit; may (they) sitVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे/विधिलिङ्गार्थे), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √सद् (सीदति) ‘to sit’
- यज्ञियाः
- worthy of sacrifice; sacrificialAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (देवाः इति विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (देवाः सह)Root यज्ञिय (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + यत्/इय प्रत्यय)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इह (अव्यय)
- अद्य
- today; nowIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अद्य (अव्यय)
- सोमपीतये
- for the drinking of SomaNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन (दातृ/प्रयोजनार्थे)Role Sampradāna / प्रयोजन (सीदन्तु—‘for Soma-drinking’)Root सोमपीति (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + पीति ‘drinking’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आ | वाम् | उपस्थम् | अद्रुहा | देवाः | सीदन्तु | यज्ञियाः | इह | अद्य | सोमपीतये । विशेषम्: (1) ‘आ’ उपसर्गः गत्यर्थे
- ‘आ वाम्’ = ‘you two, hither/unto you two’. (2) ‘अद्रुहा’ = नञ्-पूर्वक ‘द्रुह्’ (द्रोह/हिंसा) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
- RV-प्रयोगे प्रथमा बहुवचनं देवेषु. (3) ‘सोमपीतये’ दत्वर्थ-चतुर्थी: ‘सोमस्य पीतये’ (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजन). (4) मन्त्रलेखने ‘इहाद्य’ इति संहितायां ‘इह + अद्य’ (स्वर-संयोगेन) इति ग्रहणीयम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let the gods worthy of sacrifice sit today here on your faultless seat, for the drinking of Soma.
Inner meaning
The ‘seat’ (upastha) is the prepared inner foundation—pure, undeceiving (adruhā): a consciousness free from self-deception and crooked motive. When such a seat is established, the yajñiya devāḥ—higher powers that truly aid the sacrifice—can ‘sit’ (sīdantu): become present and operative in us. Soma-drinking is the reception of divine delight (ānanda) that illumines and unifies; it is not mere ritual beverage but the nectar of a higher consciousness taken into the being.
Universal truth
When we prepare an honest, undistorted inner space, higher qualities naturally descend and settle; then a deeper delight can be received that nourishes and transforms life.
Themes
Invitation to sit, Soma communion, Assembly of gods, Faultless support
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Bhārgava)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu/Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 1.3 (gods seated for Soma), RV 9 (Soma hymns—delight as divine essence)
Family tradition
Closing invocations often ‘seat’ the gods in the rite; psychologically, this is establishing stable receptivity for higher forces.
Significance
The rishi indicates a key yogic condition: sincerity (adruhā) creates the seat where higher powers can abide and Soma-delight can be received.
The deity
- Devata
- Viśve Devāḥ (all the gods) / yajñiya devāḥ
- Epithets
- Yajñiyāḥ (worthy of sacrifice), Adruhā-seat associated (faultless support)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Sarasvatī, Dyāvā-Pṛthivī
Cosmic role
Collective divine powers that uphold the cosmic order and respond to right offering; they assemble to partake of Soma.
Inner power
Integration of multiple higher faculties—illumination, strength, harmony, joy—gathering in the seeker to receive and distribute delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma rite invitation for devas to take their seats and drink Soma
आ वा॑मु॒पस्थ॑मद्रुहा दे॒वाः सी॑दन्तु य॒ज्ञिया॑: । इ॒हाद्य सोम॑पीतये ॥
आ । वा॒म् । उ॒पऽस्थ॑म् । अ॒द्रु॒हा॒ । दे॒वाः । सी॒द॒न्तु॒ । य॒ज्ञियाः॑ । इ॒ह । अ॒द्य । सोम॑ऽपीतये ॥
ā | vām | upa-stham | adruhā | devāḥ | sīdantu | yajñiyāḥ | iha | adya | soma-pītaye
44
4 × 11 (compact invitation cadence)
Invitational and settling rhythm; a ‘calling in’ followed by repose.
Creates a sense of gathering and inward seating; prepares for receptive, bliss-inviting meditation.
- उपस्थम् (upastham)
- Literal: lap, seat, support, resting place. Symbolic: prepared inner base—steady attention and receptivity
- अद्रुहा (adruhā)
- Literal: non-deceiving, not injuring, faultless. Symbolic: sincerity and straightness; absence of self-deception in sadhana
- देवाः यज्ञियाः (devāḥ yajñiyāḥ)
- Literal: gods worthy of sacrifice. Symbolic: higher powers/qualities that truly help transformation (light, strength, harmony, joy)
- सीदन्तु (sīdantu)
- Literal: let them sit. Symbolic: let these powers become established, not fleeting inspirations
- सोमपीतये (soma-pītaye)
- Literal: for Soma-drinking. Symbolic: to receive divine delight/immortalizing sweetness into consciousness
Āsana/niṣadana motif: inviting the gods to sit at the rite for Soma drinking; a standard Soma-yajña liturgical move to establish presence and communion.
During āhvāna and āsana (seating) moments of the ritual sequence
Invitation and seating of deities; preparation for Soma offering/drinking
Use at the start of meditation to ‘seat’ higher qualities in oneself; then rest in a felt sense of inner sweetness (Soma).
upastha ‘seat/lap’ from upa- ‘near’ + √sthā ‘stand’ → a near-standing place, support. adruhā from a- ‘not’ + druh ‘injure/deceive’ (√druh) → non-deceitful, faithful supports. sīdantu from √sad ‘sit’ (PIE *sed- ‘sit’). yajñiya from yajña + -iya ‘fit for’ → worthy of the offering. soma-pītaye: √pā ‘drink’ with -ti nominal.
Saṅgati (gathering of powers), Ānanda (Soma-delight), R̥ta (faultless seat/support: adruhā)
Only yajñiya devāḥ—powers aligned with ṛta—are invited to settle; sincerity (adruhā) is a condition of ṛta.
Adruhā implies satya in motive—truthfulness that allows stable descent of powers.
Divine delight (Soma) nourishes the gods/powers, enabling them to shape and uplift creation.
Yogic-Vedāntic reading: Soma as ānanda; devas as inner faculties.
day (explicit: adya, today)
Seat = stable attention; Soma = sweetness of concentrated consciousness; the divine ‘assembly’ = harmonized inner powers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘divine assembly at Soma’ mythologem: gods are invited to take their seat and drink Soma. Innerly, it is the settling of higher powers into a stable support in the practitioner, enabling the descent/participation of illumination.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sad ‘sit’ is PIE *sed- (Latin sedēre, English sit is Germanic but same PIE root). √sthā in upastha is PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’. These basic posture verbs are central to IE ritual language: ‘come, sit, stand, drink’ as performative imperatives.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi acts as host: he prepares a ‘faultless seat’ (adruhā upastha) and requests the gods to take their place for Soma. The reciprocity is communion: divine powers accept the offering and, by their presence, transform the human field.
Prepare an undeceiving inner seat (sincere attention), invite higher qualities to settle, then receive the Soma-sweetness as quiet joy.
sahasrāra (descent of higher powers) and ājñā (clarity/sincerity)
4-6 breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6) while inwardly repeating ‘sīdantu’ to invite settling
receptive stillness with gentle bliss
Check for ‘adruhā’: remove subtle self-justification. Then invite: ‘Let light, strength, harmony, joy sit here.’ Rest; allow a natural sweetness to rise without grasping.
Invitational rise on ‘ā vām’ and ‘devāḥ’; settle downward on ‘sīdantu’; soften and lengthen into ‘somapītaye’.
Keep ‘adruhā’ distinct (moral-psychic emphasis); pause slightly after ‘yajñiyāḥ’ to feel the ‘worthy powers’ arrive.
(ā vām): long ā; vām nasalized lightly if following sandhi in recitation, (u-pa-stham): ‘sth’ cluster clean, no extra vowel, (a-dru-hā): ‘dr’ cluster; long ā, (so-ma-pī-ta-ye): long ī; ‘ye’ clear, not ‘yai’
welcoming, soft, steady; end with a gentle sweetness
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