Rig Veda 7.47.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 47, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.47
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Āpaḥ / Sindhavaḥ with Indra’s ordinances referenced
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
शतपवित्राः स्वधया मदन्तीर्देवीर्देवानामपि यन्ति पाथः । ता इन्द्रस्य न मिनन्ति व्रतानि सिन्धुभ्यो हव्यं घृतवज्जुहोत ॥
śatá-pavitrāḥ svadháyā mádantīr devī́r devā́nām ápi yanti pā́thaḥ | tā́ índrasya ná minanti vratā́ni síndhubhyo havyaṃ ghṛtávaj juhota ||
Cien veces purificadoras, gozosas por su propia fuerza, las Diosas avanzan por la senda de los dioses. No quebrantan las ordenanzas de Indra. A los ríos ofreced la oblación, rica en ghṛta (ghṛta).
Word by Word
- शतपवित्राः
- having a hundred strainers (filters)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot शत- + पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वधया
- by/with their own power (svadhā)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदन्तीः
- rejoicing, being exhilaratedParticiple (verbal adjective)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययः (परस्मैपदीय-प्रयोगः)Role KartāRoot मद् (धातु) → मदन्ती (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- देवीः
- the goddessesNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपि
- also, moreoverIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root अपि (निपात)
- यन्ति
- they go, they proceedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot या (धातु)
- पाथः
- the path/wayNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (वेदिक-रूपम्)Role KarmaRoot पाथस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ताः
- those (they)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- इन्द्रस्य
- of IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root न (निपात)
- मिनन्ति
- they diminish/violateVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot मि/मिन् (धातु: ‘to diminish, violate’)
- व्रतानि
- the ordinances, sacred lawsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
- सिन्धुभ्यः
- to/for the rivers (Sindhus)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
- हव्यम्
- the oblation (to be offered)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot हव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- घृतवत्
- rich in ghee, ghee-ladenAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (हव्यं विशेषयति)Role Karma (qualifier)Root घृत + वत् (तद्धित/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- जुहोत
- offer! (pour as oblation)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् (वेदिक-रूपम्)Role KriyāRoot हु (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: शतपवित्राः | स्वधया | मदन्तीः | देवीः | देवानाम् | अपि | यन्ति | पाथः || ताः | इन्द्रस्य | न | मिनन्ति | व्रतानि | सिन्धुभ्यः | हव्यम् | घृतवत् | जुहोत । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) मदन्तीः + देवीः → मदन्तीर्देवीः (र्-आदेशः: ईः + द-आदि) (2) देवीः + देवानाम् → देवीर्देवानाम् (र्-आदेशः) (3) देवानाम् + अपि → देवानामपि (म् + अ → म्-अ, अवग्रह-लोपः) (4) यन्ति + पाथः → यन्ति पाथः (पदसीमा, सन्धि-न) (5) ताः + इन्द्रस्य → ता इन्द्रस्य (आः + इ → आ इ; पदपाठे पृथक्) (6) घृतवत् + जुहोत → घृतवज्जुहोत (त् + ज → ज्ज्, व्यञ्जन-सन्धिः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The divine Waters, hundred-fold in their purifying filters, rejoicing by their own power, travel the path of the gods. They do not violate Indra’s ordinances. Offer an oblation rich with ghee to the rivers.
Inner meaning
The Waters are consciousness-powers with many ‘filters’ (śatapavitrāḥ): numerous discernments and purifications that strain out mixture and false movement. They move spontaneously by svadhā—an innate law/force of their being—along the divine path (pāthaḥ). Because they are aligned to Indra’s vrata (laws of illumined right-working), their flow supports true action and knowledge. The instruction ‘juhota’ becomes inner yajña: pour the clarified light (ghṛtavat) into these streams—feed the purified currents with luminous intention and offering.
Universal truth
Purification is not a single act but a many-layered discernment that aligns our life-stream to higher law. When our inner currents follow that law, offering becomes effective: clarity poured into the flow multiplies clarity in life.
Themes
Purification, Right law (vrata) and divine order, Oblation to flowing powers, Waters as goddesses
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.47.1, RV 7.47.2
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s teaching here is methodical: purification (pavitra), self-law (svadhā), alignment to Indra’s vrata, and offering (havis) as the completion of inner yajña.
Significance
He frames the waters as divine agencies of yoga: they purify, they follow the higher path, and they demand a clarified offering—turning life itself into sacrifice.
The deity
- Devata
- Āpaḥ / Sindhavaḥ (Waters/Rivers)
- Epithets
- Devīḥ (goddesses), Śatapavitrāḥ (hundred-fold purifiers), Svadhā-madantīḥ (rejoicing in self-power)
- Related deities
- Indra, Apāṃ Napāt, Agni
Cosmic role
Purifying and sustaining streams that carry divine order into manifestation; conduits of offering between human and cosmic planes.
Inner power
Capacity to repeatedly cleanse and re-pattern consciousness so it naturally follows the divine path and supports illumined action (Indra’s vrata).
In ritual
Where it is used
River/water offerings and purification sequences; concluding injunction to offer ghṛta-rich oblation to waters/rivers.
श॒तप॑वित्राः स्व॒धया॒ मद॑न्तीर्दे॒वीर्दे॒वाना॒मपि॑ यन्ति॒ पाथ॑: । ता इन्द्र॑स्य॒ न मि॑नन्ति व्र॒तानि॒ सिन्धु॑भ्यो ह॒व्यं घृ॒तव॑ज्जुहोत ॥
श॒तऽप॑वित्राः । स्व॒धया॑ । मद॑न्तीः । दे॒वीः । दे॒वाना॑म् । अपि॑ । य॒न्ति॒ । पाथः॑ । ताः । इन्द्र॑स्य । न । मि॒न॒न्ति॒ । व्र॒तानि॑ । सिन्धु॑ऽभ्यः । ह॒व्यम् । घृ॒तऽव॑त् । जु॒हो॒त॒ ॥
śata-pavitrāḥ | svadhayā | madantīḥ | devīḥ | devānām | api | yanti | pāthaḥ | tāḥ | indrasya | na | minanti | vratāni | sindhu-bhyaḥ | havyam | ghṛta-vat | juhota
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Processional, orderly movement—mirrors ‘path of the gods’ and disciplined flow.
Instills a sense of purification-through-order; encourages ethical and energetic alignment (vrata) in the listener.
- शतपवित्राः (śatapavitrāḥ)
- Literal: hundred-fold purifiers/filters. Symbolic: many-layered inner discernments; repeated purifications across mind-life-body
- स्वधया (svadhayā)
- Literal: by their own power/law. Symbolic: innate right-functioning of divine currents; self-existent order
- देवीः (devīḥ)
- Literal: goddesses. Symbolic: conscious powers, not inert nature
- देवानाम् पाथः (devānām pāthaḥ)
- Literal: path of the gods. Symbolic: trajectory of higher consciousness; ascent/descent in ṛta
- इन्द्रस्य व्रतानि (indrasya vratāni)
- Literal: Indra’s laws/ordinances. Symbolic: laws of illumined right action and truth-seeing
- सिन्धुभ्यः (sindhubhyaḥ)
- Literal: to the rivers. Symbolic: to the streaming life-forces and channels of consciousness
- हव्यं (havyaṃ)
- Literal: oblation. Symbolic: offered substance of aspiration, attention, and will
- घृतवत् (ghṛtavat)
- Literal: rich in ghee. Symbolic: rich in clarity/truth-light (ghṛta)
Explicit injunction to offer (juhota) to the rivers; used in water-related offerings and in Soma ritual sequences where flowing/purifying powers are invoked to carry oblation along the ‘path of the gods’.
At river offerings, cleansing rites, and transitions in soma/oblation contexts; also at beginnings of journeys or important undertakings for ‘clear flow’.
Juhoti (offer) ghee/oblations to waters; sprinkle/cleanse; invoke alignment with Indra’s laws.
A mantra for ‘mental hygiene’: before work or study, recite and visualize filtering distractions; then ‘offer ghṛta’ by dedicating the upcoming action to clarity and truth.
pavitra ‘purifier/strainer’ from √pū ‘to purify’ (pávate ‘purifies/flows’). svadhā: sva- ‘self’ + dhā (√dhā ‘to place, sustain’) → ‘self-sustaining power/innate ordinance’ (distinct from ‘svāhā’). minanti from √mī/min ‘to diminish, harm’. vrata from √vṛ ‘to choose/will; restrain’ → fixed law/observance; in RV often ‘divine ordinance’. juhota from √hu ‘to sacrifice, invoke’.
Ṛta as ‘path of the gods’ (pāthaḥ), Vrata as stable divine law (Indra’s ordinances), Svadhā as inherent self-ordering power
Waters move on the gods’ path—ṛta as the lawful flow of consciousness and life.
Indra’s vrata as satya-in-action: truth organizing will and movement.
Orderly flow as the medium of manifestation; purification as the maintenance of creation’s right functioning.
Symbolic Vedism: cosmic processes mirrored as inner disciplines (pavitra/vrata/yajña).
unspecified
unspecified
Rivers = channels of life and thought; filters = discernment and repeated purification; ghee = clarified light offered into the flow to sustain luminous living.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Waters as divine purifiers traveling the ‘path of the gods’ and faithfully maintaining Indra’s vratas—an image of cosmic energies that both cleanse and uphold the law of victorious light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- mad- ‘rejoice/intoxicate’ (√mad) aligns with Indo-European ecstatic/drink-related semantics; ghṛta (clarified butter, ‘shining’) reflects a shared sacral vocabulary of luminous offerings (though not a single clear PIE etymon, its semantic field parallels IE ‘bright/fat’ ritual substances). The verb √hu ‘to offer’ is an old Vedic sacrificial root with Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan zaoθra- ‘libation’ in ritual context, though not a direct cognate of √hu).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes the Waters as autonomous divine agents (svadhā) aligned with Indra’s law; the human act is to cooperate by offering (juhota), i.e., to feed the cosmic circulation so the inner purification and right movement can continue.
Cultivate ‘hundred-fold filtering’: observe thoughts, emotions, impulses passing through discernment until only the clear current remains; then offer clarified intention into life’s stream.
Breath-as-filter visualization: inhale through ‘pavitra’ (discernment), exhale releasing impurity; end with a brief silent dedication (inner juhoti).
Aligned flow—quiet clarity with ethical firmness (vrata).
Practice in three steps: (1) purification (notice and strain), (2) alignment (choose Indra’s law: truth in thought/speech/action), (3) offering (dedicate the day’s work as ghṛta into the rivers of life).
Tri-svara; emphasize udātta on śatapavitrāḥ, devīḥ, pāthaḥ, indrasya, vratāni, juhota.
Keep ‘śatapavitrāḥ’ articulated clearly as a single strong opening; allow a slight lift on ‘pāthaḥ’ to suggest the path; end with a firm imperative ‘juhota’.
: ‘śata’ clear; ‘vi’ short; retroflex ṭr cluster in ‘trāḥ’, : ‘sv’ cluster; ‘dh’ voiced aspirate, : nasal ‘n’; long īḥ, : dental ‘n’; avoid retroflexing, : ‘ndh’ cluster; ‘bhyaḥ’ clean, : retroflex ṛ; final ‘t’ crisp, : ‘hu’ aspirate; long ‘o’
Clear, rhythmic, slightly directive on the final pāda.
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