Sukta 48
Rishi: Not specified in the excerpt (svastivācana formulaic unit)
Devata: Chandas (Gāyatrī) personified; ‘Śyena’ as carrier-form
Chandas: Gāyatrī (explicit)
Cette brève svastivācana (formule d’auspice) mobilise la force protectrice des mètres védiques (chandas) afin d’assurer au sacrifiant une progression sûre et ininterrompue à travers le rite. En « saisissant » rituellement (rabh-) les formes porteuses — Śyena avec Gāyatrī, Ṛbhu avec Jagatī et Vṛṣan avec Triṣṭubh —, l’officiant est conduit jusqu’à l’achèvement suprême du yajña, scellé par le svāhā final.
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
Tu es le Taureau; ton mètre est le Triṣṭubh : conformément à lui, je te saisis. Dans la sûreté, porte-moi tout entier jusqu’à l’extrémité la plus lointaine du sacrifice — 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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