Rig Veda 1.23.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 23, Mantra 4

Sukta 1.23

Rishi: Medhātithi Kāṇva

Devata: Mitra-Varuṇa

Chandas: Gāyatrī

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

मित्रं वयं हवामहे वरुणं सोमपीतये । जज्ञाना पूतदक्षसा ॥

Transliteration

mitraṃ vayaṃ havāmahe varuṇaṃ somapītaye | jajñānā pūtadakṣasā ||

Translation

Nous invoquons Mitra et Varuṇa pour la libation du Soma — ceux qui, éveillés, sont nés comme puissances au discernement purifié, établissant en nous l’harmonie et la juste loi (ṛta).

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Word by Word

• मित्रम्: Mitra (the god), as object of invocation
• मित्रम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक) < PIE *meh₁- ‘to exchange/measure’ (semantic: contract/friendship)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: कर्तृ
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• हवामहे: we invoke / we call upon
• हवामहे: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ह्वा (ह्वयति/ह्वयते) ‘to call, invoke’

• वरुणम्: Varuṇa (the god), as object of invocation
• वरुणम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)

• सोमपीतये: for Soma-drinking; for the drinking of Soma
• सोमपीतये: सम्प्रदान (प्रयोजन/अर्थे दत्तिः)
• Type: Noun (abstract/purpose) / verbal noun
• Root: सोम-पीति (समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-भाव: ‘Soma-drinking’) < √पा ‘to drink’ (पीत) + -ति (भाववाचक)

• जज्ञानाः: knowing; wise
• जज्ञानाः: कर्तृ (विशेषणम्—‘they, being knowing’)
• Type: Participle (Perfect active) used adjectivally
• Root: √ज्ञा ‘to know’ → जजान (परिपूर्ण) → जज्ञान (परिपूर्ण/वेदिक-परफेक्ट कृदन्त) ‘knowing’

• पूतदक्षसा: with purified might/skill; of purified power
• पूतदक्षसा: करण (सहवाचक-तृतीया; ‘with/through purified power’ as attendant attribute)
• Type: Adjective (compound)
• Root: पूत-दक्षस् (समास: कर्मधारय/बहुव्रीहि-भाव: ‘having purified power/skill’) : पूत (ppp of √पू ‘to purify’) + दक्षस् (नपुंसक ‘power, skill’)