Rig Veda 4.48.2: Mandala 4, Sukta 48, Mantra 2
Sukta 4.48
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Vāyu
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh/Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
निर्युवाणो अशस्तीर्नियुत्वाँ इन्द्रसारथिः । वायवा चन्द्रेण रथेन याहि सुतस्य पीतये ॥
nír-yuvāṇó áśastīr niyútvāṃ índra-sārathiḥ | vāyavā candréṇa ráthena yā́hi sutásya pītáye ||
Chassant les paroles mensongères, attelé aux puissances ordonnées, avec Indra pour cocher — ô Vāyu, viens sur ton char resplendissant au breuvage du Soma pressé.
Word by Word
- निर्
- out, forth (as a preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root निस् (उपसर्ग) → निः/निर्
- युवाणः
- young, youthfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (इन्द्रसारथिः का विशेषण)Root युवन् (प्रातिपदिक) / यु (युज्) से व्युत्पन्न ‘युवा’
- अशस्तीः
- (un)praised ones; lack of praises / non-hymnsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अ-शस्ति (प्रातिपदिक) < शंस्/शस् ‘to praise’ → शस्ति ‘praise’
- नियुत्वान्
- having a yoked team; with paired steedsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (इन्द्रसारथिः का विशेषण)Root नियुत्वन्त् (प्रातिपदिक) < नियुत् ‘yoked team, pair (of horses)’
- इन्द्रसारथिः
- Indra’s charioteer (i.e., Vāyu)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र-सारथि (समास; सारथि < √सृ/सर् ‘to go’ → ‘driver’)
- वायवा
- O VāyuNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Vedic voc. -a)Role सम्बोधनRoot वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- चन्द्रेण
- with the shining/bright (one)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- रथेन
- with the chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- याहि
- come/goVerbलोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot √या (to go)
- सुतस्य
- of the pressed SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root सुत (ppp/kṛdanta from √सु ‘to press (Soma)’)
- पीतये
- for drinkingNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (purpose)Root पीति (प्रातिपदिक) < √पा ‘to drink’
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: निर्युवाणो → निर् + युवाणः (visarga before y becomes r: निः + य → निर् + य)
- अश॑स्तीर्नि॒युत्वाँ॒ → अशस्तीः + नियुत्वान् (final -īḥ before n becomes -īr: ईः + न → ईर् + न)
- वाय॒वा → vocative of वायु with Vedic ending -वा
- चन्द्रेण रथेन: two instrumentals in apposition (‘with the bright chariot’ / ‘with the bright one, with the chariot’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Driving out the unpraised/evil things, yoked with niyuts, with Indra as charioteer—O Vāyu, come with your shining chariot to drink the pressed Soma.
Inner meaning
The life-force becomes fit for Soma when it expels ‘aśastīḥ’—falsehoods, distortions, unworthy vibrations. With Indra as ‘sārathi’ (charioteer), the illumined mind governs prāṇa, guiding it away from error and into right movement. Then Vāyu arrives in luminous motion to receive Soma: delight can be held only when mind leads and breath-energy is purified.
Universal truth
Bliss is sustainable when the life-energy is purified of false movements and guided by clear intelligence; otherwise delight is lost to confusion and impulse.
Themes
Purification, Protection from hostile forces, Soma assimilation, Indra-Vāyu coordination
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.47.3, RV 4.48.1, RV 4.48.3
Family tradition
Vāmadeva frequently pairs purification with illumination: first the expulsion of the ‘covering’ influences, then the reception of Soma. This verse makes the governance principle explicit: Indra steers Vāyu.
Significance
A concise yogic psychology: purification (nir-yuvāṇa), regulation (niyut), right guidance (Indra-sārathi), then delight (Soma).
The deity
- Devata
- Vāyu (guided by Indra)
- Epithets
- niyutvān (with yoked energies), indra-sārathiḥ (Indra as charioteer), candreṇa rathena (shining chariot)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Vāyu as mover and carrier; Indra as director of victorious intelligence—together they enable right movement toward Soma.
Inner power
Prāṇa under the rule of illumination: capacity to throw out falsehood and maintain a luminous, steady force receptive to ānanda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma yajña—Vāyu invitation with emphasis on purification and guidance
नि॒र्यु॒वा॒णो अश॑स्तीर्नि॒युत्वाँ॒ इन्द्र॑सारथिः । वाय॒वा च॒न्द्रेण॒ रथे॑न या॒हि सु॒तस्य॑ पी॒तये॑ ॥
निः॒ऽयु॒वा॒नः । अश॑स्तीः । नि॒युत्वा॑न् । इन्द्र॑ऽसारथिः । वायो॒ इति॑ । आ । च॒न्द्रेणे॑ । रथे॑न । या॒हि । सु॒तस्य॑ । पी॒तये॑ ॥
niḥ-yuvānaḥ | aśastīḥ | niyutvān | indra-sārathiḥ | vāyo iti | ā | candreṇe | rathena | yāhi | sutasya | pītaye
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Purifying, decisive opening phrase; then smooth refrain—like clearing a path and then moving swiftly.
Helps cut through mental noise; supports a feeling of guided breath and clean vitality.
- निर्युवाणः (niryuvāṇaḥ)
- Literal: driving out, casting away. Symbolic: Active purification; rejection of false movements
- अशस्तीः (aśastīḥ)
- Literal: unpraised, blameworthy things. Symbolic: Falsehoods, negative formations, wrong suggestions in mind-life
- नियुत्वान् (niyutvān)
- Literal: possessing niyuts. Symbolic: Disciplined prāṇa currents; regulated energies
- इन्द्रसारथिः (indra-sārathiḥ)
- Literal: with Indra as charioteer. Symbolic: Illumined mind governing life-force; higher discernment steering action
- चन्द्रेण रथेन (candreṇa rathena)
- Literal: with shining chariot. Symbolic: Brightened vital vehicle after purification
- सुतस्य पीतये (sutasya pītaye)
- Literal: to drink pressed Soma. Symbolic: To receive distilled ānanda born of concentrated practice
Soma-yajña: purification and protection motif before Soma reception; inwardly, removal of hostile formations before delight is assimilated.
During Vāyu-related Soma offerings; also suitable as a protective invocation before Soma-drinking rites.
Calling Vāyu to Soma; implicitly warding off the unfit influences (aśastīḥ).
Use at the start of practice sessions to clear distractions and place breath under the guidance of clear seeing (Indra).
nir- ‘out’ + yuvāṇa- (participle related to √yu/√yū ‘to separate, keep away; to yoke/unyoke’—Vedic formations vary) here in sense ‘driving out’. a-śastī-: neg. prefix a- + śasti ‘praise’ (√śaṃs ‘to praise, recite’) → ‘non-praises’, hostile speech/forces. sārathi ‘charioteer’ from sa- + ratha. The compound indrā-sārathi encodes governance: Indra (illumined mind) steers Vāyu (life-force).
Removal of falsehood/negation (aśastī-), Mind governing life (Indra-sārathi), R̥ta-guided movement (niyut-)
Indra as charioteer symbolizes ṛta’s governance: energies move by right law, not impulse.
Casting out ‘aśastīḥ’ is a movement toward satya—truth in thought and force.
Purification precedes manifestation of delight; the ‘vehicle’ is remade luminous.
Integral yoga psychology: mind must lead life; purified prāṇa becomes instrument for higher consciousness.
Morning
Breath clears inner atmosphere; guided by higher mind, it becomes a luminous carrier for bliss.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘expelling hostile speech/forces’ before divine enjoyment. In the inner sense, the life-force must clear negations and distortions (aśastīḥ) under the guidance of illumined mind (Indra as charioteer) to receive Soma rightly.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śaṃs ‘praise/recite’ is part of the inherited sacral-poetic register (cf. Avestan forms in yasna traditions). The chariot governance metaphor (sārathi) parallels IE heroic diction where the ‘driver’ symbolizes controlling intelligence over power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi invokes not only arrival but transformation: Vāyu is asked to come already in the act of expelling inner falsehoods, indicating the deity’s function as purifier within the practitioner, coordinated by Indra’s discerning guidance.
Purify and steer prāṇa with the light of discernment; then open to subtle joy.
Ājñā (guidance) regulating Maṇipūra (force) and Anāhata (breath).
3 rounds: inhale—mentally ‘Indra’; exhale—‘nir-yuvāṇa’ (casting out). Then settle into smooth breathing while sensing sweetness at the heart/throat.
Clear, directed, uplifted.
When distractions arise, recall ‘indra-sārathi’: place attention in the forehead, let breath follow a steady rhythm, and gently reject the false suggestion without struggle.
Lift on ‘niryuvāṇo’ and ‘indra-sārathiḥ’; keep refrain smooth and luminous; finish softly on ‘pītaye’.
Make ‘aśastīḥ’ crisp (as the object cast out); give a clean pause after first pāda before the refrain.
niryuvāṇo: clear ‘nir-’, long ā in -vā-, retroflex ṇ, aśastīḥ: short a-, palatal ś, long īḥ ending, niyutvān: long ān, clear y, indra-sārathiḥ: long ā in sā-, dental th, visarga ḥ audible lightly, candreṇa: nd cluster clean
Cleansing, bright, slightly forceful at start; soften into the refrain.
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