Rig Veda 4.49.1: Mandala 4, Sukta 49, Mantra 1
Sukta 4.49
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Indra-Bṛhaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इदं वामास्ये हविः प्रियमिन्द्राबृहस्पती । उक्थं मदश्च शस्यते ॥
idáṃ vām āsyè havíḥ priyám indrā-bṛ́haspatī | uktháṃ mádaś ca śasyate ||
Voici l’offrande chère, disposée pour vos bouches, ô Indra et Bṛhaspati; et l’hymne élevé ainsi que l’ivresse sacrée sont proclamés.
Word by Word
- इदम्
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाम्
- of you two / for you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आस्ये
- in the mouthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot आस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- हविः
- oblationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रियम्
- dear, pleasingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (हविः-विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रा
- O IndraNoun (Deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (द्वन्द्व-सम्बोधनस्य प्रथमाङ्गम्)Role SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहस्पती
- O BṛhaspatiNoun (Deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (द्वन्द्व-सम्बोधनस्य द्वितीयाङ्गम्)Role SambodhanaRoot बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्थम्
- hymn of praiseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot उक्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदः
- joy, exhilaration (intoxicating rapture)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- शस्यते
- is praised / is recitedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot शंस् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) वामास्ये → वाम् + आस्ये (m + ā)
- (2) प्रियामिन्द्राबृहस्पती → प्रियम् + इन्द्रा + बृहस्पती (म् + इ → मि; vocative द्वन्द्व-सम्बोधन)
- (3) मदश्च → मदः + च (visarga before c → श्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
This dear offering is placed for your mouths, O Indra and Bṛhaspati; and the hymn of praise and the ecstasy are being proclaimed.
Inner meaning
The ‘offering for the mouths’ is the prepared substance of experience—purified feelings, energies, and thoughts—presented to the illumined Mind (Indra) and the inspired Word/Truth-power (Bṛhaspati). The uktha (uplifted hymn) is the soul’s articulate aspiration; mada is the uplifting rapture that comes when higher consciousness touches the being. Together they indicate a complete inner sacrifice: aspiration voiced (uktha) and joy released (mada) as the divine powers accept and transform the offering.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes true speech and the mind opens to illumination, inner joy naturally arises; offering one’s experience to higher wisdom and inspired truth transforms life into a conscious sacrifice.
Themes
Offering and hymn, Indra-Bṛhaspati cooperation, Soma ecstasy, Power of sacred speech
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.49.1-3, RV 4.50 (Bṛhaspati hymns; thematic proximity), RV 4.18 (Indra; Vāmadeva)
Family tradition
In Maṇḍala 4, Vāmadeva frequently pairs Indra with powers of the Word, showing illumination and inspired speech acting together for inner conquest.
Significance
Vāmadeva here embodies the seer-priest: he offers both substance (havis) and articulation (uktha), seeking a transformation that yields uplifted joy (mada).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra-Bṛhaspati (dual)
- Epithets
- Illuminer and Lord of the Word, Breakers of obstruction (Indra) and openers of the path (Bṛhaspati), Acceptors of Soma/offerings (contextual)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Sarasvatī, Maruts
Cosmic role
Indra releases the lights and waters by overcoming Vṛtra; Bṛhaspati establishes the true order through the creative Word, opening the hidden treasure (light/knowledge).
Inner power
Indra: decisive illumination and force of right discernment; Bṛhaspati: inspired speech, mantra-shakti, and the power to build the inner truth-structure.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña / Indra-Bṛhaspati offering sequences; recited as offering is set forth and praise begins
इ॒दं वा॑मा॒स्ये॑ ह॒विः प्रि॒यमि॑न्द्राबृहस्पती । उ॒क्थं मद॑श्च शस्यते ॥
इ॒दम् । वा॒म् । आ॒स्ये॑ । ह॒विः । प्रि॒यम् । इ॒न्द्रा॒बृ॒ह॒स्प॒ती॒ इति॑ । उ॒क्थम् । मदः॑ । च॒ । श॒स्य॒ते॒ ॥
idam | vām | āsye | haviḥ | priyam | indrābṛhaspatī iti | uktham | madaḥ | ca | śasyate
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; balanced dual-invocation phrasing
Stately and declarative; suited to establishing the offering and proclaiming the hymn.
Centers and elevates; supports clear enunciation (Bṛhaspati) and confident invocation (Indra).
- ह॒विः (haviḥ)
- Literal: offering. Symbolic: purified substance of nature—thought, emotion, energy—offered to higher powers
- आ॒स्ये (āsye)
- Literal: in/for the mouth. Symbolic: for reception and assimilation by the divine consciousness; what is ‘taken in’ and transformed
- प्रि॒यम् (priyam)
- Literal: dear, pleasing. Symbolic: offering made sincere and harmonious, fit for the gods
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind, illuminer, breaker of obstruction
- बृहस्पति (bṛhaspati)
- Literal: Bṛhaspati. Symbolic: truth-word, inspired intelligence, priest of the soul
- उ॒क्थम् (uktham)
- Literal: solemn hymn. Symbolic: uprising speech of aspiration that shapes consciousness
- मदः (madaḥ)
- Literal: intoxication, ecstasy. Symbolic: uplifted delight/rapture from Soma-like touch of higher consciousness
- शस्यते (śasyate)
- Literal: is praised/proclaimed. Symbolic: active self-expression of the soul that calls and confirms the divine presence
Soma-yajña / praise sequence: offering presented to Indra and Bṛhaspati; uktha recitation accompanies Soma exhilaration (mada).
At moments of presenting havis/Soma and reciting uktha in dual-invocation hymns
Presentation of offering; śastra/uktha recitation; invitation to accept and empower
Before study, teaching, or important speech: offer the mind’s contents to illumination and truth-word; then speak/act from clarity and inspired intelligence.
havis from √hu ‘to pour, offer, invoke’. āsya ‘mouth’ from √as ‘to be’ with nominal development; in Vedic, mouth is the locus of reception/utterance. bṛhaspati: bṛhat ‘vast’ + pati ‘lord’ → lord of vast speech/prayer. uktha from √vac/√ukṣ? (ukthá as ‘hymn’ in Vedic technical lexicon). mada from √mad ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’ (also intoxicating Soma-rapture), psychologically ‘ecstatic widening’.
Word-power (Bṛhaspati) shaping consciousness, Illumined force (Indra) enabling victory over obstruction, Delight/ecstasy as widening (mada)
Bṛhaspati’s Word establishes ṛta; Indra’s force clears obstacles so ṛta can act in life.
Uktha as truth-speaking; the offering becomes ‘priya’ when aligned with satya.
Word and Light cooperate to manifest higher consciousness in the human vessel.
Vedic mantra-psychology leading toward Upaniṣadic emphasis on vāk/prāṇa and vidyā; aligns with Aurobindo’s Word-Light synthesis.
Offering = inner substance; mouth = assimilation; ecstasy = Ananda response when mind and word open to higher truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of the ‘offering to the mouths’ of the gods, paired with hymn and ecstasy. Inwardly, the prepared offering is a state of consciousness placed for assimilation by illumined force (Indra) and vast word-power (Bṛhaspati), while the uktha and mada indicate the rise of inspired speech and widened delight.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad ‘rejoice/intoxicate’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan mad-), tied to sacral exhilaration. pati ‘lord’ continues PIE *pótis. The coupling of offering (havis) and hymn (uktha) reflects an inherited IE poetics of reciprocity: gift + praise.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi presents the offering as ‘’—harmonized with the gods—and simultaneously proclaims uktha and mada: the human gives substance and speech; the gods respond by empowering speech (Bṛhaspati) and victorious force (Indra), producing ecstasy as a sign of effective communion.
Consecrate speech and mind: inwardly offer thoughts to Indra (clarity) and Bṛhaspati (truth-word).
Viśuddha (speech) and Ājñā (illumined mind)
Gentle ujjāyī or slow coherent breathing while mentally repeating key names: ‘Indra—Bṛhaspati’.
Quietly uplifted, receptive, articulate clarity.
Before mantra-japa or journaling, pause: ‘This is my havis.’ Offer the day’s mental/emotional substance. Then speak inwardly one clear aspiration (uktha). Rest and allow a calm joy (mada) to arise without excitement.
Keep the dual-name compound indrābṛhaspatī smoothly connected; observe udātta prominence on key nouns (haviḥ, uktham) per śākhā.
Do not over-pause between indrā and bṛhaspatī; treat as one invocation. Let the cadence settle on śasyate with a clear finish.
(indrābṛhaspatī): long ā after indrā; aspirated bh in bṛha-, (uktham): kh aspirate; avoid ‘uktam’, (madaś ca): keep sandhi clear; ca light
Steady, resonant, priestly; clear diction to honor Bṛhaspati’s Word-power.
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