Rig Veda 1.4.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 4, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.4
उप नः सवना गहि सोमस्य सोमपाः पिब । गोदा इद्रेवतो मदः ॥
úpa naḥ savánā́ gahi sómasya soma-pāḥ piba | go-dā́ íd revató mádaḥ ||
અમારા સવનો પાસે આવો; નજીક આવો. હે સોમપા, સોમ પિયો. કારણ કે ગોદા (કિરણો/પ્રકાશ-ધેનુઓ આપનાર) એવો મદ જ રેવત (સમૃદ્ધ) આનંદરસ છે.
Soma-yajña context: invitation to Indra at the savanas (pressings), especially aligned with the Trisavana sequence (morning/midday/evening) in Agniṣṭoma and related Soma rites; functionally an āhvāna (invocation) for Indra to partake of Soma.
Ānanda (mada as conscious delight that empowers), Rita (right order implied by proper offering/arrival at savana), Rayi/Revat (plenitude as spiritual abundance)
Indra’s right victory restores ṛta by breaking the false order of obstruction and releasing true movements.
The ‘cows’ symbolize satya-knowledge; their giving is the manifestation of truth in mind.
Release of light and plenitude through the energizing bliss of Soma.
Integral Vedantic psychology: mind-force becomes divine when nourished by ānanda.
tri-savana cycle (morning/noon/evening)
Pressing = concentration; Soma = refined delight; cows = illuminations; Indra’s drinking = assimilation of bliss into power.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Indra-myth of empowerment through Soma: the divine Force (Indra) is invited to the pressings to drink the delight-essence, becoming capable of releasing the 'cows'—not merely cattle, but the luminous rays/knowledges withheld by darkness. The verse compresses the classic sequence: invocation → Soma-drinking → arising of mada (ecstatic power) → bestowal of go (illumination).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several items preserve archaic Indo-European verbal and semantic patterns: √gam 'go/come' (gahi) aligns with PIE *gʷem- 'to go, come' (cf. Gk. baínō via different root, but Latin venīre is distinct; closer are cognate formations in Indo-Iranian). √pā 'drink' (piba) reflects PIE *peh₃- 'to drink' (cf. Lat. pōtō, Gk. pínō). √mad 'be exhilarated' (mada) continues an Indo-Iranian poetic motif of inspired intoxication (cf. Avestan mad-). The compound strategy soma-pāḥ and go-dāḥ shows productive Vedic compositional morphology, a hallmark of early Indo-European hymn diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- It is reciprocal and transactional in an inner-sacrificial sense: the seer offers Soma (the distilled delight and aspiration) and calls Indra to 'come near' and 'drink'; Indra, strengthened by this conscious delight (mada), returns the gift as go-dāḥ—bestowing illumination/knowledge and revat (plenitude). The 'offering' is thus the seeker’s refined experience and aspiration; the 'dakṣiṇā' is the descent of victorious force and luminous understanding.
Offer concentrated attention (‘pressing’) and invite the higher mind to drink bliss and convert it into insight.
ājñā (illumined mind)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) for 6 rounds to ‘press’ attention; then chant on natural breath.
Energized clarity; luminous enthusiasm without restlessness.
Chant 11 or 21 times; on ‘piba’ feel the head-space filling with cool, clear delight; on ‘godā’ visualize rays descending into thought as precise understandings.
Maintain Vedic accent as in saṃhitā; keep the imperative calls (gahi, piba) crisp and slightly lifted where accented.
Give a clear rise on सोम॑ and सोमपाः where marked; do not over-lengthen short vowels in rapid phrases like upa naḥ.
: light ‘upa’, dental n in naḥ with visarga, : v as soft ‘va’, not ‘wa’, : hard g, short i, : long āḥ with visarga, : long ō quality on go, then dā with long ā
Clear, ringing, confident—like a call to a powerful ally.
21
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
