Rig Veda 10.24.6: Mandala 10, Sukta 24, Mantra 6
Sukta 10.24
- Rishi
- Vimadá
- Devata
- Aśvinā / Nāsatyau
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
मधुमन्मे परायणं मधुमत्पुनरायनम् । ता नो देवा देवतया युवं मधुमतस्कृतम् ॥
mádhu-man me parā́yaṇaṃ mádhu-mat púnar-ā́yanam | tā́ no devā devátayā yuváṃ mádhu-matas kṛtám ||
मेरा निकलना मीठा हो और वापस आना भी मीठा हो। हे देवता, अपनी शक्ति से तुम दोनों इन दोनों चीज़ों को हमारे लिए मीठा बना दो।
Word by Word
- मधु॑मत्
- honey-sweet, sweetenedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणम् (कर्म/प्रथमा-सम्बन्धः) — ‘प॒राय॑णम्’ इत्यस्यRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप् (-मत्)
- मे
- of me / myPronounषष्ठी एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘मम’Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प॒राय॑णम्
- going forth; departure; course/wayNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ/वाक्य-विषयः (नामपदम्) — ‘(इदं) परायणम्’Root पर + अयन (प्रातिपदिक ‘अयन’ < √इ ‘to go’)
- मधु॑मत्
- honey-sweet, sweetenedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणम् — ‘पुनरायनम्’ इत्यस्यRoot मधु + मतुप् (-मत्)
- पुन॒राय॑नम्
- returning; return-journey; coming backNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ/वाक्य-विषयः (समुच्चितम्) — ‘(इदं) पुनरायनम्’Root पुनर् + अयन (प्रातिपदिक ‘अयन’ < √इ)
- ता
- those (f.) / theyPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ — ‘ता … यु॒वं … (कुर्वन्तु)’ (देवाः/देवताः इति बोध्याः)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to us / for usPronounचतुर्थी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान — ‘अस्मभ्यं/नः’Root अस्मद्
- देवा
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सम्बोधन-सदृश प्रयोगः) — ‘हे देवाः’Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- दे॒वत॑या
- with divinity; by divine powerNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करण — ‘देवतया’ = ‘दैवी-शक्त्या/देवत्वेन’Root देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
- यु॒वं
- you twoPronounप्रथमा द्विवचनम्Role कर्तृ — ‘you two’Root युवम् (2nd person dual pronoun)
- मधु॑मतस्
- of the sweet/honeyed (thing)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘मधुमतः (स्य)’Root मधुमत् (मधु + मतुप्)
- कृतम्
- made; preparedParticipleनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः)Role कर्म/फल (निर्दिष्ट-वस्तु) — ‘made, fashioned’Root √कृ (करणे) → कृत (क्त-प्रत्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- मधु॑मन्मे → मधु॑मत् + मे (त् + म् → न्/न्-आदेशः, वैदिक-सन्धिः)
- प॒राय॑णं मधु॑म॒त्पुन॒राय॑नम् → मधु॑मत् + पुनरायनम् (त् + प् → त्प्)
- ता नो॑ → ता + नः (विसर्ग/ओ-स्वरः पदपाठे नः)
- मधु॑मतस्कृतम् → मधु॑मतस् + कृतम् (षष्ठी-एकवचन ‘-स्’ + कृतम्, समास/सन्धि-सम्बन्धः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May my going forth be sweet and my return be sweet. Those two movements, O gods, by your divinity—make them for us, you two, wrought of honeyed sweetness.
Inner meaning
‘Parāyaṇa’ (going forth) and ‘punar-āyana’ (return) are the two great movements of sadhana: outward action in life and inward return to the source; or ascent into higher consciousness and descent back into embodied functioning. The prayer asks that both be ‘madhumat’—filled with honeyed delight, i.e., Soma-Ananda permeating movement, not leaving sweetness only for trance or only for worldly enjoyment. Addressed to the twin gods (yuvam—Aśvins implied), it seeks their ‘devatayā’—their divine quality of right relation and rhythm—to make both directions harmonious, safe, and joyful. The aim is an integral sweetness in all transitions: departure and return, effort and rest, speech and silence.
Universal truth
Spiritual life is perfected when both engagement and withdrawal, ascent and return, are equally suffused with quiet delight and right rhythm.
Themes
auspicious journey, sweetness of consciousness, Aśvins dual help, harmonious cycles
The seer
- Rishi
- Vimadá
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.24.4-6
Family tradition
Vimadá’s hymn culminates in a practical blessing for life-movement, characteristic of Aśvin hymns: safe, sweet journeys and transitions—outer and inner.
Significance
The seer expresses integral yoga in Vedic idiom: not only revelation, but a honeyed rhythm in both outgoing action and returning inwardness.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinā / Nāsatyau
- Epithets
- Nāsatyau, Madhumattama (honeyed bringers; thematic), Divine physicians of the journey
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Soma, Pūṣan (paths), Indra
Cosmic role
Guardians of passages—night to dawn, sickness to health, danger to safety; they ensure auspicious movement and return.
Inner power
Harmonizing delight in transitions: they make the prāṇa and mind move with sweetness rather than strain.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin prayer for safe journey and auspicious return; also for daily transitions
मधु॑मन्मे प॒राय॑णं॒ मधु॑म॒त्पुन॒राय॑नम् । ता नो॑ देवा दे॒वत॑या यु॒वं मधु॑मतस्कृतम् ॥
मधु॑ऽमत् । मे॒ । प॒रा॒ऽअय॑णम् । मधु॑ऽमत् । पुनः॑ । आऽअय॑नम् । ता । नः॒ । दे॒वा॒ । दे॒वत॑या । यु॒वम् । मधु॑ऽमतः । कृ॒त॒म् ॥
madhu-mat | me | parāyaṇam | madhu-mat | punaḥ | āyanam | tā | naḥ | devā | devatayā | yuvam | madhu-mataḥ | kṛtam
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Balanced and cyclical—mirrors going and returning
Soothes and rounds the breath; leaves a taste of gentle completeness, suitable for closing a practice.
- मधुमत् (madhumat)
- Literal: honeyed, sweet. Symbolic: Soma-like Ananda permeating experience; sweetness of conscious harmony
- परायणम् (parāyaṇam)
- Literal: going forth, departure. Symbolic: outward movement of life/action; also ascent/expansion
- पुनरायनम् (punar āyanam)
- Literal: returning, coming back. Symbolic: return to center/source; also descent/integration into life
- देवतया (devatayā)
- Literal: by divinity, by divine nature. Symbolic: by the higher law of harmony and right functioning
- युवम् (yuvam)
- Literal: you two. Symbolic: the Aśvins as twin regulators of transitions
- मधुमतस्कृतम् (madhumatas kṛtam)
- Literal: made honeyed. Symbolic: transformed into delight-filled movement
Prayer for auspicious journeying/return (often Aśvin sphere) and, inwardly, for right outgoing and ingoing of consciousness during rite; adaptable to travel blessings and Soma-day transitions.
Morning or before travel; also at the close of a rite to bless outgoing activity and return to home/center
Recitation as benediction; may accompany sipping water or offering with a settling intention
Use as a daily ‘transition mantra’: before leaving home, before starting work, and before sleep—asking for sweetness in both engagement and return to rest.
parāyaṇa from parā-√i ‘to go forth away’; āyana from ā-√i ‘to come/go toward’—paired directional roots encode the inner discipline of expansion and return. madhu again as PIE *médʰu; here a psychological principle: all movement should be pervaded by delight, preventing harshness and division.
Ananda as the right rasa of movement, Ṛta as harmonious cycles (departure/return), integration of action and recollection
Sweetness here is not indulgence but ṛta-born harmony—movement aligned with the true law.
A truthful life is one where action and inner return do not contradict; both carry the same essence.
Circulation: creation sustains itself through outgoing/returning cycles—breath, day-night, ascent-descent.
Integral Vedānta/Integral Yoga resonance: ascent and descent both embraced in Ananda.
dawn (Aśvin sweetness) and dusk (return)
Madhu = Ananda; going/returning = prāṇa’s outward/inward flow and consciousness’ expansion/integration.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The twin-cycle of departure and return sanctified by divine sweetness: a mythic pattern of safe passage under the Aśvins, transposed inwardly into the rhythm of expansion into action and return into the source—both to be made madhu-mat.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Directional preverbs (parā-, ā-) attached to √i ‘go’ reflect an old IE spatial grammar used for ritual-psychological mapping. madhu is a pan-IE sacral substance-word, linking Vedic ‘sweetness’ to broader Indo-European nectar/mead symbolism.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks the twin gods to shape the very quality of his movements (parāyaṇa/punarāyana). The devatā is not only a giver of objects but a formatter of experience—making the aspirant’s life-rhythm conform to divine delight.
Make transitions sweet: breathe Ananda into both outward activity and inward rest; integrate ascent and descent.
viśuddha (sweet speech and expression) with grounding to svādhiṣṭhāna (flow)
Alternate 6 breaths: 3 breaths visualizing ‘going forth’ with sweetness on inhale, 3 breaths visualizing ‘return’ with sweetness on exhale; then chant once slowly
Quiet joy, seamless continuity through change
Before stepping into activity, pause and feel a drop of ‘madhu’ in the heart; after activity, return to the same sweetness. Let the mantra train the nervous system to carry delight across thresholds.
Recension-based; treat the repeated ‘madhumat’ with consistent accenting to create a mantra-like sweetness.
Slightly elongate ‘madhumat’ and ‘āyanam’ to embody the requested sweetness; keep consonants crisp to avoid sentimentality.
madhuman: keep ‘dh’ voiced aspirate; final ‘n’ clear, parāyaṇam: long ā; retroflex ṇ, punar āyanam: separate ‘punar’ and ‘āyanam’ with a light pause; long ā, devatayā: dental ‘t’; long ā at end, madhumatas kṛtam: keep ‘kṛ’ vocalic ṛ; ‘tas’ clear
Soft, warm, even; let the sound ‘taste’ sweet without becoming breathy.
12
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.
