Rig Veda 2.24.4: Mandala 2, Sukta 24, Mantra 4
Sukta 2.24
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati / Bṛhaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
अश्मास्यमवतं ब्रह्मणस्पतिर्मधुधारमभि यमोजसातृणत् । तमेव विश्वे पपिरे स्वर्दृशो बहु साकं सिसिचुरुत्समुद्रिणम् ॥
áśmāsyam avatáṃ bráhmaṇas pátir mádhudhāram abhí yám ójasā́tṛṇat | tám evá víśve papire svardṛ́śo bahú sā́kaṃ sisicur útsam udríṇam ||
ब्रह्मणस्पति ने पहाड़ के मुँह से निकलने वाले पानी को अपनी ताकत से भरा। वो पानी मीठा था जैसे शहद। सूरज देखने वाले सब लोग उसमें से पिए। और वो पानी ऊपर आता रहा जैसे फाउंटेन।
Word by Word
- अश्मा
- the stone (rock)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot अश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट्; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (सम्बन्धक क्रिया)Root अस् (धातु)
- अम्
- mePronounउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; द्वितीया; एकवचन (वेदिक एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role KarmaRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवतं
- protect (you two)Verbलोट्/विधिलिङ् (वेदिक प्रयोग); मध्यमपुरुष; द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root अव (धातु)
- ब्रह्मणः
- of prayer / of sacred utteranceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole SambandhaRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पतिः
- lordNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुधारम्
- honey-streaming (one/flow)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मधुधार (प्रातिपदिक; मधु+धार)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableअव्ययRole (उपसर्ग)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ओजसा
- with strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अतृणत्
- he pierced/overcameVerbलुङ् (अorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root तॄ/तृण् (धातु; ‘to pierce/overcome’—वेदिक)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- एव
- indeed, justIndeclinableअव्ययRole (निपात)Root एव (निपात)
- विश्वे
- all (of them)Adjective (substantive)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- पपिरे
- they drankVerbलिट् (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root पा (धातु; ‘to drink’)
- स्वर्दृशः
- heaven-seeing (beings)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण/अप्पोज़िशन to विश्वे)Root स्वर्दृश् (प्रातिपदिक; स्वर्+दृश्)
- बहु
- much, abundantlyAdjective (indeclinable-like here)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role Karma/MeasureRoot बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- साकम्
- togetherIndeclinableअव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण)Root साकम् (अव्यय)
- सिसिचुः
- they pouredVerbलिट् (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root सिच् (धातु; ‘to pour’)
- उत्समुद्रिणम्
- (him) swelling up like an upsurging sea / oceanicAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot उत्समुद्रिण (प्रातिपदिक; उद्+समुद्रिन्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): अश्मा असि अम् अवतं ब्रह्मणः पतिः मधुधारम् अभि यम् ओजसा अतृणत् । तम् एव विश्वे पपिरे स्वर्दृशः बहु साकम् सिसिचुः उत्समुद्रिणम् । 1) अश्मा॑सि = अश्मा + असि. 2) अस्यम् (पाठे) = असि + अम् (वेदिक एन्क्लिटिक ‘अम्’). 3) ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॒ः = ब्रह्मणः + पतिः.
- ‘यम्’ के बाद स्वरारम्भ ‘ओ-’ है. 5) तमे॒व = तम् + एव. 6) स्व॒र्दृशो॑ = स्वर्दृशः (विसर्ग-लोप/पदपाठ-भेद). 7) सि॑सिचु॒रुत्स॑मु॒द्रिण॑म् = सिसिचुः + उत्समुद्रिणम् (विसर्ग/उकार-सन्धि के कारण ‘र्’/संयोग-रूप)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Brahmanaspati, using his strength, broke open the stone-mouthed well which holds the stream of honey. Those who can see the Sun drank from it, and together they poured out the abundant, watery spring.
Inner meaning
The Divine Lord of the Word (Brahmanaspati) breaks the hard resistance of the material subconscient (the rock) to release the pent-up stream of Divine Bliss (Honey/Soma). The seers (Sun-beholders) who have attained the vision of the Truth-Light are able to partake of this bliss and manifest it abundantly in the world.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress often requires a forceful breaking of the inertia of the material nature to access the hidden reservoirs of joy and consciousness.
Themes
inner fountain, delight-flow, truth-vision community, plenitude from depth
In ritual
Where it is used
Imagery congenial to soma pressing and ‘madhu’ symbolism; used as a contemplative support for invoking the flowing delight and truth-vision.
अश्मा॑स्यमव॒तं ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॒र्मधु॑धारम॒भि यमोज॒सातृ॑णत् । तमे॒व विश्वे॑ पपिरे स्व॒र्दृशो॑ ब॒हु सा॒कं सि॑सिचु॒रुत्स॑मु॒द्रिण॑म् ॥
अश्म॑ऽआस्यम् । अ॒व॒तम् । ब्रह्म॑णः । पतिः॑ । मधु॑ऽधारम् । अ॒भि । यम् । ओज॑सा । अतृ॑णत् । तम् । ए॒व । विश्वे॑ । प॒पि॒रे॒ । स्वः॒ऽदृशः॑ । ब॒हु । सा॒कम् । सि॒सि॒चुः॒ । उत्स॑म् । उ॒द्रिण॑म् ॥
aśma-āsyam | avatam | brahmaṇaḥ | patiḥ | madhu-dhāram | abhi | yam | ojasā | atṛṇat | tam | eva | viśve | papire | svaḥ-dṛśaḥ | bahu | sākam | sisicuḥ | utsam | udriṇam
Imagery congenial to soma pressing and ‘madhu’ symbolism; used as a contemplative support for invoking the flowing delight and truth-vision.
aśma- ‘stone’ signals obstruction/inertia; avatá ‘well’ is depth/receptacle. madhu ‘honey’ in Vedic often denotes delight and the sweetness of truth (not only literal honey/soma). √tṛ in atṛṇat conveys ‘to fill, make full/satiate’. svardṛś- ‘seer of svar’ links cognition with luminosity; udríṇa ‘rising/upwelling’ encodes the movement from depth to manifestation.
Ānanda (madhu) as sweetness of truth, Revelation from depth (avatá → utsa), Svar-dṛś (truth-vision)
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘blocked well/spring opened and filled’ motif: the rock-mouthed depth becomes a honey-flowing source. Innerly, the sealed subconscient is made to yield a stream of delight and truth that the ‘sun-seers’ can drink and diffuse.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Water-source imagery for inspiration is pan-Indo-European; the lexical field of ‘flow/rise’ (ud- + motion roots) parallels inherited poetic diction where truth and song are ‘streams’ released from a hidden source.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi portrays the as the one who makes the inner source full; the community of ‘svar-seers’ then participates by drinking and ‘pouring’—i.e., receiving inspiration and redistributing it as effective speech and action.
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