Rig Veda 2.25.2: Mandala 2, Sukta 25, Mantra 2
Sukta 2.25
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
वीरेभिर्वीरान्वनवद्वनुष्यतो गोभी रयिं पप्रथद्बोधति त्मना । तोकं च तस्य तनयं च वर्धते यंयं युजं कृणुते ब्रह्मणस्पतिः ॥
vīrébhir vīrā́n vanavad vanuṣyató góbhī rayíṃ paprathád bódhati tmánā | tókaṃ ca tásya tánayaṃ ca vardhate yaṃ-yáṃ yújaṃ kṛṇuté bráhmaṇas-pátiḥ ||
वीर लोगों के साथ वो वीरों को जीत कर लाता है जो मेहनत कर रहे हैं। किरणों के साथ वो समृद्धि फैलाता है और अपनी आत्मा से जाग उठता है। उसकी वंश और औलाद बढ़ती है, जिसके लिए ब्रह्मणस्पति हर साथी शक्ति बनाता है।
Word by Word
- वीरेभिः
- with/through heroesNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वीरान्
- heroesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वनवत्
- like a forest; in a forest-like (abundant) wayAdjective (used adverbially)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः)Root वनवत् (प्रातिपदिक; वन + वत्)
- वनुष्यतः
- of the striving/winning oneParticiple (present)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (सम्बन्ध/अधिकार-भावः)Role सम्बन्धRoot वनुष्य (धातु √वन्/√वन् ‘to win, to strive, to desire’ से निष्पन्न वर्तमान कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- गोभिः
- with cows; with cattleNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealthNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पप्रथत्
- has spread/expandedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रिया)Root √प्रथ् (प्रथँ विस्तारे)
- बोधति
- awakens; makes knownVerbलट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रिया)Root √बुध् (बुधँ अवगमने)
- त्मना
- by himself; by his own powerNoun (instrumental of manner)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘self, own person/power’)
- तोकम्
- offspring; childNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तोक (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- तस्य
- of him; hisPronounपुं/नपुं, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तनयम्
- son; progenyNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- वर्धते
- grows; prospersVerbलट् (आत्मनेपद), प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रिया)Root √वृध् (वृधँ वर्धने)
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यम्
- whom (again/emphatically)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति-बलार्थम्)Role कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- युजम्
- a yoked companion; allyNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्म (कृ-क्रियायाः)Root युज् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘yoked one, companion’)
- कृणुते
- makes; fashionsVerbलट् (आत्मनेपद), प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रिया)Root √कृ (कृञ् करणे)
- ब्रह्मणस्पतिः
- Brahmaṇaspati (Lord of sacred speech/prayer)Noun (proper/title)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot ब्रह्मणस्-पति (समास; ब्रह्मणस् ‘of prayer/sacred formulation’ + पति ‘lord’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठः: वीरेभिर्वीरान्वनवद्वनुष्यतो गोभी रयिं पप्रथद्बोधति त्मना । तोकं च तस्य तनयं च वर्धते यंयं युजं कृणुते ब्रह्मणस्पतिः ॥ पद-विच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरसनम्): वीरेभिः + वीरान् + वनवत् + वनुष्यतः + गोभिः + रयिम् + पप्रथत् + बोधति + त्मना । तोकम् + च + तस्य + तनयम् + च + वर्धते + यम् + यम् + युजम् + कृणुते + ब्रह्मणस्पतिः । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) वीरेभिः + वीरान् → वीरेभिर्वीरान् (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः)। (2) गोभिः + रयिम् → गोभी रयिम् (विसर्ग-लोप/संहिता-रूपे ‘गोभी’)। (3) पप्रथत् + बोधति → पप्रथद्बोधति (त् + ब् → द्ब्)। (4) यम् + यम् → यंयं (अनुस्वार/संहिता-समासरूपे पुनरुक्ति)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
With heroes he wins heroes for the striving worshipper; with cows (rays/wealth) he spreads the plenitude and awakens it by his own power. Then that man’s lineage and offspring increase—he for whom Brahmaṇaspati makes every yoke-fellow power.
Inner meaning
Brahmaṇaspati multiplies inner strength by inner strength: awakened ‘heroes’ (vīra—courageous soul-forces) call forth further heroic energies. With the rays of illumination (go), he expands the plenitude (rayi) of consciousness and awakens it from within (tmanā). As a result, the seeker’s ‘lineage and offspring’—the continuity of right tendencies, new births of insight and action—grow steadily.
Universal truth
Like attracts like in the inner life: courage awakens courage; light awakens more light. When awakening is self-sustained (from the soul’s own being), growth becomes generative—producing enduring capacities, not momentary experiences.
Themes
Increase, Illumination, Heroic-powers, Continuity-of-being
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.23 (Brahmaṇaspati), RV 2.24 (Brahmaṇaspati)
Family tradition
A Bhṛgu-line seer emphasizing the ‘increase’ (vardhana) of inner wealth through right word and right effort; heroes and rays are recurrent psychological symbols.
Significance
The rishi frames prosperity as an inner law: illumination (go) and heroic force (vīra) mutually reinforce, producing a lineage of awakened states.
The deity
- Devata
- Brahmaṇaspati
- Epithets
- Awakener (bodhitṛ), Expander of plenitude (rayi-paprathitṛ), Maker of yoke-fellows (yujam-kṛt)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Soma, Uṣas
Cosmic role
He is the organizing intelligence of the sacrifice, ensuring that divine forces (heroes/powers) assemble and that the ‘wealth’ of the gods manifests as ordered increase.
Inner power
Self-awakening truth-force that expands consciousness and reproduces higher tendencies (inner progeny).
In ritual
Where it is used
Brahmaṇaspati praises in soma/fire ritual sequences for increase of strength and prosperity.
वी॒रेभि॑र्वी॒रान्व॑नवद्वनुष्य॒तो गोभी॑ र॒यिं प॑प्रथ॒द्बोध॑ति॒ त्मना॑ । तो॒कं च॒ तस्य॒ तन॑यं च वर्धते॒ यंयं॒ युजं॑ कृणु॒ते ब्रह्म॑ण॒स्पति॑: ॥
वी॒रेभिः॑ । वी॒रान् । व॒न॒व॒त् । व॒नु॒ष्य॒तः । गोभिः॑ । र॒यिम् । प॒प्र॒थ॒त् । बोध॑ति । त्मना॑ । तो॒कम् । च॒ । तस्य॑ । तन॑यम् । च॒ । व॒र्ध॒ते॒ । यम्ऽय॑म् । युज॑म् । कृ॒णु॒ते । ब्रह्म॑णः । पतिः॑ ॥
vīrebhiḥ | vīrān | vanavat | vanuṣyataḥ | gobhiḥ | rayim | paprathat | bodhati | tmanā | tokam | ca | tasya | tanayam | ca | vardhate | yam-yam | yujam | kṛṇute | brahmaṇaḥ | patiḥ
48
4 × 12 syllables; strong syntactic flow culminating in the refrain.
Expansive and cumulative, matching ‘paprathat’ (spreads/expands).
Creates an enlarging inner space; the refrain seals the expansion into coordinated power.
- वीरेभिः / वीरान् (vīrebhiḥ / vīrān)
- Literal: with heroes / heroes. Symbolic: soul-forces of courage, mastery, and victorious effort
- गोभिः (gobhiḥ)
- Literal: with cows. Symbolic: with rays of knowledge/illumination
- रयिम् (rayim)
- Literal: wealth, plenitude. Symbolic: fullness of inner resources—light, joy, power, harmony
- बोधति त्मना (bodhati tmanā)
- Literal: awakens by self. Symbolic: awakening from the inmost being (psychic/soul), not by external stimulus
- तोकम् / तनयम् (tokam / tanayam)
- Literal: offspring / progeny. Symbolic: new formations of consciousness; sustained fruits of sadhana
- युजम् (yujam)
- Literal: yoke-fellow. Symbolic: harmonized faculty/power enlisted for the work
Prayer for expansion of rayi through illumination (go) and increase of heroic powers (vīra), with continuity of lineage (toka/tanaya) as the stabilizing fruit of the rite.
When seeking reinforcement of the sacrificer’s ‘strengths’ and ‘wealth’—before key offerings or during stotra/śastra cycles (general use).
Recitation to invoke increase (vardhana) and awakening (bodhana) of the rite’s fruits.
For building disciplined courage and clarity: recite before challenging work; contemplate ‘heroes’ as your best capacities and ‘cows’ as incoming rays of insight.
(paprath-) from √prath ‘to spread, widen’ (PIE *pleth₂-? widen/flat—uncertain); from √budh ‘awake’; (tman) ‘self, vital essence’ (Indo-Iranian *tman-, cf. Avestan tman-). The symbolic ‘go’ → rays is justified by the consistent Vedic collocation of cows with dawn/light and with the recovery of illumination.
Self-being (tman), Expansion (prath), Rayi as plenitude
Increase (vardhate) is not random; it is lawful growth under ṛta when powers are rightly yoked.
Awakening ‘by the self’ implies alignment with the true being (sat).
Generativity of consciousness: awakened states beget further awakened formations (inner progeny).
Yoga-psychological Vedism (Aurobindo/Kashyap line): rayi as inner plenitude, go as illumination.
Cows = rays of knowledge; heroes = powers of the soul-nature; expansion = widening of consciousness; progeny = durable fruits and new capacities.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘multiplication of heroes by heroes’ and ‘rayi by rays’: illumination breeds further powers of victory; abundance expands by awakening the self (tman). It is the mythic logic of inner increase once the Word has yoked the right allies.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- tman is a distinctive Indo-Iranian inheritance (Avestan tman-), preserving an archaic notion of ‘self/vital essence’. The recurrence of yuj- ‘yoke’ continues PIE *yeug- and maintains the IE image of coordinated action as yoking.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks not isolated gifts but a generative pattern: heroic forces that generate more heroism, rays that expand plenitude, and progeny that ensures continuity. Brahmaṇaspati is the organizer who makes all needed ‘yoke-fellows’—inner faculties aligned to the ascent.
Visualize inner ‘heroes’ assembling (courage, endurance, discernment). Invite rays of insight to spread plenitude; let awakening arise from the heart’s self-being.
manipura (heroic force)
moderate
Confident expansion—steady courage illuminated by clear seeing.
On inhalation, feel vīra-śakti (courage) gather; on exhalation, let go-rāśmi (rays) spread through the mind. After chanting, note one concrete ‘offspring’: a new habit of truth, a clarified intention, or a purified impulse.
Rigvedic pitch accents as transmitted; keep each pāda even, with a slight lift into the refrain.
Stress semantic pairs: vīrebhir vīrān; gobhī rayim; bodhati tmanā; vardhate; then the refrain as a single decisive seal.
Long vowels: vī-, go-bhī, rayīm (keep ī)., Cluster clarity: paprathad (prath), bodhati (dh)., Retroflex ṇ in brahmaṇas; dental t in tmanā.
Bright, encouraging, not forceful—clarity over volume.
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