Rig Veda 2.40.6: Mandala 2, Sukta 40, Mantra 6
Sukta 2.40
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Pūṣan, Soma, and Aditi
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
धियं पूषा जिन्वतु विश्वमिन्वो रयिं सोमो रयिपतिर्दधातु । अवतु देव्यदितिरनर्वा बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
dhíyaṃ pūṣā́ jinvatu viśvamínvo rayíṃ sómo rayipátir dadhātu | ávatu devy áditiḥ anarvā́ bṛhád vadema vidáthe suvī́rāḥ ||
पूषन हमारे दिमाग को तेज़ करे, वो जो सबको आगे बढ़ाता है। सोम हमारे पास धन और खुशहाली लाए। देवी अदिति हमारी रक्षा करें। हम लोगों के बीच में बड़ी बात करें और हमारे पास ताकत हो।
Word by Word
- धियाम्
- thought, prayer (hymn/thought)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot धी (प्रातिपदिक: धि-)
- पूषा
- Pūṣan (the god Pūṣā)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पूषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- जिन्वतु
- may (he) quicken / impelVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root जिव्/जिन्व् (धातु: जिन्व् ‘to quicken, set in motion, invigorate’)
- विश्वम्
- all, whollyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role कर्म/क्रियाविशेषणRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्वः
- impelling, furtheringAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot इन्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘impelling, furthering’)
- रयिम्
- wealth, bountyNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिपतिः
- lord of wealthNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot रयि-पति (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- दधातु
- may (he) place / bestowVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root धा (धातु)
- अवतु
- may (she) protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root अव् (धातु: अव् ‘to protect, help’)
- देवी
- the goddessNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- अदितिः
- AditiNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (देवी-समनाधिकरण)Root अदिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनर्वा
- uninjuring, harmlessAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot अनर्वन्/अनर्वा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘not harming, uninjuring’)
- बृहद्वदेम
- may we speak greatly / speak lofty (words)Verbविधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (वेदिक प्रार्थनार्थ); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद: बृहद्- (क्रियाविशेषण/उपपद)Role (क्रिया)Root वद् (धातु)
- विदथे
- in the rite/assemblyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot विदथ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘assembly, rite, worship’)
- सुवीराः
- having good heroes/sons; strong in heroesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (वयम्-समनाधिकरण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सु-वीर (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविच्छेद): धियं → धियाम् (द्वितीया एकवचन; वैदिके ‘धियं’ रूपं प्रचलितम्)
- विश्वमि॒न्वो → विश्वम् + इन्वः (अन्त्य-म् + इ- आरम्भे संधिः; पदपाठे पृथक्)
- दे॒व्यदि॑तिरन॒र्वा → देवी + अदितिः + अनर्वा (ई + अ = या/य्-आगमः; तथा इः + अ- आरम्भे संधिः)
- बृ॒हद्व॑देम → बृहद् + वदेम (द् + व = द्व्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Pūṣan, the all-impeller, quicken our insight; may Soma, lord of riches, place riches in us. May the divine Aditi, unerring, protect us; may we speak the Vast in the assembly, rich in strong sons/heroes.
Inner meaning
This closing benediction gathers the inner fruits: Pūṣan is asked to ‘impel’ dhī—activate inspired intelligence so it becomes effective seeing and right movement. Soma, as lord of plenitude (rayipatī), is asked to establish the true ‘rāyī’ within—inner wealth of light, joy, and force, not merely external gain. Aditi, the Infinite Mother, ‘anarvā’ (not going astray), is invoked as the protecting wideness that prevents deviation into narrowness, fear, or falsehood. The result is that the seeker can ‘speak the Vast’ (bṛhad vadema) in the vidatha—an assembly that is both outer sacred gathering and inner council of powers—becoming suvīraḥ: possessed of strong, luminous soul-forces (inner “heroes”).
Universal truth
True prosperity is the quickening of insight, the establishment of inner plenitude, and the protection of infinite wideness. From that foundation arises truthful speech of the Vast—words and actions that carry largeness, courage, and light.
Themes
Benediction, Inner growth, Protection by Aditi, Satyam-Ritam-Brihat
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditionally associated with the Gṛtsamada lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.27 (Aditi and protection/wideness themes), RV 2.40.3–5 (Soma-Pūṣan chariot, stations, dhī, victory), RV 2.41 (Vāyu and Soma-drinking)
Family tradition
Closing verses in this family often culminate in dhī, protection (Aditi), and bṛhat (the Vast) as the goal of speech and being.
Significance
The seer seals the hymn with an integral formula: illumined intelligence (dhī), inner abundance (rāyī), infinite protection (Aditi), and expression of the Vast (bṛhat) in collective life (vidatha).
The deity
- Devata
- Pūṣan, Soma, Aditi (composite closing benediction)
- Epithets
- Pūṣan: viśvaminva (all-impelling), Soma: rayipati (lord of plenitude), Aditi: devī (divine), anarvā (unerring)
- Related deities
- Agni (speech and sacrifice), Sarasvatī (inspired speech/dhī), Bṛhaspati (bṛhat speech and truth)
Cosmic role
Pūṣan guides and fosters; Soma nourishes gods and expands consciousness with delight; Aditi is the infinite matrix and protector of r̥ta.
Inner power
Activation of insight (Pūṣan), infusion of blissful plenitude (Soma), safeguarding wideness and truth (Aditi).
In ritual
Where it is used
Concluding blessing in Soma-related hymn sequence; general auspicious close to offerings and recitations.
धियं॑ पू॒षा जि॑न्वतु विश्वमि॒न्वो र॒यिं सोमो॑ रयि॒पति॑र्दधातु । अव॑तु दे॒व्यदि॑तिरन॒र्वा बृ॒हद्व॑देम वि॒दथे॑ सु॒वीरा॑: ॥
धिय॑म् । पू॒षा । जि॒न्व॒तु॒ । वि॒श्व॒म्ऽइ॒न्वः । र॒यिम् । सोमः॑ । र॒यि॒ऽपतिः॑ । द॒धा॒तु॒ । अव॑तु । दे॒वी । अदि॑तिः । अ॒न॒र्वा । बृ॒हत् । व॒दे॒म॒ । वि॒दथे॑ । सु॒ऽवीराः॑ ॥
dhiyam | pūṣā | jinvatu | viśvam-invaḥ | rayim | somaḥ | rayi-patiḥ | dadhātu | avatu | devī | aditiḥ | anarvā | bṛhat | vadema | vidathe | su-vīrāḥ
44
4×11 syllables (approx.)
Benedictive and expansive; final pāda opens into bṛhat (vastness).
Leaves the listener with wideness, protection, and confident speech-energy.
- धियम् (dhiyam)
- Literal: insight/thought. Symbolic: Revelatory intelligence; inner seeing that guides life
- विश्वमिन्वः (viśvaminvaḥ)
- Literal: all-impelling. Symbolic: Power that energizes every part of the being toward the goal
- रयि (rayi)
- Literal: wealth, abundance. Symbolic: Plenitude of light-force-joy; supportive outer means as expression
- रयिपतिः (rayipatiḥ)
- Literal: lord of wealth. Symbolic: Soma as master of inner abundance (ānanda as true richness)
- अदितिः (aditiḥ)
- Literal: Aditi, the Infinite; unbound. Symbolic: Infinite consciousness, wideness, motherly protection from limitation
- अनर्वा (anarvā)
- Literal: not straying, unerring. Symbolic: Steady truth-protection; prevents deviation into false paths
- बृहत् (bṛhat)
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: Wideness of consciousness; brahmanic largeness
- विदथे (vidathe)
- Literal: in the assembly/rite. Symbolic: Inner gathering of powers; field where truth is affirmed and shared
- सुवीराः (suvīrāḥ)
- Literal: having good heroes/strong sons. Symbolic: Strong inner faculties (courage, will, luminous capacities)
Benedictive closure in Soma context: quickening of dhī, establishment of rayi, protection by Aditi; culminates in bṛhat-vāc (speech of the Vast) in the vidatha.
At the close of a section to seal insight, wealth, and protection; also adaptable to daily recitation.
Benediction for dhī, rāyī, protection, and successful proclamation in the assembly.
Daily morning chant for clarity (dhī), abundance mindset (rāyī), emotional safety/wideness (Aditi), and truthful communication (bṛhat speech).
jinvatu: from √jīv/√jinv ‘quicken, enliven’ (Vedic causative sense). dadhātu: from √dhā ‘place, set’ (PIE *dʰeh₁-; cf. Gk. títhēmi). Aditi: a- ‘not’ + √dā/da ‘bind, divide’ (traditional analysis: ‘undivided/infinite’), hence the boundless supporting consciousness; anarvā: an- negation + arvā/√arv (sense of harm/defect in Vedic usage), ‘not harmful, not erring’.
dhī (inspired intelligence), rayi (plenitude of being), Aditi as undivided infinite order, Bṛhat (the Vast)
Aditi’s protection keeps the movement aligned to r̥ta; dhī becomes the instrument of right order.
‘Speak the Vast’ implies satya-vāk: speech that carries truth and wideness, not distortion.
Aditi as infinite ground; Soma as nourishing essence; Pūṣan as guiding movement—threefold support of manifestation and progress.
Vedāntic resonance (bṛhat ~ brahman); Integral Yoga emphasis on wideness, protection, and effective expression.
Guidance corresponds to right discernment in action; Soma to sweetness and cohesion of consciousness; Aditi to boundless space of awareness that protects and integrates.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The triadic support-mythologem: guidance/nourishment (Pūṣan) quickens insight, illumination-delight (Soma) establishes plenitude, and infinity-law (Aditi) protects the process—culminating in the utterance of the Vast. Psychologically it is a complete inner sādhanā cycle: energize perception, fill the being, secure it in undivided order.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dadhātu (√dhā) continues PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘set/place’. The optatives/benedictives (jinvatu, dadhātu, avatu, vadema) show inherited Indo-European prayer grammar: wishing for divine action to establish inner states.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks an inner economy: dhī as instrument, rayi as substance, Aditi as protective law. The devatās are invoked as living operators within the human vessel, so that speech itself becomes bṛhat—expression from widened truth-consciousness rather than mere praise.
Fourfold inner prayer: (1) quicken dhī, (2) establish inner abundance, (3) rest in infinite protection, (4) speak/act from vastness.
Maṇipūra (energy/abundance), Ājñā (dhī), and Sahasrāra/space above head (Aditi-wideness).
4-part breath with mantra: inhale ‘dhiyam pūṣā jinvatu’ (clarity), hold ‘rayiṃ somo…’ (plenitude), exhale ‘avatu devy aditiḥ’ (release into protection), rest ‘bṛhad vadema’ (vast silence).
Widened, protected, quietly strong.
After chanting, keep a few minutes of silence and let speech arise only from that widened stillness; practice ‘bṛhat speech’—few words, true words, spacious tone.
Follow Saṃhitā accents; note udātta in dhiyam and key deity names; keep the final pāda open and expansive.
Slightly emphasize ‘bṛhad’ and keep a longer final cadence to evoke vastness; do not rush the closing.
‘viśvaminvo’—articulate mv cluster smoothly (min-vo)., ‘rayipatir’—clear single tap for r; keep i short in -pati-., ‘anarvā’—pronounce as a-nar-vā (not an-arvā)., ‘suvīrāḥ’—long ī, and final visarga audible but soft.
Warm, protective, spacious; let resonance broaden on ‘bṛhat’.
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