Rig Veda 3.57.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 57, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.57
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra-Pūṣan
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्रः सु पूषा वृषणा सुहस्ता दिवो न प्रीताः शशयं दुदुह्रे । विश्वे यदस्यां रणयन्त देवाः प्र वोऽत्र वसवः सुम्नमश्याम् ॥
índraḥ sú pūṣā́ vṛ́ṣaṇā suhástā divó ná prītā́ḥ śaśayáṃ duduhre | víśve yád asyā́m raṇáyanta devā́ḥ prá vo 'trá vasavaḥ sumnám aśyām ||
इंद्र और पूषन, दोनों बलवान हैं और अच्छे हाथ वाले हैं। उन्होंने आसमान की तरह खुशी से मीठा दूध निकाला। जब सारे भगवान उसमें खुश होते हैं, हम भी वहाँ आपकी कृपा पाएँ। वसु भगवान, हमें भी आपका आशीर्वाद मिले।
Word by Word
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सु
- well, veryIndeclinableअव्ययRole विशेषण-सम्बन्ध (क्रियाविशेषण)Root सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पूषा
- PūṣanNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: पूषा < पूषन्)Role कर्तृRoot पूषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषणा
- the two bulls (i.e., the two vigorous ones)Noun (dual epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (वेदिक: -आ द्विवचन)Role कर्तृRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुहस्ता
- the two with good handsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (वेदिक: -आ द्विवचन)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सु-हस्त (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय)
- दिवः
- of heaven, of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (द्यौः), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक: दिव्/द्यौः)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-वाचक अव्ययRole विशेषण-सम्बन्धRoot न (अव्यय)
- प्रीताः
- pleased, delightedParticiple/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot प्री (धातु) → प्रीत (कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त/क्त)
- शशयम्
- milk/refreshing drink (shashaya)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot शशय (प्रातिपदिक; द्रव्य/पेय-नाम)
- दुदुह्रे
- they milked/drew (out)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), आत्मनेपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot दुह् (धातु)
- विश्वे
- all (the gods)Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्व (सर्व/प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- which/that (what)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धक)Role कर्म (सम्बन्धक)Root यद् (सर्वनाम)
- अस्याम्
- in this (place/occasion)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम)
- रणयन्त
- they made (it) resound/they rejoicedVerbलङ् (इम्परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot रण्/रणय् (धातु; कारण/णिच्) → रणयति
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वः
- for you / of youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (प्रसङ्गानुसार: ‘for you’)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अत्र
- hereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरणRoot अत्र (अव्यय)
- वसवः
- O VasusNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole सम्बोधन/कर्तृ (प्रार्थना-वाक्ये)Root वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुम्नम्
- favor, graceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुम्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्याम्
- may I attainVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ्), परस्मैपद, 1 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अश् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठे ‘इन्द्र॒:’ = ‘इन्द्रः’। ‘प्र वोऽत्र’ इति सन्धिः: ‘वः + अत्र’ → ‘वोऽत्र’ (ओऽवग्रहः)। अन्यत्र पदच्छेदः यथापाठम्: सु | पूषा | वृषणा | सुहस्ता | दिवः | न | प्रीताः | शशयम् | दुदुह्रे | विश्वे | यत् | अस्याम् | रणयन्त | देवाः | प्र | वः | अत्र | वसवः | सुम्नम् | अश्याम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra and Pūṣan, strong bulls with good hands, milked the resting sweetness like heaven rejoicing. When all the gods delight in her, may we here attain your grace, O Vasus.
Inner meaning
Indra (illumined mind) and Pūṣan (the nourisher/guide on the paths) together draw out the ‘resting sweetness’ (śaśaya)—the settled delight/essence latent in the luminous Cow of inspiration. They are vṛṣaṇā—powerful generators: illumination and right guidance cooperate to extract stable rasa from revelation, not merely flashes. When all the gods (all powers of the being) take delight in that light-stream, the seeker prays to the Vasus—powers of stable formation and embodiment—to grant sumná (benign grace), i.e., to fix the gained sweetness as enduring strength and harmony in life.
Universal truth
Illumination must be guided and nourished into stable sweetness. When the whole nature consents and delights, grace becomes consolidation: the spiritual gain turns into dependable character, energy, and embodied well-being.
Themes
Nourishment and guidance, Divine delight, Grace (sumnam)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthin (Viśvāmitra lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.57.1-2, RV 6.54 (Pūṣan hymns, thematic parallel)
Family tradition
Integration of revelation with embodiment; not only release of light (Indra) but guidance and nourishment (Pūṣan) and consolidation (Vasus).
Significance
The rishi completes the ‘cow of inspiration’ motif by emphasizing stabilization: delight must be milked into a resting sweetness and fixed by the Vasus as lasting grace.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra-Pūṣan (with appeal to the Vasus)
- Epithets
- vṛṣaṇā (strong), suhastā (good-handed)
- Related deities
- Agni, Savitṛ, Bhaga, Aśvins
Cosmic role
Indra breaks open and illumines; Pūṣan leads, protects journeys, and nourishes. The Vasus stabilize and embody the gains in the material/vital order.
Inner power
Indra: penetrating clarity and victory over obscurity; Pūṣan: steady guidance, right path-finding, assimilation; Vasus: consolidation, endurance, harmonious possession.
In ritual
Where it is used
Offerings to Indra with Pūṣan; prayers for safe guidance, prosperity, and stabilization of gains; Vasus invoked for well-being.
इन्द्र॒: सु पू॒षा वृष॑णा सु॒हस्ता॑ दि॒वो न प्री॒ताः श॑श॒यं दु॑दुह्रे । विश्वे॒ यद॑स्यां र॒णय॑न्त दे॒वाः प्र वोऽत्र॑ वसवः सु॒म्नम॑श्याम् ॥
इन्द्रः॑ । सु । पू॒षा । वृष॑णा । सु॒ऽहस्ता॑ । दि॒वः । न । प्री॒ताः । श॒श॒यम् । दु॒दु॒ह्रे॒ । विश्वे॑ । यत् । अ॒स्या॒म् । र॒णय॑न्त । दे॒वाः । प्र । वः॒ । अत्र॑ । व॒स॒वः॒ । सु॒म्नम् । अ॒श्या॒म् ॥
indraḥ | su | pūṣā | vṛṣaṇā | su-hastā | divaḥ | na | prītāḥ | śaśayam | duduhre | viśve | yat | asyām | raṇayanta | devāḥ | pra | vaḥ | atra | vasavaḥ | sumnam | aśyām
44
4 × ~11
Robust and nourishing; the first half feels like strong extraction, the second like a soft petition for grace.
Balances vigor with sweetness; leaves the listener with a settled, grateful aspiration.
- पूषा (pūṣā)
- Literal: Pūṣan. Symbolic: inner guide and nourisher; right leading on the path
- वृषणा (vṛṣaṇā)
- Literal: two strong bulls. Symbolic: potent generative forces of mind and guidance
- सুহस्ता (suhastā)
- Literal: good-handed. Symbolic: skillful effective powers; capacity to handle energies rightly
- शशयम् (śaśayam)
- Literal: resting sweetness. Symbolic: settled delight/essence; stable rasa in consciousness
- दुदुह्रे (duduhre)
- Literal: they milked. Symbolic: they drew out the essence from the luminous source
- दिवो न प्रीताः (divo na prītāḥ)
- Literal: like heaven rejoicing. Symbolic: as the luminous mind delights when truth is received
- विश्वे देवाः (viśve devāḥ)
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: all inner powers harmonized around the realization
- वसवः (vasavaḥ)
- Literal: Vasus. Symbolic: powers of embodiment, stability, right enjoyment in the physical/vital
- सुम्नम् (sumnam)
- Literal: grace, favor. Symbolic: benign force that consolidates and protects attainment
Petition for nourishment and divine favour; Pūṣan’s guidance motif suits journey/path rites and soma distributions; Vasus invoked for stable prosperity of the sacrifice.
During soma/strength rites; also in travel/undertaking contexts where Pūṣan is central; concluding petitions for favor.
Recite to draw out ‘sweetness’ (rasa) and request stabilization (sumná) from the Vasus.
After meditation or insight: chant to assimilate the experience into calm sweetness and practical stability; ask for ‘grace’ to live it.
pūṣan from √puṣ ‘to thrive, nourish’. vṛṣan ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, be strong’ (force and fructifying energy). raṇayanti from √ran ‘to rejoice/resound’. sumná from su- + √man? (favour, good-mindedness) or a fixed Vedic noun meaning ‘grace’.
consent/joy as condition for manifestation, stable abundance (Vasus), nourishment as spiritual essence
When all gods ‘delight’ in the same truth, the being aligns; the Vasus then fix ṛta in embodied life.
Truth becomes ‘sweet’ when integrated; not only known but enjoyed and rested in.
Extraction of essence from the source and its embodiment as stable good (vasu).
Integral assimilation: illumination + guidance → embodiment; a psychology of consolidation.
Milking = drawing essence of experience; sweetness = stable delight; heaven’s joy = luminous mind’s consent; Vasus = embodied stability.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The milking of a ‘resting essence’ by the strong gods: the divine powers draw out settled sweetness from the source (the Cow/field of inspiration), and universal divine delight ratifies the extraction—mythically, manifestation occurs when the gods ‘rejoice’ in the offering.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √puṣ (Pūṣan) relates to Indo-European notions of thriving/nourishing (cf. Latin pascō ‘feed’ as a functional parallel; exact cognacy debated). √vṛṣ has Indo-Iranian parallels in rain/virility semantics. √ran ‘rejoice’ connects to sonic/joy vocabulary across IE (semantic field rather than secure single-root cognacy).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks entry into the gods’ satisfied state: by aligning with Indra-Pūṣan’s extraction of essence and the gods’ delight, he asks the Vasus to translate that cosmic satisfaction into ‘sumná’—a stabilizing grace in the human field.
Assimilate insight into a ‘resting sweetness’—let the mind become clear (Indra) and the life-force guided (Pūṣan), then ask for stabilization (Vasus).
anāhata (sweetness/quiet joy) supported by maṇipūra (assimilation power)
Inhale feeling guided strength; exhale feeling sweetness settle in the heart; end with a brief silent pause as ‘sumná’ receiving.
Quiet integration; contented steadiness.
After any breakthrough, practice ‘consolidation’: simplify, repeat the essential truth, and embody one small action; invoke the Vasus for steadiness.
Tri-svara; soften into a prayerful tone on ‘pra vo ’tra vasavaḥ sumnam aśyām’.
Keep first pāda strong (vṛṣaṇā suhastā), second pāda sweeter and more flowing; mark the shift at ‘viśve yad’.
pūṣā: long ū, retroflex ṣ, vṛṣaṇā: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṣ; long ā, suhastā: clear h aspiration, śaśayam: palatal ś, short a, aśyām: long ā; yām smooth
Warm, steady, slightly softened (nourishing).
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