Rig Veda 3.8.11: Mandala 3, Sukta 8, Mantra 11
Sukta 3.8
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Vanaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
वनस्पते शतवल्शो वि रोह सहस्रवल्शा वि वयं रुहेम । यं त्वामयं स्वधितिस्तेजमानः प्रणिनाय महते सौभगाय ॥
vánaspate śatávalśo ví roha sahásravalśā ví vayáṃ ruhema | yáṃ tvām ayáṃ svádhitís téjamānaḥ praṇinā́ya mahaté saúbhagāya ||
हे पेड़ों के स्वामी, सौ नलियों के साथ आगे बढ़ो। हज़ार नलियों के साथ हम भी आगे बढ़ें। चमकता हुआ कुल्हाड़ी तुम्हे आगे ले गई है। अब हमें भी बड़ा भाग्य मिले।
Word by Word
- वनस्पते
- O Lord of the forest (tree)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वनस्पति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- शतवल्शः
- having a hundred shoots/branchesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root शत- + वल्श- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth (intensifier)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- रोह
- grow up! rise!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √रुह् (रुहँ)
- सहस्रवल्शाः
- having a thousand shoots/branchesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सहस्र- + वल्श- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- forth, widelyIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वयम्
- wePronounउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रुहेम
- may we grow/ascendVerbविधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/इच्छा); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √रुह् (रुहँ)
- यम्
- whom/whichPronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वाम्
- youPronounमध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अयम्
- this (man/person)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वधितिः
- axeNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole करण (अर्थतः साधनम्) / कर्तृ (व्याकरणतः)Root स्वधिति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- तेजमानः
- shining, flashingAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root √तिज्/√तिज्? (तेज्) → तेजमान- (वर्तमानकृदन्त, आत्मनेपद)
- प्रणिनाय
- has led/has brought forwardVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot प्र-नि-√नी (नीञ्)
- महते
- for great (purpose/one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सौभगाय
- for good fortune, prosperityNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot सौभग्य- (प्रातिपदिक) < सु- + भग
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वनस्पते | शतवल्शः | वि | रोह | सहस्रवल्शाः | वि | वयम् | रुहेम | यम् | त्वाम् | अयम् | स्वधितिः | तेजमानः | प्रणिनाय | महते | सौभगाय । विशेष-सन्धि: (1) 'सहस्रवल्शा॒ वि' इत्यत्र पदान्त-आ + वि → 'सहस्रवल्शा वि' (स्वर/पदविरामेण सन्धिः न बाध्यते)
- (2) 'यं त्वाम्' इत्यत्र अनुस्वारः परे तकारे 'यम् त्वाम्' (पदान्त-नकारस्य अनुस्वार-लेखनम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Lord of the wood, grow forth with a hundred shoots; with a thousand shoots may we grow forth. You whom this shining axe has led forward—(lead us) to great good fortune.
Inner meaning
Vanaspati is the living power in the ‘wood’—the substance of embodied nature prepared for the sacrifice. The ‘hundred’ and ‘thousand’ shoots are expanding faculties and channels of growth when the being is opened to the divine working. The shining axe (svadhiti tejamānaḥ) is the discriminating force and decisive will that cuts away obstruction, shaping the raw material of nature into a fit support for the inner fire. What looks like ‘cutting’ becomes the means of a greater flowering: a vast good fortune (saubhāgya) as fulfilled being and wideness.
Universal truth
True growth often requires a luminous cutting-away—clear discernment and decisive will that removes what is dead or obstructive so the deeper life can branch and flourish.
Themes
growth and expansion, consecrated support (vanaspati), felicity/fortune as spiritual fullness
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 3.8, RV 7.18, RV 7.33
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha hymns often show practical spiritual psychology: shaping nature (wood) into a vessel for Agni and the descent of higher powers.
Significance
The seer frames transformation as organic growth aided by luminous discernment—an early Vedic image of tapas as intelligent shaping, not mere austerity.
The deity
- Devata
- Vanaspati
- Epithets
- śatavalśa (hundred-shooted), sahasravalśa (thousand-shooted)
- Related deities
- Agni (dependent on fuel/wood), Soma (plant-essence as bliss), Aśvins (healers/growers)
Cosmic role
Life-force within plants/wood; provides the material support for sacrificial ascent and the stability of the rite.
Inner power
The power of organic growth in the being—capacity to branch into many faculties once obstruction is cut away by luminous will.
In ritual
Where it is used
Preparation/installation of sacrificial wood (fuel, posts) in Soma and Agni rites
वन॑स्पते श॒तव॑ल्शो॒ वि रो॑ह स॒हस्र॑वल्शा॒ वि व॒यं रु॑हेम । यं त्वाम॒यं स्वधि॑ति॒स्तेज॑मानः प्रणि॒नाय॑ मह॒ते सौभ॑गाय ॥
वन॑स्पते । श॒तऽव॑ल्शः । वि । रो॒ह॒ । स॒हस्र॑ऽवल्शाः । वि । व॒यम् । रु॒हे॒म॒ । यम् । त्वाम् । अ॒यम् । स्वऽधि॑तिः । तेज॑मानः । प्र॒ऽनि॒नाय॑ । म॒ह॒ते । सौभ॑गाय ॥
vanaspate | śata-valśaḥ | vi | roha | sahasra-valśāḥ | vi | vayam | ruhema | yam | tvām | ayam | sva-dhitiḥ | tejamānaḥ | pra-nināya | mahate | saubhagāya
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4×~11 syllables; strong caesura typical of Triṣṭubh.
Expansive and ascending; fits the theme of growth and forward-leading.
Encourages a sense of widening and strengthening; supportive for resolve in self-discipline.
- वनस्पते (vanaspate)
- Literal: lord of the forest/wood. Symbolic: indwelling life-power in embodied substance; support of the sacrifice
- शतवल्शः (śatavalśaḥ)
- Literal: hundred-shooted. Symbolic: many-sided development of faculties and openings
- सहस्रवल्शाः (sahasravalśāḥ)
- Literal: thousand-shooted. Symbolic: abundant expansion; wideness and richness of consciousness
- स्वधितिः (svadhitiḥ)
- Literal: axe. Symbolic: discriminating intelligence + decisive will that removes obstruction
- तेजमानः (tejamānaḥ)
- Literal: shining, radiant. Symbolic: luminous discernment, not violent cutting; clarity as power
- प्रणिनाय (praṇināya)
- Literal: has led forward. Symbolic: divine guidance through disciplined transformation
- सौभगाय (saubhagāya)
- Literal: to good fortune. Symbolic: fulfilled being, harmony, auspicious wideness (bhaga)
Blessing over the sacrificial post/wood: increase, branching prosperity, and ‘saubhaga’; also a prayer that the community’s inner growth mirrors the consecrated growth of the support.
When addressing the wood/post as a living support of the sacrifice; during preparatory acts.
Consecration of wood; acknowledgment of cutting/bringing the wood with svadhiti (axe).
Use when beginning a new discipline: study, sobriety, healing routines—invoking ‘growth with many shoots’ after removing obstacles.
vi-√ruh ‘grow forth, sprout’ (roha/ruhema). valśa ‘shoot/branch’ (growth-unit). sahasra/śata numerical hyperbole for abundance. pra-√nī ‘lead forward’ (praṇināya). saubhaga from su-bhaga ‘good allotment/share’ (bhaga ‘portion, fortune’, PIE *bʰag- ‘share’ cf. Slavic bogŭ ‘god’ as ‘dispenser of shares’ in some theories).
increase of being (ruha as expansion of consciousness), discernment that shapes growth (svadhiti), saubhaga as fullness of share in ṛta
Right cutting and right growth: nature is formed according to ṛta so the sacrifice can proceed.
Tejas (radiant clarity) as truth-force that guides growth.
From raw substance to ordered, branching life: creation as progressive formation.
Integral/psychological Veda: transformation of prakṛti into a fit instrument for higher consciousness.
spring (suggestive, not explicit)
Wood = embodied nature; shoots = emerging capacities; axe = discernment/will that enables true flowering.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘sacred growth’ mythologem: the consecrated wood grows with hundred/thousand shoots, and the sacrificers too seek parallel expansion—an image of the inner being branching into many capacities under divine support.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ruh ‘rise/grow’ reflects PIE *h₁rewH- ‘to rise’ (growth-as-rising is a widespread IE metaphor). bhaga/saubhaga connects to the IE notion of ‘share/portion’ as destiny and divine allotment.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks for mirrored growth: as Vanaspati expands, so may ‘we’ expand. The devatā is both outer support (wood/post) and inner supporting force enabling a ‘great saubhaga’—a stable, ample participation in the divine order.
‘Pruning for growth’: offer an inner habit to the luminous axe of discernment; invite many-sided flowering of capacities.
anahata (organic growth and harmony)
slow_meditative
Steady expansion; constructive clarity.
Before chanting, name one obstruction to be cut away; chant 7 times; then sit 5 minutes feeling new ‘shoots’ of aspiration rising through the chest and spine.
Maintain Vedic accents: vanáspate (accented), śatá- / sahásra- compounds often carry udātta on the first member per recensional rules; follow śākhā notation if available.
Do not over-stress numerals; keep a clear lift on tejamānáḥ; avoid swallowing visarga in ruhemaḥ (if recited with pada variants).
(vanaspate): clear ‘va-na-s-pa-te’, (valśa): ‘lś’ cluster; keep it crisp, (svadhitiḥ): ‘sva-dhi-tiḥ’ with dental t, (praṇināya): retroflex ṇ; long ā in -nāya, (saubhagāya): au diphthong; aspirated bh
Warm, nourishing, yet firm on ‘svadhiti’ (decisive clarity).
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