Rig Veda 3.8.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 8, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.8
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Vanaspati
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
समिद्धस्य श्रयमाणः पुरस्ताद्ब्रह्म वन्वानो अजरं सुवीरम् । आरे अस्मदमतिं बाधमान उच्छ्रयस्व महते सौभगाय ॥
sam-iddhásya śráyamāṇaḥ purástād bráhma vanvā́nó ajáraṃ su-vī́ram | āré asmád amátiṃ bā́dhamāna ucchrā́yasva mahaté saúbhagāya ||
जब आग जल रही हो, उसके सामने झुक के बैठना। शब्द की ताकत से जीतना, जो कभी न घिरे, ऐसी शक्ति पाना। हमारे दिल में जो बुरी बात हो, वो दूर कर दो। ऊपर उठो ताकि बड़ा भाग्य मिले।
Word by Word
- समिद्धस्य
- of the kindled (one), of the kindled fireAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive qualifier)Root सम्-इध् (धातु) / समिद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रयमाणः
- taking refuge/leaning, resortingVerb (participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक शानच्Role कर्तृ (of the main action)Root श्रि (धातु) → श्रयमाण (शानच्-वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- पुरस्तात्
- in front, from the foreIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकरण (स्थान/दिशा)Root पुरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + तात् (अव्ययीभाव)
- ब्रह्म
- sacred utterance, prayer (brahman)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (वेदे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-समरूपता सम्भव)Role कर्मRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वन्वानः
- seeking, pursuingVerb (participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक शानच्Role कर्तृ (श्रयमाणः के साथ समन्वय)Root वन्/वन्व् (धातु; ‘to seek, strive for’) → वन्वान (शानच्-वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- अजरम्
- unaging, undecayingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (सुवीरम् के साथ विशेषण)Root अ-जर (प्रातिपदिक; न-जर ‘not aging’)
- सुवीरम्
- having good heroes/strong offspring; very manlyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु-वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
- आरे
- far awayIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकरण (दूरी/स्थान)Root आरे (अव्यय)
- अस्मत्
- from usPronounपञ्चमी बहुवचन (वेदे ‘अस्मत्’ रूप)Role अपादानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अमतिम्
- lack of thought, folly, harmful intentNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अ-मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- बाधमानः
- driving away, repelling, afflictingVerb (participle)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक शानच्Role कर्तृ (श्रयमाणः/वन्वानः के साथ)Root बाध् (धातु) → बाधमान (शानच्-वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- उच्छ्रयस्व
- rise up, be exaltedVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रिया (मुख्य विधेय)Root उद्-श्रि (धातु) / उच्छ्रि (वेद. रूप) → उच्छ्रयस्व
- महते
- for the great (purpose/one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सौभगाय
- for good fortune, for prosperityNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot सौभग (प्रातिपदिक; from सु-भग) / सौभग्य (semantic)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): समिद्धस्य | श्रयमाणः | पुरस्तात् | ब्रह्म | वन्वानः | अजरम् | सुवीरम् || आरे | अस्मत् | अमतिम् | बाधमानः | उच्छ्रयस्व | महते | सौभगाय || विशेष: ‘पुरस्ताद् ब्रह्म’ में द् + ब् संयोग
- ‘अस्मदम्’ (संहिता-पाठ) = अस्मत् + अम् (अमतिम् के कारण) → पदपाठ में ‘अस्मत् अमतिम्’।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Leaning forward before the kindled flame, conquering by the sacred word an undecaying heroic power, drive far away from us wrong-mindedness; rise up for great good fortune.
Inner meaning
The supporter (Vanaspati) is envisioned close to the kindled Agni—leaning into the flame of aspiration. By brahman (the mantric Word, inspired truth-speech), the seeker conquers an ‘ajara suvīra’—a deathless heroic force: enduring spiritual strength. The prayer asks that amatí (crookedness/false movement of mind) be driven far, and that the inner support rise upward—establishing a larger destiny of good fortune (saubhāgya) as right participation in the divine working.
Universal truth
When the will is kindled and the word becomes true, an enduring strength is born; wrong thought is expelled, and the being rises into a larger, happier law of life.
Themes
upliftment, banishing wrong mind, power of the Word, stable heroic force
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthin lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.8.1, RV 3.8.3, RV 3.8.4
Family tradition
Mantra as power of conquest; the Word (brahma) is a weapon of illumination that defeats inner crookedness.
Significance
The rishi’s stress on brahman highlights that inner victory is not by force alone but by truth-speech and right vision shaping the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Vanaspati (in front of kindled Agni)
- Epithets
- Purastāt-sthita (standing in front, implied), Ucchrita (uplifted, implied)
- Related deities
- Agni, Bṛhaspati (lord of brahman/word)
Cosmic role
The erected support of the rite that stands before Agni, enabling offerings to rise and order to be maintained.
Inner power
Upward-aspiring structure in the being; capacity to reject wrong mental movements and to hold heroic endurance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Raising/positioning the yūpa/wood support near the fire; protective and prosperity-invocation within soma contexts
समि॑द्धस्य॒ श्रय॑माणः पु॒रस्ता॒द्ब्रह्म॑ वन्वा॒नो अ॒जरं॑ सु॒वीर॑म् । आ॒रे अ॒स्मदम॑तिं॒ बाध॑मान॒ उच्छ्र॑यस्व मह॒ते सौभ॑गाय ॥
सम्ऽइ॑द्धस्य । श्रय॑माणः । पु॒रस्ता॑त् । ब्रह्म॑ । व॒न्वा॒नः । अ॒जर॑म् । सु॒ऽवीर॑म् । आ॒रे । अ॒स्मत् । अम॑तिम् । बाध॑मानः । उत् । श्र॒य॒स्व॒ । म॒ह॒ते । सौभ॑गाय ॥
sam-iddhasya | śrayamāṇaḥ | purastāt | brahma | vanvānaḥ | ajaram | su-vīram | āre | asmat | amatim | bādhamānaḥ | ut | śrayasva | mahate | saubhagāya
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4 x ~11 syllables
Forceful and ascending; imperative-driven (āre… bādhamāna… uc chrayasva).
Elicits a feeling of rising and clearing; strengthens resolve to reject wrong thought.
- समिद्ध (samiddha)
- Literal: kindled. Symbolic: awakened aspiration; ignited inner fire
- ब्रह्म (brahma)
- Literal: sacred word; prayer; mantra. Symbolic: truth-vibration that conquers and forms consciousness
- अजर (ajara)
- Literal: undecaying. Symbolic: deathless stability of spiritual force
- सुवीर (suvīra)
- Literal: having good heroes; heroic. Symbolic: courageous power of the soul and illumined life-force
- अमति (amati)
- Literal: non-thought; perverse thought; ignorance. Symbolic: crooked mental movement, distortion, doubt, wrong direction
- उच्छ्रयस्व (uc chrayasva)
- Literal: rise up. Symbolic: ascent of consciousness; establishment of the inner pillar
- सौभगाय (saubhagāya)
- Literal: for good fortune. Symbolic: for a wide harmonious destiny under ṛta
Raising/establishing the yūpa/vanaspati and warding off defects; connected to ensuring faultless performance and auspicious outcome.
As the post/support is set and the fire is kindled; to ensure auspiciousness and remove defects.
Recitation while establishing the support; invoking expulsion of ‘fault’ and securing success.
Use before study/decision-making: chant to drive away amatí (confusion) and to ‘rise’ into clear, heroic steadiness.
sam-iddha from √idh ‘kindle’ = awakened fire. śri/śray ‘lean on, take refuge’ indicates inner dependence on the flame. brahman here as mantric formative power (√bṛh ‘to expand’ also resonates with vastness). a-mati ‘non-mind/right mind lacking’ is cognitive deviation. ucchray ‘rise’ marks elevation of the support/pillar (also yūpa context).
brahman as formative word, removal of a-mati (wrong mind), saubhaga (felicity) as inner harmony
Driving away amatí restores right order; rising up signifies alignment with the upward law of ṛta.
Brahman as truth-word creates the ‘ajara’ stability of being.
Formation of an undecaying heroic power as a created inner ‘body’ of strength around the fire.
Mantra-śakti emphasis (Vedic) with psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): word as formative consciousness-force.
Fire = awakened will; wood/post = structural support of practice; rising = ascent; expelling crookedness = purification of mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘rising of the consecrated support’ and the expulsion of wrong mind: mythic uplift (pillar/axis rising) mirrors inner elevation where brahman (word-power) conquers decay and drives away a-mati.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √idh ‘kindle’ relates to PIE *h₁eydʰ- (burn/kindle; cf. Latin aedēs? not direct; but Indo-Iranian *aidh- is clear). mati ‘thought’ is from √man (PIE *men- ‘think’). su-vīra ‘good-heroic’ uses vīra ‘man/hero’ from PIE *wiHro- (cf. Latin vir).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches the kindled power with brahman and asks for an inner correction: the Devata’s ‘rising’ is both ritual (post) and psychological (elevation of being), granting saubhaga by removing a-mati.
Straighten the mind: identify one ‘amatí’ (distortion) and offer it into the kindled will; rise into clarity.
Maṇipūra (heroic force) and Ājñā (right thought).
Kapalabhāti light (30–60 strokes) if suitable, then slow breathing; chant to seal clarity.
Active purification leading to luminous determination.
Chant once slowly, then again with firmer intention on ‘āre asmad amatim’; sit and watch for the first clear directive that arises—act on it simply.
Tri-svara; emphasize imperative contours—slight lift on ‘uc chrayasva’.
Keep consonant clusters clean: ‘śrayamāṇaḥ’, ‘bādhamānaḥ’, ‘saubhagāya’.
samiddhasya: double ‘ddh’ articulated, not simplified, śrayamāṇaḥ: ‘śr’ cluster; long ā in māṇaḥ, brahma: aspirate ‘bh’ gently, ajaraṃ: soft ‘j’, short a-j-a, ucchrayasva: ‘cchr’ cluster; do not insert vowel between cch and r
Firm, upright, slightly louder on the third and fourth pādas.
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