Rig Veda 5.49.5: Mandala 5, Sukta 49, Mantra 5
Sukta 5.49
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Vasus
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
प्र ये वसुभ्य ईवदा नमो दुर्ये मित्रे वरुणे सूक्तवाचः । अवैत्वभ्वं कृणुता वरीयो दिवस्पृथिव्योरवसा मदेम ॥
prá ye vásubhya ī́vadā námo dúrye mitré váruṇe sūktá-vācaḥ | aváitv ábhvaṁ kṛṇutá várīyo diváḥpṛthivyór avásā madema ||
हमारी बातें आगे बढ़ें और वसु देवतों तक पहुँचें। मित्र और वरुण इन बातों को रोक नहीं सकते। सारे रास्ते साफ हो जाएँ, हमारा काम आसान हो। आसमान और धरती की शक्ति से हम खुश रहें।
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- ये
- who (those who)Pronounmasc. nom. pl.Role KartāRoot यद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- वसुभ्यः
- to the VasusNounmasc. dat. pl.Role SampradānaRoot वसु (prātipadika)
- ईवदा
- in such a manner; thusAdjectiveindeclinable/adverbial use (Vedic)Root ईवद् (prātipadika; Vedic)
- नमः
- obeisance, homageNounneut. nom./acc. sg.Role KarmaRoot नमस् (prātipadika)
- दुर्ये
- in the hard (time/place); in difficultyAdjectiveloc. sg. (Vedic; used adverbially)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot दुर्य (prātipadika)
- मित्रे
- in/for MitraNounmasc. loc. sg.Role AdhikaraṇaRoot मित्र (prātipadika)
- वरुणे
- in/for VaruṇaNounmasc. loc. sg.Role AdhikaraṇaRoot वरुण (prātipadika)
- सूक्तवाचः
- (we) of well-spoken speech; hymn-speakingNoun/Adjectivemasc. nom. pl.Role KartāRoot सूक्त-वाच् (compound prātipadika: सूक्त ‘well-spoken hymn’ + वाच् ‘speech’)
- अवैतु
- let (it) go down/away; let (it) departVerbimperative, 3rd sg., parasmaipadaRoot अव √इ (इण्) ‘to go’ with preverb अव
- अभ्वम्
- harm, evil; monstrous thingNoun/Adjectiveneut. acc. sg.Role KarmaRoot अभ्व (prātipadika)
- कृणुत
- make! do!Verbimperative, 2nd pl., parasmaipada (Vedic form कृणुत)Root √कृ (करोति) ‘to make, do’
- वरीयः
- wider, better, more spacious (state/path)Adjectiveneut. acc. sg. (comparative)Role KarmaRoot वरीयस् (comparative of उरु/वर ‘wide, broad’)
- दिवः
- of heavenNounfem. gen. sg. (Vedic: divás)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot दिव्/द्यौ (prātipadika)
- पृथिव्योः
- of heaven-and-earth (lit. of the two earths; dyāvāpṛthivī)Nounfem. gen. du.Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot पृथिवी (prātipadika)
- अवसा
- with help, by favorNounneut. instr. sg.Role KaraṇaRoot अवस् (prātipadika)
- मदेम
- may we rejoiceVerboptative, 1st pl., parasmaipada (Vedic)Root √मद् ‘to be glad, rejoice’
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: वसुभ्य॒ ईव॒दा → वसुभ्यः + ईवदा (visarga before vowel)
- नमो॒ दुर्ये → नमः + दुर्ये (o < aḥ before voiced consonant)
- सू॒क्तवा॑चः is a tatpuruṣa compound (सूक्त + वाचः)
- अवै॒त्वभ्वं॑ → अवैतु + अभ्वम् (u + a → va; external sandhi)
- दि॒वस्पृ॑थि॒व्योरव॑सा → दिवः + पृथिव्योः + अवसा (visarga before p retained in saṃhitā as -sp- cluster)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let our well-spoken words go forth with homage to the Vasus, and irresistibly to Mitra and Varuṇa. Let the vast obstruction sink away; make a wider path. By the help of Heaven and Earth may we rejoice.
Inner meaning
The sūkta-vāc (truth-shaped utterance) is sent forward as an offering to the Vasus—powers of foundational harmony and right substance in the being. Mitra and Varuṇa, the luminous harmony and the vast truth-law, are ‘hard to resist’ when the offering is sincere: their action compels the nature toward order. Then the ‘abhvam’—the huge obstruction (subconscient mass, inertia, confusion)—is asked to fall away, and a wider way (varīyas) to open: a freer passage for consciousness between Heaven (higher mind/spirit) and Earth (embodied nature). The result is madema: a gladness of inner plenitude grounded in the support of the two poles.
Universal truth
Right speech and sincere aspiration invoke powers of order that dissolve inner obstruction; freedom comes as wideness between our highest possibilities and our embodied life.
Themes
Obstacle-removal, Truth-speech (sūkta), Ṛta and protection, Inner widening, Dyāvā-Pṛthivī support
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya) (traditional Mandala 5 attribution)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.50, RV 5.51 (Ātreya cluster nearby, thematic), RV 1.89 (Atri-associated auspiciousness prayers; thematic)
Family tradition
Ātreya hymns often stress right speech (sūkta), harmony/truth (Mitra-Varuṇa), and the removal of obstruction for a widened path—an early psychology of transformation.
Significance
Atri’s line is linked with inner light and rectitude; here, the seer seeks a widened way by invoking foundational powers and the great guardians of ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Vasus; Mitra-Varuṇa; Dyāvā-Pṛthivī (supporting)
- Epithets
- Mitra (friend, harmonizer), Varuṇa (lord of ṛta), Vasus (good powers/bright ones)
- Related deities
- Indra (to break Vṛtra-like obstruction), Savitṛ (to impel along the widened path)
Cosmic role
Vasus stabilize the world-substance; Mitra-Varuṇa maintain harmony and truth-law; Heaven-Earth provide the field and support for manifestation and ascent.
Inner power
Stabilization of the nature (Vasus), harmonization and purification (Mitra-Varuṇa), and the opening of a wide channel between higher consciousness and embodied life (Dyāvā-Pṛthivī).
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation for clearing obstacles and widening the path within the sacrifice; Mitra-Varuṇa appeasement/praise
प्र ये वसु॑भ्य॒ ईव॒दा नमो॒ दुर्ये मि॒त्रे वरु॑णे सू॒क्तवा॑चः । अवै॒त्वभ्वं॑ कृणु॒ता वरी॑यो दि॒वस्पृ॑थि॒व्योरव॑सा मदेम ॥
प्र । ये । वसु॑ऽभ्यः । ईव॑त् । आ । नमः॑ । दुः । ये । मि॒त्रे । वरु॑णे । सू॒क्तऽवा॑चः । अव॑ । ए॒तु॒ । अभ्व॑म् । कृ॒णु॒त । वरी॑यः । दि॒वःपृ॑थि॒व्योः । अव॑सा । म॒दे॒म॒ ॥
pra | ye | vasu-bhyaḥ | īvat | ā | namaḥ | duḥ | ye | mitre | varuṇe | sūkta-vācaḥ | ava | etu | abhvam | kṛṇuta | varīyaḥ | divaḥpṛthivyoḥ | avasā | madema
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Strong forward thrust (‘pra’) and clearing motion (‘ava etu’), then widening release (‘varīyaḥ’).
Energizes aspiration, helps cut through heaviness, and leaves an after-feel of spaciousness.
- pra
- Literal: forth, forward. Symbolic: projection of aspiration; initiating movement
- sūktavācaḥ
- Literal: having good speech. Symbolic: speech born of truth and right formation (mantra-consciousness)
- vasubhyaḥ
- Literal: to the Vasus. Symbolic: powers of right being, harmony, substance, stable lights
- namo
- Literal: homage. Symbolic: surrender and receptivity
- dur ye
- Literal: hard to resist/overcome. Symbolic: irresistible action of truth and harmony upon the nature
- mitre varuṇe
- Literal: Mitra and Varuṇa. Symbolic: harmonizing light + vast truth-law; concord and purification
- abhvam
- Literal: vast, monstrous (obstruction). Symbolic: subconscient resistance, inertia, enveloping darkness
- ava etu
- Literal: let it go down/away. Symbolic: descent of obstruction out of the field of consciousness
- varīyaḥ
- Literal: wider, freer. Symbolic: widened consciousness; open path for progress
- divaspṛthivyoḥ avasā
- Literal: by the help of Heaven and Earth. Symbolic: support of higher and lower nature in a unified yoga
- madema
- Literal: may we rejoice. Symbolic: ānanda-like gladness from inner plenitude
General yajña invocation and obstacle-removal prayer; suitable as an anuvākyā-style supplication in Soma contexts where Mitra-Varuṇa and the Ādityas are invoked for ṛta and protection (exact Śrauta placement varies by śākhā).
When seeking removal of impediments, purification, and prosperity; transitional moments in rites
Recitation with offering and request for ‘varīyas’ (wider way)
Chant before difficult tasks or during inner heaviness: use as a clearing-and-widening prayer (especially when feeling blocked).
Key terms: (1) vasu-bhyaḥ: vasu from √vas ‘to dwell, to be good/fit’, hence ‘good, wealth, excellence’; Vasus as powers of essential abundance. (2) sūkta-vācaḥ: su-ukta ‘well-said’ (ukta from √vac ‘to speak’) + vāc ‘speech’; mantra as truth-utterance. (3) abhvam: from abhu/abhva ‘vast, huge, formidable’; in RV often a crushing obstacle or dark immensity. (4) varīyaḥ: comparative of uru/var ‘wide, broad’ (cf. uru, varīyas); psychologically: wideness of consciousness. (5) avasā: instr. of avas ‘help, protection, favor’; from √av ‘to protect, favor’. (6) madema: 1pl optative from √mad ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’; not mere sensory intoxication but delight of achieved fullness.
Ṛta (cosmic order upheld by Mitra-Varuṇa), Vastness (Varuṇa) and harmony (Mitra) as conditions for truth-speech, Expansion of consciousness (varīyas) versus constriction (abhvam)
The ‘hard to resist’ power is ṛta acting upon disorder; widening is the restoration of right space for right movement.
Good utterance is effective because it embodies satya; it calls corresponding truth-forces.
From obstruction to widened path mirrors cosmogony: light and order emerging from a cover.
Aurobindo-style: Vṛtra-like obstruction (abhvam) removed by truth/harmony; widening as a key sign of higher consciousness.
Heaven and Earth (cosmic polarity); Wideness/space as a cosmic field (uru/varīyas); Removal of a ‘vast obstruction’ (storm-cloud/darkness motif interiorized)
Heaven-Earth are higher and lower nature; ‘wider path’ is expanded inner space; ‘obstruction sinking’ is release of subconscient mass.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The core mythologem is the sinking/removal of a ‘vast obstruction’ (abhvam) so that a ‘wider path’ (varīyas) is fashioned under the guardianship of Mitra-Varuṇa and the cosmic pair Heaven-and-Earth. In inner terms, this is the classic Vedic movement: truth-aligned speech and offering call the law-powers; the oppressive darkness/constriction withdraws; consciousness widens into delight.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several lexemes preserve Indo-European inheritances: √vac ‘to speak’ (vāc, ukta) aligns with PIE *wekw- ‘voice, speak’ (cf. Latin vox). √av ‘to help/protect’ (avas) corresponds to PIE protective/helping semantics seen across IE (support/aid roots). The polarity dyu/pṛthivī reflects archaic IE sky-earth dyads (PIE *dyew- ‘sky, shine’; cf. Greek Zeus < *dyēus). The comparative varīyas ‘wider’ continues the IE pattern of comparative formation and the semantic field of breadth as freedom/expanse.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi offers ‘sūkta-vāc’—speech disciplined into truth—together with namas (self-offering). In return, the devatās act as inner operators: the Vasus stabilize abundance, Mitra-Varuṇa enforce ṛta by dissolving resistance, and Heaven-Earth provide sustaining avas (support). The reciprocity is thus: right utterance and surrender evoke protection; protection enables widening; widening culminates in mad (delight/fulfilment).
Clearing heaviness and opening inner space; aligning with harmony and truth-law.
anāhata (widening/space)
Long exhale emphasis (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 8) while contemplating ‘ava etu abhvam’; then natural breath in widened awareness.
Forceful clarity moving into spacious equanimity.
When blocked: (1) speak one truthful sentence of aspiration (sūkta); (2) invoke harmony (Mitra) and truth (Varuṇa); (3) on exhale, let the obstruction ‘sink’; (4) rest in the widened inner space and proceed from there.
Observe marked accents (e.g.,,,,,,,, ); keep ‘ava etu abhvam’ as a decisive downward cadence.
Give a firm downward resolution on ‘ava etu’; then open the tone and space on ‘kṛṇutā varīyaḥ’.
sūktavācaḥ: long ū, cluster kt (sūk-ta), Mitra/Varuṇa: crisp dental t; retroflex ṇ, abhvam: pronounce bhv cluster smoothly (ab-hvam), divaspṛthivyoḥ: keep compound clear: di-vas-pṛ-thi-vyoḥ
clear, forceful, then spacious on the final pāda
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