Rig Veda 7.40.7: Mandala 7, Sukta 40, Mantra 7
Sukta 7.40
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Composite: Rodasī with Varuṇa, Mitra, Agni
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
नू रोदसी अभिष्टुते वसिष्ठैॠतावानो वरुणो मित्रो अग्निः । यच्छन्तु चन्द्रा उपमं नो अर्कं यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
nū rodasī abhiṣṭute vasiṣṭhaiḥ ṛtāvāno varuṇo mitro agniḥ | yacchantu candrā upamaṃ no arkaṃ yūyaṃ pāta svastíbhiḥ sadā naḥ ||
अब जब वसिष्ठ ऋषि धरम की बात उठाते हैं, तब वरुण, मित्र और अग्नि साथ में आ जाते हैं। वरुण सच का पक्का करता है, मित्र सब को मिला के रखता है, और अग्नि भगवान की इच्छा है। तेज देवता लोग हमें ऐसा गाना दें जो रोशनी से भरा हो। और तुम देव लोग, हमेशा हमारा ख्याल रखो और हमें सुरक्षित रखो।
Word by Word
- नु
- now; indeedIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/temporal particle)Root नु
- रोदसी
- the two worlds (Heaven and Earth)Noun (dual) / Divine nameस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-द्विवचनRole Kartā (with यच्छन्तु) / संबोधन-भाव (invoked pair)Root रोदसी (प्रातिपदिक) < रोदस्
- अभिष्टुते
- well-praised; much-invokedAdjective (past passive participle) used as epithetस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-द्विवचन (agreeing with रोदसी)Role Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of रोदसी)Root अभि-स्तु (धातु √स्तु ‘to praise’) → अभिष्टुत (ppp)
- वसिष्ठैः
- by the Vasiṣṭhas (Vasiṣṭha’s clan/poets)Noun (proper name) / R̥ṣi-nameपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचनRole Karaṇa (instrument: ‘by/through the Vasiṣṭhas’)Root वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतावानौ
- the two ṛta-possessors; upholders of cosmic orderAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-द्विवचन (agreeing with वरुणः मित्रः as a dual pair)Role Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of Varuṇa–Mitra)Root ऋतावन् (प्रातिपदिक: ‘possessing ṛta’)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (with यच्छन्तु; coordinated subject)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- मित्रः
- MitraNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (with यच्छन्तु; coordinated subject)Root मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्निः
- AgniNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचनRole Kartā (with यच्छन्तु; coordinated subject)Root अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- यच्छन्तु
- let them grantVerbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, 3rd person, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √यम् (यच्छ-; ‘to give, grant, bestow’)
- चन्द्राः
- the shining ones; bright (gods)Adjective used substantivelyपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole Kartā (with यच्छन्तु; additional subject)Root चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- उपमम्
- best; most excellentAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (agreeing with अर्कम्)Role Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of अर्कम्)Root उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-बहुवचन (enclitic ‘our/to us’; here best taken as dative)Role Sampradāna (recipient)Root अस्मद्
- अर्कम्
- hymn of praise; songNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचनRole Karma (thing granted)Root अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
- यूयम्
- you (all)Pronounप्रथमा-बहुवचनRole Kartā (with पात)Root युष्मद्
- पात
- protectVerbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, 2nd person, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √पा (to protect) / √पा (to drink) — here ‘protect’
- स्वस्तिभिः
- with well-being; with blessingsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचनRole Karaṇa (means: ‘with blessings/welfare’)Root स्वस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- सदा
- alwaysIndeclinableकाल-अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (temporal)Root सदा
- नः
- usPronounद्वितीया-बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Karma (object of पात)Root अस्मद्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): नु | रोदसी | अभिष्टुते | वसिष्ठैः | ऋतावानौ | वरुणः | मित्रः | अग्निः | यच्छन्तु | चन्द्राः | उपमम् | नः | अर्कम् | यूयम् | पात | स्वस्तिभिः | सदा | नः । प्रमुख संधि/रूप-टिप्पणी: (1) रोदसी is dual nominative of रोदस् (Heaven–Earth). (2) अभिष्टुते is ppp ‘praised’ agreeing in dual with रोदसी. (3) ऋतावानौ is dual nominative adjective agreeing with the paired deities Varuṇa–Mitra (though written as two singulars). (4) नः occurs twice: first best as dative ‘to us’ with यच्छन्तु
- last as accusative ‘us’ with पात. (5) पात is Vedic imperative 2pl of √पा ‘protect’
The meaning
Outer meaning
When Heaven and Earth are praised by the Vasiṣṭhas, may Varuṇa, Mitra, and Agni come near; may the bright (candrāḥ) powers grant us an unsurpassed hymn; may you protect us always with well-being.
Inner meaning
When the higher and lower planes of the being (rodasī: mind and life/body, or heaven-consciousness and earth-nature) are inwardly invoked by the seer-will, the powers of Truth (Varuṇa), Harmony (Mitra), and the divine Flame of aspiration and effective will (Agni) become present in the inner sacrifice. Then the ‘luminous ones’ (candrāḥ) — clarified movements of consciousness — bestow the ‘arka’ (a mantric illumination/hymn of light), and the gods establish a continuous protection as stable states of inner well-being (svasti) and right passage through difficulties.
Universal truth
Integral progress requires a simultaneous opening of the higher consciousness and the earthly nature. When truth, harmony, and conscious will are made active together, inspiration descends as a guiding light, and life is safeguarded by an abiding alignment with the beneficent powers of the universe.
Themes
Refrain, Protection, Rita-order, Luminous knowledge
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vāsiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.1 (Agni hymns of the Vasiṣṭhas), RV 7.33 (Vasiṣṭha narrative and spiritual authority), RV 7.41 (morning invocations; Bhaga and Adityas)
Family tradition
Mandala 7 is predominantly the Vāsiṣṭha family collection, marked by a disciplined ‘ṛta’-centric spirituality—truth, harmony, and the effective flame of aspiration.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha embodies the seer-poise of settled luminosity: a mastery that calls down the gods not as outer patrons but as inner powers of order, harmony, and transformative will.
The deity
- Devata
- Composite: Rodasī; Varuṇa–Mitra–Agni; candrāḥ (luminous powers)
- Epithets
- ṛtāvān (Truth-possessing), Mitra (harmoniser), Agni (inner priest/flame), candrāḥ (luminous ones)
- Related deities
- Aditi (as the vast Mother-law behind the Adityas), Sūrya (truth-light implied by arka), Uṣas (awakening implied by invocation and illumination)
Cosmic role
Varuṇa upholds ṛta and the vast law; Mitra binds forces into concord; Agni mediates between worlds and carries the offering; the luminous powers deliver inspiration (arka).
Inner power
Truth-consciousness (Varuṇa) + harmonising love/consent (Mitra) + effective aspiration and transformative force (Agni) = protected, illuminated progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocatory verse in morning/Aditya-Agni contexts; suitable as a protective benediction (svastyayana) within Soma or Agnihotra-related sequences.
नू रोद॑सी अ॒भिष्टु॑ते॒ वसि॑ष्ठैॠ॒तावा॑नो॒ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॒ग्निः । यच्छ॑न्तु च॒न्द्रा उ॑प॒मं नो॑ अ॒र्कं यू॒यं पा॑त स्व॒स्तिभि॒: सदा॑ नः ॥
नु । रोद॑सी॒ इति॑ । अ॒भिस्तु॑ते॒ इत्य॒भिऽस्तु॑ते । वसि॑ष्ठैः । ऋ॒तऽवा॑नः । वरु॑णः । मि॒त्रः । अ॒ग्निः । यच्छ॑न्तु । च॒न्द्राः । उ॒प॒ऽमम् । नः॒ । अ॒र्कम् । यू॒यम् । पा॒त॒ । स्व॒स्तिऽभिः॑ । सदा॑ । नः॒ ॥
nu | rodasī iti | abhistuteity abhi-stute | vasiṣṭhaiḥ | ṛta-vānaḥ | varuṇaḥ | mitraḥ | agniḥ | yacchantu | candrāḥ | upa-mam | naḥ | arkam | yūyam | pāta | svasti-bhiḥ | sadā | naḥ
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh norm; exact count may vary with resolution and sandhi)
Steady, forward-driving cadence suited to invocation and establishment of divine presence.
Creates a firm ‘descent-path’: first opening the two worlds (rodasī), then installing Truth/Harmony/Will, culminating in a protective benediction (svasti).
- रोदसी (rodasī)
- Literal: Heaven and Earth (the two worlds). Symbolic: Higher consciousness and embodied nature; the two poles that must be yoked in yoga
- ऋतावान (ṛtāvān)
- Literal: Possessing ṛta (cosmic order). Symbolic: Truth-governed consciousness; right law of being acting in the mind and life
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: Aditya-deity of vastness and law. Symbolic: Power of Truth, vast purity, and right order that releases from falsehood
- मित्र (mitra)
- Literal: Friend; deity of concord. Symbolic: Harmonising power that unites and makes relationships and forces consent to Truth
- अग्नि (agni)
- Literal: Fire. Symbolic: Divine Will and aspiration; priest of the inner sacrifice that effects transformation
- चन्द्राः (candrāḥ)
- Literal: Bright/luminous ones. Symbolic: Luminous faculties and clarified mental energies that carry inspiration
- अर्क (arka)
- Literal: Hymn; praise; ray/splendour. Symbolic: Mantric ray of illumination; inspired word that reveals and builds consciousness
- स्वस्ति (svasti)
- Literal: Well-being, safe passage. Symbolic: Stable inner harmony and protected progress through the path
Refrain-like protective closure for the sukta; suitable as a concluding svasti-prayer within sacrificial sequences
At openings of recitation; transitions seeking protection and right passage; morning or commencement of a rite.
Āhvāna (invocation) and āśiṣ (blessing): calling deities to the seat and asking for inspired hymn and protection.
Use as a ‘start-of-day alignment’ mantra: invoke higher/lower integration, then truth-harmony-will, ending with a protective resolve (svasti).
Same as RV 7.39.7: arka from √arc ‘shine/praise’; svasti su- + √as; ṛtavān from ṛta + -vant; Varuṇa (√vṛ ‘encompass/cover’); Mitra (bond/concord); Agni (driving will/fire).
ṛta, svasti, illumined speech (arka)
Explicit via ṛtāvān (Varuṇa) and the ordered protection (svasti).
Mitra–Varuṇa as guardians of truthful relations and truthful seeing; arka as truth-revealing word.
Establishing the link of the two worlds and bringing down the luminous word—creation as continual manifestation through inspired speech.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: deities as functional powers of consciousness; mantra as transformative vibration.
Unspecified (but compatible with dawn/commencement)
Heaven–Earth = higher mind and embodied life; Fire = aspiration; Light = illumined thought/word; Protection = stable harmony in the journey of becoming.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- As a refrain, it seals the hymn with the myth of ṛta’s establishment in the Two Worlds and the bestowal of illumined utterance (arka) guarded by continuous svasti.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Same as RV 7.39.7: Indo-Iranian *ṛta/*aša and *mitra; √yuj/√arc/√as fields show inherited IE poetics of order, bond, and luminous speech.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Vasiṣṭha invocation is the ‘fit speech’ that calls ṛta-bearing powers; their reciprocal gift is illumination (arka) and sustained protection (svasti) for the seeker’s journey.
Unite ‘above’ and ‘below’ in the breath and attention; invoke Truth (Varuṇa), Harmony (Mitra), and Will (Agni) to stabilize the day’s movement.
Anāhata to Ājñā axis (harmony/consent rising to truth-seeing); also Maṇipūra for Agni (will).
4-part breath: inhale (open heaven), exhale (settle earth), brief hold (kindle Agni), slow exhale (release into svasti).
Quietly illumined, protected expansiveness; ‘ṛta’-guided poise.
Chant once slowly, then sit 3–5 minutes: feel a vastness above the head, steadiness in the body, a small flame in the heart/navel, and a clear ray in the mind; end by affirming ‘svasti’ as inner alignment.
Vedic svara as per śākhā tradition (udātta/anudātta/svarita indicated in the Saṃhitā accents; follow the provided accent marks).
Keep udātta as the melodic rise; svarita as a fall-from-rise; avoid flattening the final ‘svastibhíḥ sadā naḥ’—it carries the benedictive seal.
ro-da-sī: long ī in -sī, abhiṣṭute: clear ṣṭ cluster; short u in -te, ṛtāvāno: vocalic ṛ clean and brief; long ā, yacchantu: double cch (tighter contact), candrāḥ: nasalize lightly; long ā, svastibhiḥ: aspirate bh; visarga ḥ audible before pause
Clear, steady, benevolent; slightly intensified on the deity triad (Varuṇa–Mitra–Agni).
3
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
