Rig Veda 7.41.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 41, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.41
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Bhaga / divine felicity
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
उतेदानीं भगवन्तः स्यामोत प्रपित्व उत मध्ये अह्नाम् । उतोदिता मघवन्त्सूर्यस्य वयं देवानां सुमतौ स्याम ॥
utédānīṃ bhágavantaḥ syāmóta prápitva utá mádhye áhnām | utóditā maghavantsū́ryasya vayáṃ devā́nāṃ sumatáu syāma ||
अभी इस वक़्त हमें भग का हिस्सा मिलना चाहिए। आगे बढ़ने में भी हमारा भला हो, और दिन के बीच में भी। जब सूरज उगता है, तब भी हम खुश रहें और देवता लोग हमारे साथ हों। देवता लोग हमें अपनी खुशी से अपना लें।
Word by Word
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक निपातRoot उत
- इदानीम्
- nowIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इदानीम्
- भगवन्तः
- fortunate; blessed (ones)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot भगवत्
- स्याम
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot अस् (भू/अस्)
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक निपातRoot उत
- प्रपित्वे
- in the approach/attainment; at the time of reaching (near the end)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot प्रपित्व
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक निपातRoot उत
- मध्ये
- in the middleNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot मध्य
- अह्नाम्
- of daysNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root अहन्
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक निपातRoot उत
- उदिताः
- risen; having arisenAdjective (Participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (भूतकृदन्त, क्त)Role Kartā (as predicate adjective)Root उद्-इ (उद् + इ) / उदित (PPP)
- मघवन्तः
- bountiful (ones); generousNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मघवत्
- सूर्यस्य
- of the SunNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root सूर्य
- वयम्
- wePronounउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot अस्मद्
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root देव
- सुमतौ
- in (their) good will; in benevolent favorNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot सुमति
- स्याम
- may we beVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot अस् (भू/अस्)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): उ॒तेदानीं॒ → उत + इदानीम्
- स्यामो॒त → स्याम + उत
- प्र॑पि॒त्व उ॒त → प्रपित्वे + उत (loc.sg. in -e before vowel)
- मध्ये॒ अह्ना॑म् → मध्ये + अह्नाम्
- उ॒तोदि॑ता → उत + उदिताः
- मघव॒न्त्सूर्य॑स्य → मघवन्तः + सूर्यस्य (visarga/sandhi in saṃhitā)
- व॒यं दे॒वानां॑ → वयम् + देवानाम्
- सुम॒तौ स्या॑म → सुमतौ + स्याम. Accent marks are preserved from saṃhitā
- pada-division follows RV padapāṭha conventions where applicable
The meaning
Outer meaning
May we be possessed of Bhaga even now, and in the forward course, and in mid-days; and at the sun’s rising, O givers of plenitude, may we be in the good thought/favor of the gods.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks for continuity of the divine portion (bhaga) through all phases of the day—now (immediate state), in the onward movement (prapitva: the forward advance), in the middle stretch (madhye ahnām), and at the sun’s uprising (udita sūryasya). Psychologically, this is a prayer that the inner joy and right allotment not be a brief dawn-experience but a stable companion through work, struggle, and culmination. ‘Maghavan(t)’—givers of plenitude—suggests the gods as powers that enrich the being when it remains in their sumati (luminous consent/right-mindedness).
Universal truth
Spiritual experience must become stable across time and circumstance. The real test of illumination is continuity: joy, right measure, and divine guidance should persist through beginnings, middles, and endings of our daily cycles.
Themes
Sustained spiritual fortune (bhagavant), Temporal integration of awakening, Divine harmony and guidance (sumati)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vāsiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.41.1 (dawn litany), RV 7.41.2–3 (Bhaga invoked for portion, dhi, light and force), RV 7.40.7 (svasti—continuous protection)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s spirituality values continuity of ṛta and divine presence through the whole movement of life, not only in peak moments.
Significance
This verse seals the morning invocation with a demand for permanence: the gods’ ‘good mind’ should become the atmosphere in which the human lives and acts.
The deity
- Devata
- Bhaga and the collective Devas (with Sūrya implied)
- Epithets
- bhagavantaḥ (possessing the portion), maghavant (bountiful givers), devānāṃ sumati (the gods’ luminous consent)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Savitar, Mitra–Varuṇa, Indra
Cosmic role
Bhaga stabilizes rightful delight and increase; Sūrya represents the truth-light of culmination; the Devas collectively maintain right movement and well-being through the day-cycle.
Inner power
Continuity of joy and right guidance; protection against loss of the inner state during activity; sustained alignment with higher will.
In ritual
Where it is used
Closing/continuation prayer in a morning Bhaga sequence; suitable as an auspicious benediction for sustained well-being.
उ॒तेदानीं॒ भग॑वन्तः स्यामो॒त प्र॑पि॒त्व उ॒त मध्ये॒ अह्ना॑म् । उ॒तोदि॑ता मघव॒न्त्सूर्य॑स्य व॒यं दे॒वानां॑ सुम॒तौ स्या॑म ॥
उत॑ । इ॒दानी॑म् । भग॑ऽवन्तः । स्या॒म॒ । उ॒त । प्र॒ऽपि॒त्वे । उ॒त । मध्ये॑ । अह्ना॑म् । उ॒त । उत्ऽइ॑ता । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । सूर्य॑स्य । व॒यम् । दे॒वाना॑म् । सु॒ऽम॒तौ । स्या॒म॒ ॥
uta | idānīm | bhaga-vantaḥ | syāma | uta | pra-pitve | uta | madhye | ahnām | uta | ut-itā | magha-van | sūryasya | vayam | devānām | su-matau | syāma
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Balanced and temporal—marked by ‘uta…uta…uto…’ creating a measured sequence across time.
Instills steadiness and continuity; the rhythm mimics the day’s unfolding and keeps consciousness from fragmenting.
- इदानीम् (idānīm)
- Literal: even now. Symbolic: Present-moment establishment; immediate grounding of the divine state
- प्रपित्व (prapitva)
- Literal: forward course, advance. Symbolic: Evolutionary movement; progress through effort and time
- मध्ये अह्नाम् (madhye ahnām)
- Literal: in the middle of the days. Symbolic: Sustained practice during ordinary stretches; endurance phase
- उदिता सूर्यस्य (uditā sūryasya)
- Literal: at the rising of the sun. Symbolic: Culminating illumination; truth-light becoming dominant
- मघवन्त् (maghavant)
- Literal: bountiful, giver of gifts. Symbolic: Plenitude-powers that enrich consciousness and life
- सुमति (sumati)
- Literal: good thought, favor. Symbolic: Luminous consent of the gods; right-minded alignment with higher guidance
- भगवन्तः (bhagavantaḥ)
- Literal: possessed of bhaga/fortune. Symbolic: Established in the divine portion of delight and right increase
Daily and Soma-rite prosperity prayers; suitable for morning recitation contexts invoking Sūrya and Deva-sumati (auspicious guidance).
After dawn recitations; before entering the day’s work; also at sunrise observances.
Āśiṣ for continuity of prosperity and divine favor through the day’s phases.
A ‘stability mantra’ for maintaining inner peace and joy throughout busy schedules; recite at morning, midday, and before sunset as a reminder of continuity.
bhagavant-: possessive -vant suffix 'having' + bhaga 'portion/felicity'. pra-pitva: from pra- + √pā/√pi semantic 'advance, drinking/refreshment' is debated; in RV usage, pra-pitva commonly denotes 'forward course/advance' (life’s onward movement). sūrya-: from √svar/√sur 'shine'—sun as the illuminator; sumati: su- 'good' + mati 'thought, intention' (√man 'think')—a key RV term for divine-favor as right-minded guidance.
Continuity of realization through time (now, mid-days, sunrise), Sumati as divine alignment of thought, Sūrya as symbol of truth-consciousness
The ordered sequence of times reflects ṛta; ‘sumati’ implies alignment with the gods’ right intention.
Sunrise symbolizes satya’s emergence; remaining in sumati supports truthful living.
Time as a creative unfolding; the gods’ consent sustains manifestation across the cycle.
Integral yoga orientation: spiritual states must persist in action (karma) and time (kāla).
Dawn to sunrise cycle (explicitly mentions sun’s rising; also ‘middle of days’)
Phases of practice: initiation (now), progress (forward course), endurance (midday), culmination (sunrise/truth dominance).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The dawn/sunrise-as-awakening mythologem: the rising of Sūrya marks the emergence of truth-light in the consciousness. The prayer asks that bhaga (divine portion) be stable across the whole temporal field—now, in the onward journey, and in the middle—so awakening is continuous rather than episodic.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sumati (su- + mati) reflects a productive PIE pattern of prefixal valuation (good/well) + mental noun from √man (PIE *men- 'think'). sūrya relates to the Indo-European solar lexicon tied to shining roots (cf. Sanskrit svar 'light', Greek hēlios is different root, but the semantic field 'shine' is a common IE poetic inheritance).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks not isolated gifts but a durable divine companionship: the gods’ sumati (benign intention) is requested as a governing atmosphere in which the seeker remains bhagavant (endowed with the right share). The gods are invoked as inner regulators of thought and timing, especially at the critical threshold of sunrise/awakening.
Continuity practice: recall the inner joy (bhaga) at three checkpoints—morning, midday, evening—so the state becomes independent of circumstance.
Sahasrāra/upper mind (Sūrya truth-light) grounding into Anāhata (joy/consent) for stable sumati.
‘Phase-breath’: 4 slow breaths for ‘idānīm’, 4 for ‘prapitva’, 4 for ‘madhye’, 4 for ‘udita sūryasya’—each set visualizing continuity of light in the spine.
Stable luminous consent; quiet strength in activity.
Chant in the morning; at midday repeat only the intention ‘devānāṃ sumatau syāma’ silently 12 times; at evening review where bhaga was lost and re-offer that moment into the inner fire.
Follow Saṃhitā accents; the repeated ‘uta/uto’ should be even to preserve the temporal sequence.
Slightly lengthen the cadence at ‘madhye ahnām’ and ‘devānāṃ sumatau’ to seal the continuity and consent.
utedānīm: sandhi flow u-te-dā-nīm; long ā, bhagavantaḥ: aspirate bh; final ḥ audible, prapitva: crisp pr; short i, madhye: palatal dhy cluster clean, uditā: long ā, sumatau: su-ma-tau, diphthong au clear
Even, steady, sustaining; like a vow of continuity.
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