Rig Veda 7.95.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 95, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.95
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Sarasvatī, with possible verse-level reference shift to an associated masculine power
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स वावृधे नर्यो योषणासु वृषा शिशुर्वृषभो यज्ञियासु । स वाजिनं मघवद्भ्यो दधाति वि सातये तन्वं मामृजीत ॥
sá vāvṛdhe náryo yóṣaṇāsu vṛ́ṣā śíśur vṛṣabhó yajñíyāsu | sá vā́jinaṃ maghávadbhyo dadhāti ví sātáye tanvàṃ mamṛjīta ||
वो ताकत में बढ़ रहा है, ऊर्जा के बीच में। एक बच्चा है, फिर भी बैल जैसा मज़बूत है। यज्ञ के काम में वो सबसे टगड़ा है। जो लोग देते हैं, उनको वो खुशाली देता है। जीत के लिए वो हमारे शरीर को साफ़ बनाता है।
Word by Word
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- वावृधे
- has grown / has increasedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √वृध् (वर्धने)
- नर्यः
- manly, heroicAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root नर्य (प्रातिपदिक; नर-सम्बद्धः)
- यः
- whoPronoun (relative)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot यद् (य-प्रातिपदिक)
- योषणासु
- among maidens / womenNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot योषणा (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषा
- bull; virile oneNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root वृषन्/वृषा (प्रातिपदिक)
- शिशुः
- child, young oneNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषभः
- bullNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञियासु
- in the (ritually) worthy ones / in the sacrificial (rites/assemblies)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot यज्ञिय (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ-सम्बद्धः, यज्ञार्हः)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- वाजिनम्
- the prize-winner / the swift one (steed); the victoriousNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघवद्भ्यः
- to the bountiful (patrons)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot मघवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधाति
- gives, bestowsVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √धा (धारणे/स्थापने)
- वि
- apart, forth; intensivelyIndeclinable (preverb)Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सातये
- for winning / for gainNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदानRoot साति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक; ‘प्राप्ति/विजय’)
- तन्वम्
- body, selfNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तनू (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- मामृजीत
- should not wipe/cleanse (away); let him not effaceVerbलुङ् (आगमयुक्त-आोरिस्ट), तृतीयपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्; ‘मा’ इति निषेधेन—न करे/न शुद्ध्येत् इत्यर्थःRole क्रियाRoot √मृज् (मार्जने/शोधने) + मा (निषेध)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः वावृधे नर्यः यः योषणासु वृषा शिशुः वृषभः यज्ञियासु । सः वाजिनम् मघवद्भ्यः दधाति वि सातये तन्वम् मा अमृजीत । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) स वा॑वृधे → सः वावृधे (विसर्ग-लोपः, ‘सः’ + ‘व’)
- (2) शिशु॑र्वृष॒भो → शिशुः वृषभः (विसर्गः + व्)
- (3) मामृजीत → मा अमृजीत (निषेध ‘मा’ + स्वरादि ‘अ-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
He (a heroic power) grows among maidens/energies: a bull yet a child, a strong bull among the sacred rites. He gives the winning force to the generous and for victory he refines the body.
Inner meaning
This verse shifts to a masculine force allied to Sarasvatī’s action—often read as the effective Power born of the sacrifice: the virile energy of illumination (Indra-like or Agni/force of the yajña) that grows among the ‘yoṣaṇāḥ’ (powers of becoming, formative energies). ‘Bull yet child’ signals a paradox of divine force: at once primal and ever-new, mighty and fresh in manifestation. In the yajñiya movements (disciplined inner works), this force grants vājinam—plenitude of effective energy—to the maghavats (those who give, i.e., offer themselves and their energies). For victory (sātaye), it ‘polishes’ (māmṛjīta) the tanū—our embodied nature—making the instrument fit for the higher consciousness.
Universal truth
Spiritual power matures through disciplined practice: it is simultaneously ancient in essence and newborn in experience. When we give ourselves to the work, the force of victory refines the very substance of our life and body.
Themes
Inner growth, Purification, Victory, Force-plenitude
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.95.1, RV 7.95.2, RV 7.97.2
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s hymns frequently pair luminous knowledge (Sarasvatī/vāk) with effective force (Agni/Indra-like power) that accomplishes the inner victory.
Significance
The seer reveals the complementarity: truth-flow gives direction; heroic force grows within nature’s energies to execute and transform the embodied being.
The deity
- Devata
- Sarasvatī (hymn-level) with an associated masculine executive power (Indra/Agni-like) at verse-level
- Epithets
- narya (heroic), vṛṣā (bull), śiśu (child), vṛṣabha (strong bull)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Executive power of the sacrifice: brings victory and distributes effective energy to the self-giving.
Inner power
Dynamic spiritual strength that refines the instrument and enables conquest over inertia and obscurity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of the victorious power generated by yajña; used in contexts seeking strength, success, and purification of the sacrificer’s ‘tanū’.
स वा॑वृधे॒ नर्यो॒ योष॑णासु॒ वृषा॒ शिशु॑र्वृष॒भो य॒ज्ञिया॑सु । स वा॒जिनं॑ म॒घव॑द्भ्यो दधाति॒ वि सा॒तये॑ त॒न्वं॑ मामृजीत ॥
सः । व॒वृ॒धे॒ । नर्यः॑ । योष॑णासु । वृषा॑ । शिशुः॑ । वृ॒ष॒भः । य॒ज्ञिया॑सु । सः । वा॒जिन॑म् । म॒घव॑त्ऽभ्यः । द॒धा॒ति॒ । वि । सा॒तये॑ । त॒न्व॑म् । म॒मृ॒जी॒त॒ ॥
saḥ | vavṛdhe | naryaḥ | yoṣaṇāsu | vṛṣā | śiśuḥ | vṛṣabhaḥ | yajñiyāsu | saḥ | vājinam | maghavat-bhyaḥ | dadhāti | vi | sātaye | tanvam | mamṛjīta
48
4 × 12 syllables (probable; the verse reads with Jagatī sweep though exact padic count should be verified in śākhā recitation)
Strong, driving, with emphatic nouns (vṛṣā/śiśuḥ/vṛṣabha) creating a punchy cadence within the longer line.
Energizes; evokes courage and constructive intensity while keeping a measured, disciplined rhythm.
- naryaḥ (नर्यः)
- Literal: manly, heroic. Symbolic: the soul-force that acts courageously for truth
- yoṣaṇāsu (योषणासु)
- Literal: among maidens/women. Symbolic: among formative energies (śaktis) of nature—thought, life, emotion—being shaped for the divine
- vṛṣā (वृषा)
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: virile force, potent energy of realization
- śiśuḥ (शिशुः)
- Literal: child. Symbolic: ever-fresh manifestation; new birth of power in the seeker
- yajñiyāsu (यज्ञियासु)
- Literal: in the sacrificial (rites/works). Symbolic: in disciplined inner practices and consecrated actions
- vājinam (वाजिनम्)
- Literal: winning steed/strength, prize, plenitude. Symbolic: effective force for accomplishment; energetic capacity aligned to truth
- maghavadbhyaḥ (मघवद्भ्यः)
- Literal: to the bountiful/generous. Symbolic: to those who offer and share—self-giving aspirants
- sātaye (सातये)
- Literal: for victory. Symbolic: for conquest over resistance/ignorance
- tanvam (तन्वम्)
- Literal: body, embodied being. Symbolic: the whole instrument—physical-vital-mental personality
- māmṛjīta (मामृजीत)
- Literal: he polishes/refines. Symbolic: purification and perfecting of the instrument for higher force
Praise of the growing power in the sacrifice; supports rites aimed at victory (sāti) and refinement/purification (mṛj) of the sacrificer
During stotra/śastra praising victorious powers; also apt for personal sādhanā when undertaking difficult work.
Invocation of strength; offering of effort and self-giving (maghavat spirit).
Chant before demanding tasks, training, or transformative disciplines; as a mantra for refining habits and embodiment.
√vṛdh ‘grow’ expresses increase of divine force in the field; vṛṣan/vṛṣabha ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, be potent’—potency that ‘pours’ force; śiśu ‘child’ marks new manifestation; vā́ja ‘prize/food’ from strength/fullness semantics—interpreted as ‘plenitude of force’; mamṛjīta from √mṛj ‘cleanse/polish’ implies inner refinement of tanū (embodied nature) for sāti (attainment). Note: the masculine pronoun/participles here are notable within a Sarasvatī hymn; could signal a shift to an associated power (e.g., Indra/Agni or a ‘heroic’ force awakened by Sarasvatī).
Transformation of embodied nature (tanū) through purification, Vāja as force-plenitude leading to victory (sāti)
The power grows ‘in yajñiyāsu’—in right works aligned to ṛta, not in egoic struggle.
Victory (sāti) as triumph of truth-consciousness over obscurity.
Divine force incarnating in the human instrument—bull (power) becoming child (new birth).
Yoga of transformation (Aurobindonian): refining the tanū as part of spiritual realization.
Bull/steed = concentrated life-force aligned to illumination; child = new emergence of higher power; refining the body = alchemical purification of embodied nature.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of the ‘new-born yet mighty bull’—a power that is at once fresh (śiśu) and irresistible (vṛṣabha), growing within the sacrificial field and granting vāja for victory. Inner sense: an awakened force in consciousness increases, purifies the embodied nature, and equips the seeker for conquest of limitation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛdh (grow) and √mṛj (wipe/clean) represent archaic action-roots with broad IE parallels in ‘increase’ and ‘clean/polish’ domains. The bull-as-potency metaphor is widely IE, where virility/power imagery encodes cosmic force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi describes the devatā/power as increasing within the consecrated works and reciprocally giving vājin (force-plenitude) to the maghavat (the generous/expansive). The boon is not only victory but an inner polishing of tanū—making the human vessel fit for the Truth-force.
Invoke the ‘bull-child’ force: mighty yet fresh; let it organize your energies for one clear victory over a chosen resistance.
Maṇipūra (will/force)
Kapalabhati (gentle) or bhastrikā-light for 30–60 seconds, then quiet chanting; avoid strain.
Collected power with disciplined aim; readiness for transformation.
Choose one habit/resistance (vṛtra-like cover). Chant, then feel a bright force in the navel rising; offer your energies (yoṣaṇāḥ) to be reshaped; end with a resolve for one concrete action.
Maintain clear accent on vṛ́ṣā / śíśuḥ / vṛṣabháḥ clusters; keep pāda endings firm to support vīra rasa.
Strike the emphatic animal-power words without shouting; keep the rest even to preserve meter.
yoṣaṇāsu: retroflex ṣ, not ‘s’, vṛṣā/vṛṣabha: vocalic ṛ sustained, not ‘ri’, māmṛjīta: nasal ‘mā’ long; ‘ṛj’ cluster clear
Focused, bright, slightly forceful but controlled.
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