Rig Veda 8.4.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 4, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.4
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
यथा गौरो अपा कृतं तृष्यन्नेत्यवेरिणम् । आपित्वे नः प्रपित्वे तूयमा गहि कण्वेषु सु सचा पिब ॥
yáthā gaúro apā́ kṛtáṃ tṛ́ṣyann éty avérīṇam | ā́pitve naḥ prapítve tū́yam ā́ gahi kaṇvéṣu sú sácā píba ||
जैसे एक प्यासा पीला-भला जानवर पानी के पास जल्दी-जल्दी आता है, वैसे ही तुम भी हमारे पास आओ। जहाँ भी हम मिलें, वहाँ तुम पूरा मिलो। कण्व रिशियों के साथ बैठ के अपनी सुख पूरी करो।
Word by Word
- यथा
- just asIndeclinableसम्बन्ध/उपमानार्थ अव्यय (यथा = ‘as, just as’)Root यथा (avyaya)
- गौरः
- a bull (lit. ‘the tawny/bright one’, i.e., bull)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक: गो/गौ-)
- अपाः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक: अप् ‘water’)
- कृतम्
- made, preparedParticipleभूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मणि/भावे ‘made/formed’)Role Karma (as object/complement) / PredicativeRoot कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
- तृष्यन्
- thirstingParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (qualifying ‘गौरः’)Root तृष् (धातु) → तृष्यत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- एति
- goesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot इ (धातु)
- अवेरिणम्
- to the non-hostile (one), to the un-enviousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (goal/object with ‘एति’ in sense ‘goes to’)Root अ-वेरिन् (प्रातिपदिक; वेरिन् ‘hostile/envious’ with privative अ-)
- आपित्वे
- in companionship, in close associationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot आ-पि-त्व (प्रातिपदिक: आपित्व ‘companionship/being together; intimacy’)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- प्रपित्वे
- in (further) fellowship / in approachNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot प्र-पि-त्व (प्रातिपदिक: प्रपित्व ‘further companionship/advance fellowship; approach’)
- तूयम्
- swiftlyIndeclinableक्रियाविशेषण अव्ययRoot तूयम् (avyaya)
- आ
- hither, towards (us)Indeclinableआगमनार्थ निपात/उपसर्गRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- गहि
- comeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: गहि = गच्छ)Role KriyāRoot गम् (धातु) (Vedic impv. formation)
- कण्वेषु
- among the KaṇvasNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कण्व (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषि-नाम)
- सु
- wellIndeclinableउपपद/निपात (intensifier ‘well’)Root सु (avyaya)
- सचा
- together (with)Indeclinableसहकारार्थ अव्यय (‘with, together’)Root सच (avyaya; instr.-like adverb ‘together with’)
- पिब
- drinkVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot पा (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved Vedic sandhi: तृष्य॒न्नेत्यवेरि॑णम् → तृष्यन् + एति + अवेरिणम्
- Other items are already pada-like: यथा | गौरो(=गौरः) | अपा(=अपाः) | कृतम् | आपित्वे | नः | प्रपित्वे | तूयम् | आ | गहि | कण्वेषु | सु | सचा | पिब
- Accent marks in the Saṃhitā text are retained in citation but do not change morphological segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
As a pale-golden creature, thirsty, goes to prepared waters and an unfailing stream, so Indra is urged to come quickly to the worshippers’ meeting and drink Soma among the Kaṇvas in close companionship.
Inner meaning
The seeker’s consciousness (thirsting) turns toward the prepared inner waters—clarified, purified currents of feeling and life-energy—so that Indra, the illumined Mind-Power, may descend swiftly into the “meeting” (āpitva/prapitva: intimate approach and full union). The “gaura” is the luminous aspiration (golden, clarified) moving toward inexhaustible inner flow; Soma-drinking becomes the Mind’s intimate participation in the delight-force released by the offering.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes sincere thirst and the inner nature is made ready, higher illumination comes quickly; union with the Divine becomes companionship, and joy is not sought outwardly but received as a natural satisfaction of awakened consciousness.
Themes
invitation to drink Soma, aspiration, union with the divine, simile of thirst
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.2, RV 8.3, RV 8.4, RV 8.5
Family tradition
Kaṇvāḥ (Kaṇva seers), noted for Indra-Soma hymns emphasizing the descent of power and delight into the human offering.
Significance
Kaṇva-vision often frames Indra not merely as a war-god but as the dynamic illuminator who comes to the prepared inner sacrifice; the recurrent motif is swift arrival, intimate companionship, and Soma as the medium of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- implicit swift-comer (tūyam ā gahi), sakhā (companion, implied by sacā), Maghavan (bountiful, in adjacent verse)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstruction, opener of the luminous streams; establishes the victorious movement of the Truth in the human field.
Inner power
Divine Mind-force that brings illumination, courage, and right impulsion; it ‘drinks’ Soma as the mind’s capacity to hold and act from Ananda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering to Indra (Indra-Soma context)
यथा॑ गौ॒रो अ॒पा कृ॒तं तृष्य॒न्नेत्यवेरि॑णम् । आ॒पि॒त्वे न॑: प्रपि॒त्वे तूय॒मा ग॑हि॒ कण्वे॑षु॒ सु सचा॒ पिब॑ ॥
यथा॑ । गौ॒रः । अ॒पा । कृ॒तम् । तृष्य॑न् । एति॑ । अव॑ । इरि॑णम् । आ॒ऽपि॒त्वे । नः॒ । प्र॒ऽपि॒त्वे । तूय॑म् । आ । ग॒हि॒ । कण्वे॑षु । सु । सचा॑ । पिब॑ ॥
yathā | gauraḥ | apā | kṛtam | tṛṣyan | eti | ava | iriṇam | āpitve | naḥ | pra-pitve | tūyam | ā | gahi | kaṇveṣu | su | sacā | piba
48
4 pādas × 12 syllables (Jagatī-type cadence).
Flowing and expansive; suited to imagery of streams and swift approach.
Creates a sense of onward movement and widening receptivity, supporting the ‘quick descent’ of the invoked power.
- गौरः (gauraḥ)
- Literal: pale-golden, tawny one. Symbolic: luminous aspiration / clarified seeking turning toward truth
- अपः (apāḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: inner currents of life, feeling, and consciousness made pure for reception
- कृतम् (kṛtam)
- Literal: made, prepared. Symbolic: inner nature disciplined and readied by practice and offering
- तृष्यन् (tṛṣyan)
- Literal: thirsting. Symbolic: intense spiritual need that draws down the higher power
- अवेरिणम् (averiṇam)
- Literal: unfailing, not failing. Symbolic: inexhaustible stream of inspiration/Ananda once contacted
- आपित्वे / प्रपित्वे (āpitve / prapitve)
- Literal: approach / full approach, full meeting. Symbolic: progressive intimacy with the Divine: nearness → union
- सचा (sacā)
- Literal: together, in companionship. Symbolic: yoga as conscious co-being with the higher Power
- पिब (piba)
- Literal: drink. Symbolic: receive and assimilate Soma—delight/immortalizing essence in the mind
Soma invitation with a vivid simile: Indra is urged to come swiftly and drink Soma with the seers; supports the moment of offering and divine 'arrival'.
Soma pressing sessions; invitations and praise preceding offering/drinking.
Recitation to invite Indra to the pressing and to ‘drink’ the Soma; accompaniment to offering ladles/cup presentation.
Used as an invocation before meditation: prepare the ‘waters’ (calm vital), kindle aspiration, then invite illumined mind to descend and ‘drink’ the inner delight.
tṛṣ 'thirst' is an Indo-Iranian root for desire; psychologically the soul’s longing for the flow of clarity. ap- 'water' from PIE *h₂ep- (cf. Latin aqua via different formation; Hittite ḫāpa-). √pā 'drink' is PIE *peh₃- (drink). The pitva compounds (āpitve, prapitve) encode graded intimacy/approach in the soma-drinking metaphor.
desire as aspiration (tṛṣ) for higher flow (ap), graded union/meeting with the divine (āpitva/prapitva), Soma as delight that satisfies and illumines
The ‘unfailing stream’ signifies the steady law of truth-consciousness once opened.
Truth is approached by sincerity (tṛṣyant) and readiness (kṛtam).
Descent and integration: higher power enters prepared lower nature and transforms it through delight.
Proto-Vedāntic / Aurobindonian psychological reading (Indra as illumined mind; Soma as Ananda).
Waters = purified vital-emotional currents; thirst = soul-need; golden = clarified aspiration; stream’s unfailingness = continuity of inner guidance when aligned to R̥ta.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the god’s coming to drink Soma, expressed through the thirst-to-water simile. Inner sense: the human aspiration (thirst) prepares the waters of clarity; the Indric power is invited to enter that prepared flow and drink—i.e., to intensify consciousness through delighted union with the offering.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ap- (waters) is PIE *h₂ep-; √pā (drink) is PIE *peh₃-. The formula of 'thirsting goes to waters' is a broadly IE natural metaphor repurposed into spiritual psychology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers a prepared channel (kṛta ap-) and invites Indra into increasing intimacy (āpitva → prapitva). The reciprocity is experiential: the seer’s preparation and call enable Indra’s presence; Indra’s drinking signifies the descent of power and joy into the human field.
Invite illumined mind into prepared inner calm; receive delight as nourishment for right action.
Ājñā (illumined mind) with support from Anāhata (purified waters of feeling).
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow equal breathing; pause after exhale to ‘offer’ silence, then inwardly ‘invite’ Indra.
Receptive clarity with uplifted aspiration (quiet intensity rather than strain).
Begin by ‘preparing the waters’ (settle emotions), kindle a simple thirst for truth, then mentally repeat ‘tūyam ā gahi’ as an invitation; rest in companionship (sacā) and allow joy to pervade without grasping.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita per Rigvedic accent; key lifts on invocatory verbs (e.g., ā gahi) and offering action (piba).
Maintain clear rise on marked acute syllables in the Saṃhitā text (, etc.); keep unmarked syllables level; let svarita glide where indicated by Vedic phonetics.
Hold long vowels distinctly: āpitve, prapitve, tūyam., Retroflex clarity: ṛ in kṛtam; avoid turning it into ri/ru., Keep consonant clusters clean: prapitve (pra-pit-ve), kaṇveṣu (ṇv).
Bright, inviting, slightly urgent but controlled; soften on sacā piba to convey intimacy.
9
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.
