Rig Veda 8.83.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 83, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.83
- Devata
- Aryaman and Varuṇa
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
वामं नो अस्त्वर्यमन्वामं वरुण शंस्यम् । वामं ह्यावृणीमहे ॥
vāmáṃ no astv aryaman vāmáṃ varuṇa śáṃsyam | vāmáṃ hí āvṛṇīmahe ||
अर्यमन, हमें अच्छा दे। वरुण, हमें वोह अच्छा दे जो हमें सही लगे। हम अच्छा ही माँगते हैं और अच्छा ही चुनते हैं।
Word by Word
- वामम्
- a favorable (thing), boonAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (अत्र: द्वितीया एकवचन, ‘वामम्’ = ‘शुभम्/प्रियं’)Role कर्म (अस्तु इत्यस्य)Root वाम (प्रातिपदिक) < PIE *weh₂m- ‘प्रिय/शुभ’
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic) ‘our/for us’Role सम्प्रदान (हितार्थे: ‘for us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अस्तु
- let it beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole (विधेय क्रिया)Root अस् (धातु) ‘to be’
- अर्यमन्
- O AryamanNoun (proper) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अर्यमन् (प्रातिपदिक; देवता-नाम)
- वामम्
- a favorable (thing), boonAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (अस्तु इत्यस्य)Root वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुण
- O VaruṇaNoun (proper) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक; देवता-नाम)
- शंस्यम्
- praiseworthy, to be praisedAdjective (verbal) / Gerundiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (वामम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (अस्तु इत्यस्य; ‘वामं … शंस्यम्’)Root शंस्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < धातु √शंस् ‘to praise, proclaim’ + यत् (gerundive/नीयतुल्य) ‘praiseworthy/commendable’
- वामम्
- a favorable (thing), boonAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (वृणीमहे इत्यस्य)Root वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (कारण/निश्चयार्थ)Root हि (निपात)
- आवृणीमहे
- we choose / we seekVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRole कर्तृ (वयं)Root √वृ (वृणीते) ‘to choose’ + उपसर्ग आ-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): वा॒मं | नः | अस्तु | अर्यमन् | वा॒मं | वरुण | शंस्यम् | वा॒मं | हि | आवृणीमहे । 1) ‘अस्त्वर्यमन्’ = ‘अस्तु + अर्यमन्’ (उ + अ → व्; उकारस्य वकारादेशः)
- 2) ‘ह्या॑वृणी॒महे’ = ‘हि + आवृणीमहे’ (इ + आ → या; यादेशः)
- 3) ‘वरुण॒ शंस्य॑म्’ इत्यत्र पदान्त-प्रयोगः
The meaning
Outer meaning
May what is good and desirable be ours, O Aryaman; O Varuṇa, may the good that is to be praised/affirmed be ours. For we choose the good.
Inner meaning
The seeker insists on the vāmam—true good, the harmonious desirable aligned with truth, not the pleasant that binds. Aryaman embodies noble aspiration and right companionship on the path; Varuṇa embodies truth-law and vast purity. The mantra is a repeated act of selection (āvṛṇīmahe): choosing the inner good again and again until the nature conforms to it.
Universal truth
Spiritual life is sustained by persistent choice of the true good; when aspiration (Aryaman) and truth-law (Varuṇa) support the choice, the good becomes stable and effective.
Themes
Auspiciousness, Āditya protection, Ethical-psychological alignment
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 5.85 (Varuṇa and truth), RV 2.27 (Ādityas grant well-being), RV 8.18 (choice and boon motifs)
Family tradition
Āditya-invocation stream stressing ethical-spiritual choice and protection by law (Varuṇa) and noble path-force (Aryaman).
Significance
The rishi’s psychology is volitional: salvation is not accident but repeated choosing of the soul’s good, supported by divine order and noble aspiration.
The deity
- Devata
- Aryaman and Varuṇa (Ādityas)
- Epithets
- śaṃsyam (praiseworthy good)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Bhaga, Savitar
Cosmic role
Aryaman: guardian of noble order and right fellowship; Varuṇa: guardian of cosmic law and truth-purity.
Inner power
Aryaman strengthens aspiration and disciplined progress; Varuṇa purifies, widens, and binds the being to truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āditya prayers for welfare and right order; protective recitation
वा॒मं नो॑ अस्त्वर्यमन्वा॒मं व॑रुण॒ शंस्य॑म् । वा॒मं ह्या॑वृणी॒महे॑ ॥
वा॒मम् । नः॒ । अ॒स्तु॒ । अ॒र्य॒म॒न् । वा॒मम् । व॒रु॒ण॒ । शंस्य॑म् । वा॒मम् । हि । आ॒ऽवृ॒णी॒महे॑ ॥
vāmam | naḥ | astu | aryaman | vāmam | varuṇa | śaṃsyam | vāmam | hi | āvṛṇīmahe
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4 × ~8 syllables
Repetitive refrain-like ‘vāmam’ gives mantra a steady, insistent beat.
Trains the will through repetition—engraves the preference for the true good; soothing yet firm.
- वामम् (vāmam)
- Literal: good, desirable, pleasant. Symbolic: the true good—harmonious delight aligned with truth and growth
- शंस्यम् (śaṃsyam)
- Literal: praiseworthy, to be affirmed. Symbolic: that which the soul can approve—ethical-spiritual good, not ego-desire
- आवृणीमहे (āvṛṇīmahe)
- Literal: we choose, we take to ourselves. Symbolic: repeated consent/selection; active alignment of will with higher truth
- अर्यमन् (aryaman)
- Literal: Aryaman. Symbolic: noble will, right effort, inner companionship
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: Varuṇa. Symbolic: truth-law, wideness, purification and restraint of false movements
Invocation for auspiciousness and right-affirmed good; applicable in rites of protection, reconciliation, and establishing harmony with ṛta.
Morning/evening as ethical alignment; also before vows, agreements, or self-discipline practices.
Verbal saṅkalpa: choosing the good; offering of praise to Varuṇa/Aryaman.
Use as a ‘values mantra’ to reset intention: choose what is truly good (śaṃsyam) over impulse.
vāma ‘desirable, pleasant, good’ (not merely comfort but the soul’s right good). śaṃsyam from √śaṃs ‘praise/proclaim’ → what can be safely affirmed in speech because it accords with ṛta. āvṛṇīmahe again emphasizes inward appropriation (middle voice): the good is chosen as an inner state under Āditya governance.
Ṛta-aligned good (śaṃsyam), Choice as inner assent (ā-√vṛ)
‘Good’ here is what accords with ṛta, not merely desire.
Varuṇa’s domain: truth-purity; śaṃsyam = soul-approved truth-good.
Establishing a moral-spiritual order within human nature mirroring cosmic order.
Bridging Vedic ṛta to Upaniṣadic ethical discernment (prefiguring śreyas vs preyas).
morning
Solar principle = clarity of the good; Varuṇa’s vastness = purity; Aryaman’s path = forward movement on the right way.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘the choosing of the auspicious good under cosmic law’: the Ādityas confer not random gifts but vāma that is śaṃsya—fit to be proclaimed because it is consonant with ṛta. The ‘good’ is thus a truth-founded state rather than material luck.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛ ‘choose’ and √śaṃs ‘proclaim/praise’ reflect ancient IE speech-act and volition categories: the sacred word (proclamation) and the willed selection (choice) are paired. This coupling is typical of archaic Indo-European poetics where right speech and right will jointly effect reality.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi seeks an Āditya-mediated good: Aryaman ensures right fellowship/exchange; Varuṇa ensures right law and containment. The human act is consent—choosing the vāma inwardly—so the divine order can stabilize it as an abiding condition.
Repeated inner choice of the ‘praiseworthy good’—align desire with truth.
anāhata
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana (alternate nostril) for balance; on each side mentally repeat ‘vāmam’.
Clear-hearted consent; quiet rectitude.
Use when tempted by short-term pleasure: pause, repeat, and ask inwardly ‘Is this śaṃsyam?’ Let Varuṇa’s wideness cool the impulse and Aryaman’s nobility lift the choice.
Refrain-like repetition of vāmam benefits from stable pitch; follow Vedic accent marks where present (śaṃsyam has marked accent in the text).
Give consistent emphasis to each ‘vāmam’; keep ‘āvṛṇīmahe’ slightly elongated to embody deliberate choice.
vāmam: long ā; keep both m’s clear, aryaman: ‘ry’ cluster clean, avoid inserting vowel, śaṃsyam: palatal ś; anusvāra before s sounds nasalized, āvṛṇīmahe: long ā; retroflex ṇ; keep ‘mahe’ soft
Gentle, pure, affirming; like a vow.
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