Rig Veda 9.48.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 48, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.48
- Devata
- Soma, with ṛta-guardian emphasis
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
विश्वस्मा इत्स्वर्दृशे साधारणं रजस्तुरम् । गोपामृतस्य विर्भरत् ॥
víśvasmā ít svàr-dṛśe sā́dhāraṇaṃ rajás-turám | gopā́m ṛtásya vír bharat ||
वो रोशनी देखने वाले हर रिशि को धन देता है। यह सबका खजाना है। वो तेज़ी से आसमान और धरती के बीच से गुज़रता है। वो सच्चाई की रक्षा करता है।
Word by Word
- विश्वस्मै
- to/for all (to everyone)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सामान्य-विशेषण), चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (recipient/for whom)Root विश्व (sarva/viśva-)
- इत्
- indeed; justIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/limiting particle)Root इत् (particle)
- स्वर्दृशे
- for the heaven-seeing (one); for heavenly visionNoun/Adjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (goal/for the seer of heaven / for heavenly vision)Root स्वर्दृश् (svar-dṛś-) < स्वः + दृश्
- साधारणम्
- common; sharedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (agreeing with an implied neuter object)Role कर्म (as predicate/object: ‘a common [realm/space]’)Root साधारण (sādhāraṇa-) < साध + धृ (semantic: ‘common/held together’)
- रजः
- the airy space; mid-region; realmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object: ‘the midspace/region’)Root रजस् (rajas-)
- तुरम्
- swift; impetuous; overcomingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (qualifying रजः)Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root तुर (tura-) < √तुर्/√तॄ (to overcome, be swift/strong)
- गोपा
- the protector/guardian (of cows; protector)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (agent)Root गोपा (gopā-) < गो + √पा (to protect)
- अमृतस्य
- of immortality; of the nectarNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root अमृत (amṛta-)
- विः
- apart; widely; forthIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (distributive/intensive: ‘apart, widely’)Root विः (particle/prefixal adverb)
- भरत्
- bears; brings; carriesVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (with कर्ता = गोपा)Root √भृ (to bear, bring, support)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: विश्वस्मै इत् स्वर्दृशे साधारणम् रजः तुरम् । गोपा अमृतस्य विः भरत् ॥ 1) विश्व॑स्मा॒ इत् → विश्वस्मै + इत् (ए/आइ-समास/सन्धि: -आ + इ- → -ऐ-). 2) स्व॑र्दृ॒शे = स्वर् + दृशे (समास; ‘heaven’ + ‘seer/seeing’), no external sandhi. 3) गो॒पामृ॒तस्य → गोपा + अमृतस्य (अ + अ- संधि with elision in saṃhitā reading). 4) विर्भ॑रत् → विः + भरत् (visarga before voiced consonant often realized as r in saṃhitā: विः + भरत् → विर्भरत्). Accents as in saṃhitā are retained in citation
- pada-forms here are unaccented for morphological clarity
The meaning
Outer meaning
He brings to every seer of the light a common treasure, swift across the mid-regions, bringing the guardian of ṛta (truth-order).
Inner meaning
Soma’s purified flow distributes a shared spiritual wealth to all who can ‘see the light’ (svar-dṛś). It moves swiftly through the rajas (the intermediate worlds/levels—especially the vital-mental), and it brings forth the gopā of ṛta: the inner protector-consciousness that keeps the truth-order intact amid the mixed movements of life.
Universal truth
True spiritual abundance is not private hoarding; it becomes a common good for all who awaken to light, and it establishes an inner guardianship of truth in the very midst of life’s turbulence.
Themes
ṛta, illumination, guardianship, universal access
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.48.2, Rig Veda 9.48.3, Rig Veda 9.48.5
Family tradition
Mandala 9’s Pavamāna hymns function as a liturgical-yogic corpus; the seer here speaks for the initiatory community of ‘svar-dṛśaḥ’ (light-seers).
Significance
This verse is a charter for spiritual universality: the Soma-wealth is ‘sādhāraṇa’ and the decisive attainment is the ‘gopā ṛtasya’—truth guarded in the mixed mid-world.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma (Pavamāna)
- Epithets
- rajastura (swift through rajas), ṛtasya gopā (guardian of ṛta—effect brought), svar-dṛśām priya (beloved of light-seers—implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumination), Bṛhaspati (truth-word), Sūrya (svar/light)
Cosmic role
Carrier of the shared treasure of light and order across the intermediate worlds; establishes and protects ṛta in manifestation.
Inner power
A swift purifying delight that organizes the vital-mental and installs truth-guardianship (ethical-spiritual conscience plus luminous discrimination).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants emphasizing ṛta and distribution of blessings
विश्व॑स्मा॒ इत्स्व॑र्दृ॒शे साधा॑रणं रज॒स्तुर॑म् । गो॒पामृ॒तस्य॒ विर्भ॑रत् ॥
विश्व॑स्मै । इत् । स्वः॑ । दृ॒शे । साधा॑रणम् । र॒जः॒ऽतुर॑म् । गो॒पाम् । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । विः । भ॒र॒त् ॥
viśvasmai | it | svaḥ | dṛśe | sādhāraṇam | rajaḥ-turam | gopām | ṛtasya | viḥ | bharat
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4 × ~8 (approximate)
Quick mid-verse propulsion (matching ‘rajaḥ-turam’), ending with a weighty landing on ‘ṛtasya’.
Energizes forward movement while centering the listener in truth-order; good for clearing the ‘in-between’ mental-vital field.
- svar-dṛś
- Literal: seer of the sun/light. Symbolic: the illumined mind that perceives truth; awakened consciousness
- sādhāraṇam
- Literal: common, shared. Symbolic: universalizable realization; a wealth that can be participated in by all parts/all seekers
- rajaḥ-turam
- Literal: swift across the mid-air/regions. Symbolic: rapid transforming movement through vital-mental layers; mastery in the intermediate nature
- gopā
- Literal: cowherd/guardian. Symbolic: protector of the rays (go = light) and thus guardian of knowledge; vigilance that preserves truth
- ṛtasya
- Literal: of ṛta. Symbolic: belonging to cosmic order; right law of becoming
- bharat
- Literal: brings/bears. Symbolic: effectuates the descent/bringing into manifestation
Soma as universal offering; inwardly, the carrier-force brings ṛta’s guardianship to all who attain light-seeing
During Soma flow/filtration when blessings are invoked for the sacrificers/priests (collective).
Recitation while Soma moves through the pavitra; ritually ‘common treasure’ = shared prosperity; inwardly shared illumination.
Chant for group meditation or community harmony—invoking a shared field of clarity and truth-guardianship in collective life.
svar ‘sunlight/heavenly light’ from √svar/√sūr ‘shine’. dṛś from √dṛś ‘see’ (PIE *derk- ‘see’). rajas ‘space/region’ from √raj ‘to be colored/gleam’ (semantic of atmosphere/realm). gopā from go ‘cow/light’ + √pā ‘protect’ → ‘protector of the lights/knowledges’; ṛta from √ar ‘fit, move rightly’ → cosmic order.
ṛta (truth-order) explicitly, universality of illumination (sādhāraṇa to viśvasmai)
Explicit: ‘gopām ṛtasya’—Soma brings the guardian of ṛta.
Truth-seeing (svar-dṛś) and truth-guarding (gopā) as complementary: vision + protection.
Ordering the intermediate worlds so higher light can be held and shared in manifestation.
Integral psychology of planes (higher light → mid-world transformation) consistent with Aurobindo’s rajas-as-intermediate nature reading.
dawn-to-daylight transition (implied by svar-seeing)
Sun = illumined consciousness; rajas = vital-mental turbulence; treasure = realizations/forces; guardian = vigilant discriminative awareness preserving ṛta.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘bringing of the guardian of ṛta’ mythologem: the carrier (viḥ) delivers a protecting power of Truth to the light-seers. Inner sense: once illumination awakens, a universal, shared stability of right order becomes available, guarding the recovered ‘lights’ (go).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dṛś ‘see’ relates to PIE *derk- (cf. Greek dérkomai). √pā ‘protect’ has IE parallels in guarding/protecting semantics. ṛta corresponds to Avestan aša (truth/order), highlighting Indo-Iranian continuity of the cosmic-order concept.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames the gift as sādhāraṇa: not private gain but shared illumination. The devata responds by establishing gopā ṛtasya—an inner guardianship that keeps the seeker’s vision aligned to truth-order.
Stabilize truth in the ‘mid-region’: let Soma-clarity move through emotions and thoughts, installing a calm inner guardian.
Vishuddha (truth-expression/ṛta in speech) and Ajna (truth-seeing)
Moderate rhythmic breathing; on inhale ‘receive the common treasure’, on exhale ‘set the guardian at the gate’.
Wide, shared clarity; quiet vigilance.
After chanting, observe the ‘rajas’—restlessness, mixed motives. Offer them into the purifying current; then affirm a simple truth-resolution you will guard today.
Maintain accent distinctions on ‘विश्व॑स्मै’, ‘स्व॑ः’; keep sandhi clear in ‘it svar dṛśe’.
Give a gentle lift to ‘svar’ and a grounded emphasis to ‘ṛtasya’ to seal the meaning.
viśvasmai: dental ‘s’, not ‘sh’, svar: short, crisp ‘svar’ (not ‘suwār’), rajaḥ: final visarga audible before ‘t’ in careful recitation, gopām: long ‘ā’
Even, centered, slightly nasal resonance to sustain continuity of flow.
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