Rig Veda 2.41.9: Mandala 2, Sukta 41, Mantra 9
Sukta 2.41
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
ता न आ वोळ्हमश्विना रयिं पिशङ्गसंदृशम् । धिष्ण्या वरिवोविदम् ॥
tā́ na ā́ vóḷham aśvinā rayíṃ piśáṅga-sandṛśam | dhiṣṇyā varivovídam ||
Wahai Aśvin, bawalah kepada kami kekayaan (rayi) yang cemerlang dipandang; wahai para dhishṇya (yang mahir bercahaya), para penemu ruang-lapang (varivo) dalam diri kami.
Word by Word
- ताः
- those (things)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → सा (स्त्री.)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग (आ-)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- वोळ्हम्
- brought / conveyedParticiple (Adjective)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्तः)Role KarmaRoot वह् (धातु) → वोळ्ह (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; PPP)
- अश्विना
- O Aśvins (you two)Noun (Dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचनRole KartāRoot अश्विन् (देव-नाम प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealthNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पिशङ्गसंदृशम्
- of tawny/golden appearanceAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समासः; रयिम् विशेषयति)Role KarmaRoot पिशङ्ग (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + संदृश्/संदृश (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक ‘like, in appearance’)
- धिष्ण्या
- O capable/strong onesAdjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (अश्विनौ विशेषयति)Role KartāRoot धिष्ण्य (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- वरिवोविदम्
- finding/procuring favor (wide room)Adjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; रयिम् विशेषयति)Role KarmaRoot वरिवस् (नपुंसक ‘wide space, room, favor’) + विद् (धातु ‘to know/find’) → विद (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक ‘finder/knower’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: ताः | नः | आ | वोळ्हम् | अश्विना | रयिम् | पिशङ्ग-संदृशम् | धिष्ण्या | वरिवो-विदम् || 1) ‘ता न॒’ = ताः + नः (विसर्ग-लोपः/पदसंयोगः)
- 2) ‘आ वो॑ळ्हम्’ = आ + वोळ्हम् (उपसर्ग-निपातः; संधि विशेषः न)
- 3) ‘पिशङ्ग॑संदृशम्’ समासरूपम्: पिशङ्ग-संदृशम्
- 4) ‘वरिवो॒विद॑म्’ समासरूपम्: वरिवो-विदम् (वरिवस् + विद् → विद ‘finder’; RV-प्रयोगे ‘वरिवो-’ पूर्वपद-रूपम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Aśvins, bring to us a bright-looking wealth; O skillful ones, finders of wide spaces, bring that boon.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins are asked to ‘carry’ (voḷham) to the seeker a rayi—an inner plenitude (substance of being) that is piśaṅga-saṃdṛśam, luminous and attractive to the soul’s vision. As dhiṣṇyā (masters of luminous skill/places of power), they are varivovidam—discoverers of wide spaces: they open inner room, freedom, and largeness in mind and life so the higher consciousness can descend and act.
Universal truth
True prosperity is a brightened consciousness and expanded inner space; divine help brings not only resources but also the capacity and freedom to hold them rightly.
Themes
Plenitude, Wideness and liberation, Aśvins as bringers
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.41.1-11
Family tradition
The Bhārgava current often stresses ‘varivas’ (wide space) as a sign of liberation from constriction; Gṛtsamada invokes helpers that bring both beauty and wideness.
Significance
This verse expresses the Aurobindonian motif: the gods bring ‘rayi’ as inner riches—light, wideness, and capacity—rather than merely external gain.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- Dhiṣṇyā, Varivovid, Nāsatyā (contextual)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Sūrya, Indra
Cosmic role
Bringers of auspicious boons, restorers of harmony, openers of passages and transitions into greater states.
Inner power
They widen the consciousness (varivas) and deliver luminous substance (rayi) that stabilizes the ascent.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin praise in Soma liturgy; boon-invocation for prosperity and well-being
ता न॒ आ वो॑ळ्हमश्विना र॒यिं पि॒शङ्ग॑संदृशम् । धिष्ण्या॑ वरिवो॒विद॑म् ॥
ता । नः॒ । आ । वो॒ळ्ह॒म् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । र॒यिम् । पि॒शङ्ग॑ऽसन्दृशम् । धिष्ण्या॑ । व॒रि॒वः॒ऽविद॑म् ॥
tā | naḥ | ā | voḷham | aśvinā | rayim | piśaṅga-sandṛśam | dhiṣṇyā | varivaḥ-vidam
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Supplicatory yet expansive; the sounds of ‘va-ri-vo’ naturally suggest widening.
Creates a felt expansion in chest and breath; supports receptivity to a ‘descent’ of luminous plenitude.
- वोळ्हम् (voḷham)
- Literal: carry/bring (as by vehicle). Symbolic: to convey higher force into the embodied nature; a descent of help
- रयिम् (rayim)
- Literal: wealth, treasure. Symbolic: plenitude of being—substance of consciousness, supportive inner resources
- पिशङ्गसंदृशम् (piśaṅga-saṃdṛśam)
- Literal: bright/fawn-colored to behold. Symbolic: luminous, attractive, soul-pleasing clarity—wealth that is visibly of the Light
- धिष्ण्या (dhiṣṇyā)
- Literal: belonging to dhiṣaṇā/holy seats; skillful. Symbolic: powers established in luminous capacity—intuitive skill that organizes life rightly
- वरिवोविदम् (varivaḥ-vidam)
- Literal: finder of wide space. Symbolic: opener of inner freedom, wideness, and unobstructed movement for the soul
Aśvin-invocation for bringing rayi in Soma context; also fits general prosperity-as-plenitude petitions
Morning sequences; also in rites seeking increase (rayi) and unobstructed progress (varivas)
Recitation accompanying offerings and invitations to the Aśvins
Chant to shift from constriction to wideness—before meditation, creative work, or healing practices; use as an affirmation of ‘bright prosperity’ (inner resources).
voḷham: from √vah 'carry, convey' (PIE *weǵh- 'carry' cf. English 'way' is different; but Latin vehō). rayi: not merely material wealth; from √rā 'to give' / semantic of bounty → inward plenitude. dhiṣṇyā: linked to dhiṣaṇā (inspired thought, mental power that holds the offering). varivas: 'wide space, freedom'—a key Vedic symbol for release from constriction; varivo-vid = one who discovers/creates that wideness in consciousness.
Rayi as fullness of being, Varivas as wideness/freedom (release from inner constriction), Dhiṣaṇā as inspired intelligence
Wide space is the field where ṛta can act without obstruction; the Aśvins open that field.
The brightness ‘to behold’ suggests truth’s self-evidence in consciousness.
Expansion and beautification of the human vessel so higher force can be carried into life.
Integral Yoga reading: wideness (varivas) and luminous substance (rayi) as experiential markers of higher consciousness.
dawn/morning
Brightness = illumined perception; chariot/carrying = descent of force; wide sky = expanded consciousness beyond ego-limits.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine charioteers transporting rayi: the Aśvins 'carry' the plenitude to the sacrificer. Psychologically, the gods bring a bright, perceivable increase of being and open 'wide spaces'—freedom from the cramped formations of ignorance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vah 'carry' corresponds to Latin vehō and an IE carrying/vehicle lexicon. √vid 'know/find' is from PIE *weyd- (English wit, Latin videō), supporting varivo-vidam as 'finder/knower of wide space'.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer requests a concrete inner result: not mere protection but an increase of luminous plenitude and widened consciousness. The Aśvins are approached as practical helpers who deliver experiential expansion.
Receive luminous plenitude; dwell on wideness in the heart-space and the sky of mind.
Anāhata (wideness/space) and Ājñā (luminous seeing)
Slow coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min) while contemplating ‘varivas’; chant on long exhale to deepen spaciousness.
Widened, receptive, quietly joyful.
After chanting, sit and sense the ‘bright wealth’ as a subtle golden substance filling the body; then feel the boundaries of mind soften into open space.
Triṣṭubh with clear lifts on deity names and on ‘rayim’ and ‘varivovidam’.
Let ‘varivo-’ lengthen slightly to sonically enact wideness; keep pāda breaks clean.
: pronounce as ‘voḷ-ham’ (retroflex ḷ if trained; otherwise a clear ‘l’ without over-rolling), : ‘pi-śaṅ-ga-san-dṛ-śam’ (ṅ before g; dṛ conjunct clear), : ‘dhiṣ-ṇyā’ (retroflex ṣ; ‘ṇy’ conjunct), : ‘va-ri-vo-vi-dam’ (light v’s, even vowels)
Warm, luminous, inviting; sustained vowels.
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