Rig Veda 7.37.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 37, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.37
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Ṛbhukṣaṇas / Ṛbhus
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यूयं ह रत्नं मघवत्सु धत्थ स्वर्दृश ऋभुक्षणो अमृक्तम् । सं यज्ञेषु स्वधावन्तः पिबध्वं वि नो राधांसि मतिभिर्दयध्वम् ॥
yūyáṃ ha rátnam maghávat-su dhattha svár-dṛśa ṛbhukṣaṇo amṛ́ktam | sáṃ yajñéṣu svadhā́vantaḥ pibadhvaṃ ví no rā́dhāṃsi matí-bhir dayadhvam ||
Sungguh, kamu menempatkan harta itu di antara para dermawan—wahai Ṛbhukṣaṇa yang memandang-svarga, yang tak pernah meleset. Bersatu dalam yajña, berpegang pada svadhā, minumlah; dan dengan ilham-pemahamanmu bagikanlah kepada kami kekayaan—daya-daya pencapaian.
Word by Word
- यूयम्
- you (all)Pronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद्
- ह
- indeed, surelyIndeclinable (particle)निपातRoot ह
- रत्नम्
- treasure, precious giftNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रत्न
- मघवत्सु
- among the bountiful (patrons)Noun/Adjective (possessive epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot मघवत्
- धत्थ
- you place, you bestowVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRoot धा
- स्वर्दृशः
- heaven-seeing, having heavenly visionAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधनार्थे स्तुति-विशेषणम्)Root स्वर्दृश्
- ऋभुक्षणः
- O Ṛbhukṣaṇas (the Ṛbhus)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधनार्थे)Root ऋभुक्षण
- अमृक्तम्
- uninjured, unblemishedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (रत्नम् इति विशेषणम्)Root अमृक्त
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot सम्
- यज्ञेषु
- in the sacrificesNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot यज्ञ
- स्वधावन्तः
- possessing svadhā (own power/ritual potency)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधनार्थे)Root स्वधा-वत्
- पिबध्वम्
- drink!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot पा (पिब)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot वि
- नः
- of us, ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अस्मद्
- राधांसि
- gifts, bountiesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (दद्-धातोः)Root राधस्
- मतिभिः
- with thoughts, with intentionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot मति
- दयध्वम्
- give! bestow!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot दा (दद्)
Sandhi Notes
- संहितायां अन्त्यः ‘ः’ + ‘ऋ’ के कारण उच्चारण-परिवर्तन/रेफ-प्रभाव
- ‘ऋभुक्षणः’ का संहिता-रूप ‘ऋभुक्षणो’ (ओ-आदेश) वैदिक संधि/पद-रूपान्तर। (3) सं यज्ञेषु—सम् + यज्ञेषु: अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-समायोजन (सम् → सं) यकारादौ। (4) वि नो—वि + नः: एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ के कारण ‘नो’ संहिता-रूप।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Ṛbhukṣaṇas place a treasure among the bounteous; united in sacrifices, self-lawed, they drink and distribute riches to us by their inspired thoughts.
Inner meaning
The ‘treasure’ (ratna) is the hidden capacity—light, skill, and delight—placed within those who are ‘maghavat’ (generous, capable of increase). ‘Svardṛśaḥ’ indicates a vision that sees the supramental/heavenly light (svar): the artisan powers work by luminous perception, not trial-and-error. ‘Svadhāvantaḥ’ means acting by an inner law of being—spontaneous rightness—so their drinking of Soma is the assimilation of Ananda that fuels perfect formation. ‘Matibhiḥ’ (inspired understandings) are the decisive intuitions that apportion ‘rādhāṃsi’—accomplishments—into the seeker’s nature: not mere gifts, but capacities to effect and realize.
Universal truth
When vision is aligned to higher light and action follows an inner law, delight becomes power, and power becomes distributable accomplishment. Generosity (maghavat) is a condition for receiving the true treasure.
Themes
Distribution of attainments, Vision of the luminous world, Self-lawed divine powers, Soma communion
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.37.1, RV 7.37.3, RV 7.35
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭha line repeatedly links ‘vision (svar)’ with ‘right distribution (ṛta)’—gifts are not random but apportioned by luminous intelligence.
Significance
The seer frames divine giving as an inner economy: treasure is placed, assimilated, then distributed as capacities—an early psychology of siddhi.
The deity
- Devata
- Ṛbhukṣaṇas / Ṛbhus
- Epithets
- svardṛśaḥ (heaven-seeing), amṛktam (unerring), svadhāvantaḥ (self-lawed)
- Related deities
- Soma, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Perfecters who increase and distribute boons; mediators of Soma-delight into effective forms.
Inner power
Luminous craftsmanship: converting delight into stable capacities; distributing powers according to readiness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-sacrifice praise and request for boons; invitatory and dakṣiṇā/boon-distribution mood.
यू॒यं ह॒ रत्नं॑ म॒घव॑त्सु धत्थ स्व॒र्दृश॑ ऋभुक्षणो॒ अमृ॑क्तम् । सं य॒ज्ञेषु॑ स्वधावन्तः पिबध्वं॒ वि नो॒ राधां॑सि म॒तिभि॑र्दयध्वम् ॥
यू॒यम् । ह॒ । रत्न॑म् । म॒घव॑त्ऽसु । ध॒त्थ॒ । स्वः॒ऽदृशः॑ । ऋ॒भु॒क्ष॒णः॒ । अमृ॑क्तम् । सम् । य॒ज्ञेषु॑ । स्व॒धा॒ऽव॒न्तः॒ । पि॒ब॒ध्व॒म् । वि । नः॒ । राधां॑सि । म॒तिऽभिः॑ । द॒य॒ध्व॒म् ॥
yūyam | ha | ratnam | maghavat-su | dhattha | svaḥ-dṛśaḥ | ṛbhukṣaṇaḥ | amṛktam | sam | yajñeṣu | svadhāvantaḥ | pibadhvam | vi | naḥ | rādhāṃsi | mati-bhiḥ | dayadhvam
44
4 × ~11
Declarative firmness (‘you indeed…’) followed by flowing distribution imagery; balanced and instructive.
Builds confidence and receptivity; the rhythm feels like ‘placing’ then ‘pouring out’ boons.
- रत्नम् (ratnam)
- Literal: treasure, jewel. Symbolic: inner capacity of light-delight-power; a realized faculty
- मघवत्सु (maghavatsu)
- Literal: among the bounteous. Symbolic: in natures capable of increase, generosity, largeness
- स्वर्दृशः (svardṛśaḥ)
- Literal: heaven-seeing. Symbolic: seeing supramental light; luminous discernment
- स्वधावन्तः (svadhāvantaḥ)
- Literal: possessing svadhā (own-law). Symbolic: acting from intrinsic truth; spontaneous right order
- यज्ञेषु (yajñeṣu)
- Literal: in sacrifices. Symbolic: in consecrated inner works; self-offering of movements
- पिबध्वम् (pibadhvam)
- Literal: drink!. Symbolic: assimilate Ananda/force into the instruments
- राधांसि (rādhāṃsi)
- Literal: riches, successes. Symbolic: powers of accomplishment; effective siddhi in action
- मतिभिः (matibhiḥ)
- Literal: by thoughts/intentions. Symbolic: inspired intuitions that guide distribution of power
Soma rite: invitation to drink and to bestow rādhas; emphasizes artisan-gods’ role in perfecting and distributing attainments.
During Soma sequences and praise of Ṛbhus for increase and right apportioning.
Recitation with Soma offering; mentally ‘receive’ and ‘ask for distribution’ of accomplishments.
Use before study/work: invoke svardṛś (clear seeing) and svadhā (inner law), asking that insights become real capacities and results.
Key roots/terms: (1) ratna: treasure as attained excellence, not merely material. (2) maghavat: 'bounteous' (magha = gift/power of giving). (3) svar-dṛś: seeing svar (PIE *sweh₂r?; svar as luminous world) → vision of higher light. (4) svadhā: 'own law/power' (sva + dhā) → self-established energy; (5) rādhas: accomplishment/boon; (6) mati: formed thought, inspired understanding; (7) √dā/√day (dayadhvam) as giving/distributing.
Svar (luminous world), Svadhā (self-lawed power), Rādhas (accomplishment as inner wealth)
Svadhā is ṛta internalized—rightness as an inner operating law.
Svardṛśaḥ implies truth-seeing; distribution by mati implies truth-guided intelligence.
Treasures are ‘placed’ in receptive natures and unfold as accomplishments—creation as progressive manifestation of capacities.
Inner yajña psychology; proto-Sāṃkhya-like layering (assimilation → distribution) but in a Vedic unity.
Soma pressings (three savanas implied by context)
Soma as bliss-substance; svar as illumined plane; distribution as circulation of force through the being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The artisan-powers who, being heaven-seeing and self-lawed, drink in the sacrifice and then distribute rādhas (accomplishments). Mythically, the rite is a workshop: divine craftsmen set the treasure among the generous and apportion perfected gains to the human seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- magha/maghavat has Indo-Iranian resonance in the semantics of gift and bounty; √pā ‘drink/protect’ is ancient and widespread. The compound svadhā (own-law) expresses an archaic notion of intrinsic potency, comparable to other Indo-European ‘self-’ compounds marking innate power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi invites the Ṛbhukṣaṇas to unite in the yajña and drink Soma; in exchange, they are asked to ‘dayadhvam’—to distribute rādhas by their mati, i.e., through inspired formative intelligence that perfects and delivers inner treasures.
Receive the ‘ratna’ as a concentrated point of light in the heart/mind; let it expand into clear seeing (svar-dṛś) and then distribute as practical capacities through the day.
Ājñā (clear seeing) with Anāhata (treasure/ratna in the heart)
Inhale with ‘svardṛśaḥ’ (seeing light); exhale with ‘vi no rādhāṃsi’ (distribute accomplishment).
Clear, poised, quietly empowered.
After chanting, note one concrete ‘rādhā’ to embody (a small actionable step). Let inner joy (Soma) support execution without strain.
Keep accent integrity especially on ‘ratnam’, ‘svardṛśaḥ’, ‘svadhāvantaḥ’; allow natural triṣṭubh caesura to breathe.
First pāda assertive; second pāda gathers (‘saṃ yajñeṣu’); third/fourth release into ‘vi no rādhāṃsi’.
svardṛśaḥ: combine ‘svar’ + ‘dṛ’ with clear retroflex ṛ, svadhāvantaḥ: long ā; ‘dhā’ aspirated, rādhāṃsi: nasalization on ‘āṃ’, matibhir: dental ‘t’, light ‘bh’
Even, confident, luminous; avoid harshness—this is distributive grace.
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