Rig Veda 8.46.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 46, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.46
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
दधानो गोमदश्ववत्सुवीर्यमादित्यजूत एधते । सदा राया पुरुस्पृहा ॥
dadhā́no gómat áśvavat suvī́ryam ādityá-jūta edhate | sádā rāyā́ puru-spṛ́hā ||
Membawa kekayaan bercahaya—penuh sinar (lembu) dan daya gerak (kuda)—serta vīrya (kekuatan kepahlawanan) yang benar; ia bertumbuh oleh dorongan para Āditya; senantiasa ia bertambah dengan harta yang banyak didambakan.
Word by Word
- दधा॑नः
- bearing, bestowingVerb-derived adjective (present participle)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (active present participle: ‘bearing/placing’)Role Kartā (of एधते)Root √धा (धा- धारणे) → दधा- (reduplicated present stem)
- गोमत्
- rich in cowsAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (as adjective to सुवीर्यम्)Role Karma (qualifier of object)Root गो + -मत् (possessive suffix)
- अश्ववत्
- rich in horsesAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (as adjective to सुवीर्यम्)Role Karma (qualifier of object)Root अश्व + -वत् (possessive suffix)
- सुवीर्यम्
- excellent manly power; heroic strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot सु- + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- आदित्यजू॑तः
- impelled/sped by the ĀdityasAdjective (past passive participle used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (agreeing with दधानः)Role Kartā (epithet of the subject)Root आदित्य + √जु (जवने/प्रेरणे) → जूत (PPP) ; compound: आदित्य-जूत
- एधते
- thrives; grows strongVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role Kriyā (main verb)Root √एध् (वृद्धौ)
- सदा॑
- alwaysIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role Adhikaraṇa (temporal)Root सदा (अव्यय)
- राया
- with wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया एकवचनम् (Vedic instr. sg. of rāy-)Role Karaṇa (means/with)Root राय्/राय (प्रातिपदिकम् ‘wealth’)
- पुरुस्पृहा॑
- much-desired; eagerly longed forAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (agreeing with subject)Role Kartā (epithet of the subject)Root पुरु- + √स्पृह् (ईप्सायाम्) → स्पृह (desiderative sense ‘desire’) ; compound: पुरु-स्पृह
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: दधानः | गोमत् | अश्ववत् | सुवीर्यम् | आदित्यजूतः | एधते | सदा | राया | पुरुस्पृहा । बाह्यसन्धिः न्यूनः
- ‘गोमदश्ववत्सुवीर्यम्’ इति संहितायां गोमत्+अश्ववत्+सुवीर्यम् क्रमसमासवत्/विशेषण-विशेष्य-सम्बन्धेन संलग्नम् (त् + अ → द्-अ इति लेख्यरूपेण ‘गोमद्’). ‘आदित्यजू॑त’ = आदित्य-जूत (आदित्यैः/आदित्येन जूतः ‘impelled’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
He who bears wealth with cows and horses and hero-force grows by the impulsion of the Adityas; always he increases with riches desired by many.
Inner meaning
The seeker ‘bears’ (dadhānaḥ) inner riches: go-mat (rays of knowledge), aśva-vat (vital energies for right action), and su-vīrya (true hero-power: soul-force that conquers inertia and falsehood). ‘Āditya-jūtaḥ’ indicates the impulsion of the Adityas—powers of vast truth and law—by which growth becomes stable, luminous, and protected from deviation. The ‘many-desired riches’ are plenitudes of consciousness that even the lower nature seeks in distorted forms; here they are attained in their true, sattvic-divine form.
Universal truth
True prosperity is an integrated increase of light, energy, and courageous capacity, guided by truth-law; when growth is aligned to higher principles, it becomes enduring and beneficent.
Themes
Prosperity as inner growth, Light and force symbolism, Adityas and cosmic law, Desired plenitude
The seer
Significance
The verse reads like a compact psychology of ‘integral prosperity’: knowledge (go), energy (aśva), and hero-force (vīrya) growing under truth-powers (Adityas).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (hymn context) with Adityas as supporting powers
- Epithets
- Āditya-jūta (truth-impelled) (applied to the growing one), Puruvasu (rich in plenitude) (theme in surrounding verses)
- Related deities
- Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Aṃśa
Cosmic role
Indra grants victorious increase; Adityas uphold the law and wideness that make increase right and stable.
Inner power
Indra: conquering illumination that releases energies; Adityas: regulators of truth, purity, and vastness that prevent misuse of power.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise for gain of strength and abundance; general soma-sacrifice context
दधा॑नो॒ गोम॒दश्व॑वत्सु॒वीर्य॑मादि॒त्यजू॑त एधते । सदा॑ रा॒या पु॑रु॒स्पृहा॑ ॥
दधा॑नः । गोऽमत् । अश्व॑ऽवत् । सु॒ऽवीर्य॑म् । आ॒दि॒त्यऽजू॑तः । ए॒ध॒ते॒ । सदा॑ । रा॒या । पु॒रु॒ऽस्पृहा॑ ॥
dadhānaḥ | go--mat | aśva-vat | su-vīryam | āditya-jūtaḥ | edhate | sadā | rāyā | puru-spṛhā
44
4×11 (approx.)
Expansive and cumulative; ‘increase’ is felt as a rising cadence.
Encourages a sense of growing capacity and stable prosperity; energizes aspiration for integral development.
- दधा॑नः (dadhānaḥ)
- Literal: bearing, holding. Symbolic: sustaining realized qualities; embodiment of attainments
- गोमत् (gomat)
- Literal: possessing cows. Symbolic: possessing rays of illumination/knowledge
- अश्ववत् (aśvavat)
- Literal: possessing horses. Symbolic: possessing vital energies and effective life-force for action
- सुवीर्यम् (suvīryam)
- Literal: good heroism/strong power. Symbolic: true soul-force; courageous mastery over resistance
- आदित्यजूतः (āditya-jūtaḥ)
- Literal: impelled by the Adityas. Symbolic: moved by truth-powers (law, vastness, purity) that ensure right growth
- राया (rāyā)
- Literal: with wealth, plenitude. Symbolic: riches of being—inner abundance, capacity, joy
- पुरुस्पृहा (puru-spṛhā)
- Literal: much-desired by many. Symbolic: universally sought fulfilments—light, power, harmony—often mis-sought outwardly
Prosperity and increase formula within praise; applicable to rites seeking growth (edh) through alignment with ṛta (Adityas).
When seeking increase (edhate) of strength, insight, and prosperity in the rite
Praise and request for boons; affirmation of right increase under Aditya law
As an affirmation for balanced growth: knowledge + energy + courage under truth-guidance (use before work/learning).
dadhāna: from √dhā ‘to place, hold’ (present participle). go-mat/aśva-vat: possessive -mat/-vat. vīrya: from vīra ‘hero’ (strength of effective action). āditya-jūta: jūta from √ju ‘to impel, speed’ with āditya-; Adityas as guardians of ṛta. edhate: √edh ‘to prosper, grow’. Symbolic justification: go as ‘ray’ (cognitive light) is supported by RV usage of ‘cows’ hidden/released as illuminations; aśva as ‘force’ is supported by the horse as carrier of gods and speed/energy.
Rita upheld by Adityas, increase (edh) through truth-law, vīrya as spiritual heroism
Āditya impulsion signifies growth that stays within r̥ta—orderly, truthful increase.
Go (rays) implies truth-seeing; Adityas preserve truth in expansion.
Evolutionary increase: consciousness grows by right impulsion.
Integral Vedic yoga: ascent of light and descent into life-energy and courageous action.
daytime/solar hour (Aditya association)
Cows = rays of insight; horses = forces of action; sun = truth-law that ripens and regulates growth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The possession of cows and horses as a sign of divine favor. Innerly, it is the integrated attainment of illumination (go) and dynamic energy (aśva), which yields suvīrya—heroic capacity for the soul’s battle—under the impulsion of ṛta-guarding Adityas.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √edh ‘grow, prosper’ relates to PIE *h₁edʰ- ‘to grow’ (cognate patterns in Indo-Iranian). vīra/vīrya connects to PIE *wiHro- ‘man’ (hero). The possessive morphology (-mat/-vat) is an old Indo-Aryan strategy to encode ‘having X’ as a stable attained condition.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi describes the human fruit of divine alignment: when one is ‘impelled by the Adityas’ (truth-powers), growth becomes constant. The hymn implies that right law and harmony are not abstractions but active agencies that increase the seeker’s light and force.
Contemplate threefold wealth: illumination (go), energy (aśva), hero-force (suvīrya) under truth-law (Adityas).
maṇipūra (vīrya/transformative power)
Brisk-energetic inhale on ‘gomad aśvavat’, steady exhale on ‘ādityajūta edhate’ to ‘seal’ right growth.
Expanding strength with ethical clarity.
After chanting, choose one action that expresses truth-led growth (study, disciplined work, courageous correction).
Notated svaras not provided; maintain triṣṭubh pulse; observe udātta marks in the saṃhitā where present.
Give clear stress to ‘gomad’ and ‘aśvavat’; let ‘edhate’ rise slightly; end ‘puruspṛhā’ with a stable cadence.
gomad: ‘go’ long ‘o’; final ‘d’ soft dental, aśvavat: ‘śv’ cluster clean; avoid ‘ashu’, āditya: long ā; ‘ty’ palatal, puruspṛhā: retroflex ‘ṛ’ in spṛhā; aspirate ‘hā’ long ā
Warm, expansive, affirmative.
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