Sukta 41
Rishi: Ṛṣayaḥ (collective seers; hymn speaks of them as archetypes rather than naming one)
Devata: Rāṣṭra (as concept) with Devāḥ as legitimating agents
Chandas: Mixed/late AV prose-verse tendency; not securely classifiable from the excerpt alone
Mantras
Frequently Asked Questions
Here ‘rāṣṭra’ is not just territory; it is sovereignty as an ordered, protected realm—authority that holds people together with auspicious stability.
It teaches that lasting political power is born from disciplined consecration: tapas (inner heat/effort) and dīkṣā (ritual commitment) are the sacred source of rāṣṭra, bala, and ojas.
A priest recites it for a patron—especially at installation, assembly openings, or renewal rites—to invoke the birth of sovereignty-strength-vigor and to request the gods’ public validation of the ruler.