Rig Veda 4.45.4: Mandala 4, Sukta 45, Mantra 4
Sukta 4.45
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Jagatī or Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shringara (love)
हंसासो ये वां मधुमन्तो अस्रिधो हिरण्यपर्णा उहुव उषर्बुधः । उदप्रुतो मन्दिनो मन्दिनिस्पृशो मध्वो न मक्षः सवनानि गच्छथः ॥
haṃsā́so yé vāṁ mádhu-manto asrídho híraṇya-parṇā uhúva uṣár-budhaḥ | udá-pruto mandíno mandi-nispṛ́śo mádhvo na mákṣaḥ sávānāni gacchathaḥ ||
白鳥のごとく、蜜に満ちて過たず、黄金の翼をもって暁とともに目覚め、水より躍り出で、歓喜して歓喜に触れつつ——蜜の蜂のように、汝らはソーマの搾りの祭へと赴く。
Word by Word
- हंसासः
- swans (metaphoric: swift ones)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
- ये
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाम्
- of you two / you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया; द्विवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुमन्तः
- honeyed, sweet (with mead)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मधुमन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्रिधः
- unfailing, unerringAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अ-स्रिध् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास)
- हिरण्यपर्णाः
- golden-winged / with golden feathersAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot हिरण्य-पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय/बहुव्रीहि)
- ऊहुः
- they have borne / carriedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण); प्रथमा; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot वह् (धातु; परस्मैपद) → ऊहुः (वेदिक परिपूर्ण/लिट्-रूप)
- उषर्बुधः
- dawn-awakened ones / those awake at dawnNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot उषर्-बुध (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष)
- उदप्रुतः
- up-springing, leaping upAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot उद-प्रुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्दिनः
- gladdening, exhilaratingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मन्दिनिस्पृशः
- touching/bringing exhilarationAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मन्दिनि-स्पृश् (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि)
- मध्वः
- of honey / of meadNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (वेदिक: मध्वः = मधुनः)Role सम्बन्धRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot न (अव्यय)
- मक्षः
- a beeNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान)Root मक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- सवनानि
- pressings, Soma-oblationsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot सवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- गच्छथः
- you two go / comeVerbलट्; मध्यम; द्विवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot गम् (धातु; परस्मैपद)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): हंसासः | ये | वाम् | मधुमन्तः | अस्रिधः | हिरण्यपर्णाः | ऊहुः | उषर्बुधः || उदप्रुतः | मन्दिनः | मन्दिनिस्पृशः | मध्वः | न | मक्षः | सवनानि | गच्छथः । विशेष: मध्वः = मधु-षष्ठी एकवचन (वेदिक रूप, मधुनः-अर्थे)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Like swans—honey-full, unerring, golden-winged, awakened with the dawn—leaping up from the waters, joyous and touching joy—like honey-bees you go to the Soma pressings.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins’ movements are figured as swans (haṃsa) rising from waters: the luminous discernment that can move between levels (water/vital, air/mental, light/heaven). ‘Golden-winged’ indicates light-bearing power; ‘unerring’ points to sure guidance through mixed states. ‘Leaping from the waters’ is emergence from the subconscient/vital foundation into awakened consciousness at dawn. ‘Joyous, touching joy’ describes ananda contacting ananda—delight in the seeker resonating with delight in the divine. ‘Like bees’ they go to the Soma pressings: the powers gather and distribute bliss-essence, turning experience into nectar for the sacrifice of transformation.
Universal truth
Higher guidance often arrives as a sure, beautiful movement that lifts us out of emotional depths into clarity. Delight is not an ornament; it is a carrier of truth and a gatherer of the soul’s nectar.
Themes
symbolic-animals, ascent-from-waters, madhu-gathering, Soma-savana
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.40, RV 4.41, RV 4.58
Family tradition
Vāmadeva uses vivid animal-bird imagery to map inner movements; haṃsa symbolism anticipates later yogic usage (paramahaṃsa as the liberated mover).
Significance
The seer portrays the gods’ approach as a movement of beauty and certainty—guidance that is both precise (asridha) and blissful (mandina).
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- asridhā (unerring), hiraṇyaparṇā (golden-winged, by imagery), uṣarbudhā (dawn-awakened)
- Related deities
- Soma, Uṣas, Apas (waters), Agni
Cosmic role
They traverse realms swiftly, bringing renewal from the waters of life to the dawn of consciousness; they attend the Soma offerings.
Inner power
Transitional intelligence that lifts the being from vital immersion to luminous, joyful activity; capacity to gather Soma (bliss) from experience.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma savana (pressings) invitation
हं॒सासो॒ ये वां॒ मधु॑मन्तो अ॒स्रिधो॒ हिर॑ण्यपर्णा उ॒हुव॑ उष॒र्बुध॑: । उ॒द॒प्रुतो॑ म॒न्दिनो॑ मन्दिनि॒स्पृशो॒ मध्वो॒ न मक्ष॒: सव॑नानि गच्छथः ॥
हं॒सासः॑ । ये । वा॒म् । मधु॑ऽमन्तः॑ । अ॒स्रिधः॑ । हिर॑ण्यऽपर्णाः । उ॒हुवः॑ । उ॒षः॒ऽबुधः॑ । उ॒द॒ऽप्रुतः॑ । म॒न्दिनः॑ । म॒न्दि॒ऽनि॒स्पृशः॑ । मध्वः॑ । न । मक्षः॑ । सव॑नानि । ग॒च्छ॒थः॒ ॥
haṃsāsaḥ | ye | vām | madhu-mantaḥ | asridhaḥ | hiraṇya-parṇāḥ | uhuvaḥ | uṣaḥ-budhaḥ | uda-prutaḥ | mandinaḥ | mandi-nispṛśaḥ | madhvaḥ | na | makṣaḥ | savanāni | gacchathaḥ
48
4×12 (approx.; verify)
Gliding, wing-like flow with buoyant lifts (udaprutaḥ).
Creates a sensation of rising and lightness; supports imagery of ascent from heavy waters to airy clarity.
- haṃsāsaḥ
- Literal: swans. Symbolic: luminous discriminative consciousness; the soul-force that moves between planes
- hiraṇyaparṇāḥ
- Literal: golden-winged. Symbolic: light-bearing, truth-winged powers
- uṣarbudhaḥ
- Literal: dawn-awakened. Symbolic: awakened faculties at illumination
- udaprutaḥ
- Literal: leaping up from the waters. Symbolic: rising from subconscient/vital depths into awakened mind
- mandinaḥ / mandinispṛśaḥ
- Literal: joyous / touching joy. Symbolic: ananda contacting and increasing ananda
- makṣaḥ
- Literal: bees. Symbolic: gatherers/distributors of nectar-experience (Soma)
Soma-pressing (savanāni): the verse explicitly connects the Aśvins’ movement to the pressings; used to invite their swift arrival to the savanas.
At Soma pressings; dawn-related invocations to bring the Aśvins to the offering.
Calling the deities to the savana; aligning the rite with dawn-awakening symbolism.
Use when emerging from emotional heaviness: chant to ‘rise from the waters’ and bring joy into practice before meditation or creative work.
haṃsa ‘swan’ becomes a symbol of the luminous mover between waters and sky (innerly: between subconscient waters and mind-light). asrídha ‘unfailing’ (a- + √sridh ‘to slip/fail’) emphasizes sure guidance. hiraṇya-parṇā ‘golden-winged’ = light-bearing faculties. udá-pruta ‘leaping from waters’ evokes emergence of consciousness from the vital/subconscient. makṣa ‘bee’ ties back to PIE *médʰu honey culture; bees as gatherers of sweetness = faculties collecting delight from experience for the offering.
emergence from waters (subconscient to light), discernment and upward flight (haṃsa symbolism), delight gathered and brought to the offering (bee symbolism)
asridhā: right, unfailing motion of divine helpers through mixed planes.
Golden wings signify truth-light carrying consciousness upward.
Emergence of light and order from the waters; dawn as daily cosmogony.
Vedic symbolic cosmology leading toward later haṃsa/ātman motifs (without forcing later doctrine).
dawn
Waters = vital/subconscient base; swan-flight = upward movement of discerning soul; bees = gathering bliss; dawn = awakening.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘swift messengers’ mythologem: swan-like, bee-like powers of the Aśvins move at dawn from the waters to the pressings. Innerly, it is the ascent of sure, light-winged faculties from the subconscient, gathering delight and bringing it to the conscious act of offering.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is PIE *médʰu (mead). The simile ‘like bees’ for honey-gathering is an old IE poetic trope. Dawn-awakening and emergence from waters parallels Indo-Iranian imagery of light rising from the dark/primeval waters, a shared mythopoetic inheritance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi describes the Aśvins’ approach as the activation of inner carriers of delight and discernment. By invoking them to the savanas, he seeks not an external visit but the arrival of those faculties that gather sweetness, remove inertia, and make the offering effective.
Feel yourself as ‘rising swan-consciousness’ from the waters of emotion; invite a golden-winged clarity to carry joy into the offering of the day.
viśuddha (purified ascent, ‘flight’) with support to ājñā
Breath with gentle ‘lift’: inhale 4, hold 2 (light), exhale 6—imagine rising on inhale, gliding on exhale.
From submerged affect to luminous, joyful clarity.
After chanting, sit and recall one heavy emotion as ‘water’; let the mantra’s ‘golden wings’ be the intention that lifts it into a clear understanding and a sweet release.
Keep the line buoyant; allow svarita glides on descriptive compounds; maintain steady low anudātta base to contrast the ‘rise’ words (ud-).
Emphasize clarity in compounds: hiraṇya-parṇā, uṣar-budhaḥ; let ‘udaprutaḥ’ have a perceptible lift.
haṃsāsaḥ: anusvāra as nasalization before s, hiraṇya-: retroflex ṇ, uṣarbudhaḥ: ṣ clearly retroflexed; budhaḥ with soft aspiration, makṣaḥ: kṣ cluster clean, final ḥ light
Light, clear, slightly airy; avoid weighty tone.
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