Rig Veda 7.49.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 49, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.49
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Āpaḥ with Varuṇa explicitly present as ṛta-guardian
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Karuna (compassion)
यासां राजा वरुणो याति मध्ये सत्यानृते अवपश्यञ्जनानाम् । मधुश्चुतः शुचयो याः पावकास्ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
yā́sāṃ rājā́ váruṇo yā́ti mádhye satyānṛté avapáśyan jánānām | madhú-ścutaḥ śúcayo yā́ḥ pāvakā́s tā́ ā́po devī́r ihá mām avantu ||
ទឹកទាំងឡាយដែលក្នុងកណ្តាលរបស់វាព្រះវរុណទ្រង់សោយរាជ្យ ទ្រង់គ្រប់គ្រងមើលឃើញនូវសេចក្តីពិតនិងមិនពិតក្នុងចំណោមមនុស្សទាំងឡាយ - ទឹកដ៏ស្អាតទាំងនោះដែលស្រក់នូវភាពផ្អែមល្ហែម ដ៏បន្សុទ្ធធម៌និងស្វាគរ - សូមឲ្យទឹកទេវតាទាំងនោះការពារខ្ញុំនៅទីនេះ។
Word by Word
- यासाम्
- of which (waters)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- राजा
- the kingNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (राजा-वरुणः = apposition)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- याति
- goesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु) ‘to go’
- मध्ये
- in the midstNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- सत्यानृते
- in truth and untruthNoun (compound)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, द्विवचन (द्वन्द्व)Role अधिकरणRoot सत्य + अनृत (प्रातिपदिक-द्वन्द्व/समाहार)
- अवपश्यन्
- seeing, beholdingVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपद-प्रयोग, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (याति-क्रियायाः सहवर्ती)Root अव + √पश् (धातु) ‘to see’
- जनानाम्
- of the peopleNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुश्चुतः
- honey-drippingAdjective (compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (आपः-विशेषण)Root मधु + √च्युत्/√च्यु (धातु) ‘to drip, flow’ → च्युत (कृदन्त) ; समास: मधु-च्युत
- शुचयः
- pure, brightAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (आपः-विशेषण)Root शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- याः
- whichPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (आपः-सम्बन्धी)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- पावकाः
- purifyingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (आपः-विशेषण)Root पावक (प्रातिपदिक) < √पू (धातु) ‘to purify’
- ताः
- thosePronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → ता-
- आपः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot आप् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘waters’)
- देवीः
- goddesses, divineNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेषण (आपः-विशेषण)Root देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकरण (देश)Root इह (अव्यय)
- माम्
- mePronounउत्तमपुरुष, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अवन्तु
- may (they) help/protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot अव् (धातु) ‘to help, protect’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): यासाम् | राजा | वरुणः | याति | मध्ये | सत्यानृते | अवपश्यन् | जनानाम् | मधुश्चुतः (= मधु-च्युतः; RV-रूप ‘चुत’ प्रचलित) | शुचयः | याः | पावकाः | ताः | आपः | देवीः | इह | माम् | अवन्तु । विशेष: ‘सत्यानृते’ द्वन्द्व-समासस्य सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (सत्ये च अनृते च)। ‘अवपश्यन्’ शतृ-प्रत्ययान्तः वर्तमान-कृदन्तः, ‘याति’ इत्यस्य सहवर्ती कर्तृ-विशेषणम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
In the midst of the waters King Varuṇa moves, observing among men the true and the untrue; those pure, sweet-dripping, purifying bright waters—may the divine Waters protect me here.
Inner meaning
Varuṇa is the vast sovereign of ṛta, the inner law that discerns truth from falsehood in human movements. The waters are the medium in which this discernment operates: purification is not mere washing but a moral-spiritual clarification where satya is separated from anṛta. ‘Madhuścutaḥ’ indicates that when the being is purified under ṛta, sweetness—Ananda—begins to drip into life. Protection comes by living in the clear element where Varuṇa’s seeing is active: sincerity, truthfulness, and inner order.
Universal truth
Purity is inseparable from truth: when consciousness aligns with right order, discernment awakens and a natural sweetness of life follows.
Themes
Ethical purification, Truth-consciousness (satya) vs distortion (anṛta), Waters as carriers of sweetness and clarity
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.86–7.89 (Varuṇa hymns: sin, bonds, and release), RV 7.60–7.66 (Ādityas and ṛta)
Family tradition
Strong Āditya/Varuṇa stream in Maṇḍala 7 emphasizing ṛta, confession, and release into wideness.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha links purification to Varuṇa’s truth-seeing: the waters become a field for ethical-spiritual transformation, not only physical cleansing.
The deity
- Devata
- Āpaḥ (Waters) with Varuṇa as ṛta-guardian
- Epithets
- राजा वरुणः (rājā varuṇaḥ), मधुश्चुतः (madhuścutaḥ), शुचयः (śucayaḥ), पावकाः (pāvakāḥ)
- Related deities
- Mitra (harmony of relations), Indra (illumination that breaks cover), Soma (sweetness/bliss)
Cosmic role
Waters as the luminous medium of ṛta in manifestation; Varuṇa as sovereign regulator ensuring truth-order in worlds and in human conduct.
Inner power
Truth-discernment (viveka) and purification that yields sweetness (Ananda) and protection from inner falsehood.
In ritual
Where it is used
Purificatory rites and Varuṇa-related appeasement/protection contexts; water consecration with truth-intent
यासां॒ राजा॒ वरु॑णो॒ याति॒ मध्ये॑ सत्यानृ॒ते अ॑व॒पश्य॒ञ्जना॑नाम् । म॒धु॒श्चुत॒: शुच॑यो॒ याः पा॑व॒कास्ता आपो॑ दे॒वीरि॒ह माम॑वन्तु ॥
यासा॑म् । राजा॑ । वरु॑णः । याति॑ । मध्ये॑ । स॒त्या॒नृ॒ते इति॑ । अ॒व॒ऽपश्य॑न् । जना॑नाम् । म॒धु॒ऽश्चुतः॑ । शुच॑यः । याः । पा॒व॒काः । ताः । आपः॑ । दे॒वीः । इ॒ह । माम् । अ॒व॒न्तु॒ ॥
yāsām | rājā | varuṇaḥ | yāti | madhye | satyānṛte iti | ava-paśyan | janānām | madhu-ścutaḥ | śucayaḥ | yāḥ | pāvakāḥ | tāḥ | āpaḥ | devīḥ | iha | mām | avantu
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4 × ~11 syllables
Judicial and spacious; the middle pādas carry the ‘seeing’ and ‘true/untrue’ contrast.
Invokes conscience-like clarity; a sober wideness followed by a taste of sweetness.
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: Varuṇa, king. Symbolic: vast law of right order; inner witness discerning truth/falsehood
- सत्यानृते (satyānṛte)
- Literal: true and untrue. Symbolic: movements aligned with truth vs. distortions, self-deception, and false formations
- अवपश्यन् (avapaśyan)
- Literal: observing, seeing down into. Symbolic: penetrating inner discernment; conscience of ṛta
- मधुश्चुतः (madhuścutaḥ)
- Literal: dripping sweetness (honey). Symbolic: emergence of Ananda as a result of truth-purification
- शुचयः / पावकाः
- Literal: pure / purifying. Symbolic: clarity and transformative cleansing of the nature
Purification with ethical-spiritual emphasis: waters as medium of Varuṇa’s truth-discernment; appropriate for rites of cleansing from fault and for restoring alignment with satya/ṛta.
When seeking release from fault, restoring harmony, or before solemn vows/undertakings.
Sprinkling and recitation while affirming satya; later tradition may pair with ācamana and truth-vows.
Use as a ‘truth-cleansing’ mantra before difficult conversations or decisions; drink water mindfully after chanting to seal sincerity.
Varuṇa from √vṛ ‘cover/encompass’ with development to ‘enveloper of vastness’—guardian of ṛta through all-surrounding law. satya from sat ‘being’ (√as) → ‘true/real’; anṛta ‘untrue’ (a- + ṛta). ava-paśyan: oversight/inspection—Varuṇa’s moral-cosmic surveillance. madhu-ścuta ‘dripping sweetness’: madhu (PIE *médʰu) + √scut/√scu ‘drip, flow’.
Satya and Anṛta (truth vs untruth), Varuṇa as overseer of ṛta and moral order, Madhu as bliss-substance accompanying purification
Explicit: Varuṇa moves within the waters as the living presence of ṛta.
Discernment of satya/anṛta among humans; purification is truth-selection.
Order within the flowing element; law present in movement, not opposed to it.
Ethico-spiritual Vedism leading toward Upaniṣadic satya/ṛta emphasis.
Waters = medium of purification; Varuṇa-in-waters = truth-law active in the emotional/subtle field; honey = Ananda dripping into life.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Varuṇa moving within the waters as sovereign witness of truth and falsehood—mythically the king of ṛta pervades the world; psychologically the all-encompassing law of truth operates through the cleansing life-flows, separating satya from anṛta within the human field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- satya (from ‘being’, √as) shows the IE linkage between ‘truth’ and ‘what is’ (ontology → veracity). madhu retains PIE *médʰu. The binary pair satya/anṛta is a Vedic structural opposition akin to IE poetic binaries (true/false, light/dark), here moralized and interiorized.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks protection through waters that are not only cleansing but truth-revealing under Varuṇa’s gaze; the implied reciprocity is confession-by-clarity: as the being enters the purifying current, the true and untrue are distinguished, enabling restoration to ṛta.
Sit as if within clear waters; invite Varuṇa’s vast witnessing to reveal where you are true and where you are distorted; release distortion into the flow.
Viśuddha (truth-expression) and Anāhata (sweetness of purified heart)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) gently to support truthful seeing and release; avoid strain.
Wide, impartial witnessing; then quiet Ananda.
After chanting, name one ‘satya’ to live today and one ‘anṛta’ habit to drop; feel ‘madhu’ as a subtle sweetness in the chest.
Let ‘rājā varuṇo’ carry a dignified udatta rise; emphasize the contrast phrase ‘satyānṛte’ with clear articulation.
Slightly lengthen the pause after ‘madhye’; keep ‘satyānṛte’ crisp; end each pāda with a gentle settling.
: pronounce as satyā-nṛte (nṛ with vocalic ṛ)., : keep ś palatal; double-check nasal at end (n)., : śc conjunct—madhuś-cutaḥ, not ‘shuta’.
Sober, wide, and clear; allow a softened sweetness on ‘madhuścutaḥ’.
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