Rig Veda 5.46.5: Mandala 5, Sukta 46, Mantra 5
Sukta 5.46
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Viśve Devāḥ, with explicit invocations of Maruts, Bṛhaspati, Pūṣan, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
उत त्यन्नो मारुतं शर्ध आ गमद्दिविक्षयं यजतं बर्हिरासदे । बृहस्पतिः शर्म पूषोत नो यमद्वरूथ्यं वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा ॥
utá tyán no mārutáṃ śárdha ā́ gamad divi-kṣayáṃ yájatam bárhir ā́-sáde | bṛ́haspátiḥ śárma pūṣót no yámad varū́thyaṃ váruṇo mitró aryamā́ ||
ຂໍໃຫ້ຝູງມາຣຸດນັ້ນມາຫາພວກເຮົາ ຜູ້ສະເຫວີຍຢູ່ໃນທ້ອງຟ້າທີ່ສະຫວ່າງ ສົມຄວນແກ່ພິທີບູຊາ ມານັ່ງເທິງບັນລັງສັກ ຂໍໃຫ້ພຣຫັດສະປັດຕິ ນໍາພາສັນຕິສຸຂໃຫ້ແກ່ເຮົາ ປູສັນຈົ່ງນໍາທາງເຮົາ ແລະ ວະຣຸນ ມິຕຣ ອາຣະຍະມັນ ຈົ່ງປະທານຄວາມກວ້າງຂວາງ ເປັນທີ່ພັກຜ່ອນແກ່ການເດີນທາງຂອງວິນຍານ
Word by Word
- उत
- and; also; moreoverIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अन्वर्थ-निपात (conj./particle)Root उत
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- नः
- of us; for usPronounषष्ठी (gen.), बहुवचन (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- मारुतम्
- Marut(-related), of the MarutsAdjective (tribal/collective epithet)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मारुत
- शर्धः
- host; troop (of Maruts)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot शर्ध
- आ
- towards; hitherIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्ग (to √गम्)Root आ
- गमत्
- came; has comeVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRoot √गम् (गच्छति)
- दिविक्षयम्
- the heavenly dwelling; dwelling in heavenNoun (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot दिवि-क्षय
- यजतम्
- worthy of worshipAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यजत
- बर्हिः
- sacrificial grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot बर्हिस्
- आसदे
- to sit down; to take a seatVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (injunctive/optative usage in RV), आत्मनेपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRoot √सद् (सीदति)
- बृहस्पतिः
- BṛhaspatiNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot बृहस्पति
- शर्म
- shelter; comfort; protectionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot शर्मन्
- पूषा
- PūṣanNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot पूषन्
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय-निपातRoot उत
- नः
- of us; for usPronounषष्ठी (gen.), बहुवचन (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- यमत्
- extended; granted; bestowedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRoot √यम्
- वरूथ्यम्
- protective; as a defenseAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वरूथ्य
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot वरुण
- मित्रः
- MitraNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot मित्र
- अर्यमा
- AryamanNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot अर्यमन्
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): उ॒त त्यन्नो॒ → उत् तत् नः (त्यत् = तत् with sandhi/phonetic assimilation)
- मारु॑तं॒ शर्ध॒ → मारुतम् शर्धः
- आ ग॑मद् → आ गमत् (aorist 3sg)
- दिविक्ष॒यं → दिवि-क्षयम् (tatpuruṣa)
- ब॒र्हिरा॒सदे॑ → बर्हिः आसदे (visarga before vowel lost in saṃhitā)
- बृह॒स्पति॒: → बृहस्पतिः
- पू॒षोत → पूषा उत
- नो॑ यमद् → नः यमत्
- वरू॒थ्यं१॒॑ → वरूथ्यम्
- वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॑र्य॒मा → वरुणः मित्रः अर्यमा (final -o in saṃhitā for -aḥ before voiced consonant/vowel in Vedic recitation)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May the Marut host come to us, dwelling in the heavens, worthy of worship, to sit on the barhis (sacred seat). May Bṛhaspati bring peace; may Pūṣan guide us; and may Varuṇa, Mitra, and Aryaman grant protective shelter.
Inner meaning
The Maruts are the uplifted energies that descend from the luminous mind to animate and purify the life-force; they are invited to ‘sit on the barhis’—the prepared seat of aspiration and receptivity in the heart-mind. Bṛhaspati brings śarma (peace/inner gladness) by right word and right formation. Pūṣan guides the inner journey through subtle roads. Varuṇa-Mitra-Aryaman establish a protective wideness (varūthya) and noble law of right relation—guarding the sadhaka from false turns, impurity, and disintegration.
Universal truth
Transformation needs both force and protection: energizing powers must be seated on a prepared receptivity, while truth-law and guidance provide safe passage and lasting peace.
Themes
invocation, divine protection, harmony of cosmic powers, inner sacrifice as receptivity (barhis)
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.52–5.54 (Marut themes in adjacent traditions across the Rig Veda), RV 2.23 (Bṛhaspati archetype; not Atri but conceptually aligned), RV 5.62–5.63 (Mitra-Varuṇa in Book 5)
Family tradition
Atri’s invocations frequently combine dynamic powers (Maruts) with guardians of ṛta (Mitra-Varuṇa-Aryaman) and the word-power (Bṛhaspati).
Significance
The rishi models a balanced yoga: force descends only where receptivity is prepared, and protection/peace are secured through truth and right relation.
The deity
- Devata
- Viśve Devāḥ with Maruts, Bṛhaspati, Pūṣan, Varuṇa-Mitra-Aryaman
- Epithets
- divikṣaya (heaven-dwelling), yajata (worthy of worship), varūthya (protective)
- Related deities
- Indra (often with Maruts), Agni (seat/altar of sacrifice), Savitṛ (impeller and guide)
Cosmic role
Maruts energize and purify; Bṛhaspati forms and protects by the Word; Pūṣan guides; Varuṇa-Mitra-Aryaman uphold ṛta and social/cosmic harmony, granting shelter.
Inner power
Established dynamic force held within a wide, truthful protection—producing peace and safe progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Viśve Devāḥ / Marut invitations to the barhis in soma rites
उ॒त त्यन्नो॒ मारु॑तं॒ शर्ध॒ आ ग॑मद्दिविक्ष॒यं य॑ज॒तं ब॒र्हिरा॒सदे॑ । बृह॒स्पति॒: शर्म॑ पू॒षोत नो॑ यमद्वरू॒थ्यं१॒॑ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॑र्य॒मा ॥
उ॒त । त्यम् । नः॒ । मारु॑तम् । शर्धः॑ । आ । ग॒म॒त् । दि॒वि॒ऽक्ष॒यम् । य॒ज॒तम् । ब॒र्हिः । आ॒ऽसदे॑ । बृह॒स्पतिः॑ । शर्म॑ । पू॒षा । उ॒त । नः॒ । य॒म॒त् । व॒रू॒थ्य॑म् । वरु॑णः । मि॒त्रः । अ॒र्य॒मा ॥
uta | tyam | naḥ | mārutam | śardhaḥ | ā | gamat | divi-kṣayam | yajatam | barhiḥ | āsade | bṛhaspatiḥ | śarma | pūṣā | uta | naḥ | yamat | varūthyam | varuṇaḥ | mitraḥ | aryamā
44
4 × ~11 syllables; strong invocatory cadence with a protective closing.
Energizing in the first half (Maruts), settling into protective assurance in the second.
Invites a descent of force, then seals it with calm shelter and steadiness.
- मारुतं शर्धः (mārutaṃ śardhaḥ)
- Literal: host of the Maruts. Symbolic: uplifting, purifying energies; dynamic helpers of ascent
- दिविक्षयम् (divikṣayam)
- Literal: dwelling in heaven. Symbolic: origin in higher consciousness; energies descending from illumined mind
- बर्हिः (barhiḥ)
- Literal: sacrificial grass/seat. Symbolic: prepared receptivity; the inner altar-seat for the descent of powers
- आसदे (āsade)
- Literal: to sit down. Symbolic: to establish firmly in the consciousness
- बृहस्पति (bṛhaspati)
- Literal: lord of the expansive word. Symbolic: mantric intelligence shaping right inner formations; remover of obstacles
- शर्म (śarma)
- Literal: peace, happiness, refuge. Symbolic: settled inner ease that comes from right alignment
- यमत् (yamat)
- Literal: may he guide/hold. Symbolic: the guiding containment that keeps the journey on track
- वरूथ्यम् (varūthyam)
- Literal: protective shelter. Symbolic: spiritual protection; safe wideness against hostile forces
- अर्यमा (aryamā)
- Literal: Aryaman. Symbolic: noble law, right companionship, disciplined harmony in action
General invitatory verse (āvāhana) in soma and non-soma contexts; suitable for invoking assisting deities to the barhis; not restricted to a single named śrauta performance in this excerpt
During deity-invitation and seating (āsana) moments; also in protective prayers within the rite.
Āvāhana and āsādana (inviting and seating the gods); seeking śarma and varūtha (peace and protection).
Use when beginning a demanding phase (work, travel, intense practice): first invite purified energy, then ask for guidance and protective wideness so the force does not become agitation.
Key roots: √gam ‘to go/come’ (ā gamat: ‘may it come hither’); √sad ‘to sit’ with preverb ā- (ā-sade: ‘to sit upon/near’, i.e., take the offered seat); √yam ‘to stretch out, restrain, govern’ (yamat: ‘may he extend/grant’ a protection). śárdha ‘troop/host’ relates to organized collective force; varū́tha ‘shelter/defence’ from the semantic field of covering/protecting (cf. √vṛ ‘to cover’ as a likely background). divi-kṣayá ‘heaven-dwelling’ (div ‘luminous sky’ + kṣaya ‘dwelling/abode’, √kṣi ‘to dwell’). bṛ́haspáti: ‘lord (pati) of bṛh/expansion’, i.e., expansive inspired speech/vision.
Ṛta (cosmic order upheld by Varuṇa–Mitra–Aryaman), inspired speech/vision (Bṛhaspati as brahman-power), guidance on the path (Pūṣan)
Varuṇa-Mitra-Aryaman are guardians of ṛta; ‘varūthya’ is protection by right order.
Peace (śarma) arises from truth-aligned formation (Bṛhaspati).
Descent-and-establishment: higher energies (divikṣaya) must be seated (āsade) in the prepared field (barhis).
Vedic yoga of descent (avataraṇa) and establishment (sthiti) through right law and mantra-power.
Storm = dynamic purifying energies; barhis = prepared receptive consciousness; heaven = illumined plane from which help descends.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythic action is the ‘arrival and seating’ of divine powers at the barhis: the Marut-host descends from the luminous realm to take its place in the rite, followed by the juridical-triad (Varuṇa–Mitra–Aryaman) granting varūtha (protective enclosure). In inner terms, the seeker prepares a receptive ground (barhis) so the dynamic life-forces (Maruts) and the powers of ordered truth (Ādityas) can establish protection and right movement in consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam ‘go/come’ continues PIE *gʷem- (cf. Greek baínō via different root; more directly Old English cuman ‘come’ is different, but Sanskrit √gam aligns with Avestan gam- ‘go’). Mitra corresponds to Indo-Iranian *mitra- ‘contract/friendship’ (Avestan Miθra). Aryaman reflects Indo-Iranian *aryaman- ‘hospitality/affiliated order’. Varuṇa is often connected with ‘binding/encompassing’ semantics (legal-cosmic constraint), matching the verse’s protective/ordering function.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi offers a prepared seat (barhis) and invitation (ā gamat, ā-sade), and the devatās reciprocate by establishing inner conditions: śarma (settled peace) from Bṛhaspati’s truth-word, guidance from Pūṣan’s path-finding, and varūthya (protective wideness) from the Ādityas’ law of ṛta. The exchange is not transactional but developmental: receptivity and aspiration evoke protection and ordered force in the human vessel.
Prepare the inner seat (barhis) through quiet aspiration; invite purified energy (Maruts) to establish in the system; seal with peace (śarma) and protective wideness (varūtha).
anahata (seat of aspiration/receptivity), manipura (energizing Maruts), ajna (guidance of Pūṣan)
Inhale briskly for 6 breaths (to invite Marut energy), then lengthen exhale (to establish śarma). Finish with a few breaths feeling a wide protective field around the body.
Energized yet protected; calm strength.
If energy becomes restless, re-seat it on the ‘barhis’: return to the heart’s quiet aspiration. Invoke Bṛhaspati for right formation (clarity in speech/thought) and Pūṣan for right direction; let Varuṇa-Mitra-Aryaman widen the field so pressure dissolves into spacious order.
Maintain triṣṭubh swing; keep accents clear on divikṣayam, barhir, bṛhaspatiḥ, varūthyam.
First hemistich slightly brighter and quicker (invitation), second more grounded (protection). Pause lightly at āsade and at śarma.
: ‘śar-dhaḥ’ (aspirated dh), : ‘di-vi-kṣa-yam’ (kṣ cluster), : separate as ‘barhiḥ ā-sade’ in sense; keep visarga light, : ‘bṛ-has-pa-ti’ with vocalic ṛ, : ‘va-rū-thyam’ (long ū, aspirated th)
Invocatory then soothing; end with a protective, low resonance.
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