Rig Veda 3.41.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 41, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.41
- Rishi
- Gāthin Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
इमा ब्रह्म ब्रह्मवाहः क्रियन्त आ बर्हिः सीद । वीहि शूर पुरोळाशम् ॥
imā́ bráhma brahma-vāhaḥ kriyánte ā́ bárhiḥ sīda | vī́hi śū́ra puroḷā́śam ||
ഹേ ബ്രഹ്മവാഹ (മന്ത്രവാഹകൻ), ഈ ബ്രഹ്മ-മന്ത്രരചനകൾ നിർമ്മിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; വിശാലമായ പവിത്രാസനമായ ബർഹിഷ് മേൽ ഇരിക്ക. ഹേ ശൂര, വരിക; പുരോൾാശ (അർപ്പിത പൂർണ്ണ ആഹുതി) സ്വീകരിക്ക.
Word by Word
- इमाः
- thesePronoun (Demonstrative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole Karma (of क्रियन्ते) / विषयRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ब्रह्म
- sacred formulation; hymn/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (वेदे प्रायः अव्ययवत्/समासेऽपि)Role Karma/विषय (इमाः … ब्रह्म) अथवा विधेय-नामRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ब्रह्मवाहः
- the bearers of the sacred word (priests)Noun/Adjective (Agent-noun)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole Kartā (of क्रियन्ते)Root ब्रह्म-वाह (समास-प्रातिपदिक; वह् ‘to carry’)
- क्रियन्ते
- are performed / take placeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/मध्यस्थ-प्रयोगः ‘are being performed/are performed’Root कृ (धातु)
- आ
- hither; towardsIndeclinable (Preverb/Particle)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- बर्हिः
- the sacrificial grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (goal/seat with सीद) / कर्मRoot बर्हिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सीद
- sit (down)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot सद् (धातु)
- वीहि
- drive/come (hither), approachVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot विहि/विह् (धातु; वेदिक रूप ‘वीहि’ = लोट् 2sg)
- शूर
- O hero (Indra)Noun (Vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरोळाशम्
- the sacrificial cake (puroḍāśa)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole Karma (of वीहि: ‘bring/drive [to] the offering’ or ‘towards the offering-cake’)Root पुरोळाश (प्रातिपदिक; पुरस् + ओळाश/लाश ‘offering-cake’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (RV-पदपाठानुसार): इमाः | ब्रह्म | ब्रह्म-वाहः | क्रियन्ते | आ | बर्हिः | सीद | वीहि | शूर | पुरोळाशम् । 1) इ॒मा + ब्रह्म → इ॒मा ब्रह्म (विसर्ग/सन्धि-परिवर्तन नहीं; केवल संहितापाठ में संयोग)
- 2) ब्रह्मवाहः = ब्रह्म + वाहः (समास; ‘ब्रह्म वहन्ति’)
- 3) आ बर्हिः: ‘आ’ निपात + द्वितीया ‘बर्हिः’ (गन्तव्य/आसन-लक्ष्य)
- 4) पुरो॒ळाश॑म्: वैदिक रूप ‘पुरोळाश’ (क्लासिकल ‘पुरोडाश’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The brahma (hymns) are being made; Indra, bearer of the brahma, is asked to sit on the barhis and to partake of the offering (puroḷāśa).
Inner meaning
Mantric formations (brahma) are consciously crafted—thought made luminous and potent. Indra as brahmavāhaḥ is the power that carries and confirms the mantra in the mind, making it effective. Sitting on barhis indicates establishing the divine presence in widened receptivity. Puroḷāśa becomes the ‘full substance’ of the work—prepared energies and results of practice offered for assimilation by the illumined power.
Universal truth
When speech/thought is purified into mantra and offered in a widened consciousness, higher intelligence can take its seat and transform the substance of life into spiritual nourishment.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Invocation, Inner sacrifice, Descent of divine power
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Kauśika
- Other hymns
- RV 3.41.1, RV 3.41.2, RV 3.42
Family tradition
A mantra-crafting tradition: brahma as effective formation; emphasis on making speech a vehicle of power.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s insight: the divine comes not only by emotion but by formed word-knowledge; mantra is a technology of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Brahmavāhaḥ, Śūra
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (lord of brahma), Agni (carrier of offering), Soma
Cosmic role
Receiver of offerings and hymns; power that makes the word effective and wins the release of light.
Inner power
Mantra-confirming illumination—turning crafted insight into forceful realization; heroic clarity that ‘partakes’ of the offered substance and converts it into strength.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invited to take seat and receive oblation alongside Soma ritual elements
इ॒मा ब्रह्म॑ ब्रह्मवाहः क्रि॒यन्त॒ आ ब॒र्हिः सी॑द । वी॒हि शू॑र पुरो॒ळाश॑म् ॥
इ॒मा । ब्रह्म॑ । ब्र॒ह्म॒ऽवा॒हः॒ । क्रि॒यन्ते॑ । आ । ब॒र्हिः । सी॒द॒ । वी॒हि । शू॒र॒ । पु॒रो॒ळाश॑म् ॥
imā | brahma | brahma-vāhaḥ | kriyante | ā | barhiḥ | sīda | vīhi | śūra | puroḷāśam
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4 × ~11 syllables (verify)
Dignified, spacious, with a ‘seating’ and ‘partaking’ gravitas.
Establishes presence; supports a sense of invocation becoming embodiment (the deity ‘sits’ within awareness).
- brahma
- Literal: sacred utterance/prayer. Symbolic: mantric thought-force; formulated intuition
- brahmavāhaḥ
- Literal: bearer/carrier of brahma. Symbolic: power that carries the mantra into realization; the confirming illumination
- barhiḥ
- Literal: sacred grass seat. Symbolic: wideness/receptivity where the divine can ‘sit’ in the being
- śūra
- Literal: hero. Symbolic: courageous illumined force that leads the inner battle
- puroḷāśam
- Literal: sacrificial cake/oblation. Symbolic: the prepared ‘substance’ of sādhanā—concentrated offering of life-energies and achieved fullness
Soma sacrifice context: invitation to Indra to take seat on the barhis and receive the offering (pravargya/agniṣṭoma-family setting broadly; exact śrauta viniyoga depends on later ritual mapping)
After preparations, at the moment of seating the deity and offering food/oblation
Seating (āsana) and offering (naivedya-like) gesture within Soma framework
Use after a meditation session to ‘offer the fruits’—dedicate insights and energies to the inner Divine Mind for assimilation.
bráhman- (n.) from √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’ → ‘expansive utterance/power’; hence mantric force that enlarges consciousness. brahma-vāhaḥ: vāha- from √vah ‘to carry, convey’ → ‘carrier of the mantra/power’. kriyánte: present passive/mediopassive of √kṛ ‘to do, make’ → ‘are being fashioned’. bárhis: ritual ‘strew, seat’, linked with the idea of spreading/expanse; symbolically the broadened base for divine descent. sīda: imperative of √sad ‘sit, take seat’. vīhi: injunctive/imperative-like form from √i ‘go’ with vi-/vī- nuance ‘come forth/approach’. śūra: ‘strong, heroic’ (valor-force). puroḷāśa: traditional offering; philologically a fixed ritual term; symbolically ‘cooked/formed’ essence offered to the god-power.
ṛta (right ordering through correct formation of brahman/mantra), satyam-ṛtam-bṛhat (expansion through true utterance and right action)
Rightly formed brahma aligns speech with ṛta; then Indra can act without distortion.
Mantra is satya-bearing speech: what is seen inwardly is spoken as truth-force.
Word as creator: brahma ‘being made’ parallels the making of a new inner world.
Vedic Vāc doctrine; bridges toward Upaniṣadic emphasis on Word/Om as power.
Seat/grass = broadened awareness; offering = sublimated life-substance; speech = vibratory formation shaping consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘invited descent’ of Indra: the god-power is summoned to the prepared seat (barhis) to receive the offering. In inner terms, the heroic force that breaks obstruction is called to take its station in the widened foundation of consciousness so the work (kriyā) of transformation can proceed.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key verbal roots are archaic and PIE-transparent: √kṛ ‘make/do’ (PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘do, make’ in Indo-Iranian development), √vah ‘carry’ (PIE *weǵh- ‘to convey/carry’), √sad ‘sit’ (PIE *sed- ‘sit’), √i ‘go’ (PIE *h₁ei- ‘go’). The semantic field ties ‘right action’ (kṛ) to ‘carrying’ (vah) and ‘seating’ (sad), a common Indo-European poetic grammar of invitation and reception.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi offers brahman (formative utterance) as a power that ‘builds’ the divine presence, while Indra is asked to reciprocate by entering, sitting, and accepting the essence of the offering. This is a pact of mutuality: the human vessel prepares the field (barhis, puroḷāśa) through right speech and action; the god-power responds by installing itself and empowering the inner victory.
Craft a clear inner intention (brahma), then invite illumined mind to ‘sit’ in widened awareness; offer the ‘substance’ of effort to be transformed.
Viśuddha (mantra/word) and Sahasrāra (descent of higher presence)
Slow exhale chanting; brief silence after each pāda to feel ‘Indra seated’.
Reverent receptivity; settled luminous attention
Write or inwardly form one sentence of truth (brahma) about your current practice; chant, then rest in wideness (barhis). End by offering the day’s energies as puroḷāśa—let them be taken up by higher intelligence.
Triṣṭubh with clear accent peaks on vocatives (brahmavāhaḥ, śūra) and imperatives (sīda, vīhi).
Keep imperatives decisive: ‘sīda’ (sit) and ‘vīhi’ (come/partake) with clean articulation and slight lift.
brahma: final a short; avoid ‘brahmaa’ lengthening, brahmavāhaḥ: compound split brahma-vā-haḥ; vā long, kriyante: palatal y glide; do not harden into ‘krij’, puroḷāśam: retroflex ḷ; keep ‘ḷā’ long; avoid ‘purodāśam’ confusion
Grave, steady, enthroning tone; allow resonance after each pāda.
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