Rig Veda 4.34.2: Mandala 4, Sukta 34, Mantra 2
Sukta 4.34
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Rbhus
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
विदानासो जन्मनो वाजरत्ना उत ऋतुभिॠभवो मादयध्वम् । सं वो मदा अग्मत सं पुरंधिः सुवीरामस्मे रयिमेरयध्वम् ॥
vidānā́so jánmano vāja-ratnā uta ṛtúbhir ṛbhavo mādayadhvam | sáṃ vo mádā́ agmata sáṃ púraṃdhiḥ suvī́rām asmè rayím īrayadhvam ||
हे वाजरत्न-समृद्ध ऋभुगणा! आपल्या जन्माचा व उगमाचा बोध करून, ऋतु-ऋतूंमध्ये ‘ऋत’ (धर्म-नियम/विश्व-क्रम) यासहही आनंदित व्हा. तुमचे मद (उत्साह) एकत्र येवोत, आणि त्यांच्यासह पुरंधि (पूर्णता-शक्ती)ही येवो; आमच्यासाठी सु-वीर (उत्तम वीर-संतती) देणारा रयि (धन-समृद्धी) प्रेरित करा, प्रवाहित करा.
Word by Word
- विदानासः
- the knowing ones (skilled ones)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot विद् (√vid ‘to know’) → विदान (PPP/adj. ‘knowing, skilled’)
- जन्मनः
- of birth, of originNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole (Genitive relation)Root जन्मन् (prātipadika) < √जन्
- वाजरत्नाः
- having prize(-winning) treasures / rich in boonsAdjective (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa used as epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (apposition to विदानासः)Root वाज-रत्न (compound prātipadika)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableconjunctionRoot उत
- ऋतुभिः
- with the seasons / at the proper timesNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ऋतु (prātipadika)
- ऋभवः
- the ṚbhusNoun (proper/collective)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot ऋभु (prātipadika)
- मादयध्वम्
- rejoice! be exhilarated!Verbलोट् (imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (Predicate of Kartā: ऋभवः)Root मद् (√mad ‘to be exhilarated, rejoice’)
- सम्
- together, whollyPreverb/indeclinableupasarga (here with अग्मत)Root सम्
- वः
- to you / for youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन (enclitic ‘to/for you; of you’—here best as dative)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (enclitic pronoun)
- मदाः
- exhilarations, joys (intoxicating draughts)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मद (prātipadika)
- अग्मत
- has come / cameVerbलुङ् (aorist, injunctive/augmentless aorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (Predicate: subject मदाः)Root गम् (√gam ‘to go’) with preverb सम्
- सम्
- together, whollyPreverb/indeclinableupasarga (with अग्मत understood)Root सम्
- पुरंधिः
- bounty, liberality (Purandhi)Noun (personified abstraction)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (co-subject with मदाः)Root पुरंधि (prātipadika)
- सुवीराम्
- rich in heroes / having good heroesAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सु-वीर (adj. prātipadika) → सुवीरा
- अस्मे
- among us, for usPronounसप्तमी (Vedic locative); बहुवचन ‘among us/for us’ (RV usage)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अस्मद्
- रयिम्
- wealth, bountyNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot रयि (prātipadika)
- ईरयध्वम्
- set in motion / bestow / send forthVerbलोट् (imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (Predicate of Kartā: ऋभवः)Root ईर्/इर् (√īr/√ir ‘to set in motion, raise, bestow/impel’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): विदानासो → विदानासः (nom.pl.)
- ऋतुभि॑ॠभवो → ऋतुभिः ऋभवः (visarga + initial vowel; Vedic orthography shows hiatus)
- सं वो → सम् वः
- मदा अग्मत → मदाः अग्मत (final -aḥ before vowel)
- सं पुरंधिः kept as सम् पुरंधिः
- सुवीरा॑म॒स्मे → सुवीराम् अस्मे
- र॒यिमेर॑यध्वम् → रयिम् ईरयध्वम् (m + ī sandhi; written as -मे-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Rbhus, possessors of force and treasure, knowing your own birth, rejoice with the right seasons. Let your ecstasies unite, and with them Purandhi (plenitude). Set in motion for us a wealth that brings strong offspring—heroic increase.
Inner meaning
The Rbhus are the artisan-powers of the soul that “know their birth” (their origin in the Divine) and therefore can work consciously in us. Their joy must be harmonized with ṛtu—right timing, right psychological season—so that the inner intoxications (madāḥ: uplifted intensities of consciousness) do not scatter but converge. When the ecstasies are unified, Purandhi (the power of plenitude, right distribution) joins, and the “wealth” becomes an inner increase: luminous capacities and heroic energies (suvīrā).
Universal truth
Spiritual growth becomes effective when aspiration and delight are synchronized with right rhythm and maturity; unified inner joy attracts plenitude, which then expresses as strength, clarity, and creative power in life.
Themes
Rita and right timing, Abundance (Purandhi), Spiritual wealth (Rayi), Heroic progeny (Suvīra)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.1, Rig Veda 4.26, Rig Veda 4.27, Rig Veda 4.30, Rig Veda 4.31
Family tradition
Vāmadeva’s hymns often move from outer sacrificial imagery to inner ascent—invoking divine powers as collaborators in the transformation of human nature.
Significance
Vāmadeva is a seer of luminous affirmation and inner victory; his vision emphasizes the cooperation of divine powers with the human aspirant under ṛta (right order).
The deity
- Devata
- Rbhus (with Purandhi)
- Epithets
- ṛbhavaḥ (the skillful ones), vājaratnāḥ (force-and-treasure-rich)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Soma, Aśvins, Sarasvatī (as flow of inspiration)
Cosmic role
Divine artisans who fashion forms of immortality—perfecting the instruments of sacrifice and renewing the worlds.
Inner power
Capacity in consciousness to refine, harmonize, and make effective the faculties (mind-life-body) so they can hold delight and light without distortion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña context (Rbhus invited to drink and aid the rite)
वि॒दा॒नासो॒ जन्म॑नो वाजरत्ना उ॒त ऋ॒तुभि॑ॠभवो मादयध्वम् । सं वो॒ मदा॒ अग्म॑त॒ सं पुरं॑धिः सु॒वीरा॑म॒स्मे र॒यिमेर॑यध्वम् ॥
वि॒दा॒नासः॑ । जन्म॑नः । वा॒ज॒ऽर॒त्नाः॒ । उ॒त । ऋ॒तुऽभिः॑ । ऋ॒भ॒वः॒ । मा॒द॒य॒ध्व॒म् । सम् । वः॒ । मदाः॑ । अग्म॑त । सम् । पुर॑म्ऽधिः । सु॒ऽवीरा॑म् । अ॒स्मे इति॑ । र॒यिम् । आ । ई॒र॒य॒ध्व॒म् ॥
vidānāsaḥ | janmanaḥ | vāja-ratnāḥ | uta | ṛtu-bhiḥ | ṛbhavaḥ | mādayadhvam | sam | vaḥ | madāḥ | agmata | sam | puram-dhiḥ | su-vīrām | asme iti | rayim | ā | īrayadhvam
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, declarative, with room for expansive clauses and climactic imperatives.
Builds energetic coherence—suitable for invoking coordinated powers and gathering scattered forces into a single uplift.
- vidānāsaḥ
- Literal: knowing, understanding. Symbolic: self-knowledge of one’s divine origin; conscious inner workmanship
- janmanaḥ
- Literal: of birth/origin. Symbolic: source in the higher consciousness; the soul’s provenance
- vājaratnāḥ
- Literal: having vāja (force) and ratna (treasure). Symbolic: energies of effective action carrying spiritual riches
- ṛtubhiḥ
- Literal: with the seasons/right times. Symbolic: right rhythm of inner development; lawful timing in sādhanā (ṛta)
- madāḥ
- Literal: raptures/intoxications. Symbolic: uplifted intensities of delight and inspiration that empower progress
- puraṃdhiḥ
- Literal: plenitude/dispenser; abundance. Symbolic: power that organizes and distributes inner riches into life and faculties
- rayim
- Literal: wealth. Symbolic: store of inner light, power, and supportive conditions
- suvīrām
- Literal: with good heroes/strong offspring. Symbolic: birth of luminous will-forces and courageous capacities in the being
Soma sequence aligned with ṛtu (right timing); prayer for rayi and suvīra (strong progeny/heroic forces) as fruits of the rite—inner application: aligning practice with right rhythms to awaken abundance and heroic capacities.
During soma offerings and invitatory stanzas to artisan-deities who perfect the sacrifice.
Invocation, praise, and request for ratna (treasures) and vāja (effective powers).
Use as a mantra for aligning effort with right timing—before creative work, study, or a disciplined meditation cycle.
vidānāsaḥ from √vid ‘to know’ (cognate field of ‘vision/knowledge’); highlights the Rbhus as conscious craftsmen, not blind forces. ṛtu: ‘right time/season’ tied to ṛta ‘order’; the gods rejoice when action aligns with cosmic rhythm. purandhi: from puram-dhi ‘abundance/fulfilling thought’ (traditional analysis varies); here treated as plenitude-power that ‘fills’. rayi: ‘wealth’ as growth/expansion in the being (not mere material). √īr ‘to set in motion, raise, impel’ marks dynamic manifestation.
Rita (right timing and order), Growth of being (rayaḥ as plenitude), Integral delight (mada unified with abundance)
Explicit: rejoicing ‘with the ṛtus’ indicates harmony with ṛta through right measures and maturations.
‘Knowing the birth’ implies truth-knowledge of origin and purpose.
Inner creation: the ‘birth’ of suvīra—new heroic powers in the being through unified delight and plenitude.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: gods as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner yoga.
Seasons = stages of practice; wealth = accumulated light-force; ecstasy = energized delight that propels transformation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Rbhus as ‘knowers of their birth’ who act in harmony with ṛtu (right seasons), bringing unified delight and abundance. Myth becomes psychology: when inner forces act at the right rhythm, delight (mada) coheres with plenitude (Purandhi) and yields ‘suvīra’—new heroic capacities in consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘know’ and √īr ‘raise/impel’ map onto widespread IE semantic cores (knowledge and arousal). The verse pairs cognition (vid) with activation (īr), a typical IE poetic strategy: vision must be followed by energizing movement to produce ‘raya’ (increase).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks for synchronized cooperation: the Rbhus’ delight must ‘come together’ with Purandhi’s abundance, and then be directed toward the human vessel (‘asme’) as rayi. It is a guided collaboration: the seer requests not random gifts but a structured inner outcome—abundant being and heroic force.
Unify joy and aspiration; align practice with ‘right season’—do the right effort at the right time without strain.
Anāhata (joyful harmony) and Ājñā (right discernment of timing)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 7–12 rounds, then chant on an unbroken, steady exhale.
Collected, energized, harmonized (samāhita with uplift).
Before chanting, recall your deepest intention (origin). While chanting, feel scattered enthusiasms gathering into one current; end by offering the gained force for ‘suvīra’—brave, luminous action in the day.
Use the Rigvedic three-tone contour: udatta peaks on key invocatory words (ṛbhavo, madāḥ, rayim), with svarita falls after peaks; keep anudatta as the base.
Accent the vocatives and imperatives: ṛbhavo, mādayadhvam, erayadhvam; keep ‘saṃ’ lightly linked to the following word (saṃ vo, saṃ puraṃdhiḥ).
ṛbhavo: roll light ‘ṛ’, aspirate ‘bh’ softly, puraṃdhiḥ: nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘dh’; keep ‘dh’ voiced aspirate, suvīrām: long ‘ī’ and long ‘ā’ clearly held, erayadhvam: ‘e’ long-ish, ‘dhv’ cluster articulated without dropping ‘v’
Bright, steady, slightly uplifting in the second half (requests).
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