Rig Veda 8.31.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 31, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.31
- Devata
- Iḷā
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अस्य प्रजावती गृहेऽसश्चन्ती दिवेदिवे । इळा धेनुमती दुहे ॥
ásya prajā́-vatī gṛhé’śaścantī divé-dive | iḷā́ dhenu-mátī duhe ||
Di rumahnya, Kuasa pemelihara yang kaya zuriat bergerak tanpa henti hari demi hari; Iḷā, lembu perah kelimpahan, memerah aliran-aliran santapannya.
Word by Word
- अस्य
- of this (one); his/itsPronounपुं/नपुं (सामान्य-रूप), षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation) / अधिकरण-सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्य (षष्ठी एकवचन)
- प्रजावती
- rich in offspring; having progenyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (गृहे इळा इत्यस्य विशेषण-भावः) अथवा सम्बोधन/विशेषण-प्रयोगःRole विशेषण (qualifier) / अधिकरण-सम्बन्धRoot प्रजा (स्त्री) + वत् (तद्धित -वत्) → प्रजावत्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग रूप प्रजावती
- गृहे
- in (the) houseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (locus): in the houseRoot गृह (नपुंसकलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्चन्ती
- moving about; attending; coming (regularly)Verb (participle)वर्तमानकालिक शतृ (present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (agent): (she) moving/attendingRoot अश् (धातु; ‘to pervade/attend, move about’; Vedic) → शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमान कृदन्त: अश्चन्त्
- दिवे-दिवे
- day by day; every dayNoun (reduplicated adverbial phrase)सप्तमी एकवचन, पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (दिवे दिवे = प्रतिदिनम्)Role अधिकरण (temporal): day by dayRoot दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक ‘day/sky’; here ‘day’) → दिव (दिवे)
- इळा
- Iḷā (goddess of nourishment/oblation)Noun (proper/common)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (agent): IḷāRoot इळा (स्त्री प्रातिपदिक; देवी/अन्न-समृद्धि/पोषण-देवी)
- धेनुमती
- possessing a milch-cow; rich in cowsAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (इळायाः विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (qualifier)Root धेनु (स्त्री) + मतुप् (तद्धित -मत्) → धेनुमत्; स्त्रीलिङ्ग रूप धेनुमती
- दुहे
- milks; yields (milk/wealth)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-क्रिया (verbal action by the subject Iḷā)Root दुह् (धातु ‘to milk’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अस्य | प्रजावती | गृहे | अश्चन्ती | दिवे-दिवे | इळा | धेनुमती | दुहे । 1) गृहेऽश्चन्ती = गृहे + अश्चन्ती: ए/ओ + अ- आरम्भे ‘ऽ’ (अवग्रह) द्वारा संधि-लोपः। 2) दिवेदिवे = दिवे + दिवे: पुनरुक्ति-समासवत् अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः (कालाधिकरणे ‘प्रतिदिनम्’)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
In his house, the fostering Power rich in progeny moves unceasingly day by day; Iḷā, the milch-cow of abundance, yields streams of nourishment.
Inner meaning
The “house” (gṛha) is the inner dwelling of the seeker (body–life–mind). Within it, Iḷā—the luminous power of right offering, right speech and right discernment—moves continuously “day by day,” i.e., through repeated cycles of practice. When Iḷā becomes “prajāvatī” (rich in progeny), the inner being generates ever-new formations of truth: insights, right impulses, and capacities. As “dhenumatī” (the milch-cow), she gives a steady flow of nourishment: clarity, strength, and subtle delight that feed the inner sacrifice led by Agni (the will).
Universal truth
When the inner life is organized around truth and right receptivity, nourishment is not episodic but continuous; the soul’s abundance reproduces itself as new growth in consciousness. True prosperity is the self-renewing flow of insight and force that sustains right action.
Themes
nourishment, fruitfulness, household-plenitude
The seer
Significance
Even without a named rishi, the diction belongs to the Vedic psychology of ‘nourishment’ (īḍ/ iḷā) as a constant inner providence. The verse reads like a household-sūkta outwardly, but inwardly it is a seed-mantra for establishing continuous inner supply—an essential condition for sustained tapas and offering.
The deity
- Devata
- Iḷā (with allied powers of nourishment and plenty)
- Epithets
- prajāvatī (prolific), dhenumatī (milch-cow of abundance), asaścantī (unceasing)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Aditi, Sarasvatī
Cosmic role
Giver of food, increase, and right ordering of the offering; mediator of plenitude that sustains the yajña.
Inner power
A steady current of illumined receptivity and right articulation that ‘feeds’ the mind and life with truth-substance; the power that turns aspiration into lived nourishment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Household prosperity and nourishment prayers; also compatible with Soma/oblation contexts where ‘food of the gods’ is invoked.
अस्य॑ प्र॒जाव॑ती गृ॒हेऽस॑श्चन्ती दि॒वेदि॑वे । इळा॑ धेनु॒मती॑ दुहे ॥
अस्य॑ । प्र॒जाऽव॑ती । गृ॒हे । अस॑श्चन्ती । दि॒वेऽदि॑वे । इळा॑ । धे॒नु॒ऽमती॑ । दु॒हे॒ ॥
asya | prajāvatī | gṛhe | asaścantī | dive--dive | iḷā | dhenu-matī | duhe
32
4 pādas × ~8 syllables (approximate; exact count depends on saṃhitā sandhi resolution)
Even, domestic and steady—suited to a theme of continuous daily flow.
Produces a grounded, sustaining cadence; supports a meditative sense of ‘regular supply’ and calm confidence in inner nourishment.
- गृहे (gṛhe)
- Literal: in the house. Symbolic: the inner dwelling/field of sādhanā; the embodied consciousness
- प्रजावती (prajāvatī)
- Literal: rich in offspring/progeny. Symbolic: power that multiplies inner truth-formations—insights, right movements, capacities
- असश्चन्ती (asaścantī)
- Literal: not stopping; unceasing. Symbolic: continuous inner action of the goddess—steady practice and grace
- दिवेदिवे (dive-dive)
- Literal: day by day. Symbolic: each cycle of awakening; repeated renewals of consciousness
- इळा (iḷā)
- Literal: Iḷā; goddess of refreshment/oblation. Symbolic: illumined receptivity, right speech/vision that brings the food of the gods into the human
- धेनुमती (dhenumatī)
- Literal: possessing a milch-cow; abounding in milk. Symbolic: abundant source of sustaining energies (ojas), intuition, and delight
- दुहे (duhe)
- Literal: milks; yields. Symbolic: spontaneous outflow of inner sustenance when the channel is purified
Domestic/household auspiciousness and yajña-nourishment motif; suitable for rites seeking increase (prajā, rayi) though exact Śrauta mapping not given
At daily domestic offerings, hospitality rites, or when consecrating the home/inner space of practice.
Recitation during offering of clarified butter/food, inviting continuous increase and well-being.
Use as a daily ‘inner-home’ mantra: before meals, before meditation, or at the start of work to invoke steady clarity and support.
iḷā: connected with nourishment/invocation and the ‘refreshing’ principle in yajña; in inner sense, the power that supplies right substance to growth. √duh ‘milk’ is a key RV verb for extracting the subtle essence from the cow-of-plenty (dhenu), i.e., drawing usable force/knowledge from the universal abundance. prajāvatī: prajā ‘offspring, productions’—psychologically, fruitful formations of consciousness rather than merely physical children. gṛha: ‘house’ as the settled domain of the being (body-life-mind).
increase through ṛta-aligned nourishment, manifestation of plenty as conscious flow
Iḷā’s unceasing movement ‘day by day’ mirrors ṛta as reliable rhythm and lawful increase.
Nourishment is ‘true’ when it is truth-substance feeding the being, not mere accumulation.
Proliferation (prajā) as inner creation: consciousness generating new forms of truth and capacity.
Proto-Vedāntic/Vedic psychological reading (Sri Aurobindo line: gods as powers of consciousness).
daily cycle (dive-dive)
The ‘cow’ is the luminous provider (rays/knowledge condensed as nourishment); milk is the flow of ojas and clarity; the house is the embodied field where the sacrifice is lived continually.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The milking of the dhenu by Iḷā: abundance is not seized but drawn forth as essence. Mythically, the cow yields; psychologically, the right nourishing power releases sustaining streams for the seeker’s growth and fruitful creations (prajā).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh ‘milk’ corresponds to PIE *dʰewgʰ- ‘produce, be strong, avail’ (with Indo-Iranian development to ‘milk/draw’); dy/di in divé-dive relates to PIE *dyew- ‘daylight/sky’. The semantic field ties ‘day’ and ‘light’ to regular replenishment.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents the human ‘house’ as a fit vessel; the devatā (Iḷā) responds by continuous supply. The reciprocity is sustenance-for-offering: as the seeker maintains the yajña-life, Iḷā ‘milks’ abundance into the being, enabling further right action.
Establish the ‘inner home’ as a stable altar; invite a continuous flow of nourishment (clarity, strength, delight) into mind and life.
Anāhata (sustaining harmony) and Maṇipūra (nourishing force/ojas)
Slow nasal breathing with gentle lengthening of exhale; feel ‘streams’ descending on inhale and assimilating on exhale.
Quiet receptivity with steady aspiration—calm fullness rather than excitement.
Repeat at the start of meditation; visualize a radiant cow of light within the chest-space pouring luminous milk into the whole being; then offer that gained force to the day’s actions.
Use standard Vedic accenting as per pada text; key lifts on udatta syllables (requires śākhā-specific notation for precision).
Keep ‘dive-dive’ evenly pulsed; avoid flattening the cadence—let the second member echo the first.
Pronounce ‘iḷā’ with retroflex ḷ (as in iḷā), not dental ‘la’., Maintain the aspirate in ‘dhenu-’ (dhe-), and keep ‘duhe’ as du-he (two morae)., ‘gṛhe’ with vocalic ṛ (gṛ-he), not ‘grihe’., ‘asaścantī’—keep ś as palatal (sha), and the cluster -śc- crisp.
Warm, nourishing, steady; slightly nasal resonance to sustain continuity.
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