Rig Veda 1.13.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 13, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.13
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Nārāśaṃsa
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
नराशंसमिह प्रियमस्मिन्यज्ञ उप ह्वये । मधुजिह्वं हविष्कृतम् ॥
narāśáṃsam ihá priyám asmín yajñá úpa hvaye | mádhujihvaṃ haviṣkṛ́tam ||
နရာသံသ၊ ချစ်ခင်လောက်သူကို ဤယဇ်ပူဇော်မှုသို့ ငါခေါ်ဝေါ်၏ - ပျားရည်နှုတ်ခမ်းရှိသူ၊ ယဇ်ပူဇော်မှုကို ပြုလုပ်သူ - ထိုသို့ စကားသည် ငါတို့အ意愿ယဇ်ပူဇော်မှုကို သယ်ဆောင်သော ချိုမြိန်မှု ဖြစ်လာ၏။
Word by Word
- नरा॒शंस॑म्
- Nārāśaṃsa (a divine/ritual personage), the praised oneNoun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot नराशंस (प्रातिपदिक; नृ/नर + शंस ‘स्तुति/प्रशंसा’)
- इ॒ह
- hereIndeclinableअव्यय (स्थानवाचक)Role अधि॒करणRoot इह (अव्यय)
- प्रि॒यम्
- dear, belovedAdjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- अ॒स्मिन्
- in thisPronounपुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधि॒करणRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- य॒ज्ञे
- in the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधि॒करणRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप॑
- near, towardsIndeclinable (preverb/particle)अव्ययRoot उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ह्वये
- I invoke/callVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole कर्तृRoot √ह्वे (ह्वा/ह्वे) ‘आह्वान’
- मधु॑जिह्वम्
- honey-tonguedAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot मधुजिह्व (समास; मधु + जिह्वा)
- हवि॒ष्कृत॑म्
- prepared with/for the oblation; oblation-makingParticiple/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कृत-प्रत्ययान्त, भूतकर्मणि/कर्मधारयार्थे)Role कर्मRoot हविष्कृत (कृदन्त; हविस् + √कृ ‘कर’ → कृत)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): नरा॒शंस॑म् | इ॒ह | प्रि॒यम् | अ॒स्मिन् | य॒ज्ञे | उप॑ | ह्वये । | मधु॑जिह्वम् | हवि॒ष्कृत॑म् ॥ मुख्य सन्धि: (1) अस्मिन् + यज्ञे → अस्मिन्यज्ञे (न् + य् संयोग)
- (2) यज्ञे + उप → यज्ञ उप (ए + उ परे पदान्त, संहिता-पाठ में संयोग/प्रगृह्य-भाव नहीं; पद-पाठ में पृथक्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The beloved Nārāśaṃsa is invoked here to this sacrifice—honey-tongued, the maker of the offering.
Inner meaning
Nārāśaṃsa (often linked with the ‘humanly praised’ divine power, and in ritual with a form of Agni) is the force that perfects expression and makes the offering rightly formed. ‘Madhujihva’ indicates speech whose taste is delight and truth—words that carry sweetness rather than ego or harshness. ‘Haviṣkṛt’ is the fashioner of the oblation: inwardly, this is the power that shapes our mixed energies into a fit offering—refining intention, speech, and act so they can be received by the higher consciousness.
Universal truth
Spiritual speech is not mere talk: when expression is purified and sweetened, it becomes a creative power that can shape life into a true offering and open communion with the Divine.
Themes
Ritual speech-power, Invocation, Honey-tongued truth, Formation of offering
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.13.1-10
Family tradition
The Kāṇva sequence names specific sacrificial powers: after kindling (Agni) and sweetening (Tanūnapāt), it invokes the force that perfects speech and offering (Nārāśaṃsa).
Significance
Medhātithi’s progression is yogic: the sacrifice becomes effective when speech itself is transformed—sweet, true, and capable of shaping the offering of life.
The deity
- Devata
- Nārāśaṃsa
- Epithets
- Priya (beloved), Madhu-jihva (honey-tongued), Haviṣ-kṛt (fashioner of offering)
- Related deities
- Agni (especially ritual forms), Bṛhaspati (lord of the word), Sarasvatī/Vāc
Cosmic role
A sacrificial/divine power connected to inspired praise and right formulation; helps establish communion by perfecting the offering and the word.
Inner power
Transformative speech-force: sweetness + precision that refines intention and makes the inner offering acceptable.
In ritual
Where it is used
Invocation of Nārāśaṃsa in sacrificial liturgy as a supporting power of praise/oblation
नरा॒शंस॑मि॒ह प्रि॒यम॒स्मिन्य॒ज्ञ उप॑ ह्वये । मधु॑जिह्वं हवि॒ष्कृत॑म् ॥
नरा॒शंस॑म् । इ॒ह । प्रि॒यम् । अ॒स्मिन् । य॒ज्ञे । उप॑ । ह्व॒ये॒ । मधु॑ऽजिह्वम् । ह॒विः॒ऽकृत॑म् ॥
narāśaṃsam | iha | priyam | asmin | yajñe | upa | hvaye | madhu-jihvam | haviḥ-kṛtam
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3×8
Calling and intimate; ‘iha priyam’ gives closeness; ‘madhujihvam’ adds a soft sweetness to the cadence.
Refines speech and emotional tone; encourages gentle truthfulness and devotional sweetness.
- नराशंसम् (narāśaṃsam)
- Literal: praised by men / of human praise. Symbolic: the divine power that awakens through sincere human aspiration and perfects expression
- प्रियम् (priyam)
- Literal: beloved, dear. Symbolic: that which the soul naturally loves—truth that attracts and unites
- यज्ञे (yajñe)
- Literal: in the sacrifice. Symbolic: in the consecrated inner process of transformation
- उप ह्वये (upa hvaye)
- Literal: I call near. Symbolic: bringing a power into immediate presence in consciousness
- मधुजिह्वम् (madhu-jihvam)
- Literal: honey-tongued. Symbolic: speech of delight and truth; mantra-vāc that heals and unites
- हविष्कृतम् (haviṣ-kṛtam)
- Literal: maker of the oblation. Symbolic: inner alchemist that turns raw impulses into a purified offering (will, love, action)
Part of the invitatory sequence naming subsidiary ritual powers; Nārāśaṃsa is invoked as the effective praise that makes the offering acceptable and well-formed.
During the sequence of inviting functional deities connected to the offering and its right formulation.
Recitation to sanctify speech and ensure offerings are properly prepared/pleasing.
Use before difficult conversations or teaching/chanting: to make speech sweet, true, and effective; also before journaling/prayer as ‘consecrated speech’.
narā- 'of men' + śaṃsa from √śaṃs 'to praise, proclaim' (PIE *ḱens- 'announce' is uncertain; better treat as Indo-Iranian). √hū/√hvā 'to call' → hvaye (1sg middle). jihvā 'tongue' (PIE *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s debated). haviṣ from √hu 'to pour/offer' (havis: oblation) + kṛta from √kṛ 'made'.
Vāc (speech as a power that forms reality), Rita (right proclamation/praise), Ānanda (madhu as delight)
Right speech is a movement of ṛta; it orders inner and outer life and enables true exchange with higher powers.
Madhu (sweetness) is not flattery but the taste of satya when ego is purified from speech.
Vāc as creative: the offering is ‘made’ by the word; speech shapes reality when aligned with truth.
Vedic doctrine of Vāc leading to Upaniṣadic emphasis on truth-speech (satyaṃ vada) and mantra as consciousness-power.
unspecified
spring (honey/flowers—suggestive, not explicit)
Honey = delight/truth-taste; tongue = expressive consciousness; maker of offering = inner alchemy of energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The personified power of praise (Nārāśaṃsa) is summoned as 'honey-tongued' to shape the offering—mythically, effective speech itself becomes a divine artisan that transmutes human substance into acceptable oblation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is PIE (*médʰu). The ritual lexicon around calling (hvaye) and offering (havis) reflects shared Indo-Iranian sacrificial language (Avestan zaotar vs. Vedic hotar parallels in the broader system, though not in this verse’s exact words).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi calls a specialized divine function: not merely fire, but the power that makes praise and offering formative. The reciprocity is that human speech, aligned with this devatā, gains sweetness and efficacy.
Consecrate speech: let words become sweet, truthful, and offering-shaped.
vishuddha (speech purification)
soft nāḍī-śodhana (alternate nostril) for 3–5 minutes, then chant; feel vibration in throat and palate on ‘madhujihvam’.
quiet, sincere, heart-led expression.
Before speaking or writing, chant 7 or 21 times; pause and ask inwardly: ‘Is this satya? Is it kind? Is it necessary?’ Offer the impulse to speak into the inner fire, then speak slowly.
Gāyatrī with clear accentuation; keep ‘narāśaṃsam’ fluid; ‘madhujihvam’ slightly lengthened for sweetness.
Make ‘iha’ intimate (near, present); emphasize ‘upa hvaye’ as the act of drawing near; end ‘haviṣkṛtam’ with clean retroflex ṣ and crisp kṛ.
narāśaṃsam: long ā; anusvāra ṃ before s, asmin yajñe: yajñe with ‘jñ’ cluster, upa hvaye: aspirate hv (not ‘hwaye’ flat), madhujihvam: jihva with clear h-v, haviṣkṛtam: retroflex ṣ; kṛ as syllabic ṛ (kr̥)
soft, sweet, and precise; minimal harsh consonant attack.
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