Rig Veda 1.142.9: Mandala 1, Sukta 142, Mantra 9
Sukta 1.142
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Devata
- Bhāratī, Iḷā, Sarasvatī
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
शुचिर्देवेष्वर्पिता होत्रा मरुत्सु भारती । इळा सरस्वती मही बर्हिः सीदन्तु यज्ञियाः ॥
śúcir devéṣv árpitā hotrā́ marútsu bhā́ratī | íḷā sárasvatī mahī́ barhíḥ sīdantu yajñíyāḥ ||
Nieczyste słowo-ofiary zasiądzie pośród bogów, Bhāratī wśród Marutów, razem z Iḷā i Sarasvatī, wielkimi, niech zajmą swoje miejsce na świętej przestrzeni; niech te mości godne jaźni ustanowią w nas natchnioną mowę, właściwe pożywienie i rzeczną płaj wiedzy.
Word by Word
- शुचिः
- pure, brightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धः—भारती-विशेषणम्)Root शुचि- (प्रातिपदिक; √शुच् ‘दीप्तौ/शौचे’ से)
- देवेषु
- among the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (लोके/मध्ये)Root देव-
- अर्पिता
- offered, dedicatedParticiple (past passive) / Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धः—भारती-विशेषणम्)Root √अर्प् (अर्पणे) → अर्पित- (कृदन्त) / अर्पिता (स्त्री.)
- होत्रा
- (as) the priestly invocation / HotrāNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धः—भारती-विशेषणम्)Root होत्रा- (होतृ-सम्बद्ध प्रातिपदिक)
- मरुत्सु
- among the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot मरुत्-
- भारती
- Bhāratī (goddess of speech/ritual)Noun (deity-name) / Proper nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot भारती-
- इळा
- Iḷā (Idā)Noun (deity-name)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समुच्चित-कर्ता)Root इळा- (इडा-)
- सरस्वती
- SarasvatīNoun (deity-name)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समुच्चित-कर्ता)Root सरस्वती-
- मही
- greatAdjective / Noun (epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धः—सरस्वती-विशेषणम्)Root मही- (मह् ‘महत्त्वे’/महत्-सम्बद्ध)
- बर्हिः
- the sacred grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समुच्चित-कर्ता)Root बर्हिस्-
- सीदन्तु
- let (them) sit downVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) — कर्तृभिः सहRoot √सद् (सीदति; उपवेशने)
- यज्ञियाः
- worthy of sacrifice, sacrificialAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (सीदन्तु इत्यस्य)Root यज्ञिय- (√यज् ‘यागे’ से)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरसन): शुचिः | देवेषु | अर्पिता | होत्रा | मरुत्सु | भारती | इळा | सरस्वती | मही | बर्हिः | सीदन्तु | यज्ञियाः । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) शुचिः + देवेषु → शुचिर्देवेषु (विसर्ग-रेफः) । (2) देवेषु + अर्पिता → देवेष्वर्पिता (उ + अ → व्-अ) । (3) मरुत्सु + भारती → मरुत्सु भारती (सन्धि नहीं; पदविराम) । (4) बर्हिः + सीदन्तु → बर्हिः सीदन्तु (विसर्गः यथावत्) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
An invocation for Bhāratī (among the Maruts) together with Iḷā and the great Sarasvatī to sit on the sacred barhis; they are pure, placed among the gods, and worthy of the sacrifice.
Inner meaning
This triad is the inner Vāc-śakti in three modes: Bhāratī as the forceful, dynamic word amid the Maruts (life-energies), Iḷā as right nourishment/true perception that supports growth, Sarasvatī as the flowing river of inspiration and knowledge. Their seating on the ‘wide’ barhis indicates establishing these powers in the expanded consciousness so speech becomes pure, inspired, and effective.
Universal truth
When speech is purified and allied with right life-force and true nourishment, knowledge begins to flow. Inspired expression and understanding arise from a seated, stable inner wideness.
Themes
goddesses of speech, inspired flow, seating on barhis, ritual plenitude
The seer
- Rishi
- Dīrghatamas Āucathya
- Lineage
- Aucathya
- Other hymns
- RV 1.142, RV 1.143, RV 1.140
Family tradition
Angirasa-like emphasis on recovering light through right word and right order; the ‘goddesses of speech’ are central to his inner ritual symbolism.
Significance
He treats Vāc not as ornament but as a goddess-power that builds the bridge to the gods; this verse seats that power in the widened inner field.
The deity
- Devata
- Bhāratī–Iḷā–Sarasvatī (triad)
- Epithets
- śuciḥ (pure), deveṣv arpitā (set among the gods), mahī (great), yajñiyāḥ (worthy of yajña)
- Related deities
- Maruts, Bṛhaspati, Agni, Indra (as receiver of inspired word)
Cosmic role
Guardians of inspired speech, right plenitude, and the knowledge-stream that sustains the sacrifice and the worlds.
Inner power
Purification and empowerment of expression; harmonizing life-forces (Maruts) with truth-perception (Iḷā) and intuitive flow (Sarasvatī).
In ritual
Where it is used
Invitatory to the speech-goddess triad in Soma/Agni rites; establishing supportive deities on the barhis.
शुचि॑र्दे॒वेष्वर्पि॑ता॒ होत्रा॑ म॒रुत्सु॒ भार॑ती । इळा॒ सर॑स्वती म॒ही ब॒र्हिः सी॑दन्तु य॒ज्ञिया॑: ॥
शुचिः॑ । दे॒वेषु॑ । अर्पि॑ता । होत्रा॑ । म॒रुत्ऽसु॑ । भार॑ती । इळा॑ । सर॑स्वती । म॒ही ब॒र्हिः । सी॒द॒न्तु॒ । य॒ज्ञियाः॑ ॥
śuciḥ | deveṣu | arpitā | hotrā | marut-su | bhāratī | iḷā | sarasvatī | mahī barhiḥ | sīdantu | yajñiyāḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Balanced and expansive; supports ‘seating’ and stabilization of powers.
Gives a sense of wideness (mahī) and ordered flow; helpful for centering speech and thought.
- होत्रा (hotrā)
- Literal: offering-word/Hotṛ function. Symbolic: Sacrificial speech as a power of invocation and formation
- भारती (bhāratī)
- Literal: Bhāratī (a goddess of speech). Symbolic: Dynamic expressive word-force; formative utterance in action
- मरुत्सु (marutsu)
- Literal: among the Maruts. Symbolic: Within the life-forces, impulses, and energies—speech energizing prāṇa
- इळा (iḷā)
- Literal: Iḷā. Symbolic: Right nourishment, true seeing that sustains growth; receptive intelligence
- सरस्वती (sarasvatī)
- Literal: Sarasvatī. Symbolic: Flowing inspiration/knowledge-current; luminous intuition
- मही (mahī)
- Literal: great, vast. Symbolic: Widened consciousness where higher powers can sit and act
- यज्ञियाः (yajñiyāḥ)
- Literal: worthy of sacrifice. Symbolic: Powers fit to be established in the inner work
Calling the goddesses of speech and inspiration to take their seat; supports correct recitation, inspiration, and fullness of offering
Before or during recitation sequences where correct vāc and offering-formulas are crucial.
Āvāhana and āsana (seating) of devatās; sanctifying the recitation and offerings.
Use before chanting, teaching, writing, or difficult conversations to purify speech; also before study to invoke Sarasvatī’s flow with Iḷā’s nourishment.
arpitā from √arp ‘to set, fix, offer’. marut from √mar ‘to shine/strike’ (storm-gods; dynamic forces). sarasvatī from saras ‘lake/flow’ + -vatī ‘possessing’ → ‘she who has the flow’ (river as knowledge-current). bhāratī from √bhṛ ‘to bear’ or linked to bhāra ‘support’—the bearing power of utterance in the rite. iḷā connected with √īḷ ‘invoke’ and/or notions of refreshment/nourishment in Vedic usage.
vāc as a goddess-power, inspiration as a flowing current (saras), collective energy (Maruts) supporting the word
The triad stabilizes the yajña by aligning speech, life-force, and knowledge to ṛta.
Śuciḥ hotrā: pure speech placed among the gods—truth-speaking as a divine placement in consciousness.
Worlds are upheld by vāc and its rivers; knowledge-flow is a creative stream.
Vedic psychology of Vāc (Aurobindo): speech as a plane of consciousness with godhead-aspects.
Prāṇa’s movements (Maruts) become ordered by pure speech; intuition flows like a river when the inner field is widened and seated.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The enthronement of the speech-goddesses on the sacrificial seat: mythically, divine Vāc and her allied powers take their place to make the rite effective. Innerly, it is the settling of inspired speech, nourishing revelation, and flowing knowledge into the widened consciousness (barhis).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The river-as-knowledge metaphor (Sarasvatī) parallels broader Indo-European poetics where waters symbolize inspiration and insight. The ‘seating’ verb √sad (sīdantu) continues PIE *sed-, a common inherited ritual gesture (to seat the gods/powers).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi invites not merely ‘deities’ but functional powers necessary for inner articulation: Bhāratī (utterance), Iḷā (nourishing increase), Sarasvatī (inspired flow). Their reciprocity is to inhabit the rite and the mind, making speech pure and knowledge continuous.
Seat the three powers: dynamic word (Bhāratī), nourishing discernment (Iḷā), flowing intuition (Sarasvatī).
Viśuddha (speech) with support from Maṇipūra (life-force/Maruts) and Ājñā (intuition/knowledge-flow).
Gentle bhrāmarī or humming on exhale to purify vāc; then silent sitting to feel Sarasvatī’s flow upward.
Widened, receptive, softly flowing; speech becomes quieter but more potent.
After chanting, sit and listen inwardly for a ‘river-sound’ of intuition. Let impulses (Maruts) settle into rhythm; speak only after the inner flow becomes clear and calm.
Tri-svara; careful with udātta on names (bhāratī, iḷā, sarasvatī) as per recension; keep cadence even across the list.
Do not rush the triad; give slight separation between names while maintaining triṣṭubh flow; emphasize ‘sīdantu’ as settling.
‘śuciḥ’ with clear ś (palatal), ‘arpitā’ with rolled/clear r, ‘bhāratī’ long ā and ī, ‘iḷā’ with retroflex ḷ (tongue curled), ‘sarasvatī’ with clear v and long ī
Clear, flowing, slightly resonant (as if following a river).
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