Rig Veda 1.46.7: Mandala 1, Sukta 46, Mantra 7
Sukta 1.46
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ नो नावा मतीनां यातं पाराय गन्तवे । युञ्जाथामश्विना रथम् ॥
ā́ no nā́vā matīnā́m yā́taṁ pārā́ya gántave | yuñjā́thām aśvinā rátham ||
Przyjdźcie do nas jako łódź naszych myśli, by przenieść nas na dalszy brzeg. O Aśvinowie, zaprzęgnijcie wasz rydwan, niech właściwy ruch poniesie nasz umysł przez to, co dzieli go od szerokiej prawdy.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towards (to us)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (गत्यर्थकः)Root आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- नः
- to us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचनस्य एन्क्लिटिक-रूपम्; अत्र दत्तिवाचकः (to us)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (pronominal stem)
- नावा
- by/with a boatNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (instrumental sg.)Role KaraṇaRoot नौ (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- मतीनाम्
- of thoughts / of prayersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचनRole (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root मती (प्रातिपदिकम्; √मन् ‘to think’ से)
- यातम्
- come (you two)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √या (गत्यर्थः)
- पाराय
- to the far shore / to the goalNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग/अव्ययीभावप्रयोगः; चतुर्थी एकवचन (dative sg.) ‘पारम्’ = ‘to the farther shore/goal’Role SampradānaRoot पार (प्रातिपदिकम्)
- गन्तवे
- to go, in order to goVerbal noun (infinitive)तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त इन्फिनिटिव-रूपम् (Vedic: -तवे), ‘to go’Role (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)Root √गम् (गत्यर्थः)
- युञ्जाथाम्
- yoke (you two)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √युज् (योजन/युग्मन)
- अश्विना
- O Aśvins (you two horsemen)Noun (dual deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन द्विवचन (vocative du.)Role (सम्बोधन)Root अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिकम्; द्विवचन-देवता)
- रथम्
- the chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (accusative sg.)Role KarmaRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आ | नः | नावा | मतीनाम् | यातम् | पाराय | गन्तवे | युञ्जाथाम् | अश्विना | रथम् । 1) ‘आ नः’ = उपसर्ग ‘आ’ + एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम ‘नः’। 2) ‘नावा’ तृतीया एकवचन ‘नौ’ (instrumental) — ‘by boat’. 3) ‘गन्तवे’ वैदिक-इन्फिनिटिवः (तुमुन्/तवे). 4) ‘युञ्जाथाम्’ लोट्-द्विवचनम्
- ‘अश्विना’ सम्बोधन-द्विवचनम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Aśvins are asked to come as a boat of thoughts to carry the worshippers to the farther shore; they should yoke their chariot.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins are invoked as the conveyance of the mind’s inspirations: a ‘boat’ that ferries consciousness beyond dividing currents—beyond doubt, fragmentation, and limitation—toward the farther shore of wideness (pāra). Their yoked chariot signifies disciplined, rightly harnessed energies that can translate insight into movement.
Universal truth
To cross inner division, consciousness needs a rightly yoked force—both vehicle and guidance—that can carry thought beyond its limiting currents into a wider truth.
Themes
crossing metaphor, divine guidance, yoking the chariot, inner journey
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.46, Rig Veda 1.47
Family tradition
Kaṇva hymns often present travel imagery—chariot, boat, path—as symbols of yogic transition and guided ascent.
Significance
The seer seeks not only illumination but transport—effective passage—indicating a mature sadhana concerned with crossing thresholds.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- Aśvinā, Nāsatyā
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (ford/crossing imagery), Uṣas, Soma
Cosmic role
Conductors of journeys; rescuers at crossings; bring safe passage and timely arrival.
Inner power
Guiding dynamism that ferries the mind across inner turbulence; harmonizes and harnesses energies for progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin invitation in Soma and dawn rites; prayers for safe passage
आ नो॑ ना॒वा म॑ती॒नां या॒तं पा॒राय॒ गन्त॑वे । यु॒ञ्जाथा॑मश्विना॒ रथ॑म् ॥
आ । नः॒ । ना॒वा । म॒ती॒नाम् । या॒तम् । पा॒राय॑ । गन्त॑वे । यु॒ञ्जाथा॑म् । अ॒श्वि॒ना॒ । रथ॑म् ॥
ā | naḥ | nāvā | matīnām | yātam | pārāya | gantave | yuñjāthām | aśvinā | ratham
24
3×8
processional and directive; imperative verbs drive motion
Elicits a felt sense of ‘setting out’ and being carried; good for transition moments in practice.
- nāvā
- Literal: boat. Symbolic: means of inner passage across limiting states
- matīnām
- Literal: thoughts/inspirations. Symbolic: aspiring formations seeking transit to truth
- pārāya
- Literal: to the farther shore. Symbolic: to the beyond of limitation; wideness of consciousness
- yuñjāthām
- Literal: yoke (you two). Symbolic: harness the life-forces and mental powers into right discipline
- ratham
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: organized dynamic movement of the gods in the being
Aśvin arrival formula; emphasizes ‘crossing’—appropriate at dawn as the transition moment and in rites seeking safe passage/progress
At beginnings—of rites, journeys, or transitions between ritual phases
Āvāhana (invitation) and yoking imagery to ‘bring’ the gods
Chant before travel, life transitions, or before meditation when the mind feels scattered—use as an inner ‘boarding the boat’.
nā́vā ‘boat’ from PIE *néh₂us ‘boat’ (cf. Latin navis, English navy). pārā ‘further, beyond’ expresses transcendence; ‘farther shore’ is a common Indo-European and pan-traditional metaphor. yuñjāthām from √yuj ‘yoke, join’ (PIE *yeug-; cf. Latin iugum, English yoke).
crossing beyond limitation (pārā), integration/yoking (yuj) as yoga principle, mind as vehicle needing right guidance (matī)
The farther shore is the ordered wideness where ṛta is naturally lived.
Pāra implies arrival into truer seeing beyond mixed mental currents.
Waters as original flux; the divine vehicle establishes passage toward formed truth.
Integral yoga symbolism: transition from divided mind to wide consciousness with divine aid.
dawn/morning (Aśvin movement)
River = moving mental-vital currents; boat = method/grace; chariot = organized divine force; yoking = discipline of energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine ferrying across: the Aśvins as a ‘boat’ and as charioteers who take the seeker to the farther shore. Psychologically, it is the passage from divided, limited mentality to a wider truth-consciousness, enabled by the yoking (yuj) of higher forces.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- nā́vā reflects PIE *néh₂us ‘boat’ (navis). √yuj reflects PIE *yeug- ‘yoke/join’, foundational to the Indo-European conceptual metaphor of disciplined joining (later ‘yoga’). The verse tightly couples inherited transport metaphors (boat/chariot) with purpose infinitive (gantave), typical of archaic hymn diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks not only for presence but for conveyance: divine aid must become a vehicle for the mind. The Aśvins’ reciprocal gift is guidance and transport—turning human thought into a crossing-instrument toward the beyond (pārā).
Crossing practice: move from surface thoughts to the ‘farther shore’ of spacious awareness.
ājñā (guidance) and anāhata (trust/safe passage)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for 4 rounds, then chant; feel ‘boat’ on steady breath
Transitioning from restless to wide and steady
On ‘nāvā matīnām’ imagine your thoughts collecting into one vessel; on ‘pārāya’ feel the mind widen; on ‘yuñjāthām ratham’ sense energies harnessing into a single forward movement.
Keep imperatives (ā… yātam, yuñjāthām) with clear udātta lift; maintain even flow through compounds.
Slight pause after ‘matīnām’; let ‘pārāya gantave’ run as a single intention phrase.
nāvā: long ā in both syllables, pārāya: roll ‘r’ lightly; keep long ā, yuñjāthām: nasal ‘ñj’ cluster clean; long ā
directive, steady, forward-leading
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