Rig Veda 10.63.3: Mandala 10, Sukta 63, Mantra 3
Sukta 10.63
- Rishi
- Likely a later mandala 10 family hymn
- Devata
- Ādityas
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
येभ्यो माता मधुमत्पिन्वते पयः पीयूषं द्यौरदितिरद्रिबर्हाः । उक्थशुष्मान्वृषभरान्त्स्वप्नसस्ताँ आदित्याँ अनु मदा स्वस्तये ॥
yébhyó mātā mádhumat pínvate páyaḥ pīyū́ṣaṃ dyáur áditiḥ ádribarhāḥ | uktháśuṣmān vṛṣabhárān svápnasas tā́n ādityā́n ánu madā svastáye ||
Podążajcie z rozkoszą za tymi Aditjami, dla których Matka wylewa miodowe mleko, samo pijusza nieśmiertelności - Niebo i Aditi, ściągając skałę przeszkody. Potężni siłą natchnionej mowy, niosący męską moc, panowie luminicznej wizji: z nimi niech się poruszamy dla naszego dobra.
Word by Word
- येभ्यः
- to/for whom (to which ones)Pronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; पञ्चमी (अपादान/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदाय/सम्बन्ध (येषां प्रति/येभ्यः)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य
- माता
- the motherNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुमत्
- sweet, honeyedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन (पयः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेष्य-विशेषणभावेन)Root मधुमत् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- पिन्वते
- causes to flow / makes aboundVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √पिव्/पिन् (पिन्व्) ‘to swell, make flow, cause to abound’
- पयः
- milkNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पीयूषम्
- nectar, rich milkNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन (पयः इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन)Role कर्मRoot पीयूष (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यौः
- Heaven (Sky)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चित-कर्तृ)Root द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अदितिः
- AditiNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चित-कर्तृ)Root अदिति (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रिबर्हाः
- having stone-like/rocky strength (rock-supporting)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन (आदित्यानाम् विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (समुच्चित-कर्तृ/विशेषण)Root अद्रि-बर्हस् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्थशुष्मान्
- possessing the vigor of hymns (uktha-strengthened)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचन (आदित्यान् विशेषयति)Role कर्म (ताँ आदित्यान् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root उक्थ-शुष्म (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषभरान्
- bull-like, manly/strongAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (विशेषण)Root वृषभ-र (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वप्नसः
- sleep-dispelling / dream-conquering (epithet)Adjective/Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचन (RV-विधि: -asः = -ān् के स्थान पर; ‘स्वप्नसः’ = ‘स्वप्नसान्’)Role कर्म (विशेषण)Root स्वप्नस (प्रातिपदिक)
- तान्
- thosePronounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आदित्यान्
- the ĀdityasNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (तान् इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन)Root आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- after, followingIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot अनु (अव्यय)
- मद
- rejoice (in), be exhilaratedVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √मद् ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’
- स्वस्तये
- for well-being, for welfareNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot स्वस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): येभ्यः | माता | मधुमत् | पिन्वते | पयः | पीयूषम् | द्यौः | अदितिः | अद्रिबर्हाः || उक्थशुष्मान् | वृषभरान् | स्वप्नसः | तान् | आदित्यान् | अनु | मद | स्वस्तये || Notable: ‘स्वप्नसः’ is an RV archaic accusative plural in -asः (for expected -ān), used as an epithet of the Ādityas
- Compound epithets: उक्थ-शुष्म, वृषभ-र, अद्रि-बर्हस्
The meaning
Outer meaning
An exhortation to follow the Ādityas for whom the Mother pours honeyed milk, pīyūṣa; Heaven and Aditi press down the rock. These Ādityas are strong with the force of hymns, bearers of virile power, lords of luminous vision; with them may we move for well-being.
Inner meaning
The ‘Mother’ is the divine Consciousness-Force (Aditi as infinite Mother; also the psychic Mother in us) that distills madhumat payaḥ—sweet, nourishing substance of consciousness—into pīyūṣa, the immortalizing essence (ānanda-rasa). Dyauḥ (Heaven) and Aditi ‘press the rock’ (adri-barhāḥ): they break or bear down the hard obstruction in the nature that seals the hidden light and bliss. The Ādityas are powers of the Truth that carry uktha-śuṣma—strength of inspired utterance (mantric word) and vṛṣa-bhara—virile, upholding force; they are svapnasas—luminous seers/vision-holders (not sleep-dream, but inner light-vision). To ‘follow in delight’ is to align our movement with these truth-powers until swasti (well-being) becomes the settled condition of the being.
Universal truth
Immortalizing joy is not seized by desire; it is poured by the Mother-consciousness when the obstruction is pressed down and the word of truth becomes strong. Following truth-powers turns life into well-being.
Themes
svasti (well-being), Ādityas and cosmic order, nourishment of truth-consciousness, overcoming obstruction (adri)
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 10.63.3-4 (Āditya/immortality imagery)
Family tradition
Mandala 10 integrates Āditya theology (truth-powers) with a more explicit ‘Mother’ nourishment motif, moving toward later Upaniṣadic rasa/ānanda intimations.
Significance
Highlights the Mother-as-nourisher and the mantric word as force—key to Aurobindonian yoga: bliss descends when obstruction yields and speech becomes true.
The deity
- Devata
- Ādityas (Truth-powers of Aditi)
- Epithets
- Ukthaśuṣmān (mantra-strong), Vṛṣabharān (virile bearers), Svapnasas (luminous vision-holders), Ādityān (sons/powers of Aditi)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Dyauḥ, Sūrya, Varuṇa/Mitra (Āditya pair archetypes)
Cosmic role
Guardians of ṛta and satya; they uphold the luminous law and confer immortality by truth and wideness.
Inner power
Truth-force that breaks obstruction, strengthens inspired speech, and opens luminous vision; channels the Mother’s pīyūṣa as conscious bliss.
In ritual
Where it is used
Āditya/Viśve Devāḥ invocations within Soma context; ‘milk/nectar’ imagery aligns with Soma symbolism though not explicitly Soma here.
येभ्यो॑ मा॒ता मधु॑म॒त्पिन्व॑ते॒ पय॑: पी॒यूषं॒ द्यौरदि॑ति॒रद्रि॑बर्हाः । उ॒क्थशु॑ष्मान्वृषभ॒रान्त्स्वप्न॑स॒स्ताँ आ॑दि॒त्याँ अनु॑ मदा स्व॒स्तये॑ ॥
येभ्यः॑ । मा॒ता । मधु॑ऽमत् । पिन्व॑ते । पयः॑ । पी॒यूष॑म् । द्यौः । अदि॑तिः । अद्रि॑ऽबर्हाः । उ॒क्थऽशु॑ष्मान् । वृ॒ष॒ऽभ॒रान् । स्वप्न॑सः । तान् । आ॒दि॒त्यान् । अनु॑ । म॒द॒ । स्व॒स्तये॑ ॥
yebhyaḥ | mātā | madhu-mat | pinvate | payaḥ | pīyūṣam | dyauḥ | aditiḥ | adri-barhāḥ | uktha-śuṣmān | vṛṣa-bharān | svapnasaḥ | tān | ādityān | anu | mada | svastaye
44
4 × ~11; verify with Vedic scansion for clusters like adribarhāḥ.
Energetic yet luminous; combines sweetness (madhumat) with force (śuṣma).
Invokes a felt descent of sweetness and strength—bliss with power, not sentimentality.
- माता (mātā)
- Literal: mother. Symbolic: Divine Consciousness-Force that nourishes and forms the soul-nature
- मधुमत् पयः (madhumat payaḥ)
- Literal: honeyed milk. Symbolic: Sweet nourishing substance of consciousness—delightful knowledge/psychic sustenance
- पीयूषम् (pīyūṣam)
- Literal: ambrosia; vital sap. Symbolic: Immortalizing essence—ānanda-rasa in consciousness
- द्यौः (dyauḥ)
- Literal: heaven/sky. Symbolic: Higher mind/illumined plane above ordinary mentality
- अदितिः (aditiḥ)
- Literal: Aditi, the Infinite. Symbolic: Wideness/freedom; the infinite Mother-consciousness
- अद्रिबर्हाः (adribarhāḥ)
- Literal: pressing/bearing down the rock. Symbolic: Breaking the hard obstruction that blocks light/bliss
- उक्थशुष्मान् (ukthaśuṣmān)
- Literal: strong with hymn-force. Symbolic: Mantric power that gives effective spiritual force
- वृषभरान् (vṛṣabharān)
- Literal: bearing the bull/virile power. Symbolic: Upholding strength of truth-energy
- स्वप्नसः (svapnasas)
- Literal: having visions/dreams. Symbolic: Luminous inner seeing; revelatory vision
- स्वस्तये (svastaye)
- Literal: for well-being. Symbolic: Stable harmony and right-going of the whole being
General well-being (svasti) invocation; suitable for protective recitation within Soma-yajña ancillaries and svastyayana contexts
When calling truth-powers for swasti and for the strengthening of the hymn/word in the rite.
Recited as praise and alignment—following (anu madā) the Ādityas in the movement of the sacrifice.
Use for cultivating ‘truthful speech with force’ and inviting a calm bliss to replace stress; helpful before chanting, teaching, or difficult conversations.
Key terms: (1) pínvate: √piv/pinv ‘to swell, make abound’ (causative nuance here: ‘to cause to flow/fill’). (2) páyaḥ: from √pā ‘to drink/protect’ with semantic field ‘nourishing fluid/brightness’; in RV often a luminous nourishment. (3) pīyū́ṣa: ‘life-sap/ambrosia’, traditionally ‘nectar’; philologically linked to ‘fatness/essence’ (cf. pīvan ‘fat, swelling’). (4) áditiḥ: a-diti ‘unbounded/undivided’ (negation + √dā/di ‘to bind/divide’ in traditional analysis): the Infinite. (5) ádri: ‘stone/rock’ (obstruction, enclosure); adri-barhāḥ: barh- ‘to press, weigh down, make bend’ → ‘that which subdues the rock (of obstruction)’. (6) ukthá: from √vac/√ukṣ? in Vedic usage ‘solemn utterance, hymn’; śúṣma ‘force’ from √śvas/śuṣ ‘to swell, be strong’ → ‘force born of inspired utterance’. (7) vṛṣa ‘bull’ (virile force) + bhar ‘to bear, carry’ → ‘bearers of the bull-force’. (8) svápna: not merely sleep-dream; in RV can denote inner vision/imaginal seeing; svapnasaḥ ‘possessing svapna’.
Aditi (Infinity), ṛta/satya implied via Ādityas as upholders of law, inner nourishment/immortality (amṛta-sap)
Ādityas uphold ṛta; pressing the rock is restoring right order by removing the cover.
Truth manifests as luminous vision (svapnasas) and empowered word (uktha-śuṣma).
Nourishment from the Mother into the worlds; release of hidden essence by breaking obstruction.
Integral yoga reading: descent of bliss (pīyūṣa) with ascent of word-force; removal of subconscient hardness (rock).
Milk/honey/nectar = blissful nourishment of consciousness; rock = inertia/obstruction; heaven = higher mind plane enabling release.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the nourishing descent of immortal essence (payaḥ/pīyūṣa) from the Mother/Infinity (Aditi, Dyauḥ) to the Ādityas, coupled with the subduing of the 'rock' (adri) that blocks the flow. In inner terms: the Infinite Consciousness releases delight-filled truth-nourishment once the obstruction in the being is pressed down/overcome.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several lexemes align with old Indo-European poetic diction: dyauḥ ‘sky’ < PIE *dyew- (‘bright sky, day’; cf. Greek Zeus, Latin Iūpiter); vṛṣa- ‘bull’ resonates with IE symbolism of virility/strength; √bhar ‘to bear’ is PIE *bher- (English bear, Greek phérein). The phraseology ‘honeyed’ (madhu) as truth-delight also matches Indo-Iranian sacral poetics (Avestan madu-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The speaker aligns himself with the Ādityas by ‘following’ (anu) and entering their exhilaration (mada) for svasti. The reciprocity is implicit: the hymn offers uktha (inspired speech), and the Ādityas—strengthened by uktha—return protection and right-being by opening the flow of immortal nourishment and suppressing obstructive forces.
Receive pīyūṣa: visualize a stream of honeyed milk descending from the Mother-consciousness, while the ‘rock’ of tension/obstruction softens.
anāhata (sweetness/bliss) and ājñā (luminous vision)
Bhrāmarī 7 rounds to soften the ‘rock’, then quiet japa; feel nectar on the palate/throat as a subtle sensation.
Luminous, sweet, and strong—ānanda with clarity.
Chant once slowly; pause after each pāda to feel: (1) nourishment, (2) nectar, (3) obstruction yielding, (4) companionship with truth-powers. Let speech become simpler and truer afterward.
Traditional accents; keep a bright udātta on madhumat, pīyūṣam, ādityān, svastaye; let the melody ‘sweeten’ on nectar words.
Give slight emphasis to consonant clusters that carry force (adribarhāḥ, ukthaśuṣmān) without harshness.
madhumat: dh aspirated; final t crisp, pinvate: ‘nv’ conjunct; short e, pīyūṣam: long ī and ū; ṣ retroflex, adribarhāḥ: dr cluster; hāḥ with visarga, uktha: ktha conjunct clear, svapnasas: ‘sv’ clean; avoid turning into ‘swap’ English
Warm, nectar-like timbre with firm articulation on ‘rock/force’ words.
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