Rig Veda 2.42.3: Mandala 2, Sukta 42, Mantra 3
Sukta 2.42
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Śakuni/Śakunta
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अव क्रन्द दक्षिणतो गृहाणां सुमङ्गलो भद्रवादी शकुन्ते । मा नः स्तेन ईशत माघशंसो बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
áva kranda dakṣiṇató gṛhā́ṇāṃ sumaṅgaló bhadravādī́ śakunte | mā́ naḥ stená ī́śata mā́ aghaśáṃso bṛhád vadema vidáthe suvī́rāḥ ||
Wołaj dla nas z prawej strony naszego mieszkania, o ptaku omenów, pomyślny i mówiący dobro. Niech żadna siła złodziejska nad nami nie panuje; niech żadna złowieszcza moc nie przeważa. Mówmy o Ogromie w świętym zgromadzeniu i stańmy się bogaci w heroiczne energie.
Word by Word
- अव
- down; forth (as a preverb)Indeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root अव (upasarga) अव-
- क्रन्द
- cry out; callVerbloṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kartā (addressed subject)Root क्रन्द्
- दक्षिणतः
- from the right (side)Indeclinableablatival adverb (tas-),Role Adhikaraṇa (direction)Root दक्षिण (prātipadika)
- गृहाणाम्
- of the houses; of the dwellingsNounneuter, genitive pluralRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot गृह (prātipadika)
- सुमङ्गलः
- very auspiciousAdjectivemasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (apposition to the addressed bird)Root सु-मङ्गल (prātipadika)
- भद्रवादी
- speaking good (words); of auspicious speechAdjectivemasculine/feminine, nominative singular (used as epithet)Role Kartā (apposition)Root भद्र-वाच् (prātipadika; bahuvrīhi/karmadhāraya sense)
- शकुन्ते
- O bird (omen-bird)Nounmasculine, vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot शकुन्त (prātipadika)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableprohibitive (with injunctive/imperative sense)Root मा (prohibitive particle)
- नः
- us; ourPronoun1st person, genitive/enclitic plural (Vedic: ‘our/us’)Role Sampradāna/Anukūlya (affected party)Root अस्मद्
- स्तेनः
- a thiefNounmasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot स्तेन (prātipadika)
- ईशत
- may (he) have power over; may (he) ruleVerbinjunctive/aorist-form (Vedic), 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRole KartāRoot ईश्
- माघशंसः
- one who proclaims/boasts of gifts (i.e., a braggart/boaster); (here) an ill-wisherNoun/Adjectivemasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (in apposition to ‘स्तेनः’)Root माघ-शंस (prātipadika; bahuvrīhi)
- बृहद्वदेम
- let us speak greatly; let us utter lofty (words)Verbloṭ (imperative/benedictive sense in Vedic), 1st person plural, parasmaipadaRole Kartā (speaker group)Root वद् (with preverb/compound bृहद्-)
- विदथे
- in the rite; in the ceremonial gatheringNounneuter, locative singularRole Adhikaraṇa (locus: ritual assembly)Root विदथ (prātipadika)
- सुवीराः
- having good heroes/sons; rich in brave menAdjectivemasculine, nominative pluralRole Kartā (predicate adjective of ‘we’)Root सु-वीर (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) दक्षिण॒तो गृ॒हाणां॑ → दक्षिणतः + गृहाणाम् (visarga before g becomes o in saṃhitā)
- (2) भद्रवा॒दी श॑कुन्ते → भद्रवादी + शकुन्ते (ī + ś → ī ś, no further change)
- (3) मा न॑: → मा + नः (enclitic pronoun)
- (4) स्ते॒न ई॑शत → स्तेनः + ईशत (final -aḥ before vowel shows saṃhitā loss/assimilation; underlying nominative is स्तेनः)
- (5) माघशं॑सो → माघशंसः (saṃhitā -o reflects underlying visarga before pause/voiced sound)
- (6) बृ॒हद्व॑देम → बृहद् + वदेम (compound; d + v retained)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Cry out from the right side of our houses, auspicious bird, speaker of the good. Let no thief rule over us, let no evil-voiced one prevail. May we speak the Vast in the assembly and be rich in heroic sons/energies.
Inner meaning
The ‘right side’ (dakṣiṇa) is the auspicious, skillful, truth-aligned movement in consciousness. The bird’s cry from that side is the intuitive confirmation that the inner home (the embodied being) is guarded. ‘Thief’ is the force that steals light—habitual desire, distraction, and tamasic appropriation that robs the sacrifice of its gains. ‘Evil-voiced’ is false speech in the mind: self-defeating narratives, hostile suggestion, and perverting interpretations. The prayer culminates in ‘speaking the Bṛhat’—uttering from the wideness of higher consciousness in the inner assembly (vidatha), becoming rich in ‘suvīra’—strong heroic energies (not merely external offspring).
Universal truth
Right orientation and truthful speech protect the inner dwelling. What steals our progress is not only outer loss but inner distraction and false suggestion. The cure is wideness (bṛhat) expressed in a community of aspiration and strengthened energies of action.
Themes
Auspicious-omen, Protection, Right-order (Ṛta), Truth-speech (Bṛhat)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.42.1-2, RV 2.43.1-2
Family tradition
Mantric guardianship of the ‘house’ (gṛha) and the community through right speech and right direction.
Significance
The seer links protection to wideness: safety is not only defense but the capacity to live and speak from the Bṛhat, where theft and hostile speech lose power.
The deity
- Devata
- Śakuni / Śakunta
- Epithets
- sumaṅgala, bhadravādī
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (lord of the Vast word), Agni (house-lord of the sacrifice), Sarasvatī (pure vāc)
Cosmic role
Directional guardian of auspiciousness; a herald of right order at the threshold of the dwelling and assembly.
Inner power
Right-turning intuition that guards the inner home and supports vast speech.
In ritual
Where it is used
Household protection and auspicious directionality; warding theft/evil speech
अव॑ क्रन्द दक्षिण॒तो गृ॒हाणां॑ सुम॒ङ्गलो॑ भद्रवा॒दी श॑कुन्ते । मा न॑: स्ते॒न ई॑शत॒ माघशं॑सो बृ॒हद्व॑देम वि॒दथे॑ सु॒वीरा॑: ॥
अव॑ । क्र॒न्द॒ । द॒क्षि॒ण॒तः । गृ॒हाणा॑म् । सु॒ऽम॒ङ्गलः॑ । भ॒द्र॒ऽवा॒दी । श॒कु॒न्ते॒ । मा । नः॒ । स्ते॒नः । ई॒श॒त॒ । मा । अ॒घऽशं॑सः । बृ॒हत् । व॒दे॒म॒ । वि॒दथे॑ । सु॒ऽवीराः॑ ॥
ava | kranda | dakṣiṇataḥ | gṛhāṇām | su-maṅgalaḥ | bhadra-vādī | śakunte | mā | naḥ | stenaḥ | īśata | mā | agha-śaṃsaḥ | bṛhat | vadema | vidathe | su-vīrāḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Firm, declarative, protection-and-victory cadence.
Strengthens resolve and collective confidence; supports ‘bṛhat’ feeling of wideness after the prohibitions.
- दक्षिणतः (dakṣiṇataḥ)
- Literal: from the right side. Symbolic: auspicious/right-ordered turn; skillful movement of consciousness
- गृहाणाम् (gṛhāṇām)
- Literal: of the houses. Symbolic: the inner home: body-life-mind as dwelling of the soul
- स्तेन (stena)
- Literal: thief. Symbolic: stealer of light—distraction, desire, tamas that robs inner gains
- अघशंस (aghaśaṃsa)
- Literal: evil-voiced, speaking ill. Symbolic: false/hostile inner speech; perverting suggestion
- बृहत् (bṛhat)
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: wideness of higher consciousness; expansive truth-speech
- विदथे (vidathe)
- Literal: in the assembly/rite-gathering. Symbolic: inner council of faculties; collective aspiration in sādhanā
- सुवीराः (suvīrāḥ)
- Literal: having good heroes/sons. Symbolic: abundance of courageous energies and effective powers
Protective/auspicious recitation connected with household well-being and safeguarding the ‘gṛha’ sphere; adaptable in domestic and śrauta settings as a warding formula (apotrpaic use).
At entering a new home/space, at dawn/evening thresholds, or when seeking protection for the household
Recitation facing east; optional rightward circumambulation of the dwelling boundary
For ‘energetic hygiene’: recite to protect attention (against ‘theft’) and speech/thought (against ‘evil-voiced’ patterns) before group meditation or important dialogue.
Key terms: (1) (√krand) ‘cry, resound’: the omen-cry as a semiotic ‘utterance’ in consciousness. (2) : ‘right side’ (dakṣiṇa) also ‘skillful/auspicious’; the rightward movement is the sign of harmony with ṛta. (3) (√sten, noun) ‘thief’: symbolically, forces that steal rays of knowledge/energy from the being. (4) (√īś) ‘to rule, possess’: hostile possession that must be prevented. (5) (agha + śaṃsa from √śaṃs ‘to proclaim/praise/recite’): destructive speech/false formation. (6) (from √bṛh ‘to grow, widen’): the Vast, a marker of ascent to truth-consciousness; paired in RV thought with satyam and ṛtam.
Ṛta (right order as auspicious directionality), Bṛhat (Vastness of truth-consciousness), speech as formative power (vāc / śaṃsa)
Dakṣiṇa indicates movement in ṛta; protection is established by right alignment, not fear.
Evil speech is a cosmological disorder; good speech restores satya in the being.
Expansion into the Vast (bṛhat) as a creative step beyond constriction and loss.
Aurobindonian symbolism: bṛhat as wideness of higher consciousness; ‘thief’ as inner stealing forces.
dawn or threshold times (implied by omen/protection)
Right side = auspicious channel; house = embodied being; thief = distraction; evil-voiced = hostile suggestion; vast = higher wideness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘auspicious sign as divine guidance’: the bird-cry from the right is not mere augury but a manifestation of ṛta’s directional harmony, guiding the human dwelling-consciousness away from hostile powers (the ‘thief’ and ‘evil-proclaimer’) and toward the utterance of Bṛhat in the vidatha.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vad ‘to speak’ continues PIE *weh₂d- ‘to speak’ (cf. Latin vātēs ‘seer/prophet’ as a related semantic field of inspired utterance). √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’ aligns with PIE *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to rise/high’ in the sense of expansion/elevation (semantic convergence in Indo-European poetics: ‘vast/high’ as truth). The opposition of beneficent vs maleficent speech (bhadra-vādī vs agha-śaṃsa) reflects an inherited Indo-European poetics where right speech sustains cosmic order.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi addresses the Devata as an active mediator within the human sphere (gṛha): the bird-sign is invoked to ‘speak good’ and align the household-consciousness with ṛta (dakṣiṇa). In reciprocity, the humans vow/aspire to ‘speak the Vast’ in the vidatha—right utterance offered back as participation in the divine order, yielding ‘suvīrāḥ’ (heroic inner powers).
Establish the ‘right side’ within: choose the truth-aligned intention; guard attention from theft; replace hostile inner speech with bṛhat-vāc.
anāhata (wideness) supported by viśuddha (truth-speech)
4-4-6 breathing; on the long exhale, feel expansion (bṛhat) radiating around the ‘inner house’.
From protected centering to widening (anāhata-like expansiveness).
Before speaking or acting, pause and ‘cry from the right side’: consult the intuitive sense of rightness; then speak only what increases wideness and strength.
Triṣṭubh delivery: slightly stronger rise at dakṣiṇataḥ, sumaṅgalaḥ, bhadravādī, bṛhat.
Keep prohibitions (mā naḥ… mā…) crisp; open the tone on bṛhat vadema to convey wideness.
dakṣiṇataḥ: retroflex ṣ; clear ṇ., śakunte: nasal n+t cluster; keep e long enough., stena: dental t; avoid retroflex., aghaśaṃsa: gh aspirate; śaṃsa with anusvāra., bṛhat: vocalic ṛ; final t crisp.
Firm and expansive; broaden resonance on bṛhat.
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