Rig Veda 3.43.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 43, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.43
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī or Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shringara (love)
आ नो यज्ञं नमोवृधं सजोषा इन्द्र देव हरिभिर्याहि तूयम् । अहं हि त्वा मतिभिर्जोहवीमि घृतप्रयाः सधमादे मधूनाम् ॥
ā́ no yajñáṁ namo-vṛ́dhaṁ sa-jóṣā índra deva háribhir yāhi tū́yam | aháṁ hí tvā matíbhir jóhavīmi ghṛtá-prayāḥ sadhá-māde madhū́nām ||
Przybądź do naszej ofiary, która wzrasta przez cześć; przybądź w jednozgodzie, o boski Indro, szybko ze swoimi kasztanowymi rumakami. Albowiem wzywam cię raz po raz moimi ofiarami myśli, bogatymi w wyjaśnione światło, do wspólnej ekstazy miodowych rozkoszy.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither; towardsIndeclinableupasarga/particleRoot आ (upasarga) / ā (avyaya)
- नः
- of us; for usPronoungenitive pluralRole Sampradāna (beneficiary/for us)Root अस्मद्
- यज्ञम्
- sacrifice; riteNounmasculine accusative singularRole Karma (goal of motion: to the sacrifice)Root यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नमोवृधम्
- increasing (made to grow) by homageAdjectivemasculine accusative singular (agreeing with यज्ञम्)Role Karma (qualifier of the goal)Root नमो-वृध (समास; वृध < √वृध्)
- सजोषाः
- in companionship; in accord (with us/with the rite)Adjectivemasculine nominative singular (Vedic form in -āḥ)Role Kartā (predicate/epithet of Indra)Root स-जोषस् (प्रातिपदिक; जोषस् ‘delight, companionship’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)masculine vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- देव
- O godNoun (vocative)masculine vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- हरिभिः
- with (your) bay horsesNounmasculine instrumental pluralRole Karaṇa (means: with the bay steeds)Root हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- याहि
- come; driveVerbimperative, 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √या (याति)
- तूयम्
- swiftlyIndeclinableadverbRoot तूयम् (avyaya)
- अहम्
- IPronounnominative singularRole KartāRoot अस्मद्
- हि
- indeed; forIndeclinableparticleRoot हि (avyaya)
- त्वा
- youPronounaccusative singular (enclitic)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद्
- मतिभिः
- with prayers; with thoughtsNounfeminine instrumental pluralRole Karaṇa (means: with thoughts/prayers)Root मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- जोहवीमि
- I repeatedly invokeVerbpresent, 1st person singular, parasmaipada (intensive/iterative nuance: ‘keep calling’)Root √ह्वे / √हू (Vedic intensive/iterative: johavī-)
- घृतप्रयाः
- whose refreshment/oblation is ghee; ghee-offeredAdjectivemasculine nominative singular (epithet of Indra)Role Kartā (predicate/epithet)Root घृत-प्रयस् (समास; प्रयस् ‘refreshment/oblation’)
- सधमादे
- in the common feast; at the shared revelNounmasculine locative singularRole Adhikaraṇa (locus: in the common revel/feast)Root सध-माद (प्रातिपदिक; माद ‘revel’)
- मधूनाम्
- of the sweet drinks; of meadsNounneuter genitive pluralRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (of the sweets/meads)Root मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: हरिभिर्याहि → हरिभिः + याहि (visarga before y becomes r in saṃhitā)
- other junctions are mainly padānta vowel contacts without change (आ + नः; नः + यज्ञम्; यज्ञम् + नमोवृधम्; नमोवृधम् + सजोषाः; इन्द्र + देव; याहि + तूयम्; अहम् + हि; हि + त्वा; त्वा + मतिभिः; मतिभिः + जोहवीमि; जोहवीमि + घृतप्रयाः; घृतप्रयाः + सधमादे; सधमादे + मधूनाम्). Accent as in saṃhitā text: आ नो॑ / य॒ज्ञं / न॑मो॒वृधं॑ / स॒जोषा॒ / इन्द्र॑ / देव॒ / हरि॑भिः / याहि॒ / तूय॑म्
- अ॒हं / हि / त्वा॑ / म॒तिभि॒ः / जोह॑वीमि / घृ॒तप्र॑याः / सध॒मादे॒ / मधू॑नाम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is asked to come swiftly with his bay steeds to the sacrifice that grows by reverence; the poet calls him repeatedly with thoughts rich in ghee to the common drinking/feast of honeyed delights.
Inner meaning
The yajña is the inner offering that increases by namas—humble alignment and self-giving. Indra’s swift arrival with harī signifies luminous energy entering the system. The matibhiḥ are thought-offerings; ghṛtaprayāḥ indicates thoughts made ‘bright/unctuous’ by clarified light (ghṛta as luminous essence), fit to carry the divine. The goal is sadhamāda—shared ecstasy—of madhūni: honeyed Ananda experiences that become common property of the being when higher mind consents to descend.
Universal truth
Reverence and repeated sincere invocation refine thought into a luminous substance; then delight becomes a stable shared experience rather than a fleeting emotion.
Themes
Repeated invocation, Reverence increases power, Shared ecstasy (sadhāmāda), Indra’s swift arrival
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthin lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.14, RV 3.30, RV 3.33
Family tradition
Strong emphasis on namas (right relation) and matī (seer-thought) as the engine of inner yajña.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s voice repeatedly ‘johavīmi’—insists on persistence; realization is won by steady invocation and luminous thought-offering.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Deva, Hari-vān, Namovṛdha-sevya (approached by reverence)
- Related deities
- Agni (as yajña-leader), Soma (as delight), Maruts (as energies)
Cosmic role
Receives the offering of consciousness and in return pours illumination and victorious energy; makes delight a shared feast.
Inner power
Swift descent of clarity and force that organizes the sacrifice and intensifies Ananda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma Savana praise/invitation
आ नो॑ य॒ज्ञं न॑मो॒वृधं॑ स॒जोषा॒ इन्द्र॑ देव॒ हरि॑भिर्याहि॒ तूय॑म् । अ॒हं हि त्वा॑ म॒तिभि॒र्जोह॑वीमि घृ॒तप्र॑याः सध॒मादे॒ मधू॑नाम् ॥
आ । नः॒ । य॒ज्ञम् । न॒मः॒ऽवृध॑म् । स॒ऽजोषाः॑ । इन्द्र॑ । दे॒व॒ । हरि॑ऽभिः । या॒हि॒ । तूय॑म् । अ॒हम् । हि । त्वा॒ । म॒तिऽभिः॑ । जोह॑वीमि । घृ॒तऽप्र॑याः । स॒ध॒ऽमादे॑ । मधू॑नाम् ॥
ā | naḥ | yajñam | namaḥ-vṛdham | sa-joṣāḥ | indra | deva | hari-bhiḥ | yāhi | tūyam | aham | hi | tvā | mati-bhiḥ | johavīmi | ghṛta-prayāḥ | sadha-māde | madhūnām
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Compact, forceful, martial cadence typical of Indra hymns; repeated calling fits Triṣṭubh drive.
Energizes will and concentration; supports repetition (johavīmi) and a steady build toward inner rapture.
- यज्ञम् (yajñam)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: inner discipline of offering—self-giving of mind, life, and works
- नमोवृधम् (namovṛdham)
- Literal: increased by reverence. Symbolic: growth of consciousness by humility, surrender, right attitude
- सजोषाः (sajoṣāḥ)
- Literal: in one accord. Symbolic: harmonization of human and divine intention
- मतिभिः (matibhiḥ)
- Literal: with thoughts. Symbolic: offerings of understanding/intuition
- घृतप्रयाः (ghṛtaprayāḥ)
- Literal: ghee-forward/rich in ghee. Symbolic: thoughts suffused with clarified light and sweetness
- सधमादे (sadhamāde)
- Literal: common feast/rapture. Symbolic: collective integration of delight across parts of the being
- मधूनाम् (madhūnām)
- Literal: of honeyed (things). Symbolic: Ananda-substance, sweetness of realization
Core āhvāna + repeated invocation (johavīmi) during Soma session; emphasis on namas as power-increaser
During Soma pressing sessions; also as a general Indra āhvāna stotra.
Recitation with offerings (ghee, Soma) and reverential gestures (namas).
Chant before work or sadhana to align action with reverence and invite illumined guidance into effort.
: namas ‘reverence’ + √ ‘to grow’—reverence as an augmenter of power. : intensive of √ ‘call’, expressing sustained invocation. : clarified butter; symbolically ‘clarified light’ (ghṛta as luminous essence in RV imagery). : honey/sweetness—often Ananda/delight. : communal pressing/feast; inner sense: collective convergence of powers in shared delight.
Namas as force of self-offering that increases ṛta-aligned action, Mati as shaped consciousness, Madhu/Soma as Ananda
Sajoṣāḥ implies right joining—human effort aligned to ṛta for effective descent.
Ghṛta symbolizes the ‘truth-clarity’ in thought that can bear the godhead.
Transformation of thought into luminous substance; delight becomes a stable plane of experience.
Integral Vedic psychology: yajña as inner process; ghṛta as light-substance; Soma as Ananda.
Ghee/honey = clarified luminous sweetness; Soma = bliss; horses = dynamic energies; swift coming = rapid illumination when alignment is achieved.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s swift arrival to the sacrifice and the shared ‘feast’ of delights. Innerly, it is the intensification of invocation (johavīmi) until the power descends into a harmonious collective state (sajōṣāḥ) where delight becomes operative.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ (vṛdha) relates to PIE *werdh- ‘to grow’ (cf. English ‘worth’ is different but Germanic *werþ- is related in some accounts; clearer cognates in Latin/Slavic growth roots). The intensive formation in johavīmi reflects old Indo-European morphological strategies for iterative action.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s matis are offerings, not mere thoughts: he repeatedly calls Indra with clarified intention (ghṛta-prayāḥ). The deity is invited into a shared enjoyment (sadhāmāda), expressing mutual participation rather than distant worship.
Offer thoughts suffused with clarity (ghṛta) and invite swift illumination; rest in shared sweetness (madhūni).
Maṇipūra (will/force) harmonized with Anāhata (sweetness/devotion)
Triṣṭubh-style: slightly brisk rhythmic breathing; after 3 recitations, pause in stillness to taste ‘madhūni’.
Dynamic concentration leading into rapturous calm.
Use as a ‘work-yoga’ mantra: begin activity with namas, repeat 3/9 times, then act as if Indra rides with your energies.
Rigvedic accents with strong lift on ‘इन्द्र॑’ and ‘तूय॑म्’; maintain cadence across 11-syllable pādas.
Keep ‘नमोवृधं’ joined smoothly; avoid breaking ‘घृतप्रयाः’—let it flow as one luminous phrase.
नमोवृधं: pronounce ‘vṛ’ with clear syllabic ‘ṛ’, जोहवीमि: ‘h’ audible; long ‘ī’ at end, सधमादे: dental ‘d’, long ‘ā’
Firm, ringing, with a sweetening on ‘madhūnām’.
9
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
