Rig Veda 4.48.5: Mandala 4, Sukta 48, Mantra 5
Sukta 4.48
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Vāyu
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
वायो शतं हरीणां युवस्व पोष्याणाम् । उत वा ते सहस्रिणो रथ आ यातु पाजसा ॥
vāyo śatáṃ hárīṇāṃ yuvásva póṣyāṇām | utá vā te sahasríṇo rátha ā́ yātu pā́jasā ||
O Waju, raduj się setką jasnych rumaków wzrostu; albo niech twój tysiąckrotny rydwan przybędzie tu ze swą płonącą mocą.
Word by Word
- वायो
- O VāyuNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Voc.), एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वायु- (प्रातिपदिक)
- शतम्
- a hundredNumeral/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (संख्यावाचक)Role विशेषण (हरीणाम्) / परिमाणRoot शत- (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- हरीणाम्
- of the bay horsesNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root हरि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- युवस्व
- yoke (you)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (आज्ञा)Root यु (धातु; ‘योजने/संयोजने’)
- पोष्याणाम्
- of the nourishing (ones/possessions)Adjective (substantivized)(सामान्यतः) नपुंसक/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘of the nourishing (ones/things)’Root पोष्य- (कृदन्त/विशेषण; √पुष् ‘पोषणे’ → पोष्य ‘to be nourished/that which nourishes’)
- उत
- and / alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/वाक्य-सम्बन्धRoot उत (निपात)
- वा
- or / indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRole विकल्प/समुच्चयRoot वा (निपात)
- ते
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी (gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘thy/your’Root त्वद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्रिणः
- thousand-fold / having a thousandAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (रथः इति विशेष्यस्य)Role विशेषण (रथः) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धRoot सहस्रिन्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having a thousand’)
- रथः
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (आयातु) / विषयRoot रथ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinable (preverb)अव्यय (उपसर्गः)Role क्रिया-विशेषण (दिशा/सम्प्राप्ति)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यातु
- let (it) comeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु; ‘गत्यर्थ’)
- पाजसा
- with might/strengthNoun (instrumental)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (means) — ‘with strength’Root पाजस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘strength, might, vigor’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वायो | शतम् | हरीणाम् | युवस्व | पोष्याणाम् | उत | वा | ते | सहस्रिणः | रथः | आ | यातु | पाजसा । प्रमुख-सन्धिः: ‘उत वा’ (निपात-समुच्चय), ‘आ यातु’ (उपसर्ग + क्रिया; संहितायां ‘आयातु’), अन्यत्र स्पष्ट संधि-परिवर्तनं न दृश्यते।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Vāyu, rejoice in the hundred bright steeds of increase; or let your thousand-fold chariot come here with blazing force.
Inner meaning
The hymn asks the Life-Power to take delight in (i.e., to inhabit and harmonize) a large and growing set of vital energies (“hundred steeds of increase”). If the individual currents are too many to manage, the alternative is invoked: the ‘thousand-fold chariot’—a vast, integrated dynamism of prāṇa—arrives with pājas (radiant force). Psychologically, it is a movement from scattered vital impulses to an organized, powerful, illumined life-energy that can serve the inner work.
Universal truth
Growth is safe and fruitful when guided by a luminous force: either we harmonize many small energies, or we call a higher integrating power that gathers them into one effective movement.
Themes
Abundance imagery, Vital increase, Soma-ritual, Radiant power
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.48.1-5, RV 4.49.1-3
Family tradition
The Gautama-Vāmadeva strain often turns numbers and ritual images into inner measures of consciousness—multiplicity gathered into unity for the sacrifice.
Significance
Vāmadeva’s vision here is of prāṇa not as restless desire but as rejoicing, nourished energy—capable of becoming a blazing helper of illumination.
The deity
- Devata
- Vāyu
- Epithets
- Harivāhanā (drawn by bright steeds; implied), Pājasvat (blazing/forceful), Swift bearer
- Related deities
- Maruts, Indra, Soma
Cosmic role
As atmospheric power, Vāyu drives motion and circulation; in sacrifice he is an early recipient of Soma, accelerating the rite.
Inner power
Vital enthusiasm and capacity; the breath-force that can be increased (poṣa) and made radiant (pājas) to support clarity and strength.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña; Vāyu invitation and Soma offering
वायो॑ श॒तं हरी॑णां यु॒वस्व॒ पोष्या॑णाम् । उ॒त वा॑ ते सह॒स्रिणो॒ रथ॒ आ या॑तु॒ पाज॑सा ॥
वायो॒ इति॑ । श॒तम् । हरी॑णाम् । यु॒वस्व॑ । पोष्या॑णाम् । उ॒त । वा॒ । ते॒ । स॒ह॒स्रिणः॑ । रथः॑ । आ । या॒तु॒ । पाज॑सा ॥
vāyo iti | śatam | harīṇām | yuvasva | poṣyāṇām | uta | vā | te | sahasriṇaḥ | rathaḥ | ā | yātu | pājasā
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables; emphatic caesura supports invocatory address
Energetic, expansive, with a ‘galloping’ feel matching horse imagery.
Invigorates; encourages uplifted breathing and confident summoning of force.
- श॒तम् (śatam)
- Literal: a hundred. Symbolic: fullness/large multiplicity of energies available for the work
- हरी॑णाम् (harīṇām)
- Literal: of the bright/tawny steeds. Symbolic: vital forces and dynamic impulses capable of swift action
- यु॒वस्व (yuvasva)
- Literal: take joy, delight, be youthful. Symbolic: let prāṇa become fresh, glad, and consenting to the yoga
- पोष्या॑णाम् (poṣyāṇām)
- Literal: of increase, nourishment. Symbolic: energies that grow when rightly fed by practice and Soma
- सहस्रिणः (sahasriṇaḥ)
- Literal: thousand-fold. Symbolic: vast integrated dynamism; superabundant force when unified
- पाजसा (pājasā)
- Literal: with blazing power. Symbolic: radiant vital force illumined by higher consciousness
Soma-yajña: culmination of invitation imagery—abundant steeds and thousand-fold chariot—signifying readiness for a powerful descent of the deity.
During Soma sequences where Vāyu is called with his steeds/chariot imagery
Invocation (āhvāna) and welcoming of deity; accompaniment to offering/raising Soma
As a pre-work or pre-meditation energizer: call for ‘nourished’ prāṇa rather than nervous stimulation; align energy with a luminous aim.
hari- ‘tawny/bright’ used for divine steeds (semantic: shining energy). poṣya- from √puṣ ‘to thrive, nourish’ → increase, fostering. sahasra ‘thousand’ (abundance trope). pājas ‘strength, brilliance, blaze’ (often ‘radiant energy’), linked with √pāj/√bhāj semantic field of shining/force in Vedic usage.
Increase and nourishment (puṣ/poṣya), Abundance of divine energies (śata/sahasra), Radiant force as transformative power (pājas)
Poṣa (increase) is not mere expansion but growth under right law—energies multiply yet remain yoked.
Pājas indicates force that is bright and truthful, not chaotic passion.
From multiplicity (hundred) to superabundance (thousand) through integration—an image of evolutionary intensification of consciousness.
Integral-yogic reading: prāṇa transformed into a truth-supported dynamism.
morning (probable)
Wind = breath-force; horses = impulses/energies; blaze = illumined vitality; chariot = integrated movement of life-energy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of Vāyu’s abundant steeds and thousand-fold chariot. Innerly, it expresses the vast scalability of the life-force: when rightly invoked, it can multiply nourishing energies (poṣya) and arrive with blazing transformative power (pājas) to support the ascent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Numerals śata ‘hundred’ and sahasra ‘thousand’ reflect archaic Indo-European abundance formulas. √puṣ ‘thrive’ has Indo-Iranian parallels in prosperity vocabulary, central to the reciprocity economy of early IE ritual-poetry.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi calls not only for presence but for magnitude: Vāyu is invited to manifest in a larger measure—either through a complete set of fostering forces or through an immeasurable vehicle—indicating the seeker’s readiness for intensified divine action.
Transform raw vitality into ‘poṣya’—nourished and glad energy; invite a unifying breath-current to gather scattered drives.
Maṇipūra (vital power refined)
3-part breathing (dirgha) to ‘increase’ capacity, followed by gentle kumbhaka only if comfortable; keep attention on radiance rather than strain.
Energetic steadiness; luminous drive without agitation.
On inhalation, feel ‘hundred energies’ gathering. On exhalation, let them unify into one ‘thousand-fold’ movement directed upward and inward. End by offering the energy to a quiet inner joy (Soma-memory).
Maintain clear udātta on vocative vāyo and energetic imperatives; let the cadence ‘run’ like horses without rushing consonants.
Mark the lift on yuvasva; keep pājasā resonant and slightly emphasized to convey ‘blaze’.
(harīṇām): long ī; retroflex ṇ clear, (poṣyāṇām): ṣy cluster—avoid inserting extra vowel, (sahasriṇo): keep h light; ṣ not present—plain s
Clear, bright, and energized; avoid harshness—think ‘radiant breath’.
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.
