Rig Veda 7.31.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 31, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.31
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
शंसेदुक्थं सुदानव उत द्युक्षं यथा नरः । चकृमा सत्यराधसे ॥
śáṃsed uktháṃ su-dā́nava utá dyukṣáṃ yáthā nárāḥ | cakṛmā́ satyá-rādhase ||
Głośmy hymn dobremu dawcy i lśniące wyznanie, jak czynią ludzie; albowiem pracowaliśmy dla tego, którego hojność jest prawdziwa, którego łaska urzeczywistnia Prawdę.
Word by Word
- शंसे
- praise! / recite (a hymn)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role (वाक्य-क्रिया) —Root √शंस् (śaṃs) अथवा √शंस् (स्तुति/प्रशंसा)
- इद्
- indeed / justIndeclinableनिपात; बलार्थ/निश्चयार्थ (emphatic particle)Root इद् (निपात)
- उक्थम्
- hymn; solemn recitationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot उक्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुदानवः
- O generous ones / O bounteous (patrons)Noun (vocative, epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन बहुवचनRole सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root सु-दानु (प्रातिपदिक) / सुदानु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थ/अपि-अर्थ (and/also)Root उत (निपात)
- द्युक्षम्
- the radiant one / the shining (one)Noun/Adjective (as object)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot द्युक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दीप्त/प्रकाशमान’)
- यथा
- as / just asIndeclinableउपमान/प्रकारार्थ (as, just as)Root यथा (अव्यय)
- नरः
- men / heroesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-कर्तृ) / कर्तृ-सम्बन्धRoot नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- चकृमा
- we have made / we have doneVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्Role (वाक्य-क्रिया) —Root √कृ (kṛ) ‘to do, make’
- सत्यराधसे
- for true bounty / for genuine beneficenceNoun (dative, epithet)नपुंसकलिङ्ग (राधस्), चतुर्थी एकवचन; समासे ‘सत्य’ उपपद/विशेषणRole सम्प्रदानRoot सत्य-राधस् (समास-प्रातिपदिक; राधस् = ‘दान/उपकार/समृद्धि’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: शंसे | इद् | उक्थम् | सुदानवः | उत | द्युक्षम् | यथा | नरः | चकृमा | सत्यराधसे । ‘शंसेदु॒क्थम्’ = शंसे + इद् + उक्थम् (इद्-निपातस्य संधौ ‘ए’ + ‘इ’ → ‘ए’ इति संहितायां ‘शंसेद्’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let us proclaim the hymn to the good giver, and the shining utterance as men do; for we have labored for the one whose bounty is true.
Inner meaning
The rishi emphasizes two powers of speech: uktha (crafted hymn) and dyukṣa (luminous utterance). Both are offered to Indra as ‘su-dānu’ (good giver). The work (cakṛma) indicates sustained sadhana; ‘satya-rādhas’ is grace that does not merely please but fulfills Truth—bestowing realizations and effective inner results.
Universal truth
Spiritual speech becomes luminous when backed by sincere labor; true grace responds to persistent aspiration and brings results aligned with Truth, not whim.
Themes
Truth-effective bounty, Luminous speech, Ritual work as inner formation, Praise and reciprocity
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.31.1, RV 7.31.3, RV 7.31.5 (contextual)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha hymns frequently stress brahman (mantra) as a worked-for attainment, not mere inspiration.
Significance
The seer models ‘mantra-sādhanā’: crafting utterance until it becomes dyukṣa—speech of light.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Su-dānu (Good giver), Satya-rādhas (Whose bounty is true)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (lord of brahman), Sarasvatī (inspired speech), Agni (will that carries the offering)
Cosmic role
Giver of victories and illuminations; validates the hymn by responding with tangible inner results.
Inner power
Truth-effective force that turns mantra into realization; confirms the seeker’s effort with light and strength.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise during Indra-Soma sequence; assertion of completed preparation/work before requesting results.
शंसेदु॒क्थं सु॒दान॑व उ॒त द्यु॒क्षं यथा॒ नर॑: । च॒कृ॒मा स॒त्यरा॑धसे ॥
शंस॑ । इत् । उ॒क्थम् । सु॒ऽदान॑वे । उ॒त । द्यु॒क्षम् । यथा॑ । नरः॑ । च॒कृ॒म । स॒त्यऽरा॑धसे ॥
śaṃsa | it | uktham | su-dānave | uta | dyukṣam | yathā | naraḥ | cakṛma | satya-rādhase
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3 pādas × 8 syllables
Compact, workmanlike clarity; balances praise and statement of effort.
Sharpens articulation and intention; a ‘clear vow’ feeling in the listener.
- uktha
- Literal: hymn, solemn chant. Symbolic: structured mantra that organizes thought and will
- dyukṣa
- Literal: shining utterance. Symbolic: illumined speech arising from clarified consciousness
- su-dānu
- Literal: good giver. Symbolic: the divine power that gives rightly—strength, light, and joy in due measure
- satya-rādhas
- Literal: true bounty. Symbolic: grace that accomplishes Truth-realization and right action
- cakṛma
- Literal: we have done/worked. Symbolic: steady practice, tapas of aspiration
Praise formula in Soma context; asserts the community’s completed ritual work (cakṛmā) as basis for receiving satya-rādhas.
After invitatory call, as the formal proclamation of hymn/uktha.
Recitation to accompany offering and to ‘announce’ the hymn as effective.
Use before beginning a focused task: chant once, then silently commit to truthful effort; ask for ‘satya-rādhas’—results that serve the deeper good.
√śaṃs ‘praise, proclaim’ implies making known; uktha as formal recitation; dyukṣa from dyu ‘shine’ indicates speech that carries light; satya-rādhas fuses satya (truth, real) with rādhas (accomplishing bounty), pointing to grace that is not random gift but truth-effective.
Satya as truth-realization, Rādhas as accomplishing grace, Right human action (cakṛmā) aligned with ṛta
Right speech (uktha/dyukṣa) is a vehicle of ṛta; it aligns action with cosmic order.
Grace is ‘true’ when it fulfills satya rather than amplifying ego-desire.
Illumined speech as a creative act that brings down true results.
Karma-yoga seed: right work + right speech attracting truth-grace (later explicit in Gītā).
‘Shine’ is clarity of mind; the ‘sky’ is the widened mental plane where truth-utterance forms.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘true giver whose bounty is satya.’ Innerly, the deva responds not to mere sound but to luminous, rightly fashioned speech and work; the gift is ‘truth-effective’—it realizes what it promises in consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu (in dyukṣam) reflects PIE *dyew- ‘sky/daylight’ (cf. Gk. Ζεύς, Lat. Iūpiter from *dyew-pəter). satya relates to sat ‘being’ from PIE *h₁es- ‘to be’ (cf. Lat. est, Eng. is).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi-community claims a completed formation (cakṛmā) of hymn and luminous utterance; the devata is approached as satya-rādhas, whose response is reliable realization. The relation is ethical-ontological: truth in speech/action calls truth in grace.
Purify speech and thought: let words arise only from clarity; offer one ‘shining utterance’ internally (a single truthful sentence).
viśuddha (speech) linked upward to ājñā
Moderate japa on exhale; brief pause after each pāda to feel the ‘shine’ in the throat and brow.
Clear, disciplined aspiration (niścaya).
Before chanting, recall one area where you want truth, not comfort; after chanting, listen for the next right action rather than a dramatic sign.
Maintain clear pitch steps; emphasize śaṃsed (proclaim) and satya-rādhase at cadence.
Keep each 8-syllable pāda crisp; do not blur consonant clusters (satya).
Śaṃsed: anusvāra ‘ṃ’ nasalized before s., Dyukṣam: pronounce kṣ as a single cluster, not ‘k-sha’ separated., Satya: dental t (not retroflex ṭ).
clear, articulate, intent
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