Rig Veda 7.43.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 43, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.43
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Ṛta/Devāḥ
- Chandas
- Tr̥ṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
ते सीषपन्त जोषमा यजत्रा ऋतस्य धाराः सुदुघा दुहानाः । ज्येष्ठं वो अद्य मह आ वसूनामा गन्तन समनसो यति ष्ठ ॥
té sī́ṣapanta jóṣam ā́ yájatṛā ṛtásya dhā́rāḥ sudúghā dúhānāḥ | jyéṣṭhaṁ vo adyá máha ā́ vasū́nām ā́ gantana sámanaso yáti ṣṭha ||
Niech te czcigodne strumienie Prawdy parają naprzód ku rozkoszy, bogato dojąc swą obfitość. Przybądźcie dziś, zharmonizowani w umyśle, do waszej najwyższej wielkości, do najwyższej pełni Wasów.
Word by Word
- ते
- they (those)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सीषपन्त
- they hasten / they set in motionVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role KriyāRoot √सिषप्/√सिषप् (प्रेरणे/गमने; Vedic)
- जोषम्
- delight, enjoyment, favorNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot जोष (प्रातिपदिक; from √जुष् ‘to be pleased, to enjoy’)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableउपसर्गः (गत्यर्थ-प्रवृत्तिः) / निपातःRole UpasargaRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- यजत्राः
- worshipful, worthy of sacrificeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (apposition to ते)Root यजत्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘worthy of worship’, from √यज्)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order / truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाराः
- streams, flowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (apposition/subject with ते)Root धारा (प्रातिपदिक; from √धृ ‘to hold/flow’)
- सुदुघाः
- richly yielding, well-milkingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of धाराः)Root सु-दुघ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘well-milking/abundantly yielding’, from √दुह्)
- दुहानाः
- milking, yieldingParticipleवर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शानच्; स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of धाराः)Root √दुह् (दोहने) + शानच् (मध्यम/कर्तरि कृदन्त)
- ज्येष्ठम्
- the greatest, the chiefAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- for you / of youPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचनम् (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (for you) / Sambandha (of you)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्य
- today, nowIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययम्Role Adhikaraṇa (time)Root अद्य (अव्यय)
- महत्
- greatAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (as adjective to ज्येष्ठम्)Role Karma (qualifier)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableउपसर्गःRole UpasargaRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- वसूनाम्
- of the goods/wealthsNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive)Root वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hitherIndeclinableउपसर्गःRole UpasargaRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- गन्तन
- come! (you all)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्; वैदिक-रूपम् (गन्तन = गच्छत/गन्त)Role KriyāRoot √गम् (गतौ)
- समनसः
- being of one mind, unanimousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of implied ‘you’)Root स-मनस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘of one mind’)
- यति
- in the rite/effort; in the act of strivingNounपुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्Role Adhikaraṇa (locus/occasion)Root यति (प्रातिपदिक; from √यत् ‘to strive/hold’)
- स्थ
- be (so)! / be present!Verbलोट्/लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; वैदिक-एन्क्लिटिक ‘स्थ’ = ‘be!’/‘you are’ (contextually exhortative)Role Kriyā (auxiliary/exhortation)Root अस् (धातु; ‘to be’) / enclitic 2nd pl. imperative/indicative in Vedic usage
Sandhi Notes
- संधि-विच्छेद (मुख्य): जोष॒मा → जोषम् + आ
- वसू॑ना॒मा → वसूनाम् + आ
- यति॒ ष्ठ → यति + स्थ (वैदिके ‘ष्ठ’ लेखनं ‘स्थ’ एव)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May the adorable streams of ṛta press forward to delight, richly milking their abundance. Come today, of one mind, to your highest greatness, to the supreme wealth of the Vasus.
Inner meaning
The ‘streams of ṛta’ are currents of true consciousness—rightly ordered inspiration and knowledge—moving forward (sīṣapanta) toward joy (joṣam). They are ‘well-milking’ (sudughā) because when truth flows, it yields abundance naturally: clarity, right force, and inner wealth. The call is to arrive today—now, in the present practice—harmonized in mind (samanasaḥ) to the jyeṣṭham mahaḥ: the highest greatness, a vastness of being. The Vasus here are abundance-powers (stable supports of manifestation) whose ‘wealth’ is the plenitude of right energies in the system—health, steadiness, capacity, and luminous substance for the work.
Universal truth
Truth-consciousness is not sterile; it is naturally fruitful. When we align with right order and move in unity, the flow of truth brings delight and a stable abundance that supports life and realization.
Themes
Rita-streams, Abundance as outflow, Delight (joṣa), Vastness
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.43.2, RV 7.43.3, RV 7.43.5
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭha strain often links ṛta with abundance: right order yields right prosperity—outer and inner.
Significance
He articulates a key Aurobindonian theme: ṛta is a living flow that brings ānanda and plenitude; the gods are powers of this flow, not mere ritual recipients.
The deity
- Devata
- Ṛta/Devāḥ (streams of Truth) with Vasus as abundance-powers
- Epithets
- ṛtasya dhārāḥ (streams of ṛta), yajatrāḥ (adorable/worthy of offering), sudughāḥ (rich-yielding)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa/Mitra (guardians of ṛta), Indra (breaks obstructions to the flow), Soma (delight that accompanies truth)
Cosmic role
Ṛta is the cosmic order that guides movements toward harmony; the Vasus stabilize and support manifestation with substance and wealth.
Inner power
Truth-flow (right intuition) that naturally produces delight and stable energy-resources for the path.
In ritual
Where it is used
Continuation of the invitation: calling truth-streams/powers to flow into the rite; prosperity/abundance motif
ते सी॑षपन्त॒ जोष॒मा यज॑त्रा ऋ॒तस्य॒ धारा॑: सु॒दुघा॒ दुहा॑नाः । ज्येष्ठं॑ वो अ॒द्य मह॒ आ वसू॑ना॒मा ग॑न्तन॒ सम॑नसो॒ यति॒ ष्ठ ॥
ते । सी॒ष॒प॒न्त॒ । जोष॑म् । आ । यज॑त्राः । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । धाराः॑ । सु॒ऽदुघाः॑ । दुहा॑नाः । ज्येष्ठ॑म् । वः॒ । अ॒द्य । महः॑ । आ । वसू॑नाम् । आ । ग॒न्त॒न॒ । सऽम॑नसः । यति॑ । स्थ ॥
te | sīṣapanta | joṣam | ā | yajatrāḥ | ṛtasya | dhārāḥ | su-dughāḥ | duhānāḥ | jyeṣṭham | vaḥ | adya | mahaḥ | ā | vasūnām | ā | gantana | sa-manasaḥ | yati | stha
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4 × ~11 syllables
Flowing yet strong—like a river with a steady bed; culminates in an expansive call (‘mahaḥ’).
Invokes a sense of streaming clarity and widening; supports meditative receptivity with forward movement.
- ऋतस्य धाराः (ṛtasya dhārāḥ)
- Literal: streams of ṛta. Symbolic: currents of truth-order: illumined intuition/inspiration in right rhythm
- सीषपन्त (sīṣapanta)
- Literal: press forward, hasten. Symbolic: active movement of consciousness toward realization
- जोषम् (joṣam)
- Literal: delight, enjoyment. Symbolic: ānanda as the joy of right contact with truth
- सुदुघाः (sudughāḥ)
- Literal: well-milking. Symbolic: truth that yields abundant results—light, force, peace, joy
- दुहानाः (duhānāḥ)
- Literal: milking. Symbolic: drawing out the essence from experience into spiritual nourishment
- समनसः (samanasaḥ)
- Literal: united in mind. Symbolic: integration of parts of the being enabling full reception
- वसूना॑म् (vasūnām)
- Literal: of the Vasus. Symbolic: powers of stable abundance; foundational supports of the divine life
- ज्येष्ठं महः (jyeṣṭhaṃ mahaḥ)
- Literal: the eldest/most excellent greatness. Symbolic: highest wideness and authority of consciousness
Middle of invitation sequence: calling the ṛta-streams to pour abundance; summoning Vasus’ plenitude to the rite and the inner being.
Mid-opening of a soma/Agni session when inviting supportive powers and their ‘wealth’ to the seat.
Recitation during offerings/oblation to invoke ṛta’s flow and Vasu support.
Use when seeking clarity and stable resources: chant to invite ‘truth-streams’ into decision-making and to establish a calm abundance (not anxiety-driven striving).
ṛtá- from √ar/ṛ ‘to fit, move in order’ → ‘cosmic order/truth’. dhārā ‘stream’ from √dhṛ ‘hold’ (that which ‘holds/flows’ as a continuous line). √duh ‘milk’ (PIE *dʰewgʰ-; cf. English dough as distant semantic relative via ‘knead/produce’ is not direct; better: Germanic *dugan ‘be good’ is not cognate—so keep √duh as Indo-Iranian ritual lexeme) used symbolically: extraction of subtle abundance from the Truth.
Ṛta (Truth-Order), Mahaḥ (the Vast), Vasus (abundance-powers)
Direct: ṛta appears as dhārāḥ—an active current, not an abstract rule.
Truth is verified by its yield (sudughā): it produces harmony and plenitude.
Abundance arises from right flow—cosmic nourishment through truth-currents.
Aurobindonian: ṛta-satya as dynamic truth-power that brings ānanda and right manifestation.
Streams = currents of intuition; milk = extracted essence/nourishment of experience; wealth = stable energies and capacities supporting practice; vastness (mahaḥ) = widened consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Truth (ṛta) is imagined as lactating streams that ‘milk’ abundance—an archetypal Vedic image where cosmic order yields nourishment and delight when approached rightly. The Vasus represent the stable substances/wealths of that order arriving as the ‘supreme plenitude’.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh ‘milk’ is Indo-Iranian and part of a shared IE pastoral-sacral imagery where ‘milking’ becomes a trope for drawing out hidden riches. The abstract ṛta (order) reflects an old IE concern with ‘fittingness/rightness’ (compare Greek ἀρτύω ‘arrange’ as a semantic parallel though not a strict cognate claim here).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi calls the ṛta-streams and Vasus to come ‘with one mind’: the human side must become harmonious (samanas) to receive the ordered outflow. The devatā reciprocates by pouring delight and stable abundance—signs of an established Truth-Order in the being.
Invite the truth-current to flow through mind and speech; rest in delight that comes from right alignment.
Ājñā (truth-vision) flowing down to Viśuddha (truth-speech) and Anāhata (delight).
Smooth, continuous breathing (like a stream): inhale ‘ṛta’, exhale ‘joṣa’; keep it unbroken for 12 cycles.
Clear-flowing, receptive, quietly joyful; widening into mahaḥ.
When confused or depleted, repeat the mantra 9 times, imagining a bright stream descending through the crown and flowing forward through the brow and heart, ‘milking’ calm strength into the day.
Rigvedic accenting per śākhā; emphasize the flow-words (dhārāḥ, sudughāḥ, duhānāḥ) with clear pitch rise on udātta.
Let the first half ‘flow’ legato; make a spacious pause before ‘jyeṣṭhaṃ vo adya mahaḥ’ to open the wideness.
ṛtasya: syllabic ṛ; keep dental t., dhārāḥ: long ā; aspirate dh., sudughāḥ: articulate ghāḥ with long ā and visarga., jyeṣṭham: cluster jy; retroflex ṣṭh clearly.
Smooth, liquid tone with a widening resonance on mahaḥ.
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