Rig Veda 3.41.5: Mandala 3, Sukta 41, Mantra 5
Sukta 3.41
- Rishi
- Gāthin Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Adbhuta (wonder)
मतयः सोमपामुरुं रिहन्ति शवसस्पतिम् । इन्द्रं वत्सं न मातरः ॥
matáyaḥ soma-pā́m urúṃ rihánti śávasas pátim | índraṃ vatsáṃ na mātáraḥ ||
Os pensamentos, amplos e buscadores, apegam‑se ao bebedor de soma, ao senhor da força, a Indra, como mães ao bezerro: reúnem‑se em torno do poder que pode ser nutrido em nós e crescer.
Word by Word
- मतयः
- thoughts / hymns (devotional inspirations)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मति- (√मन् ‘to think’ > मति ‘thought, hymn, devotion’)
- सोमपाः
- Soma-drinkersNoun (agentive compound)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to मतयः)Root सोमपा- (सोम + √पा ‘to drink’)
- उरुम्
- the wide one / the vast (one)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot उरु-
- रिहन्ति
- they lick / lapVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथम पुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √रिह् (रिहति) ‘to lick, lap, taste’
- शवसः
- of strength / of mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive qualifier)Root शवस्- ‘strength, might’
- पतिम्
- lordNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (in apposition to इन्द्रम्)Root पति- ‘lord, master’
- इन्द्रम्
- IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इन्द्र-
- वत्सम्
- a calfNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (object of implied ‘seek/cherish’ in simile; syntactically in comparison with इन्द्रम्)Root वत्स- ‘calf’
- न
- like / asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्यय (simile marker)Root न
- मातरः
- mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (of an implied comparison: ‘as mothers [do]’)Root मातृ- ‘mother’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): मतयः | सोमपाः | उरुम् | रिहन्ति | शवसः | पतिम् | इन्द्रम् | वत्सम् | न | मातरः || 1) सोमपाम् → सोमपाः: पदपाठे प्रथमा बहुवचन ‘सोमपाः’
- संहितायां विसर्गस्य ‘म्’ इव लेखन/पाठभेदः (RV orthography) । 2) शवसस्पतिम् → शवसः पतिम्: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः
- संहितायां ‘शवसः + पतिम्’ इत्यत्र सन्ध्यनुसारं ‘शवसस्पतिम्’ । 3) इन्द्रं वत्सं → इन्द्रम् वत्सम्: अनुस्वार/अनुनासिक-लेखनभेदः
- पदपाठे स्पष्टं द्वितीया एकवचनम् ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The thoughts cling to Indra, the Soma-drinker and lord of force, like mothers to a calf.
Inner meaning
When the inner Soma (delight-essence) is active, the seeking thoughts (matayaḥ)—wide and many-sided—naturally gather around the illumined Mind-Power (Indra). The image of mothers to a calf suggests nurturing: our faculties feed and strengthen the Indra-force in us, helping the luminous power to grow until it can govern the being.
Universal truth
What we repeatedly attend to and nourish becomes strong in us. If we feed clarity with joy and sincere seeking, the mind becomes a protector and leader rather than a distractor.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Inner nourishment, Pastoral symbolism, Indra as force
The seer
- Rishi
- Gāthin Viśvāmitra
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Kauśika lineage; traditional attribution)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.41.1-8, RV 3.33 (waters; symbolic release), RV 3.62.10
Family tradition
Viśvāmitra hymns often portray inner faculties as living symbols—cows, waters, mothers—indicating a psychological yoga of growth.
Significance
The seer’s vision emphasizes that illumination is not only a descent but also something to be fostered by our mental movements until it becomes established mastery.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Somapā, Śavasas pati
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts (forces that increase Indra)
Cosmic role
Receives Soma and increases in power; then uses that power to open the hidden light and establish victorious order.
Inner power
A luminous, forceful intelligence that grows by joy (Soma/Ananda) and becomes capable of governing the mind and life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise within Soma rites; stotra/śastra context where Soma-drinking is central
म॒तय॑: सोम॒पामु॒रुं रि॒हन्ति॒ शव॑स॒स्पति॑म् । इन्द्रं॑ व॒त्सं न मा॒तर॑: ॥
म॒तयः॑ । सो॒म॒ऽपाम् । उ॒रुम् । रि॒हन्ति॑ । शव॑सः । पति॑म् । इन्द्र॑म् । व॒त्सम् । न । मा॒तरः॑ ॥
matayaḥ | soma-pām | urum | rihanti | śavasaḥ | patim | indram | vatsam | na | mātaraḥ
44
4 × ~11
Broad and embracing, with a gathering movement appropriate to ‘clinging’ and ‘nourishing’.
Creates a felt sense of convergence—scattered thoughts collecting into one luminous center.
- मतयः (matayaḥ)
- Literal: thoughts, inspirations, mental formations. Symbolic: seeking movements of intelligence aspiring upward
- सोमपाम् (somapām)
- Literal: Soma-drinker. Symbolic: power that receives and enjoys divine Ananda; capacity to assimilate delight
- उरुम् (urum)
- Literal: wide, vast. Symbolic: all-embracing consciousness; broad and generous illumination
- रिहन्ति (rihanti)
- Literal: lick, cling to, fondle. Symbolic: intimate adherence; repeated turning of thought toward the divine power
- शवसः पतिम् (śavasaḥ patim)
- Literal: lord of force. Symbolic: mastery of effective energy—strength that accomplishes inner change
- वत्सं (vatsam)
- Literal: calf. Symbolic: the growing divine power within—young but capable of becoming the leader when nurtured
- मातरः (mātaraḥ)
- Literal: mothers. Symbolic: supporting faculties (thoughts, aspirations) that feed and protect the emerging illumination
Soma offering hymn: describes the congregation of matis (inspired thoughts) around Indra as the central power to be fed by Soma
Around Soma offerings to Indra or recitations celebrating Indra’s increase by Soma
Recitation to intensify Indra’s ‘growth’ and invite his force into the sacrificer
Use when the mind is scattered: recite to gather thoughts around a single luminous intention; treat ‘matayaḥ’ as your returning attention.
matí- from √man ‘think’ → ‘thought, inspired intelligence’. soma-pā-: √pā ‘drink, protect’ (here ‘drink’) + soma. urú- ‘wide’ (PIE *wer- ‘broad’ in Indo-Iranian semantic field). rih- √rih ‘lick’ → vivid pastoral metaphor of nourishment/affection. śávas- ‘force, might’ (related to vigor/strength terms in IE). vátsa ‘calf’ (young of cattle; in RV often symbolic of nascent power/light).
growth of inner force through delight (Soma) and right intention (mati), bṛhat/urú expansion as condition for divine action
Thoughts align into right order when centered on the illumined power.
True thought (inspiration) adheres to the truth-bearing mind rather than wandering in falsehood.
Growth of divine power in the human vessel through delight and attention.
Integral yoga psychology: concentration (ekāgratā) as gathering of matayaḥ around the higher mind.
Soma = delight-essence; calf = nascent divine power; mothers = nurturing faculties/aspirations; licking/clinging = repeated return of attention.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘nourishing of the god-power’: not battle but intimacy—Indra is approached as a growing, feedable presence (vatsa) around which the matis gather, suggesting cultivation of divine force within the human field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √man ‘think’ (PIE *men-), √pā ‘drink/protect’ (PIE *peh₃- ‘protect, shepherd’ with Indo-Iranian developments; also drinking sense in Vedic), and pastoral lexicon (vatsa) reflect shared IE poetic economy where cognition and cattle imagery intertwine as metaphors of possession and increase.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi presents his matis as active agents that ‘lick/cleave’ to Indra—devotion as a cognitive-emotive adhesion. Indra is not merely petitioned; he is cultivated as ‘lord of force’ through the offering of Soma and the continuous surrounding by inspired thought.
Gather all thoughts as ‘mothers’ around the growing inner Indra—one bright center of clarity.
Anāhata (nourishing devotion) supporting Ājñā (clarity)
Soft ujjāyī; on inhale feel ‘uru’ (widening), on exhale let thoughts ‘cling’ back to the center.
Collected, affectionate concentration; steady joy supporting strength.
If thoughts roam, do not fight them; invite them to ‘return and feed the calf’—turn each thought into an offering of attention to the higher mind.
Rigvedic accent pattern as marked in pada text traditions; maintain clear udātta on key words (e.g., índram).
Let the line ‘indraṃ vatsaṃ na mātaraḥ’ be slightly more tender in contour while keeping metrical firmness.
matayaḥ: clear short a; aspirate none, somapām: long ā; distinct m, rihanti: dental h; light i, śavasas: śa (palatal), not sa
Warm, rounded, nurturing; steady breath support.
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