Rig Veda 8.83.8: Mandala 8, Sukta 83, Mantra 8
Sukta 8.83
- Devata
- Devas, with emphasis on shared origin/kinship
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
प्र भ्रातृत्वं सुदानवोऽध द्विता समान्या । मातुर्गर्भे भरामहे ॥
prá bhrātṛtváṃ su-dā́navo’ dha dvitā́ samā́nyā | mātúr gárbhe bharāmahe ||
Ó generosos, nutrimos a fraternidade — de novo e de novo, na unidade comum; como que levados no seio da Mãe, nós a plasmamos para nos tornarmos uma só harmonia.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinable (preverb)upasarga; used with following verbal ideaRoot प्र (upasarga)
- भ्रातृत्वम्
- brotherhood, fraternal bondNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (object/goal notion with प्र) / (also possible as predicate-accusative)Root भ्रातृत्व (प्रातिपदिक; from भ्रातृ + -त्व)
- सुदानवः
- O generous onesNoun (epithet/vocative plural)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन बहुवचन (Vedic often = nom.pl. form)Role Sambodhana (addressed persons)Root सुदानु (प्रातिपदिक; su- + दानु ‘giving’)
- अध
- then, moreoverIndeclinableVedic particle; connective/temporalRoot अध (particle)
- द्विता
- again, a second timeIndeclinable (adverb)adverbial; ‘a second time/again’Root द्विता (adverb from द्वि)
- समान्या
- common(ality), shared (state)Adjective (used substantively) / Noun-likeस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā (subject of implied ‘is/comes’), or predicate with ellipsisRoot समान्य (प्रातिपदिक; from समान ‘same’)
- मातुः
- of the motherNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- गर्भे
- in the wombNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (locus)Root गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरामहे
- we bear/carry (we hold)Verbलट् (वर्तमाने); आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष बहुवचनRole Kartā (we) with implied object ‘(it/this)’Root √भृ (भृञ्) ‘to bear, carry’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: प्र | भ्रातृत्वम् | सुदानवः | अध | द्विता | समान्या | मातुः | गर्भे | भरामहे । सन्धिः: सुदानवोऽध = सुदानवः + अध (विसर्गस्य ओऽवग्रहः; RV sandhi)
- अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धि-परिवर्तनं न। स्वर-टिप्पणी: भ्रा॑- (उदात्त), सु॑- (उदात्त), अध॑ (उदात्त), द्वि॒ता (स्वरित/अनुदात्त-चिह्नित पाठ), स॑मा॒न्या (उदात्त/स्वरित चिह्न), मा॒तुर्गर्भे॑ (उदात्त on गर्भे), भरामहे (पदस्वर as in संहिता)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O generous ones, we foster brotherhood again and again, in common unity, as if carried in the Mother’s womb.
Inner meaning
The Devas are asked to help build bhrātṛtva—true fraternity among the inner powers and among seekers. ‘Dvitā’ (again and again) indicates repeated integration: each cycle of practice re-forms unity. ‘Samānyā’ points to shared oneness—common substance of consciousness. ‘Mātur garbhe’ evokes the Divine Mother/Aditi/Prakṛti as the womb of formation: the aspirant consents to be re-shaped in the Mother’s consciousness until a single harmony is born.
Universal truth
Lasting harmony arises when all parts of the being (and community) accept a common origin and allow themselves to be formed by a higher unity.
Themes
Brotherhood, Unity, Inner formation, Harmonization
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.83 (community and unity motifs)
Significance
A Vedic seed of the Mother-principle and collective yoga: unity is not merely moral; it is a gestation in the higher Consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Devas (collective), with implicit Mother principle (Aditi/Divine Mother)
- Epithets
- sudānavaḥ (generous)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Sarasvatī (harmonizing inspiration), Mitra (concord), Aryaman (right belonging)
Cosmic role
They sustain harmony among cosmic functions; the Mother-principle forms beings in a common matrix.
Inner power
Power of integration, concord, and collective coherence; the Mother’s formative force that unifies divided parts.
In ritual
Where it is used
Hymnic reinforcement of concord among powers/participants; supports communal unity and harmonization of inner faculties before/within yajña.
प्र भ्रा॑तृ॒त्वं सु॑दान॒वोऽध॑ द्वि॒ता स॑मा॒न्या । मा॒तुर्गर्भे॑ भरामहे ॥
प्र । भ्रा॒तृ॒त्ऽवम् । सु॒ऽदा॒न॒वः॒ । अध॑ । द्वि॒ता । स॒मा॒न्या । मा॒तुः । गर्भे॑ । भ॒रा॒म॒हे॒ ॥
pra | bhrātṛt-vam | su-dānavaḥ | adha | dvitā | samānyā | mātuḥ | garbhe | bharāmahe
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4 × 8 (approx.)
softly insistent, repetitive-friendly
Encourages cohesion; repetition naturally reinforces the ‘again and again’ integration.
- भ्रातृत्वम् (bhrātṛtvam)
- Literal: brotherhood, fraternity. Symbolic: integration and mutual support among inner faculties; non-division
- द्विता (dvitā)
- Literal: twice; again and again. Symbolic: repeated practice; iterative integration across stages
- समान्या (samānyā)
- Literal: common, shared, of one sameness. Symbolic: oneness-substance of consciousness; collective harmony
- मातुः (mātuḥ)
- Literal: of the Mother. Symbolic: Divine Mother/Aditi—matrix of wideness and formation
- गर्भे (garbhe)
- Literal: in the womb. Symbolic: incubation of new being; inner gestation toward supramental harmony
- भरामहे (bharāmahe)
- Literal: we bear, we carry, we foster. Symbolic: conscious nurturing of unity until it becomes embodied
Hymnic reinforcement of concord among powers/participants; supports communal unity and harmonization of inner faculties before/within yajña.
For household harmony, community gatherings, reconciliation, or beginning collective work.
Chanted as a saṅkalpa for unity; may accompany offerings or shared meal intentions.
Use in group meditation to set a field of concord; also as a personal practice to integrate conflicting parts (mind/heart/vital).
from bhrātṛ ‘brother’ (social term elevated to spiritual concord). samānya from samāna ‘same’ indicates shared essence. garbha ‘womb’ is a key Vedic symbol of concealed formation; √bhṛ ‘bear’ expresses active cultivation. The ‘Mother’ (mātṛ) in Vedic symbolic language can indicate the infinite matrix (Aditi) or the generative consciousness-field where forces are shaped.
Aditi/Mother as matrix of manifestation, Unity-in-diversity (sāmānya), Formation in concealment (garbha)
Brotherhood is ṛta in the social/psychological plane—right relation among parts.
True unity (samānyā) is based on shared essence, not forced uniformity.
Gestation in the Mother’s womb—formation of a new collective being.
Integral/collective yoga reading (Aurobindo): the Mother as shaper of a harmonized consciousness.
spring (symbolic of birth; not explicit)
Inner rebirth through maternal consciousness; unity as a living organism forming within.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘the gods as brothers born of one Mother’—a unity myth expressed through the womb image. Psychologically, it encodes the harmonization of multiple inner powers as siblings formed in one matrix of consciousness, enabling coordinated action against division and darkness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Kinship vocabulary (bhrātṛ) is deeply IE (cf. Latin frāter, etc.), and its elevation into a cosmic principle is characteristic of archaic IE sacral poetics. √bhṛ ‘bear’ is also strongly IE (cf. English ‘bear’), supporting the antiquity of the ‘bearing/sustaining’ metaphor for cultivation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi does not only ask but actively ‘bears’ (bharāmahe) the movement toward fraternity—suggesting human participation in divine unity. The Devata are addressed as generous helpers, while the human consciousness undertakes the work of harmonizing forces in the ‘womb’ of inner formation.
Cultivate inner fraternity: let thoughts, emotions, and impulses align under one aspiration; feel held in the Mother’s consciousness.
anāhata (bonding/harmony) and svādhiṣṭhāna (creative formation)
coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min) while repeating the mantra; feel the heart-field unify
receptive unity; maternal containment
During repetition, bring to mind two conflicting parts of yourself; on each ‘dvitā’ offer them into the Mother’s womb (garbha) and imagine a new harmonized response being formed. End with one concrete act of fraternity.
Vedic accents; allow natural emphasis on ‘bhrātṛtvaṃ’ and ‘mātur garbhe’.
Sustain ‘bhrā-’ clearly; pause slightly after ‘samānyā’; ‘mātur garbhe’ should be tender and unhurried.
bhrātṛtvaṃ: conjunct ‘bhr’; retroflex ‘ṭṛ’, sudānavo: long ā, dvitā: short i, long ā, samānyā: long ā; palatal ‘ny’, mātuḥ: long ā; visarga lightly before consonant, bharāmahe: roll ‘r’ softly
warm, cohesive, soothing
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