Rig Veda 10.33.6: Mandala 10, Sukta 33, Mantra 6
Sukta 10.33
- Rishi
- Upamaśravas
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यस्य प्रस्वादसो गिर उपमश्रवसः पितुः । क्षेत्रं न रण्वमूचुषे ॥
yásya prásvādaso gíra upamá-śravasaḥ pitúḥ | kṣétram ná raṇvám ūcúṣe ||
यस्य प्रस्वादसो गिर उपमश्रवसः पितुः पुत्रस्य, ता गिरः क्षेत्रं न रण्वम् ऊचुषे—विस्तीर्णं वर्धनभूमिमिव, यत्रात्मवृद्धिः।
Word by Word
- यस्य
- of whom/whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-
- प्रस्वादसः
- having excellent sweetness/pleasantness; very sweetAdjective (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa sense) / Noun-like epithetपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (गिरः के विशेषण/सम्बन्धी)Root प्र-स्वादस् (प्रातिपदिक; स्वाद् ‘to taste’ से) अथवा स्वादस्- (रस/स्वाद) + प्र-
- गिरः
- songs, hymns, utterancesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot गिर् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक) ‘वाणी/स्तुति’
- उपमश्रवसः
- of highest fame; most renownedAdjective (compound epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (गिरः के विशेषण)Root उपम-श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक; उपम ‘श्रेष्ठ/उत्तम’ + श्रवस् ‘कीर्ति/श्रवणीय यशः’)
- पितुः
- of the fatherNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) ‘पिता’
- क्षेत्रम्
- field, domainNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) ‘क्षेत्र/भूमि/प्रदेश’
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- रण्वम्
- delightful, lovelyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (क्षेत्रम् इति विशेषण)Role कर्म (क्षेत्रम् का विशेषण)Root रण्व (प्रातिपदिक) ‘रमणीय/आनन्ददायक’
- ऊचुषे
- to the praiser who has spoken (praise)Verb (finite, perfect) used with dative of agent (Vedic) / verbal formलिट् (परस्मैपद); मध्यम? नहीं—प्रथमपुरुष? नहीं; रूप: ‘ऊचुषे’ = लिट् 3rd person singular? (Vedic perfect with -e ending; agent often in dative)Role सम्प्रदान/कर्तृ-संबन्ध (दत्तिव-कर्तृ प्रयोग: ‘उचुषे’ = ‘to the one who has spoken/praised’)Root वच् (धातु) ‘to speak’ → परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट कृत्-रूप (उच्/ऊच्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: यस्य | प्रस्वादसः | गिरः | उपमश्रवसः | पितुः | क्षेत्रम् | न | रण्वम् | ऊचुषे । विशेष: ‘क्षेत्रं न रण्वम्’ = ‘(as) a delightful field’ (उपमा)
- ‘ऊचुषे’ वैदिक-लिट् रूप है जिसमें -e अन्त (परस्मैपद-परफेक्ट का वैदिक रूप) तथा दत्तिव-कर्तृ (agent in dative) प्रयोग मिलता है: ‘ऊचुषे’ = ‘स्तुवते/वदते’ (to the one who has uttered)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The utterances of Upamaśravas (son of his father) are increasingly sweet; they have spoken like a delightful field.
Inner meaning
The Word (giraḥ) becomes ‘prasvādasaḥ’—progressively sweeter—as consciousness purifies: mantra turns from effortful speech into a natural flow of delight and truth. ‘Pituḥ’ points to the originating Source—either the human father in lineage or, inwardly, the Father-principle (originating consciousness) from which true speech descends. The ‘field’ (kṣetra) is the inner ground of growth: when speech is true and sweet, it becomes a fertile expanse where realizations sprout—knowledge, right emotions, right actions.
Universal truth
As the inner being aligns with truth, expression itself transforms: words gain sweetness and power, and they cultivate a fertile inner life for oneself and others.
Themes
praise as creative speech, field-of-consciousness metaphor, lineage and transmission
The seer
- Rishi
- Upamaśravas
- Other hymns
- RV 10.33.5 (same hymn; Indra praise)
Family tradition
Self-referential late Rigvedic style; emphasis on the efficacy and sweetness of the rishi’s speech suggests a lineage-conscious poet-seer tradition.
Significance
Upamaśravas presents the rishi as cultivator of the inner field through the Word: speech is not ornament but a seed-force that makes consciousness fertile and delightful.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (hymn context; the Word is offered toward the illumining Power)
- Epithets
- Maghavan (implied giver who responds to sweet speech), Harivān (contextual)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (Word-power), Sarasvatī (inspired flow), Soma (sweetness/bliss)
Cosmic role
Receives and empowers the Word; returns abundance and wideness; maintains victorious illumination.
Inner power
The responding illumination that makes speech effective and turns the inner field into a place of growth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of the efficacy of the rishi’s speech within Indra-stuti; also functions as a meta-mantric affirmation
यस्॑य प्रस्वा॑दसो॒ गिर॑ उप॒मश्र॑वसः पि॒तुः । क्षेत्रं॒ न र॒ण्वमू॒चुषे॑ ॥
यस्य॑ । प्रऽस्वा॑दसः । गिरः॑ । उ॒प॒मऽश्र॑वसः । पि॒तुः । क्षेत्र॑म् । न । र॒ण्वम् । ऊ॒चुषे॑ ॥
yasya | pra-svādasaḥ | giraḥ | upama-śravasaḥ | pituḥ | kṣetram | na | raṇvam | ūcuṣe
48
4 × ~12
Broad, flowing, with a cultivated sweetness—less urgent, more expansive.
Soothes and opens; encourages a sense of inner space (‘field’) and gentle joy in speech.
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: utterances/songs. Symbolic: mantric speech; expressive consciousness
- प्रस्वादसः (pra-svādasaḥ)
- Literal: increasingly sweet. Symbolic: speech infused with Soma-like delight and truth; maturation of mantra
- पितुः (pituḥ)
- Literal: of the father. Symbolic: source-principle; originating consciousness/lineage of the Word
- क्षेत्रम् (kṣetram)
- Literal: field. Symbolic: inner ground of sadhana where growth occurs; cultivated consciousness
- रण्वम् (raṇvam)
- Literal: delightful/pleasing. Symbolic: a joy-bearing inner space receptive to truth
Stuti validating the mantra-speech as a ‘kṣetra’ for the rite; supports Soma-liturgical recitation as a field of increase.
During/after recitation to affirm the sweetness and fruitfulness of the hymn
Recited as self-referential validation of the mantra’s power; strengthens confidence in the Word
A mantra for teachers, speakers, and meditators: cultivate speech that is true, sweet, and growth-giving; use before journaling, teaching, or japa.
prásvādasaḥ: svādú ‘sweet’ from √svad ‘to be sweet, taste’ (PIE *swād- ‘sweet’; cf. English ‘sweet’). gíraḥ from √gṛ/√gir (Vedic ‘song, invocation’). kṣétra ‘field’ from √kṣi ‘to dwell, rule/possess’ → ‘domain’; inner sense: domain of practice. ūcúṣe from √vac ‘speak’ (PIE *wekʷ- ‘voice/speak’; cf. Latin vox, English ‘voice’).
Vāc (inspired speech as creative power), Ṛta through right utterance (speech that is ‘sweet’ because true)
Prasvādasaḥ giraḥ indicate speech aligned with ṛta—right vibration that builds order.
Sweetness is not flattery but satya made pleasant and life-giving.
Creation through Word-as-seed in the field of consciousness (kṣetra).
Vedic Vāc doctrine leading toward Upanishadic emphasis on speech as a power of Brahman (conceptual bridge).
spring morning (suggested by ‘delightful field’; not explicit)
spring (suggested; not explicit)
Field = inner ground for growth; sweetness = Soma-delight permeating expression; fertility = receptivity of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘speech as a fertile field’: inspired utterance is not description but a generative ground where divine force can be sown and harvested as increase (vṛddhi) in the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- svādú/√svad corresponds to PIE *swād- (sweet), showing inherited sensory-to-psychological extension: sweetness of taste → sweetness of inspired truth. √vac (ūcúṣe) continues PIE *wekʷ- (speech/voice).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s speech is presented as the enabling medium for divine approach: by making the mantra ‘sweet’ (harmonized, truthful), he prepares the inner kṣetra where the Devata’s power can act effectively.
Let speech arise from stillness; feel words as seeds placed into a luminous inner field.
Vishuddha (speech) with Anahata (sweetness/raṇva)
Humming on exhale (nāda) before chanting to ‘sweeten’ the vocal channel; then recite in one smooth breath per pāda if possible.
Quiet sattwa with a subtle Soma-like delight.
Practice ‘truth + sweetness’: speak only what is necessary, true, and growth-giving. In meditation, visualize a field in the heart where each mantra-syllable becomes a seed of light.
Rigvedic accenting as per śākhā; keep a gentle rise on ‘pra-svādasaḥ’ and a settled cadence on ‘kṣetraṃ na raṇvam’. Exact udatta/anudatta/svarita to be verified from svara-pाठ.
Chant legato to embody ‘sweetness’; avoid hard stops at sandhi junctions (upamaśravasaḥ pituḥ).
प्रस्वादसः: ‘pra-svā-da-saḥ’ with long ‘ā’, उपमश्रवसः: keep ‘śra’ cluster clean, क्षेत्रम्: ‘kṣe-tram’ (kṣ + e)
Soft, resonant, slightly nasalized warmth; prioritize sweetness over volume.
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