Rig Veda 2.32.7: Mandala 2, Sukta 32, Mantra 7
Sukta 2.32
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Sinīvālī
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
या सुबाहुः स्वङ्गुरिः सुषूमा बहुसूवरी । तस्यै विश्पत्न्यै हविः सिनीवाल्यै जुहोतन ॥
yā́ su-bāhúḥ sv-aṅguríḥ su-ṣū́mā bahu-sū́varī | tásyai viś-pátnyai havíḥ sinīvā́lyai juhotana ||
या सुबाहुः स्वङ्गुरिः सुषूमा बहुसूवरी । तस्यै विश्पत्न्यै सिनीवाल्यै हविर्जुहोत ॥
Word by Word
- या
- she whoPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (यः/या—विषयः) / सम्बन्ध-निर्देशकःRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सु-बाहुः
- having good armsAdjective (used substantively) / Epithetस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (विसर्गान्तः)Role Kartā (या…—विशेषणम्) / विशेष्य-सम्बन्धःRoot बाहु (प्रातिपदिक) + उपसर्ग/उपपद ‘सु-’
- स्व-अङ्गुरिः
- having fair/own fingers (beautiful-fingered)Adjective (used substantively) / Epithetस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (या…—विशेषणम्)Root अङ्गुरि (प्रातिपदिक) + उपपद ‘स्व-’
- सु-षूमा
- very strong / very prosperousAdjective (used substantively) / Epithetस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (या…—विशेषणम्)Root षूम (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बल/तेज/समृद्धि’ इत्यर्थे) + ‘सु-’
- बहु-सूवरी
- rich in many boons/wealthAdjective (used substantively) / Epithetस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (या…—विशेषणम्)Root सूवरी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘समृद्धि/सुवीर्य/सुवर्ण-सम्पद्’ इत्यादि) + ‘बहु-’
- तस्यै
- to herPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (यस्यै—यै देयम्)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्-पत्न्यै
- to the lady/mistress of the clans (households)Noun (epithet) / Titleस्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (तस्यै…—सम्बोधन-लक्ष्यः)Root पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक) with compound ‘विश्-’ (विशः = जनाः/कुलाः) → ‘विश्पत्नी’
- हविः
- oblationNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (कर्म)Role Karma (जुहोतन—आहुति-वस्तु)Root हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सिनीवाल्यै
- to SinīvālīProper Noun (Deity)स्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (देवी-प्रति)Root सिनीवाली (देवी-नाम; प्रातिपदिक)
- जुहोतन
- offer (ye) / make oblationVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे) मध्यमपुरुष बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (युष्मद्) Kartā (अध्याहृतः) — ‘यूयम्’Root हु (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरसनम्): या | सुबाहुः | स्वङ्गुरिः | सुषूमा | बहुसूवरी | तस्यै | विश्पत्न्यै | हविः | सिनीवाल्यै | जुहोतन । विशेषम्: ‘स्व॑ङ्गु॒रिः’ = स्व-अङ्गुरिः (अ + अ → आ, परन्तु वैदिक-पाठे ‘स्वङ्गु-’ रूपं प्रचलितम्; अङ्गुरि-शब्दस्य संहितायां नासिक्य/अनुस्वार-सम्बन्धः)। ‘विश्पत्न्यै’ = विश् + पत्न्यै (समास; विशः ‘जनाः/कुलाः’)। ‘जुहोतन’ लोट्-बहुवचनम् (RV-प्रयोगः)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
She with beautiful arms and fingers, good yielding power, rich in many births—offer the oblation to that Lady of the people, to Sinīvālī.
Inner meaning
Sinīvālī is praised as skillful Shakti: ‘beautiful arms’ are capacities of effective action; ‘fine fingers’ are subtle discriminations and precise workings in the nature. ‘Suṣūmā’ (good yielding) indicates a power that brings forth without strain—creative ease. ‘Bahusūvarī’ is rich in many ‘sūvar’ births: repeated emergences of light/illumination. As ‘viśpatnī’ (lady of the people), she governs the collective parts of our being (the many ‘folk’ within: impulses, thoughts, desires), harmonizing them so the inner sacrifice can proceed.
Universal truth
The divine creative power is both strong and subtle: it acts with capacity and precision, bringing repeated births of light and organizing the inner multitude into a harmonious whole.
Themes
Feminine power of formation, Light-births (illumination), Community well-being
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (traditional stream association)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.1–2.43
Family tradition
Mantric craftsmanship: praising divine powers as inner faculties and directing offerings to stabilize their workings.
Significance
The rishi highlights the goddess’s dual nature—strength and finesse—essential for integral transformation: power must be precise to truly organize the ‘people’ of the nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Sinīvālī
- Epithets
- सुबाहुः (subāhuḥ) strong/beautiful-armed, स्वङ्गुरिः (svaṅguriḥ) fine-fingered, सुसूमा (suṣūmā) fruitful, बहुसूवरी (bahusūvarī) many-light-bearing, विश्पत्न्यै (viśpatnyai) lady of the people
- Related deities
- Rākā, Sarasvatī, Agni
Cosmic role
Mistress of formation and birth of light; organizer of multiplicity into a productive order.
Inner power
Precise creative Shakti that brings repeated illuminations and coordinates the parts of nature for right work.
In ritual
Where it is used
Offering to Sinīvālī in household fire rites; also applicable to collective well-being (family/community) intentions.
या सु॑बा॒हुः स्व॑ङ्गु॒रिः सु॒षूमा॑ बहु॒सूव॑री । तस्यै॑ वि॒श्पत्न्यै॑ ह॒विः सि॑नीवा॒ल्यै जु॑होतन ॥
या । सु॒ऽबा॒हुः । सु॒ऽअ॒ङ्गु॒रिः । सु॒ऽसूमा॑ । ब॒हु॒ऽसूव॑री । तस्यै॑ । वि॒श्पत्न्यै॑ । ह॒विः । सि॒नी॒वा॒ल्यै । जु॒हो॒त॒न॒ ॥
yā | su-bāhuḥ | su-aṅguriḥ | su-sūmā | bahu-sūvarī | tasyai | viśpatnyai | haviḥ | sinīvālyai | juhotana
32
4 × ~8 syllables
Clear, directive, and ritual-instructional; easy to memorize and repeat.
Gives a sense of practical consecration—turning praise into action (juhotana: ‘offer!’).
- सुबाहुः (subāhuḥ)
- Literal: beautiful/strong-armed. Symbolic: effective capacities of action guided by the soul
- स्वङ्गुरिः (svaṅguriḥ)
- Literal: fine-fingered. Symbolic: subtle skill, precision, discriminative touch in inner work
- सुसूमा (suṣūmā)
- Literal: good yielding/fruitful. Symbolic: creative ease; power that brings results without violent strain
- बहुसूवरी (bahusūvarī)
- Literal: rich in many ‘sūvar’ births. Symbolic: abundant emergences of illumination (svar) in the consciousness
- विश्पत्न्यै (viśpatnyai)
- Literal: lady of the clan/people. Symbolic: governing Shakti of the many parts of the being; organizer of the inner collective
- हविः (haviḥ)
- Literal: oblation. Symbolic: offered energy (attention, effort, desire) consecrated to transformation
Directive to officiants/participants to offer haviṣ to Sinīvālī for generative and luminous increase.
When seeking fruitful creation (projects, learning, family harmony) and repeated illuminations.
Make an offering (ghee/flowers) while reciting; mentally offer one’s capacities of action and skill.
Use before teamwork or creative work: dedicate skills (‘arms and fingers’) to a higher order; ask for many births of light (solutions/insights).
The bodily imagery (arms, fingers) is read as symbolic instrumentation of the Shakti: arms = capacity to act; fingers = fine shaping intelligence in works. bahu-sūvarī links to sūvar/svar ‘sun-light, luminous world’—fecundity as repeated births of illumination. viś-patnī situates the goddess as organizer of collective life-energy, not merely private fertility.
Shakti as formative power (hands/fingers imagery), Collective order (viś) under ṛta, Light as knowledge (svar/sūvar)
As viśpatnī she establishes ṛta among the many inner movements.
True skill serves truth; precision becomes a vehicle of satya in action.
Repeated births of light—creation as iterative illumination and formation.
Integral Yoga symbolism: Shakti organizing the ‘collective’ nature for supramentalized action (thematic).
dawn-to-daylight implication (births of light)
Sun/light = illumination; arms/fingers = faculties of action and fine mental-vital operations; ‘people’ = multiplicity of inner parts.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘crafting goddess’ whose limbs symbolize divine workmanship: she produces many ‘light-births’ (sūvar). The sacrifice is directed to the Power that turns life-force into illumined formation within the community (viś).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- patnī ‘lady’ relates to a wider Indo-European set around lordship/mastery (cf. Latin potis ‘able, powerful’ as a functional parallel; the exact derivational pathways differ but the social semantics are archaic). √hu in juhotana continues Indo-Iranian sacrificial vocabulary with deep antiquity in ritual speech-acts.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi shifts from personal request to communal instruction: ‘offer to her’. The devatā is approached as the collective mother-power who shapes both individual and social vitality into luminous productivity.
Consecrate skills and actions; invite repeated illuminations to guide practical life.
Maṇipūra (effective action) and Ājñā (precision/coordination)
Brisk-but-controlled breathing for 12 breaths, then steady; chant once per exhale for 8 rounds.
Active consecration—calm strength with precise attention.
Before action, offer (haviḥ) your capacities; visualize many small lights (bahu-sūvarī) arising in the mind, each becoming a clear next step.
Even anuṣṭubh flow; slight lift on descriptive epithets and a firm imperative on ‘juhotana’.
Emphasize: subāhuḥ | svaṅguriḥ | bahusūvarī | viśpatnyai | sinīvālyai | juhotana.
स्वङ्गुरिः svaṅguriḥ: nasal ṅ before g, बहुसूवरी bahusūvarī: long ū and clear v, विश्पत्न्यै viśpatnyai: cluster śp, then tnyai—articulate lightly but distinctly
firm, offering-tone; crisp consonants for the epithets.
7
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