Rig Veda 5.74.9: Mandala 5, Sukta 74, Mantra 9
Sukta 5.74
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
शमू षु वां मधूयुवास्माकमस्तु चर्कृतिः । अर्वाचीना विचेतसा विभिः श्येनेव दीयतम् ॥
śamū́ ṣú vāṃ madhūyuvāsmā́kam astu carkṛtíḥ | arvācīnā́ vicetasā víbhiḥ śyénā iva dīyatam ||
शमू षु वां मधूयुवास्माकमस्तु चर्कृतिः। अर्वाचीनाऽविचेतसा विभिः श्येनेव दीयतम्॥
Word by Word
- शम्
- well; auspiciously; for welfareIndeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्गवत्/निपात) ‘कल्याणार्थे’Root शम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक; PIE *ḱem- ‘calm/peace’)
- ऊँ
- indeed; O!Indeclinableनिपात (उद्गार/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)Root ऊँ (निपात)
- सु
- well; veryIndeclinableनिपात ‘सु-’ (सुदृढीकरण/शोभनार्थ)Root सु (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- वाम्
- you twoPronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी द्विवचन (वेदे ‘वाम्’ = ‘you two’ acc./gen.)Role Karma (with implied verb ‘be/come’ etc.)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मधूयुवा
- O you two honey-sweet/pleasant young onesAdjectiveसम्बोधन/प्रथमा द्विवचन (युगलदेवताविशेषण)Role Sambodhana (addressing the two deities) / Kartā (if taken as subject)Root मधु + युवन् (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्माकम्
- of us; ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive of possession)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्तु
- let it beVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ) परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole (copula)Root अस् (धातु)
- चर्कृतिः
- active doing; effective action; (our) well-wrought deedNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole Kartā/Predicate-noun (what is to be ‘be’)Root √कृ (धातु) → चर्कृति- (कृदन्त/नाम; intensive/reduplicated formation)
- अर्वाचीनाः
- turned hither; coming this wayAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (or adjectival to an implied plural subject)Role Kartā (as subject of ‘दीयतम्’)Root अर्वाचीन (प्रातिपदिक) < अवर्/अर्वाच् ‘towards here’
- विचेतसाः
- discerning; wiseAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (coordinated subject) / ViśeṣaṇaRoot वि- + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘discerning’
- विभिः
- with the birds (i.e., as with winged ones)Nounतृतीया बहुवचनRole Karaṇa (instrument/means)Root वि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bird’, esp. a flying creature) / or ‘विभि’ as instr. pl. of ‘वि’ in RV usage
- श्येनेव
- like (with the speed of) a falconNoun + Indeclinableश्येनः तृतीया एकवचन + इवRole Karaṇa/Upamāna (comparative instrument)Root श्येन (प्रातिपदिक) + इव (निपात)
- दीयतम्
- be bestowed; be granted; be givenVerbलोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (वेदे) आत्मनेपद/कर्मणि-प्रयोग, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचन ( ‘let (them) be given/let (them) be bestowed/let (you two) be granted (to us)’ )Root √दा (धातु) ‘to give’ (passive/impersonal injunctive/imperative usage in RV)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolution): शम् | ऊँ | सु | वाम् | मधूयुवा | अस्माकम् | अस्तु | चर्कृतिः | अर्वाचीनाः | विचेतसाः | विभिः | श्येनेव (= श्येन इव) | दीयतम् । मुख्य सन्धि: श्येन + इव → श्येनेव. अन्यत्र ‘षु’ पाठभेद/निपात-समूहः
- यहाँ शम् ऊँ सु (कल्याणार्थ-निपातसमूह) रूपेण पदच्छेदः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Atri asks the honey-youthful Aśvins to bring their active help for peace; turning toward us with discerning awareness, may they descend swiftly with their powers like a falcon.
Inner meaning
“Madhu” is delight/ananda that keeps the divine powers ever-young in our experience. The prayer seeks śam—inner peace as wholeness (integration), not mere quiet. The Aśvins’ vicetas (wide discernment) is the capacity to see what in us needs right adjustment; their descent ‘like a falcon’ is the sudden, precise intervention of higher force into the field of life, cutting through confusion.
Universal truth
True peace is dynamic: when higher discernment and delight act swiftly in us, harmony is established not by suppression but by right arrangement and timely intervention.
Themes
Invocation, Divine aid/healing, Swift descent of illumination, Psychological transformation, Soma-symbolism (madhu)
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.74 (Aśvin hymn sequence), RV 1.112 (Aśvin praise, thematic parallel though different rishi)
Family tradition
Ātreya Aśvin hymns often combine healing imagery with psychological integration: peace as wholeness and swift rescue.
Significance
Atri’s vision emphasizes the practical spirituality of the Veda: illumination must become effective help (carkṛti) that produces śam in embodied life.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvinau
- Epithets
- madhu-yuvā (honey-youthful), vicetas (wide-seeing), Dasrā (wondrous)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Soma, Sūrya, Indra
Cosmic role
Bringers of timely aid at thresholds (night-to-dawn, illness-to-health, confusion-to-clarity).
Inner power
Swift intuition joined with remedial action—precision descent that restores harmony.
In ritual
Where it is used
Aśvin invocation in morning offerings; general stotra for well-being and protection
शमू॒ षु वां॑ मधूयुवा॒स्माक॑मस्तु चर्कृ॒तिः । अ॒र्वा॒ची॒ना वि॑चेतसा॒ विभि॑: श्ये॒नेव॑ दीयतम् ॥
शम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । सु । वा॒म् । म॒धु॒ऽयु॒वा॒ । अ॒स्माक॑म् । अ॒स्तु॒ । च॒र्कृ॒तिः । अ॒र्वा॒ची॒ना । वि॒ऽचे॒त॒सा॒ । विऽभिः॑ । श्ये॒नाऽइ॑व । दी॒य॒त॒म् ॥
śam | oṃ iti | su | vām | madhu-yuvā | asmākam | astu | carkṛtiḥ | arvācīnā | vi-cetasā | vi-bh iḥ | śyenāiva | dīyatam
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4 × ~11; strong mid-pāda swing with a decisive closing
Quickening cadence suited to ‘swift descent’ imagery.
Energizes aspiration while calming the heart—dynamic peace rather than languor.
- śam
- Literal: peace, well-being. Symbolic: integral harmony; settled rightness in mind-life-body
- madhu-yuvā
- Literal: honey-youthful. Symbolic: ever-renewing delight-force (ānanda) that keeps aspiration fresh
- carkṛtiḥ
- Literal: active doing/help, activity. Symbolic: effective divine assistance; catalytic action that repairs and advances
- arvācīnā
- Literal: turned toward us, coming this way. Symbolic: grace that becomes inwardly near and personally operative
- vicetasā
- Literal: widely discerning. Symbolic: luminous discrimination that knows the right measure and timing
- vibhiḥ
- Literal: with powers, with distributions. Symbolic: multiple functional energies (healing, clarity, protection, right impulse)
- śyena
- Literal: falcon. Symbolic: swift, sure, high-sighted descent of intuition-force into action
Aśvin-śastra/Invocations connected to Soma rites: calling the Aśvins to the pressing and to the offering of sweet soma (madhu); used as an invitatory for their swift arrival and aid.
Dawn/morning; also in contexts seeking healing, safe passage, or auspicious beginnings.
Inviting the Aśvins’ powers to ‘turn toward’ the sacrificer and act effectively.
Chant before travel, medical treatment, or important decisions to invoke clear discernment and swift harmonizing action.
Key terms: śam ‘peace/auspicious settling’ from √śam (to be calm, pacify, bring to rest) → psychological sense: harmonizing the being into ṛta. madhu from √mad (to delight, be intoxicated) → ‘honey’ as sweetness of Ananda/rapture; yuvan ‘youth’ from √yu (to join, harness, set in motion) → fresh, active force. vi-cetas ‘wide/discerning mind’ from √cit (to perceive, notice) with vi- (apart, distinctly, widely) → luminous discrimination. śyena ‘falcon’ (swift raptor) used in RV as a carrier of soma/light: rapid descent/ascent of inspiration. carkṛtiḥ is a rare action-noun (intensive/reduplicated formation) conveying ‘effective doing/operation’; here the Aśvins’ practical intervention.
Ṛta (right order) via śam as harmonizing into truth-order, Ananda (madhu as delight/nectar), Viveka/discernment (vi-cetas)
vicetasā implies ṛta-knowledge: seeing the right order to restore it.
Peace arises when action aligns with truth of being, not with surface preference.
Descent of higher discernment into the active world; delight as a creative sustainer.
Integral yoga-compatible: ananda + discernment + effective action.
Pre-dawn to dawn
Honey = sweetness of consciousness; falcon descent = intuition’s rapid entry into mind-life for decisive right action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘swift coming’ of the divine twins, figured as the falcon (śyena), a standard RV image for rapid conveyance of soma/light/inspiration. Mythically it is the descent of saving powers; psychologically it is the quick irruption of illumined force into the seeker’s field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √cit ‘to perceive’ has clear Indo-European cognacy (cf. Latin ciēre in extended semantic fields, and PIE *ḱei-/ *ḱit- ‘to notice/know’ proposed in comparative work). √mad ‘to be glad/intoxicated’ aligns with Indo-Iranian semantic continuities where ‘honey/intoxication’ marks inspired rapture. The dual address vām preserves the archaic Indo-European dual number, central to the Aśvin pair.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet asks not for external gifts first, but for operative help (carkṛtiḥ) that establishes śam—inner right-settling. The reciprocity is: the human offers call/attention (havam implicit) and readiness; the Aśvins respond by turning hitherward (arvācīnā) with discerning powers (vicetasā vibhih), effecting a concrete transformation in the sacrificer’s consciousness.
Establish dynamic peace (śam) by inviting higher discernment to reorganize impulses.
Anāhata (peace/harmony) with Ājñā (discernment)
Inhale ‘śam ū ṣu vām’; exhale ‘śyeneva dīyatam’ imagining a swift descent of clarity.
Quietly alert, receptive, harmonizing.
After chanting, watch the mind for one precise intuitive directive; act on it gently—this is the Aśvin ‘falcon descent’ becoming practical.
Prefer traditional udatta/anudatta/svarita from a śākha source; otherwise keep a gentle rising pitch on key invocatory words (śam, madhu-yuvā, vicetasā).
Let ‘śam’ open softly; give a clean lift on ‘vicetasā’; land firmly on ‘dīyatam’.
‘madhūyuvā’ keep long ū in madhū; split: ma-dhū-yu-vā., ‘vicetasā’ vi-ce-ta-sā (clear dental t)., ‘śyeneva’ śye-ne-va (palatal ś; avoid ‘sye’).
Soothing but bright; articulate consonant clusters clearly.
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