Rig Veda 5.79.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 79, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.79
- Rishi
- Syāvāśva Ātreya
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अभि ये त्वा विभावरि स्तोमैर्गृणन्ति वह्नयः । मघैर्मघोनि सुश्रियो दामन्वन्तः सुरातयः सुजाते अश्वसूनृते ॥
abhí ye tvā vibhāvari stomáir gṛṇánti váhnayaḥ | magháiḥ maghoni suśríyo dā́manvantaḥ surātáyaḥ sujāta aśvasūnṛte ||
अभि ये त्वा विभावरि स्तोमैर्गृणन्ति वह्नयः । मघैर्मघोनि सुश्रियो दामन्वन्तः सुरातयः सुजात अश्वसूनृते ॥
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- ये
- who (those who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- you (acc.)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विभावरि
- O radiant one (Vibhāvarī)Noun (vocative epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (आह्वान/सम्बोधन)Root विभावरि (प्रातिपदिक; वि+भा ‘to shine’ से)
- स्तोमैः
- with hymns, with praisesNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot स्तोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- गृणन्ति
- they praise/singVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Root गृ (गृणाति) ‘to sing/praise’
- वह्नयः
- the bearers/priests (vahni-s)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघैः
- with gifts, with bountiesNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot मघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघोनि
- O bountiful oneAdjective (vocative epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (आह्वान/सम्बोधन)Root मघोनि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bounteous’)
- सुश्रियो
- very splendid, fair-gloriousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वैदिक रूप: -यो < -यः)Role KartāRoot सुश्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; सु+श्री)
- दामन्वन्तः
- possessing gifts/abodes (endowed)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot दामन्वन्त् (प्रातिपदिक; दामन् ‘gift/house’ + वन्त्)
- सुरातयः
- good givers / good giftsNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वैदिक रूप: -यः)Role KartāRoot सुराति (प्रातिपदिक; सु+राति ‘giving’)
- सुजाताः
- well-born, of good birthAdjective (past participial)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot सुजात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सु+√जन् ‘to be born’)
- अश्वसूनृते
- O (goddess) of horse(-gifts) and kindly truth / true friendlinessNoun (vocative compound epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (आह्वान/सम्बोधन)Root अश्वसूनृता (प्रातिपदिक; अश्व + सूनृता ‘kindly speech/true friendliness’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): अभि | ये | त्वा | विभावरि | स्तोमैः | गृणन्ति | वह्नयः | मघैः | मघोनि | सुश्रियो | दामन्वन्तः | सुरातयः | सुजाताः | अश्वसूनृते । मुख्य वैदिक विशेषता: सुश्रियो इति प्रथमा-बहुवचनस्य वैदिक रूप (क्लासिकल: सुश्रयः/सुश्रियः)
- सुजाताः इत्यत्र पाठे दीर्घस्वर-चिह्न/स्वरित-चिह्न केवल उच्चारण-लक्षणम्, पदरूपं ‘सुजाताः’ एव।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Those who praise you, O Radiant Dawn, with hymns—flame-bearers—become beautiful; through gifts they expand, O bounteous one, possessing right bonds, rich in good giving—O well-born, bringing swift force and glad speech.
Inner meaning
The ‘vahnayaḥ’ (bearers of the flame) are inner workers carrying Agni—the will and aspiration—who hymn the Dawn-illumination. When consciousness turns to Uṣas with true praise (stoma), the being becomes ‘suśriyaḥ’—beautifully formed, harmonized. ‘Maghaiḥ’ (gifts) are not merely outer donations but offerings of ego, desire, and effort into the sacrifice; by such giving the nature widens. ‘Dāmanvantaḥ’ indicates possessing the right bonds/links—inner disciplines and right connections that hold the energies in order. ‘Surātayaḥ’ are rich in true giving: the awakened being becomes a channel through which higher force and true speech flow.
Universal truth
Praise and aspiration are transformative when they are accompanied by real offering. Illumination responds to the flame-bearer; the result is harmony, wideness, and a life that gives truly.
Themes
Reciprocity of hymn and boon, Formation of the sacrificer, Increase through giving
The seer
- Rishi
- Syāvāśva Ātreya
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.79, RV 5.80, RV 5.81
Family tradition
Ātreya dawn-psalmody that links Uṣas with Agni-like aspiration (vahnayaḥ) and with the ethics of offering (magha).
Significance
He articulates the law of inner exchange: illumination grows where aspiration burns and surrender is real; beauty and wideness are signs of authentic dawn in the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Uṣas
- Epithets
- Vibhāvarī, Maghonī, Sujātā, Satyaśravasi (implied by refrain context)
- Related deities
- Agni (vahnayaḥ), Indra (widening by force), Vāyu (prāṇa movement)
Cosmic role
She rewards the rightly turned ones, enlarges their capacities, and establishes harmonious order for action.
Inner power
Power that responds to aspiration and surrender, shaping the nature into beauty and right linkage (dāman).
In ritual
Where it is used
Dawn praise by officiants/chanters; invocation for prosperity, right order, and successful works
अ॒भि ये त्वा॑ विभावरि॒ स्तोमै॑र्गृ॒णन्ति॒ वह्न॑यः । म॒घैर्म॑घोनि सु॒श्रियो॒ दाम॑न्वन्तः सुरा॒तय॒: सुजा॑त॒॑ अश्व॑सूनृते ॥
अ॒भि । ये । त्वा॒ । वि॒भा॒ऽव॒रि॒ । स्तोमैः॑ । गृ॒णन्ति॑ । वह्न॑यः । म॒घैः । म॒घो॒नि॒ । सु॒ऽश्रियः॑ । दाम॑न्ऽवन्तः । सु॒ऽरा॒तयः॑ । सुऽजा॑ते । अश्व॑ऽसूनृते ॥
abhi | ye | tvā | vibhāvari | stomaiḥ | gṛṇanti | vahnayaḥ | maghaiḥ | maghoni | su-śriyaḥ | dāman-vantaḥ | su-rātayaḥ | su-jāte | aśva-sūnṛte
48
4 × ~12
Energetic and descriptive; a slightly quicker forward roll suits the list of qualities and results.
Stirs aspiration and ethical resolve (to offer/give); leaves the listener feeling ‘brightened’ and organized.
- विभावरि (vibhāvari)
- Literal: radiant (she who brings light). Symbolic: illumination that dispels inner darkness
- स्तोमैः (stomaiḥ)
- Literal: with hymns/praises. Symbolic: mantric affirmation; conscious turning of mind toward the light
- वह्नयः (vahnayaḥ)
- Literal: bearers of the flame. Symbolic: aspirants carrying Agni (will) through the inner sacrifice
- सुश्रियः (suśriyaḥ)
- Literal: beautiful, fair, prosperous. Symbolic: harmonized formation of nature under illumination
- मघैः (maghaiḥ)
- Literal: by gifts. Symbolic: offerings/surrender; giving that widens consciousness
- मघोनि (maghoni)
- Literal: bounteous (f.). Symbolic: the luminous power that increases what is offered and returns multiplied force
- दामन्वन्तः (dāmanvantaḥ)
- Literal: possessing bonds/cords. Symbolic: right disciplines, inner linkages, ordered energies under ṛta
- सुरातयः (surātayaḥ)
- Literal: rich in good giving. Symbolic: becoming a channel of true generosity—force and truth flowing outward
- अश्वसूनृते (aśvasūnṛte)
- Literal: horse and glad word. Symbolic: dynamic energy + truth-delighting speech as fruits of awakening
Praise of Uṣas as the power that perfects the sacrificer’s formation (dāman) and generosity (rāti)
At dawn; in communal recitation; at the start of undertakings where harmony and right bonds are needed
Chanting with offerings (physical or inner); reaffirming vows/discipline (dāman)
Use as a practice of ‘inner offering’: chant, then consciously give up one reactive habit for the day; cultivate truthful speech.
vi-bhā from √bhā ‘shine’. stoma from √stu ‘praise’. √gṛ ‘sing’ (cf. ‘gṛṇāti’). maghá ‘gift, bounty’ (inner: capacity to widen being). dā́man ‘bond, cord, ordering tie’ (inner: formative law/structure). rāti ‘gift’ from √rā ‘give’.
śrī (harmonious splendour), rāti (true giving), formation/bond (dāman) as inner order akin to ṛta
Dāmanvantaḥ: energies bound rightly under ṛta; harmony is a cosmological as well as psychological order.
Sūnṛtā: speech that delights because it is true; satya embodied as vibration.
Illumination shaping formation: beauty (śrī) arises when light organizes the parts.
Integral psychology of sacrifice: exchange between higher light and human offering.
dawn
Flame = aspiration; dawn = responding illumination; gifts = surrender and self-offering; bonds = disciplines that hold the energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The myth of the hymn as a power that draws the goddess: praise ‘approaches’ Uṣas and she, in turn, perfects the praisers. Innerly, mantra is an instrument of alignment—by singing, the ‘bearers’ become vessels of śrī and right formation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhā ‘shine’ is widely attested in IE brightness vocabulary (cf. Slavic *běl- ‘white’ is not direct but in the same semantic field; more relevant is the general PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’ proposals). √stu ‘praise’ and √gṛ ‘sing’ reflect the inherited poetics of IE hymnody (formulaic praise as a performative act).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The relationship is transactional but inward: those who ‘carry’ the offering through speech become ‘suśrī’ and ‘surāti’—Uṣas refashions their nature. The devatā is thus an active shaper of the sādhanā, not merely a recipient of flattery.
Aspiration + offering: kindle inner Agni, invoke dawn-light, then practice one concrete act of giving (magha) and one act of truthful speech (sūnṛtā).
Maṇipūra (will/fire) and Viśuddha (truthful expression)
Kapalabhāti (mild, if suitable) to kindle ‘vahni’, followed by quiet breathing to receive ‘uṣas’ clarity
Energized clarity; disciplined harmony
Chant with the feeling of ‘carrying the flame’. After chanting, pause and ask: ‘What can I offer today that widens me?’ Then bind the day with one simple rule (dāman): e.g., no harsh speech.
Use Vedic accents; the vocatives (vibhāvari, maghoni, sujāte) should be clearly articulated with their marked tones.
Slightly quicken through descriptive compounds, but land firmly on vocatives; keep consonant clusters clean to preserve clarity.
vibhāvari: bh aspirated; long ā, stomair: ai diphthong; avoid ‘stomēr’, gṛṇanti: retroflex ṛ; nasal n+t, vahnayaḥ: vah-ni-yaḥ (not ‘vah-nyaḥ’), maghair: gh aspirated; ai diphthong, dāmanvantaḥ: long ā; nv cluster, surātayaḥ: long ā; tayaḥ clear, sujāte: long ā; dental t
Bright, confident, slightly more percussive articulation
3
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