Rig Veda 7.49.4: Mandala 7, Sukta 49, Mantra 4
Sukta 7.49
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Āpaḥ, with invoked presences of Varuṇa, Soma, and Agni Vaiśvānara
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
यासु राजा वरुणो यासु सोमो विश्वे देवा यासूर्जं मदन्ति । वैश्वानरो यास्वग्निः प्रविष्टस्ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
yā́su rājā́ váruṇo yā́su sómo víśve devā́ yā́sū́rjaṃ mádanti | vaiśvānaráḥ yā́sv agníḥ práviṣṭas tā́ ā́po devī́r ihá mā́m avantu ||
யாரில் அரசன் வருணன் அரசாட்சி செய்கிறானோ, யாரில் சோமன் உள்ளானோ; யாரில் எல்லாத் தேவரும் ஊர்ஜ் (போஷண-வலிமை) பெருக்கில் மகிழ்கிறார்களோ; யாரில் வைஶ்வானர அக்னி புகுந்துள்ளானோ—அந்தத் திவ்ய ஆபः, அந்த நீர்த் தேவியர் இங்கே என்னைக் காக்கட்டும்.
Word by Word
- यासु
- in which (waters)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (यद्-प्रातिपदिकस्य स्त्री-रूपम्)Role अधिकरणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → या-
- राजा
- the kingNounपुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (राजा इति विशेष्यस्य)Root वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- यासु
- in whichPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot यद् → या-
- सोमः
- SomaNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (विश्वे इति विशेषणेन)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- यासु
- in whichPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot यद् → या-
- ऊर्जम्
- nourishment, strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ऊर्ज्/ऊर्जा (प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसक-रूपम्)
- मदन्ति
- rejoice / are exhilaratedVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनRole (अकर्मक-प्रयोगे) कर्तृ-क्रियाRoot मद् (धातु)
- वैश्वानरः
- Vaiśvānara (Agni as ‘belonging to all men’)Noun (Proper epithet)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वैश्वानर (प्रातिपदिक)
- यासु
- in whichPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot यद् → या-
- अग्निः
- AgniNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रविष्टः
- entered, having enteredParticipleभूतकृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot प्र-√विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- ताः
- thosePronounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → ता-
- आपः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (ताः इति सर्वनामेन सह)Root अप् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुवचन-प्रयोगः)
- देवीः
- goddesses, divineNoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकरण (देश)Root इह (अव्यय)
- माम्
- mePronounउत्तमपुरुष-प्रयोगः, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवन्तु
- may (they) protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनRole (सकर्मक) कर्तृ-क्रियाRoot अव् (धातु) [रक्षणे]
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-निरसन): यासु | राजा | वरुणः | यासु | सोमः | विश्वे | देवाः | यासु | ऊर्जम् | मदन्ति || वैश्वानरः | यासु | अग्निः | प्रविष्टः | ताः | आपः | देवीः | इह | माम् | अवन्तु || 1) यासूर्जम् → यासु + ऊर्जम् (उ + ऊ = ऊ; संहितायां दीर्घ-सन्धिः)
- 2) यास्वग्निः → यासु + अग्निः (उ + अ = व; उकारस्य वकारादेशः)
- 3) देवीरिह → देवीः + इह (विसर्गस्य रुत्व/रेफादेशः: ः + इ → र्)
- 4) प्रविष्टास्ता → प्रविष्टः + ताः (विसर्ग-लोपः/सन्धिः: ः + त → स्त)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The divine Waters within whom King Varuṇa is, within whom Soma is, in whom all the gods rejoice in strength (ūrj), into whom Vaiśvānara Agni has entered—may those waters protect me here.
Inner meaning
The Waters are presented as the integrative field of the yoga: Varuṇa (ṛta and wideness) establishes right order; Soma (delight) flows as immortalizing sweetness; all gods (multiple powers of consciousness) find joy in ūrj—inner nourishment and plenitude; and Agni Vaiśvānara (the universal fire, the will in all beings) has entered them, meaning the purifying flow is not passive but ignited by divine will. Protection arises when the seeker’s inner ‘waters’ (life-energy, feeling-substance, subconscious streams) are inhabited by these powers—order, delight, plenitude, and will.
Universal truth
Wholeness comes when the currents of life are pervaded by right order, delight, and awakened will; then all inner powers cooperate and life becomes protected and luminous.
Themes
Nature-praise as inner psychology, Purification, Integration of deities (Varuṇa–Soma–Agni) in the Waters, Protection/Grace
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.1–7.5 (Agni as inner priest and universal force), RV 7.86–7.89 (Varuṇa and ṛta), RV 7.95–7.96 (inspired flow akin to Sarasvatī)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s synthesis: Agni (will), Soma (delight), and Varuṇa (law/wideness) coordinated for integral protection.
Significance
This verse is a compact integral formula: right order + delight + plenitude + awakened will within the life-streams.
The deity
- Devata
- Āpaḥ (Waters) as integrative matrix; with Varuṇa, Soma, and Vaiśvānara Agni indwelling
- Epithets
- देवीः (devīḥ), āpaḥ as the ‘container’ of divine presences
- Related deities
- Varuṇa, Soma, Agni (Vaiśvānara), Viśve Devāḥ
Cosmic role
Waters as the universal medium where multiple deities operate together—law (Varuṇa), delight (Soma), will (Agni), and the collective powers (Viśve Devāḥ).
Inner power
Integration of psychic-vital substance: purification becomes joyful and energized, producing stable protection.
In ritual
Where it is used
Consecration of waters and protective invocations; water used as carrier of multiple divine powers in sacrifice
यासु॒ राजा॒ वरु॑णो॒ यासु॒ सोमो॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वा यासूर्ज॒॒ मद॑न्ति । वै॒श्वा॒न॒रो यास्व॒ग्निः प्रवि॑ष्ट॒स्ता आपो॑ दे॒वीरि॒ह माम॑वन्तु ॥
यासु॑ । राजा॑ । वरु॑णः । यासु॑ । सोमः॑ । विश्वे॑ । दे॒वाः । यासु॑ । ऊर्ज॑म् । मद॑न्ति । वै॒श्वा॒न॒रः । यासु॑ । अ॒ग्निः । प्रऽवि॑ष्टः । ताः । आपः॑ । दे॒वीः । इ॒ह । माम् । अ॒व॒न्तु॒ ॥
yāsu | rājā | varuṇaḥ | yāsu | somaḥ | viśve | devāḥ | yāsu | ūrjam | madanti | vaiśvānaraḥ | yāsu | agniḥ | pra-viṣṭaḥ | tāḥ | āpaḥ | devīḥ | iha | mām | avantu
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Mantric accumulation: repeated ‘yāsu… yāsu… yāsu…’ builds a layered pervasion.
Produces a sense of indwelling and fullness; the listener feels ‘filled’ with calm power.
- यासु (yāsu)
- Literal: in which (waters). Symbolic: the inner field/substance that can be inhabited by divine powers
- ऊर्जम् (ūrjam)
- Literal: strength, sap, nourishment. Symbolic: inner plenitude, right vitality, sustaining force of the sādhanā
- सोमः (somaḥ)
- Literal: Soma. Symbolic: divine delight, Ananda; immortalizing sweetness
- वैश्वानरः अग्निः (vaiśvānaraḥ agniḥ)
- Literal: universal fire. Symbolic: divine will in all; the inner leader that transforms and offers
- प्रविष्टः (praviṣṭaḥ)
- Literal: entered. Symbolic: pervasion/indwelling—divine will infusing the life-streams
- विश्वे देवाः (viśve devāḥ)
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: the many faculties/powers of awakened consciousness acting in harmony
Āpaḥ-prāśana / purification and consecratory water-rites; general Śrauta usage of ‘Waters’ verses for sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) and sanctification in Soma and Agni contexts
At the start of rites, during purification, or when invoking comprehensive protection and well-being.
Sanctifying water as a vessel of deities; sprinkling and offering with Agni/Soma/Āditya awareness.
Before meditation, keep a cup of water; chant and then sip as a symbolic ‘indwelling’ of order, delight, and will.
Key roots: √av ‘to protect, favor, further’ → avantu (benedictive/imperative sense). √mad ‘to rejoice, be intoxicated’ → madanti: indicates uplift/ecstasy when ūrj (√ūrj/ūrjā ‘sap, vigor, nourishment’) is active. Varuṇa from √vṛ ‘to cover, encompass’ (and semantic field of binding/order) supports the sense of vast law that ‘encloses’ and regulates. Vaiśvānara: viśva ‘all’ + nara ‘man/person’ → the universal fire present in all, hence an inner psychic-physical fire.
Ṛta (cosmic order) via Varuṇa, ānanda (delight) via Soma, inner purification and protection (āpaḥ as conscious flows)
Varuṇa’s presence in the waters indicates the law governing the flow of life-energy.
When these powers indwell, the waters become śuci—truth-clear; satya is embodied as stable rhythm.
Indwelling of divine powers into the manifest medium; transformation of the life-streams into a divine vessel.
Integral synthesis: multiple divine functions harmonized in a single field of practice.
twilight/night (suggested by Soma-moon imagery; not explicit)
Waters = life-substance; Agni in waters = will purifying emotions and subconscious; Soma in waters = bliss permeating life; Varuṇa in waters = right order regulating the flow.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Waters as womb of the gods’ mythologem: the Waters are not inert matter but a divine matrix in which Varuṇa’s sovereignty (ṛta), Soma’s delight, and Agni’s universal fire are established. The mythic action is the indwelling (praviṣṭa) of Agni in the Waters and the consequent protection/blessing to the human seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Varuṇa aligns with PIE *wel-/ *wer- semantic fields ‘to cover/enclose/bind’ (cf. Latin velum ‘cover’ as a loose semantic parallel), supporting the Vedic idea of encompassing law. √mad ‘rejoice/intoxicate’ has Indo-European correspondences in the semantic domain of ecstatic elevation. The relative-correlative structure (yāsu…tāḥ) is an inherited Indo-European poetic syntax used to define a sacred referent by its indwelling powers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- A reciprocity of indwelling and guardianship: the seer recognizes the Waters as conscious goddesses already hosting the cosmic powers (Varuṇa/Soma/Agni). In return for right recognition and invocation, the Waters are asked to ‘protect me here’—i.e., to stabilize ṛta and purify the embodied field so Soma’s delight and Agni’s will can operate safely and fruitfully.
Feel the inner waters (emotional/subtle substance) becoming a temple: wideness (Varuṇa), sweetness (Soma), and a steady flame of will (Vaiśvānara) entering and harmonizing.
Maṇipūra (Agni/will) integrating with Svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/vital flow); expansion toward Anāhata (joy and harmony).
Gentle ‘ujjayi-like’ soft throat breath to sense Soma-coolness with Agni-warmth balanced; keep it subtle.
Integrated fullness—quiet power with sweetness.
Chant, then visualize a small steady flame in the navel radiating into a cool clear lake in the lower abdomen; let both become one luminous substance.
Use the repeated ‘yāsu’ as a steady refrain; keep the melodic rise modest and consistent to convey indwelling.
Mark each ‘yāsu’ with a gentle emphasis; avoid speeding through the list of deities; conclude with a protective firmness on ‘avant u’.
: articulate vai-śvā-na-raḥ with clear śv conjunct., : retroflex ṣṭh at end; keep i short in -viṣ-., : long ū; soft rj conjunct.
Full, rounded tone; balanced warmth (Agni) and cool clarity (Āpaḥ/Soma).
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