Rig Veda 7.91.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 91, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.91
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Vāyu
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
पीवोअन्नाँ रयिवृधः सुमेधाः श्वेतः सिषक्ति नियुतामभिश्रीः । ते वायवे समनसो वि तस्थुर्विश्वेन्नरः स्वपत्यानि चक्रुः ॥
pī́vo-annā́n rayivṛ́dhaḥ sumedhā́ḥ śvétáḥ siṣakti niyútām abhiśrī́ḥ | té vāyáve sámanaso ví tasthur víśven nárāḥ svapatyā́ni cakruḥ ||
வலிமை தரும் அன்னத்தில் செழித்தவர்கள், ரயியைப் பெருக்கும்ோர், சுமேதைகள்—யோகிக்கப்பட்ட ‘நியுத’ (இணைக்கப்பட்ட சக்திகள்) மீது வெண்மை ஒளி ‘அபிஷ்ரீ’யாக ஒட்டிக் கிடக்கிறது. அவர்கள் வாயுவிற்காக ஒரே மனத்துடன் உறுதியாக நிற்கின்றனர்; இந்நரர்கள் ‘ஸ்வபத்ய’ (உரிமை/சுய-ஆட்சி) சார்ந்த எல்லாச் செயல்களையும் வடித்துள்ளனர்.
Word by Word
- पीवः
- rich, abundantAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्) / विषय-विशेषणRoot पीवस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘fat, rich, abundant’)
- अन्नान्
- foods, provisionsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अन्न- (प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिवृधः
- increasing wealthAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्)Root रयि-वृध- (बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष; ‘wealth-increasing’)
- सुमेधाः
- wise, of good insightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्)Root सु-मेधस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘good-witted, wise’)
- श्वेतः
- white, brightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्)Root श्वेत- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सिषक्ति
- attaches, yokes, joinsVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRole KriyāRoot सञ्ज्/सज् (धातु; ‘to attach, yoke, join’) → सिषक्ति (वेद. पुनरुक्त/इंटेन्सिव्-प्रयोगः)
- नियुताम्
- teams (of steeds), yokesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot नियुत्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘yoking, team, pair’; here ‘teams/harnessings’)
- अभिश्रीः
- (with) splendour, gloryNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन/सहचर्येण) / सहभावRoot अभि-श्री- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘splendour, glory’ with अभि-)
- ते
- theyPronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- वायवे
- to/for VāyuNoun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot वायु- (प्रातिपदिक)
- समनसः
- like-mindedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्)Root स-मनस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘of one mind, like-minded’)
- वि
- apart, forthIndeclinableउपसर्गः (क्रियाविशेषणम्)Role Kriyā-viśeṣaṇaRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- तस्थुः
- they stood, took their stationsVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot स्था (धातु) → तस्थुः (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट)
- विश्वे
- allAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole Kartā (सम्बन्धेन विशेषणम्)Root विश्व- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नरः
- men, heroesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot नर- (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वपत्यानि
- their own possessions/household goodsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot स्व-पत्य- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘one’s own lordship/offspring/household’; neut. pl. as ‘one’s own possessions/household goods’)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थकRole SamuccayaRoot च (अव्यय)
- चक्रुः
- they made, fashionedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot कृ (धातु) → चक्रुः (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविच्छेद): पीवो॑अन्नाँ → पीवः + अन्नान् (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: अकारादौ ‘ः’ → ‘ो’)
- रयि॒वृध॑: → रयिवृधः (विसर्गः पदान्ते)
- नि॒युता॑मभि॒श्रीः → नियुताम् + अभिश्रीः (म् + अ → म्-अ, संहितायां ‘म’ परे ‘अ’)
- ते वा॒यवे॒ → ते + वायवे (सन्धिरहितं)
- सम॑नसो॒ वि त॑स्थुः → समनसः + वि + तस्थुः
- विश्वेन्नर॑: → विश्वे + नरः (ए + न → एन्, ‘ए’ परे ‘न’ आगमे ‘एन्’)
- स्वप॒त्यानि॑ → स्वपत्यानि (सन्धिरहितं)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The well-nourished, wealth-increasing, wise ones: white splendour attaches itself to the yoked teams. For Vāyu they stand firm with one intention; these men accomplish all works of good mastery and rightful possession.
Inner meaning
When the inner seekers become “well-fed” by the substance of the sacrifice (right energies and right enjoyment), their understanding grows luminous (su-medhāḥ). Then the śveta abhiśrīḥ—white, purifying radiance—spontaneously clings to the niyutām, the disciplined yoked life-forces. Standing “for Vāyu” means the whole being is poised in the movement of prāṇa and the Vast (vāta/vāyu), harmonised and made unanimous (samanasaḥ). Out of that unanimity arises svapatya: true self-rule—an ordered mastery of thought, life, and act.
Universal truth
Purity and inner unanimity make energy obedient to the soul’s intention; when the vital is rightly yoked, a natural radiance forms around action, and life becomes capable of true self-governance rather than compulsion.
Themes
Purification, Yoking of energies, Self-mastery, Increase of plenitude, Vayu dynamics
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.18 (Vasiṣṭha and Indra), RV 7.33 (Vasiṣṭha, the rivers, and the forward movement), RV 7.76–7.77 (Uṣas: illumination and awakening themes)
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭhāḥ of Maṇḍala 7; hymns stressing ṛta (right order), inner harmony, and the shaping of a truthful life-force.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha represents the seer of settled clarity and right arrangement (vasiṣṭha = ‘most excellent’), guiding the transformation of vital energies into instruments of ṛta through luminous intelligence and harmony.
The deity
- Devata
- Vāyu
- Epithets
- Śuci-pā (pure-drinker, in the Indra–Vāyu cycle), Niyutvān (possessor of yoked teams), Prāṇa (life-breath, implicit)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind), Agni (divine will), Soma (bliss/nectar)
Cosmic role
Mover of the worlds; distributor of breath and dynamic currents; swift carrier of offerings to the gods.
Inner power
Regulates and uplifts prāṇa—turning restless vital motion into a clear, obedient, upward-flowing force that supports illumination and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra–Vāyu offerings in Soma-yajña (e.g., morning pressing context)
पीवो॑अन्नाँ रयि॒वृध॑: सुमे॒धाः श्वे॒तः सि॑षक्ति नि॒युता॑मभि॒श्रीः । ते वा॒यवे॒ सम॑नसो॒ वि त॑स्थु॒र्विश्वेन्नर॑: स्वप॒त्यानि॑ चक्रुः ॥
पीवः॑ऽअन्नान् । र॒यि॒ऽवृधः॑ । सु॒ऽमे॒धाः । श्वे॒तः । सि॒ष॒क्ति॒ । नि॒ऽयुता॑म् । अ॒भि॒ऽश्रीः । ते । वा॒यवे॑ । सऽम॑नसः । वि । त॒स्थुः॒ । विश्वा॑ । इत् । नरः॑ । सु॒ऽअ॒प॒त्यानि॑ । च॒क्रुः॒ ॥
pīvaḥ-annān | rayi-vṛdhaḥ | su-medhāḥ | śvetaḥ | siṣakti | ni-yutām | abhi-śrīḥ | te | vāyave | sa-manasaḥ | vi | tasthuḥ | viśvā | it | naraḥ | su-apatyāni | cakruḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (triṣṭubh cadence with strong mid-line caesura)
Firm, forward-driving, suited to invocation and establishing a stance (vi tasthur).
Creates steadiness and unanimity; the listener feels ‘yoked’ and collected, with a brightening clarity around the breath-current.
- पीवः (pīvaḥ)
- Literal: fat, full, well-nourished. Symbolic: inner being nourished by right substance (soma/anna) and steady practice
- अन्न (anna)
- Literal: food. Symbolic: substance of experience offered and transmuted into strength
- रयिवृधः (rayivṛdhaḥ)
- Literal: increasers of wealth/plenitude. Symbolic: powers that enlarge consciousness and its fruitful capacities
- सुमेधाः (sumedhāḥ)
- Literal: good in understanding. Symbolic: clear discerning intelligence aligned to the Truth
- श्वेत (śveta)
- Literal: white, bright. Symbolic: purifying light; sattvic radiance
- अभिश्रीः (abhiśrīḥ)
- Literal: surrounding splendour/beauty. Symbolic: aura of harmony and luminous order around the yoked energies
- नियुत् (niyut)
- Literal: yoked team (esp. of Vāyu). Symbolic: disciplined life-forces/prāṇic currents brought under conscious yoking
- वायवे (vāyave)
- Literal: to Vāyu. Symbolic: to the Power of Life-breath and the Vast; the mover of inner currents
- समनसः (samanasaḥ)
- Literal: of one mind. Symbolic: integrated will—thought, feeling, and life consenting to one aim
- स्वपत्य (svapatya)
- Literal: good lordship/own mastery. Symbolic: self-possession; sovereignty of the soul over nature
Soma hymn: describing the formation of harmonized energies (niyut) and the arising of luminous splendor as prerequisites for divine enjoyment and boons
During Soma pressing sequences where Indra–Vāyu/Vāyu are invited to drink and empower the rite
Invocatory recitation while offering Soma and seating the deities on barhis (ritual grass/seat)
Breath-centered recitation before meditation to unify mind and prāṇa; use as a ‘yoking’ mantra before focused work or sādhanā.
pīva ‘fat, swelling’ → abundance; anná ‘food’ inwardly as ‘nourishment of force’. rayi-vṛdh from rāyí + √vṛdh ‘increase’ = growth of plenitude. sumedhā from su- + medhā (intelligence, from √medh/√man semantic field). siṣakti likely from √saj ‘cling, attach’ (cf. saktá). √sthā (tasthur) from PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’. √kṛ (cakruḥ) from PIE *kwer- ‘do, make’. svapatya (su-patya) is ‘good lordship’—psychologically self-mastery and right governance of one’s energies.
harmonized mind (samanas), self-mastery (svapatya), plenitude (rayi) through right ordering of energies
Unanimous standing (samanasaḥ vi tasthur) expresses the alignment of inner movements to ṛta.
svapatya implies truthful self-possession—actions proceeding from the soul’s truth rather than desire.
Ordering of the many forces into a single consenting movement; emergence of light (śveta) from disciplined energy.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo): gods as powers of consciousness and transformation.
morning (typical Indra–Vāyu/Soma association)
Breath-current purified and yoked, producing a stable luminous aura and effective self-mastery.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘white splendor’ attaching to the yoked niyuts: a mythic sign that when the life-energies are disciplined and harmonized, luminous glory naturally adheres. The human agents (naraḥ) then ‘make’ svapatya—right lordship—i.e., inner sovereignty.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- tasthur < PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’; cakruḥ < PIE *kwer- ‘make/do’. The verse uses inherited IE perfect forms to mark accomplished inner states: ‘they have stood’ (stability) and ‘they have made’ (effective formation).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi shows the human side of the reciprocity: harmonized seekers establish themselves for Vāyu (life-force) and accomplish self-mastery; the devata’s response is the adhesion of śveta-abhiśrī (purified splendor) to their yoked energies—confirming the rite’s inner success.
Unify mind and breath; yoke scattered vital energies to a single intention aligned with truth.
Anāhata (breath harmony) and Ājñā (unanimity of will and vision)
Nādī-śodhana or gentle sama-vṛtti; feel the ‘white radiance’ settling around the breath after exhale.
Collected, luminous, governed (self-possessed) vitality.
Chant slowly for steadiness; then sit and observe prāṇa becoming smooth and obedient. Offer one habitual impulse into the ‘inner sacrifice’ and replace it with a chosen truthful action.
Vedic accenting with udatta on marked syllables; observe svarita on combined accents per śākhā tradition (audio-lineage dependent).
Keep each pāda clearly separated; emphasize the lift on key words (śvetaḥ, niyutām, vāyave, samanaso).
Maintain retroflex ṭh in (tasthuḥ) with clear aspiration, Hold nasalization in (annām̐) lightly, not as a full ‘n’, Pronounce niyutām with short ‘ni-’ and clear ‘yu’ glide
Clear, steady, slightly bright timbre to evoke śveta (purity).
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