Rig Veda 2.37.5: Mandala 2, Sukta 37, Mantra 5
Sukta 2.37
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अर्वाञ्चमद्य यय्यं नृवाहणं रथं युञ्जाथामिह वां विमोचनम् । पृङ्क्तं हवींषि मधुना हि कं गतमथा सोमं पिबतं वाजिनीवसू ॥
arvā́ñcam adyá yáyyaṃ nṛ-vā́haṇaṃ ráthaṃ yuñjāthām ihá vāṃ vi-mócanam | pṛṅktáṃ havī́ṃṣi mádhunā hí kaṃ gátam áthā sómaṃ pibatam vājinīvasū ||
วันนี้จงเทียมรถศึกที่แล่นมาข้างหน้า ผู้บรรทุกมนุษย์ ณ ที่นี้เพื่อการปลดปล่อยและการงานอันกว้างไกลของท่านทั้งสอง. จงผสมเครื่องบูชาด้วยความหวานดุจน้ำผึ้ง; จงมาสู่เสียงเรียกของเราโดยแท้; แล้วจงดื่มโสมะ (Soma) เถิด โอ้ผู้มั่งคั่งด้วยพลังและความอุดมสมบูรณ์.
Word by Word
- अर्वाञ्चम्
- hitherward (turned toward us)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अर्वाञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक) < अवर्/अर्व् ‘नीचे/इधर’ + अञ्च् ‘मुख/दिशा’
- अद्य
- today, nowIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अद्य (अव्यय)
- यय्यम्
- swift-going, fit to goAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot यय्य (प्रातिपदिक) < √या ‘गमन’ (ययि/यय्य ‘going, to be driven/going swiftly’)
- नृवाहणम्
- man-bearing (bearing heroes/men)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot नृ-वाहण (प्रातिपदिक) < नृ ‘पुरुष’ + √वह् ‘वहन’
- रथम्
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- युञ्जाथाम्
- yoke (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √युज् (युजँ) ‘योजन/युग्मन’
- इह
- hereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इह (अव्यय)
- वाम्
- of you two / you twoPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी) / कर्म (यदि द्वितीया)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- विमोचनम्
- release, unyoking (loosening)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वि-मोचन (प्रातिपदिक) < वि + √मुच् ‘मोचन’
- पृङ्क्तम्
- mix, blend (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन (वेदिक रूप; ‘mix/prepare you two’)Role (क्रिया)Root √पृच्/पृङ्क् (वेदिक) ‘मिश्रण/संयोजन’
- हवींषि
- oblationsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुना
- with honey/sweetnessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातRole (सम्बन्ध/बलार्थ)Root हि (अव्यय)
- कम्
- whom/whichPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (वेदिक ‘कं’ = ‘कं/क’ ‘whom/which’)Role कर्मRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- गतम्
- gone, come (having gone)Participleभूतकृत् (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म/विशेषणRoot √गम् ‘गमन’ → गत (कृदन्त)
- अथ
- thenIndeclinableक्रमवाचक निपातRole (सम्बन्ध)Root अथ (अव्यय)
- सोमम्
- Soma (the pressed drink)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- पिबतम्
- drink (you two)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √पा ‘पान’
- वाजिनीवसू
- O Vājinīvasū (you two rich in prize/strength)Noun (vocative epithet)सम्बोधन, द्विवचन (अश्विनौ), पुंलिङ्गRole सम्बोधनRoot वाजिनी-वसु (समास-प्रातिपदिक) < वाजिनी ‘possessing prize/strength, having steeds’ + वसु ‘good/wealthy’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विच्छेद): अर्वाञ्चम् | अद्य | यय्यम् | नृवाहणम् | रथम् | युञ्जाथाम् | इह | वाम् | विमोचनम् || पृङ्क्तम् | हवींषि | मधुना | हि | कम् | गतम् | अथ | सोमम् | पिबतम् | वाजिनीवसू । प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) युञ्जाथामि॒ह → युञ्जाथाम् + इह (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि; म् + इ) । (2) वां वि॒मोच॑नम्: वाम् (एन्क्लिटिक) + विमोचनम् (पदसीमा पर अनुनासिक/अनुस्वार-लेखन भेद) । (3) ग॒तमथा॒ → गतम् + अथ (म् + अ) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Invocation to the Aśvins: yoke today the forward-coming chariot that carries men; come to our call; mix the offerings with honeyed sweetness; then drink the Soma, O lords of abundant force.
Inner meaning
The Aśvins are swift twin powers of help and harmonious action—divine physicians of the journey. The ‘chariot that bears the human’ is the embodied life-vehicle (mind-life-body) meant to carry the soul forward. To ‘yoke’ it is to align the energies so the divine helpers can work freely (‘vimocanam’: release, loosening of knots). ‘Honey’ (madhu) is the sweetness of a harmonized vital—offerings become palatable to the gods when our energies are made glad, sincere, and unified. Their Soma-drinking indicates the descent of Ananda into the active life, not only into contemplation: the twin powers bring swift, practical transformation and a wide working here (iha).
Universal truth
Progress requires both aspiration and skilled assistance: swift discernment and effective action. When life-energies are sweetened (purified and harmonized), divine help can enter and release the knots that bind the journey.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Invocation, Divine aid in inner journey, Liberation/unbinding, Delight as sacrificial power
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (traditionally associated with Gṛtsamada’s line)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.12 (Indra: illumination and victory), RV 2.16 (Indra: release of the cows/rays), RV 2.33 (Rudra: healing and protection)
Family tradition
Mandala 2’s Gṛtsamada cycle is marked by energetic invocations and practical divine help—establishing the gods’ workings in human life and battle with obstruction.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s voice here calls for swift divine intervention and release—an applied yoga of transformation in action, not withdrawal.
The deity
- Devata
- Aśvins
- Epithets
- Vājinīvasū, Nāsatyā (often), Dasrā (often)
- Related deities
- Uṣas (dawn), Sūrya/Savitṛ (impulsion), Indra (force of illumination)
Cosmic role
Twin dawn-riders and healers who rescue, restore, and bring right functioning; mediators between night and day, inertia and movement.
Inner power
Rapid harmonization of prāṇa and mind; healing of splits; practical guidance that releases blockages and enables forward motion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering to the Aśvins; invitatory for their arrival and Soma-drinking.
अ॒र्वाञ्च॑म॒द्य य॒य्यं॑ नृ॒वाह॑णं॒ रथं॑ युञ्जाथामि॒ह वां॑ वि॒मोच॑नम् । पृ॒ङ्क्तं ह॒वींषि॒ मधु॒ना हि कं॑ ग॒तमथा॒ सोमं॑ पिबतं वाजिनीवसू ॥
अ॒र्वाञ्च॑म् । अ॒द्य । य॒य्य॑म् । नृ॒ऽवाह॑नम् । रथ॑म् । यु॒ञ्जा॒था॒म् । इ॒ह । वा॒म् । वि॒ऽमोच॑नम् । पृ॒ङ्क्तम् । ह॒वींषि । म॒धु॒ना । आ । हि । क॒म् । ग॒तम् । अथ॑ । सोम॑म् । पि॒ब॒त॒म् । वा॒जि॒नी॒व॒सू॒ इति॑ वाजिनीऽवसू ॥
arvāñcam | adya | yayyam | nṛ-vāhanam | ratham | yuñjāthām | iha | vām | vi-mocanam | pṛṅktam | havīṃṣi | madhunā | ā | hi | kam | gatam | atha | somam | pibatam | vājinīvasūitivājinī-vasū
44
4 × 11 syllables (typical cadence; verse moves in strong triṣṭubh gait)
Swift, inviting, kinetic; suited to the Aśvins’ rapid arrival.
Stimulates energy and forward motion; good for breaking tamas and summoning help.
- अश्विनौ (implied, dual address)
- Literal: the Aśvins. Symbolic: twin powers of swift help—illumined action and healing harmony
- रथम् (ratham)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: the life-instrument (mind-life-body) carrying the evolving being
- नृवाहनम् (nṛvāhanam)
- Literal: man-bearing. Symbolic: the vehicle of human journey; embodied consciousness in motion
- विमोचनम् (vimocanam)
- Literal: release/loosening. Symbolic: liberation from knots of habit, fatigue, depression, and obstruction
- मधुना (madhunā)
- Literal: with honey/sweetness. Symbolic: harmonized vital sweetness; glad sincerity that makes offering acceptable
- सोमम् (somam)
- Literal: Soma. Symbolic: divine delight empowering action
- वाजिनीवसू (vājinīvasū)
- Literal: rich in prizes/force-wealth. Symbolic: powers abundant in effective energies (vāja) and luminous resources
Soma-yajña context: Aśvin invitation (āhvāna) and Soma-drinking; usable in Agniṣṭoma-related sequences where the Aśvins are called to the pressing and offered madhu/Soma as delight-essence.
At Aśvin-related Soma offerings or morning sequences where their swift aid is invoked.
Invitation (āvāhana), preparation of offerings (havis) and Soma-cup drinking.
Use before starting a demanding task/travel/health-recovery practice: align the ‘chariot’ (posture, breath, intention) and invoke swift harmonizing help.
Key roots: √yuj ‘to yoke, join’ (: 2nd dual imperative, present); √muc ‘to release’ with vi- ‘apart, asunder’ (-: ‘unbinding’, psychological liberation); √pṛc/√pṛñc ‘to mix, sprinkle, blend’ (: 2nd dual imperative; harmonizing the offering); madhu ‘honey/sweetness’ from a PIE honey-word set (cf. English ‘mead’), here symbolically ‘delight’ that refines the oblation; vāja ‘strength, prize, plenitude’ (semantic range supports ‘force-fullness’ rather than mere food); vasu ‘good, wealth, substance’ (inner ‘richness of being’). implied by dual address and epithet : typically the Aśvins (twin powers of swift help and luminous vitality).
Rita (right order enacted through proper yoking and sequence: invitation → offering → Soma-drinking), Ananda (madhu/Soma as delight-consciousness), Mokṣa-like release (vi-mocana as unbinding of inner knots)
Right movement and right timing of arrival (‘arvāñcam… adya’) reflect ṛta as dynamic order.
Truth here is functional integrity—life becomes true when its energies are yoked and freed from knots.
From obstruction to liberated motion; sweetness (madhu) as the reconciler of energies.
Integral (Aurobindo): Ananda and divine help enter active life; liberation includes effective works.
morning (Aśvins’ typical advent)
Morning = awakening; horses/chariot = vital energies and life-vehicle; honey = harmonized vital sweetness; Soma = delight-force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘arrival of the Twin Horsemen by chariot’ and their Soma-drinking: a recurring mythic action where the Aśvins, swift rescuers, are summoned to descend into the human field. Psychologically, the chariot is the prepared instrument; the twins are the paired powers (vital-physical or prāṇic-mental harmonizers) that bring release (vi-mocana) and restore right functioning through delight (madhu/Soma).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu aligns with the PIE honey/mead lexeme (*médʰu-), widely attested (Skt. mádhu, Av. maδu-, Eng. mead). √yuj ‘yoke’ continues PIE *yeug- (cf. Latin iugum ‘yoke’, English yoke). The chariot complex (rátha) participates in the Indo-European poetic and ritual imagery of the divine vehicle and the ‘yoking’ formulae.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity is explicit: the seer prepares the vehicle and sweetens the offerings (pṛṅktam havīṃṣi madhunā), while the devatā are asked to ‘come’ and ‘drink’—i.e., to enter the human formation and energize it. The ‘gift’ is not material but a refined oblation of consciousness; the return is vi-mocana, a loosening of inner bonds and an increase of vāja/vasu—force and fullness of being.
Invoke twin powers: (1) clear perception, (2) effective healing action—yoke them to the life-vehicle.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (vital sweetness/madhu) and Maṇipūra (drive/forward motion).
Brisk-energetic: 12–24 rounds of gentle kapalabhāti or faster ujjāyī (if appropriate), then calm breathing while repeating the mantra.
Alert, forward-moving, helped and protected.
Feel the ‘chariot’ as spine and breath aligned; offer the day’s actions as havis ‘mixed with honey’ (no harshness, no ego); then rest a moment in Soma-sweetness before acting.
Observe udātta marks in the saṃhitā (e.g.,, ); keep a crisp triṣṭubh pulse; avoid elongating into melody.
Make a clear lift on imperatives (,,, ). Pause lightly at the danda to keep the invitation energetic.
Cluster ‘nṛvāhaṇam’ with vocalic ṛ and clear ṇ, ‘vājinīvasū’ has long ī and ū; keep retroflex ṇ in vājinī, ‘pṛṅktam’ has nasal ṅk; do not simplify to ‘priktam’
Bright, calling, forward; end with a warmer tone on ‘somam pibatam’.
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