Rig Veda 4.31.1: Mandala 4, Sukta 31, Mantra 1

Sukta 4.31

Devata: Indra (implied by śacī, maghavan context in the hymn)

Samhita Patha (Devanagari)

कया नश्चित्र आ भुवदूती सदावृधः सखा । कया शचिष्ठया वृता ॥

Sanskrit recitationRig Veda 4.31.1

Transliteration

kayā́ naś citrá ā́ bhuvad ūtī́ sadā́vṛdhaḥ sákhā | kayā́ śáciṣṭhayā vṛtā́ ||

Translation

By what bright help will our ever-increasing Friend come to us—by what most potent force of wisdom and effective power, choosing us for the right working?

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Word by Word

• कया: by which (means/way)?
• कया: करण
• Type: Pronoun/Interrogative adjective
• Root: क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) + या (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)

• नः: to us / for us
• नः: सम्प्रदान
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)

• चित्रः: the bright/wondrous one
• चित्रः: कर्ता
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• आ: hither, towards
• आ: —
• Type: Indeclinable (preverb/particle)
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)

• भुवत्: may he become / did he become
• भुवत्: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)

• ऊती: help, aid
• ऊती: कर्ता (predicate-noun with भुवत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊति (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)

• सदावृधः: ever-increasing (ever-growing)
• सदावृधः: कर्ता (apposition to चित्रः)
• Type: Adjective (bahuvrīhi-like epithet)
• Root: सदा (अव्यय) + वृध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘growing/strengthening’)

• सखा: friend
• सखा: कर्ता (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखि/सखा (प्रातिपदिक)

• कया: by which (means/way)?
• कया: करण
• Type: Pronoun/Interrogative adjective
• Root: क (किम्) + या

• शचिष्ठया: by the most powerful / most effective (power)
• शचिष्ठया: करण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शचिष्ठ (superlative adj. from शचि/शक्ति/शच्- ‘power, might, skill’ as Vedic epithet)

• वृता: chosen, selected
• वृता: कर्ता/विशेषण (of the aid)
• Type: Participle (past passive) used adjectivally
• Root: वृत (PPP from √वृ ‘to choose, to select’)