Rig Veda 1.13.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 13, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.13
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Barhis / ritual preparation
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स्तृणीत बर्हिरानुषग्घृतपृष्ठं मनीषिणः । यत्रामृतस्य चक्षणम् ॥
stṛṇītá bárhir ānuṣág ghṛtápṛṣṭhaṃ manīṣíṇaḥ | yátrāmṛ́tasya cákṣaṇam ||
智者们啊，请依次铺陈圣草座（barhis），其背涂以酥油；在那里，得见不死（amṛta）的观照。
Word by Word
- स्तृणीत
- spread (you)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (वाक्य-क्रिया)Root स्तॄ (धातु) / स्तृ (वेद. रूप)
- बर्हिः
- the sacred grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot बर्हिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- आनुषक्
- in due order; successivelyIndeclinableअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)Role (क्रिया-विशेषण)Root अनुषक् (अव्यय)
- घृतपृष्ठम्
- having a ghee-backed surface; ghee-coveredAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (बर्हिः/बर्हिस्-सम्बद्धम्)Role KarmaRoot घृत-पृष्ठ (समास: कर्मधारय/बहुव्रीहि-प्राय)
- मनीषिणः
- O wise ones (thoughtful priests)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, बहुवचन (वेद. प्रयोग; ‘हे मनीषिणः’)Role KartāRoot मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinableअव्यय (देश/अधिकरणवाचक)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot यत्र (अव्यय)
- अमृतस्य
- of immortality; of the nectarNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्षणम्
- the sight/vision; the place of seeingNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot चक्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √चक्ष् ‘to see’ से)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: स्तृणीत | बर्हिः | आनुषक् | घृतपृष्ठम् | मनीषिणः | यत्र | अमृतस्य | चक्षणम् || 1) बर्हिरानुषक् = बर्हिः + आनुषक् (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः)
- 2) आनुषग्घृतपृष्ठम् = आनुषक् + घृतपृष्ठम् (क् + घ् → ग्घ्, परसवर्ण/संयोग-सन्धि)
- 3) यत्रामृतस्य = यत्र + अमृतस्य (अ + अ → आ, सवर्णदीर्घ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A directive to the officiants: “Spread the barhis (sacred grass-seat) in due order, with ghee on its back, O wise ones—there where the vision of immortality is.”
Inner meaning
The barhis is the prepared seat of consciousness—an ordered, receptive foundation in the being. “In succession” indicates progressive arrangement of inner states (calm, clarity, aspiration, surrender). “Ghee-backed” is the anointing of the seat with clarified essence: purified understanding and luminous delight that makes the inner ground smooth for divine presence. The ‘vision of immortality’ is the supramental/immortal seeing (amṛtasya cakṣaṇam): perception of the deathless truth behind mind and life.
Universal truth
Lasting transformation requires a prepared inner base: orderly attention and purified substance. When the inner seat is made luminous and steady, the perception of the deathless becomes accessible.
Themes
Ritual preparation, Seat for the gods, Clarified essence, Vision of immortality
The seer
- Rishi
- Medhātithi Kāṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.12, Rig Veda 1.13, Rig Veda 1.14
Family tradition
Kāṇva liturgical sequences often encode inner disciplines: purification, opening, invitation, and establishment of higher seeing.
Significance
Here the seer emphasizes that the divine coming depends on preparation: the ‘seat’ must be made fit—an early Vedic formulation of inner adhikāra (readiness).
The deity
- Devata
- Barhis (sacred seat / principle of receptivity)
- Epithets
- ghṛta-pṛṣṭha (ghee-backed), ānuṣak (ordered)
- Related deities
- Agni (who consecrates the seat), Viśve Devāḥ (who are seated), Soma (as ghee/essence symbolism of delight)
Cosmic role
The foundational support of the rite—space where gods are welcomed; in cosmos, the stable field that can hold higher forces.
Inner power
Receptivity and stability of consciousness; the capacity to ‘hold’ illumination without disturbance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Preparation of the barhis in the opening of a śrauta yajña (and broadly in Agni-led rites).
स्तृ॒णी॒त ब॒र्हिरा॑नु॒षग्घृ॒तपृ॑ष्ठं मनीषिणः । यत्रा॒मृत॑स्य॒ चक्ष॑णम् ॥
स्तृ॒णी॒त । ब॒र्हिः । आ॒नु॒षक् । घृ॒तऽपृ॑ष्ठम् । म॒नी॒षि॒णः॒ । यत्र॑ । अ॒मृत॑स्य । चक्ष॑णम् ॥
stṛṇīta | barhiḥ | ānuṣak | ghṛta-pṛṣṭham | manīṣiṇaḥ | yatra | amṛtasya | cakṣaṇam
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8+8+8
Instructional and precise; a measured laying-down rhythm matching ‘spreading’ and ‘ordering’.
Induces methodical calm; helps the mind arrange itself and become receptive.
- स्तृणीत (stṛṇīta)
- Literal: spread, strew. Symbolic: Prepare and lay out the inner foundation deliberately
- बर्हिः (barhiḥ)
- Literal: sacred grass-seat. Symbolic: Receptive seat/field of consciousness for the divine descent
- आनुषक् (ānuṣak)
- Literal: in due order, successively. Symbolic: Gradual, methodical harmonization of the inner instruments
- घृतपृष्ठम् (ghṛta-pṛṣṭham)
- Literal: ghee-backed, with ghee on its surface. Symbolic: Anointed with clarified essence—purified understanding and delight that supports the offering
- मनीषिणः (manīṣiṇaḥ)
- Literal: the wise, thinkers. Symbolic: Seer-mind faculties in us that can arrange consciousness rightly
- अमृतस्य (amṛtasya)
- Literal: of immortality. Symbolic: The deathless plane of being; divine consciousness beyond decay
- चक्षणम् (cakṣaṇam)
- Literal: seeing, vision. Symbolic: Direct perception/illumination, not mere belief
Preparation of the barhis before the arrival of the gods; a key step in establishing the 'seat' for divine powers in the rite.
After invoking Agni and before seating/inviting specific deities.
Strewing and anointing the barhis; establishing the divine seat.
Use as a ‘pre-meditation’ verse: consciously prepare posture, breath, and attention as the barhis; ‘anoint’ it with a felt sense of quiet joy and clarity.
√stṛ 'to spread' (stṛṇīta: imperative plural). barhis from a root meaning 'cover/spread' (ritual seat). ghṛta from √ghṛ 'to sprinkle/anoint' (clarified butter; symbolically clarified essence). amṛta a- + mṛta (√mṛ 'to die'): deathless. cakṣaṇa from √cakṣ 'to see' (PIE *kweks- 'see' suggested; compare Latin cōnspicere as functional parallel).
Rita (ordered arrangement: ānuṣak), Amṛta (immortality-consciousness), Darśana (vision/seeing as realization)
ānuṣak signals ṛta as sequential right arrangement; immortality is accessed through ordered consciousness.
cakṣaṇam is the movement from concept to direct truth-seeing.
Establishing a stable field for the descent—creation as making a ‘seat’ for the divine in matter/mind.
Integral-Vedāntic/Yogic hermeneutic: ritual forms as inner psychological operations.
Grass-seat = grounded stability; ghee = clarified essence (purified mind-substance, luminous delight) enabling higher vision.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The making of the divine seat: by spreading barhis in right order and anointing it with ghṛta, the seekers create the locus where immortality becomes visible—mythically, a prepared ground allows the deathless to enter perception.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- amṛta (deathless) mirrors a common IE formation with privative *n̥- (Skt a-) + 'mortal' (√mṛ). The imperative plural stṛṇīta reflects archaic injunctive/imperative ritual address patterns.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi addresses the officiants/inner faculties (manīṣiṇaḥ) as collaborators: divine descent depends on human preparation. The devatā is approached indirectly—by preparing its seat in consciousness.
Cultivate receptivity: make the mind a clean, ordered seat for higher light.
anāhata (inner space/seat)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to ‘lay out’ calm; on exhale feel smoothing/anointing of the inner field.
Quiet readiness and luminous receptivity.
Before mantra-japa or contemplation, arrange the body and attention in ‘successive’ steps; then evoke a subtle warmth/clarity (ghṛta) spreading over the mind as a protective sheen that supports steady seeing.
Follow Saṃhitā accents: maintain clear udātta on marked syllables; keep the imperative cadence crisp in stṛṇīta.
Let the first pāda feel like ‘laying down’ (even, grounded), and lift slightly into yatrāmṛtasya cakṣaṇam as the ‘seeing’ peak.
stṛṇīta: syllabic ṛ—short, rolled lightly; avoid ‘stri’., barhiḥ: final visarga is light; don’t turn it into ‘bars’., ghṛta: gh + ṛ (syllabic r); keep it compact., manīṣiṇaḥ: long ī; retroflex ṣ clear.
Soft, even, consecrating; as if smoothing a surface.
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