Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 47 & 48

We shall discuss the hymns, Sukta wise & Mandala wise. Our focus is on the implicit meaning of the various hymns instead of literal translations of the hymns. These purported meanings are based primarily on the English translations by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati of the works done by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
 
Highlights –
In Sukta 47, importance of knowledge and role of heads are defined. The heads should destroy misery and increase the prosperity of their juniors. They should construct aeroplanes & other vehicles to travel distant places.
 
In Sukta 48, importance of dawn and women are highlighted. As dawn dispels darkness and brings light and happiness, chaste women bring prosperity and happiness in the family. It is highlighted that the marriage of the bridegrooms should be arranged with the brides of distant places, so that the love between them may ever grow. Those men who sitting in a quiet and pure solitary place, practice nine parts of Yoga including Sanyama, become siddhas, pure in mind word and deed. Those who associate with them and serve them also purify their minds and become seekers after Atma (God and Soul) and Yoga.
 
The hymn wise, purported explanations –
 
Mandala 1 – Sukta – 47

1. The President of the Assembly and other officers of the State should take the essence of the herbs and being mighty should increase the prosperity of their subjects.
2. Men should visualize the practical activities along with the theoretical scientific knowledge and then should accomplish all dealings.
3. As the sun and air dispel darkness and help in the growth of Soma and other plants, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly and commander of the army destroy misery and increase the wealth or prosperity by making proper arrangements for their growth.
4. As men can go everywhere after acquiring knowledge from the learned people, manufacturing various vehicles and combining water in proper proportion, they cannot do so otherwise.
5. The President of the Assembly and the commander of the Army should protect their subjects and their armies incessantly as they preserve their own wealth.
6. The Officers of the State like the President of the Assembly and others should obtain much wealth for the welfare of the army and the people should manufacture many vehicles like the aero plane to take wealth away to distant places beyond the seas for business etc. and should make all happy.
7. It is the duty of the President of the Council of Ministers and the Commander of the Army to make arrangements for the construction of such vehicles as may travel in the firmament and take to distant countries.

1. The officers and people of the State should give to one another good things and should enjoy happiness.
2. Just as the royal men try for their own interest, in the same way, they must try for the happiness of the people as well.
3. The officers and people of the State should attend the assembly of the learned persons and should listen to their sermons, so that they may know their duties well.

 
Mandala 1 – Sukta – 48

1. As the dawn makes men industrious, impelling them to be active and making them happy with the achievement of great substance and when in the evening, she makes them retire, in the same manner, the parents should urge upon their daughters to acquire wisdom and good education.
2. As the charming dawn makes all beings happy, in the same manner, wives should constantly make their husbands, and other relations, delighted and full of joy.
3. It is only a person who gets a learned wife, quite agreeable to him enjoys happiness and none else (as a house holder).
4. Those men who sitting in a quiet and pure solitary place, practice nine parts of Yoga including Sanyama, become siddhas, pure in mind word and deed. Those who associate with them and serve them also purify their minds and become seekers after Atma (God and Soul) and Yoga.
5. As the Usha (Dawn) is pure and giver of happiness and suitable for the practice of Yoga, so the women should be.
6. As women get their objects by dealing with labour, in the same manner, the dawn with her light gets the right of her dealing. As she awakens all people by creating the day and sends them to pursue their different vocations and makes them rest at night, the woman should also behave like her. She should make all busy by her own example and dispel all darkness of ignorance.
7. As chaste women serve their husbands regularly, as the Association of the Dawn with the objects is from a distance, in the same manner, the marriage of the bridegrooms should be arranged with the brides of distant places, so that the love between them may ever grow. The marriage between parties living close to each other causes trouble, while as that of the matches belonging to distant places is generally source of happiness.

1. As a good woman accomplishes all good works casting aside all obstacles, in the same way, the Dawn drives away with her light robbers, thieves and enemies and helps to accomplish noble acts.
2. As a good girl illuminates both the families of her parents and husband, in the same way, the Dawn reveals both gross and subtle objects.
3. As all living creatures are pleased with and get happiness by the dawn, in the same manner, those husbands who are pleased and contented with their noble wives, enjoy all -happiness and bliss.
4. O men, as the sun makes all beings delighted after turning the Dawn into day, in the same manner, you should please and adorn your wives and wives should please you. In this way, by mutual love and service all should enjoy happiness.
5. As this Dawn by her appearance causes us to attain pure water, air and light etc., removing all evils and revealing all noble objects, a noble lady should be of the same nature in the discharge of her domestic duties.
6. As without the Dawn which is followed by day, works cannot be accomplished easily and things cannot be seen in their true form, in the same manner, without a chaste and noble woman, domestic happiness cannot be attained.
7. None should imitate foolish people. As learned persons reveal the attributes of all objects and thereby spread knowledge and do good to all and as this Usha (Dawn) makes all happy by manifesting all objects by her light, in the same manner, women endowed with wisdom should adorn and illuminate the knowledge of all sciences in the world.
8. As the Dawn manifests by her light all the paths and doors, in the same manner, men should build houses that may be source of happiness in all seasons and by keeping there all enjoyable necessary objects should always be delighted.
9. Men should possess the knowledge of the attributes of the Dawn as taught by the learned and thereby acquire with exertion all objects that cause happiness. It is by the proper training or education given by the mothers that children become good. In this hymn, the attributes of girls and women have been taught by the illustration of the Dawn, and so this hymn is connected with the previous hymn.