Medha Suktam मेधा सूक्त
The Upanishadic prayer to Medha, the goddess of intelligence and retentive understanding, asking that she come gladly and that Indra, Sarasvati, the Ashvins, Agni and Surya grant insight, offspring and brilliance.
- Deity Saraswati
- Type Suktam
- Language Sanskrit
- Tradition Vedic
- Source Sanskrit Wikisource (sa.wikisource.org) — महानारायणोपनिषत्, revision 400459, anuvakas 41–44
Canonical / scriptural text Editorially checked
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41
एकचत्वारिंशोऽनुवाकः ।ekacatvāriṃśo'nuvākaḥ |
Mantra 1
मेधादेवी जुषमाणा न आगाद्विश्वाची भद्रा सुमनस्यमाना ।medhādevī juṣamāṇā na āgādviśvācī bhadrā sumanasyamānā |
त्वया जुष्टा जुषमाणा दुरुक्तान्बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥ १॥tvayā juṣṭā juṣamāṇā duruktānbṛhadvadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 1||
Share this verseMantra 2
त्वया जुष्ट ऋषिर्भवति देवि त्वया ब्रह्मागतश्रीरुत त्वया ।tvayā juṣṭa ṛṣirbhavati devi tvayā brahmāgataśrīruta tvayā |
त्वया जुष्टश्चित्रं विन्दते वसु सा नो जुषस्व द्रविणेन मेधे ॥ २॥tvayā juṣṭaścitraṃ vindate vasu sā no juṣasva draviṇena medhe || 2||
Share this verse42
द्विचत्वारिंशोऽनुवाकः ।dvicatvāriṃśo'nuvākaḥ |
Mantra 3
मेधां म इन्द्रो ददातु मेधां देवी सरस्वती ।medhāṃ ma indro dadātu medhāṃ devī sarasvatī |
मेधां मे अश्विनावुभावाधत्तां पुष्करस्रजौ ॥ १॥medhāṃ me aśvināvubhāvādhattāṃ puṣkarasrajau || 1||
Share this verseMantra 4
अप्सरासु च या मेधा गन्धर्वेषु च यन्मनः ।apsarāsu ca yā medhā gandharveṣu ca yanmanaḥ |
दैवी मेधा सरस्वती सा मां मेधा सुरभिर्जुषताꣳ स्वाहा ॥ २॥daivī medhā sarasvatī sā māṃ medhā surabhirjuṣatāꣳ svāhā || 2||
Share this verse43
त्रिचत्वारिंशोऽनुवाकः ।tricatvāriṃśo'nuvākaḥ |
Mantra 5
आ मां मेधा सुरभिर्विश्वरूपा हिरण्यवर्णा जगती जगम्या ।ā māṃ medhā surabhirviśvarūpā hiraṇyavarṇā jagatī jagamyā |
ऊर्जस्वती पयसा पिन्वमाना सा मां मेधा सुप्रतीका जुषताम् ॥ १॥ūrjasvatī payasā pinvamānā sā māṃ medhā supratīkā juṣatām || 1||
Share this verse44
चतुश्चत्वारिंशोऽनुवाकः ।catuścatvāriṃśo'nuvākaḥ |
Mantra 6
मयि मेधां मयि प्रजां मय्यग्निस्तेजो दधातु ।mayi medhāṃ mayi prajāṃ mayyagnistejo dadhātu |
मयि मेधां मयि प्रजां मयीन्द्र इन्द्रियं दधातु ।mayi medhāṃ mayi prajāṃ mayīndra indriyaṃ dadhātu |
मयि मेधां मयि प्रजां मयि सूर्यो भ्राजो दधातु ॥ १॥mayi medhāṃ mayi prajāṃ mayi sūryo bhrājo dadhātu || 1||
Share this verseRead in another script: ગુજરાતી বাংলা தமிழ் తెలుగు ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource "महानारायणोपनिषत्", revision 400459 (https://sa.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=महानारायणोपनिषत्&oldid=400459), the Andhra recension of the Mahanarayana Upanishad (Taittiriya Aranyaka, tenth prapathaka) in 80 anuvakas; anuvakas 41–44 (एकचत्वारिंशः to चतुश्चत्वारिंशः), the Medha Suktam, six mantras numbered within each anuvaka (41.1–2, 42.1–2, 43.1, 44.1); the anuvaka headings are kept as printed so that the numbers read correctly, and the mantras are numbered 1–6 in sequence. The page gives the text twice (a running text by anuvaka and a line-broken copy of the same transcription); the running text was used and the line-broken copy checked against it. The edition has no udatta/anudatta marks; it writes the Vedic anusvara sign ꣳ (U+A8F3), which is kept exactly as printed (NFC); nothing was added. Verified on 11 November 2026 against two independent witnesses of the same recension and one of the Atharva recension. Witness 2: Mantrapushpam, 4th ed. (Ramakrishna Math; archive.org OCR, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.467663), मेधासूक्तम् [41–44], aligned to the edition lines: 0 identical, 13 differing, 0 only in edition, 0 only in witness; letter agreement 92.0% (OCR noise in an accented print; every reading below was checked in it). Witness 3: तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् सस्वरा, Sriram Press, Madras 1960 (archive.org OCR, https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.27146), anuvakas 41–44 of the Narayana-prashna: 1 identical, 12 differing, 0 only in edition, 0 only in witness; letter agreement 83.8% (poor OCR; used for the readings सा मां and सरस्वती only). Witness 4: Sanskrit Wikisource "ईशादिविंशोत्तरशतोपनिषदः/उपनिषद-११-२०", revision 142388 (https://sa.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A4%88%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%83/%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E2%80%8C-%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%A7-%E0%A5%A8%E0%A5%A6&oldid=142388), Atharva recension (khanda 16, verses 4–7): 4 identical, 4 differing, 5 only in edition, 0 only in witness; letter agreement 55.9%; it lacks anuvaka 44 and reads मनुष्यजा for सरस्वती. Correction (1): 42.2 स मां मेधा → सा मां मेधा (dropped vowel sign; सा in Mantrapushpam, the 1960 print and witness 4). Edition readings kept where a witness differs: मेधां म इन्द्रो (witness 4 मेधां मे; Mantrapushpam and 1960 म); ब्रह्मागतश्रीरुत written together (witnesses space ब्रह्मा गतश्रीरुत; spacing only); ऋषिर्भवति देवि (witness 4 ऋषिर्भवतु देवी); द्रविणेन मेधे (OCR द्रविणो न, noise); सुप्रतीका जुषताम् (OCR जुषन्ताम्, noise); दैवी मेधा सरस्वती … स्वाहा (witness 4 दैवी मेधा मनुष्यजा … जुषताम्). Rejected change: none other. Verse division follows the edition; the Mantrapushpam prefixes यश्छन्दसामृषभो विश्वरूपः from the Taittiriya Upanishad, which is not part of these anuvakas and is not included.
The Roman line is IAST transliteration derived from the Devanagari (ā = long a, ṃ = anusvara, ḥ = visarga, ś/ṣ = sh sounds, c = ch as in “church”). In Hindi, Awadhi and Braj texts the silent final “a” is dropped. Transliteration does not show Vedic accents.
More for Saraswati
- Stuti · Saraswati Ya Kundendu Tusharahara Dhavala (Saraswati vandana) या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला (सरस्वती वन्दना)
- Mantra · Saraswati Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah ॐ ऐं सरस्वत्यै नमः
- Daily prayer · Saraswati Saraswati Namastubhyam (prayer before study) सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं (विद्यारम्भ प्रार्थना)
- Puja vidhi · Saraswati Vasant Panchami Saraswati Puja Vidhi वसंत पंचमी सरस्वती पूजा विधि
- Beej mantra · Saraswati Aim (bija of Saraswati) ऐं (सरस्वती बीज)
- Chalisa · Saraswati Shri Saraswati Chalisa श्री सरस्वती चालीसा
For the same occasions
- Gayatri mantra · Gayatri (the Goddess) Gayatri Mantra गायत्री मंत्र
- Beej mantra · Brihaspati Guru (Brihaspati) Beej Mantra गुरु (बृहस्पति) बीज मन्त्र
- Beej mantra · Budha Budh Beej Mantra बुध बीज मन्त्र
- Vedic mantra · Brihaspati Brihaspate Ati Yadaryo (Vedic mantra for Guru) बृहस्पते अति यदर्यो (गुरु वैदिक मन्त्र)
- Stotra · Navagraha (the nine grahas) Navagraha Stotram नवग्रह स्तोत्रम्
Questions
What is Medha Suktam?
The Upanishadic prayer to Medha, the goddess of intelligence and retentive understanding, asking that she come gladly and that Indra, Sarasvati, the Ashvins, Agni and Surya grant insight, offspring and brilliance.
Who is Medha Suktam associated with?
Medha Suktam is associated with Saraswati. Goddess of learning, speech, music and the arts; worshipped on Vasant Panchami and by students before study.
What does Medha Suktam mean?
A short paraphrase, not a translation. May the gracious goddess Medha, all-pervading, auspicious and kindly, come to us; favoured by her may we speak well in the assembly, with brave sons. One favoured by her becomes a seer, a knower of Brahman, a possessor of wealth; may she accept us with riches. May Indra, the goddess Sarasvati and the two lotus-garlanded Ashvins give me medha; may the intelligence that is in the apsarases and gandharvas, the divine, fragrant Medha, be pleased with me; may Medha of every form, golden, moving through the worlds, rich in strength and swelling with milk, fa…
What is the source of Medha Suktam?
Mahanarayana Upanishad (Taittiriya Aranyaka, tenth prapathaka) — Anuvakas 41–44 of the Andhra recension (Taittiriya Aranyaka 10.41–44). Tradition: Vedic.
Are there different versions of Medha Suktam?
The Atharva recension printed in the 108-Upanishad collections has the first three anuvakas only (as one khanda), reads दैवी मेधा मनुष्यजा for सरस्वती and lacks the मयि मेधां mantra. Southern recitation books (e.g. the Mantrapushpam) prefix the Taittiriya Upanishad passage यश्छन्दसामृषभो विश्वरूपः and sometimes the Medha Gayatri; these are not part of anuvakas 41–44 and are not included. This version follows the edition named in the notes.