सं चोदय चित्रमर्वाग्राध इन्द्र वरेण्यम् ।
असदित्ते विभु प्रभु ॥ ५ ॥

Sam Chodaya Chitram Arvag Radha Indra Varenyam.
Asad It Te Vibhu Prabhu. ॥ 5 ॥

Meaning

सं (Sam) Completely, together, properly. It indicates that we should receive the grace of the Divine in fullness and that all good powers should come together and produce beneficial results.

चोदय (Chodaya) Inspire, encourage, impel, lead forward. It is a prayer that the Divine may inspire us to engage in good actions, righteousness, and activities for the welfare of the world.

चित्रम् (Chitram) Wonderful, radiant, knowledge enhancing. It does not refer merely to ordinary material wealth. It signifies the higher form of wealth that develops knowledge, noble qualities, welfare of the world, and a higher way of life.

अर्वाक् (Arvak) Towards us, in our direction. It expresses the wish that divine grace, prosperity, knowledge, and goodness may come towards us.

राधः (Radha) Wealth that gives achievement, prosperity that brings success. It refers to resources that help accomplish good deeds and support activities that benefit the welfare of the world.

इन्द्र (Indra) The supremely prosperous Divine, the Lord of power. It is an invocation and prayer addressed to the Divine who possesses the power to govern and guide everything.

वरेण्यम् (Varenyam) Worth choosing, excellent, noble, desirable. It indicates wealth that is obtained through righteous means, is worthy of being chosen, and can be put to good use.

असत् (Asat) Makes available, is obtained, becomes accessible. It indicates that through divine grace, the things and resources necessary for human life become available.

इत् (It) Certainly, surely. This word emphasizes the certainty that “this is indeed the grace of the Divine.”

ते (Te) Your, belonging to You, meant for You. It indicates that the wealth, abilities, and strength we possess have come through divine grace and ultimately belong to the Divine.

विभु (Vibhu) The One who is present everywhere, the One who provides everything. It conveys the limitless power of the Supreme Reality that fulfills the needs of human beings.

प्रभु (Prabhu) Lord, powerful Divine Being. It refers to the Supreme Being who governs, protects, and bestows grace upon everything.

Explanation

In this mantra, the devotee prays to the supremely prosperous Divine with deep devotion and humility. The devotee prays, “O Lord! Inspire and lead us towards good actions so that our lives may follow the path of righteousness and become useful for the welfare of the world.” Here, the word “चोदय (Chodaya)” refers to the divine inspiration that awakens good thoughts, elevated thinking, awareness of righteousness, and a spirit of service within a human being.

The wealth referred to as “चित्रम् (Chitram)” is not merely ordinary material wealth. It is the higher wealth that develops knowledge, elevates noble qualities, and makes human life radiant. The central purpose of the mantra is that such wealth should not be used merely for personal enjoyment, but should also be used for the welfare of the world. The word “राधः (Radha)” signifies resources that help accomplish good actions and the power that enables achievements. In other words, the wealth bestowed by the Divine should support righteous actions, service, education, goodness, and social upliftment.

Through the word “वरेण्यम् (Varenyam)”, the mantra emphasizes that such wealth should be noble, worthy of being chosen, and obtained through righteous means. Wealth obtained through improper or harmful means is not true wealth. Pure wealth obtained through honest and righteous means, with divine grace, is presented here as the true form of wealth.

Another profound idea of this mantra is that a human being should not regard wealth, ability, and power as entirely one’s own, but should recognize that all of them have been received through divine grace. The words “ते (Te)” and “इत् (It)” emphasize the truth that “all these certainly belong to You.” A human being acts, but the power, knowledge, opportunity, and resources required for action are all provided by the Divine. Therefore, the human being is only an instrument; the Supreme Reality is the fundamental source of the power that enables action.

The words “विभु (Vibhu)” and “प्रभु (Prabhu)” show that the Divine is present everywhere and is the powerful Lord who protects and sustains everything. The material necessities, resources required for life, and various forms of well-being available to human beings are received through divine grace. The higher philosophy of this mantra is that this grace should be used for righteous living and for the welfare of the world.

Therefore, this mantra is not merely an ordinary prayer asking for material wealth. Rather, it gives the spiritual teaching: “May the Divine bless us with the pure wealth necessary to live a higher life based on knowledge and righteousness and to serve the welfare of the world; and may we live humbly, recognizing that this wealth and power are truly gifts of divine grace.”

Conclusion

This mantra is a prayer of divine grace that conveys the higher purpose of human life. A human being should acquire wealth, knowledge, and strength, but these should not be used merely for personal pleasure. They should be used for righteousness, the welfare of the world, service, and good actions. The mantra teaches that wealth received through divine grace should be pure, obtained through honest and righteous means, and beneficial to the welfare of humanity.

It also teaches that a human being should give up the arrogance of thinking, “Everything is mine,” and recognize the truth, “Everything is the grace of the Divine.” The knowledge, abilities, resources, and opportunities we possess have all been received through the grace of the Supreme Reality. The human being is only an instrument through which these gifts are put to use. When one lives with humility and devotion based on this understanding, life rises to a higher level.

Thus, this mantra goes beyond a prayer for material prosperity and conveys a profound spiritual message that integrates knowledge, righteousness, humility, welfare of the world, and awareness of the Divine. It stands as a divine teaching for a higher and meaningful spiritual life.