Rig Veda 10.76.8: Mandala 10, Sukta 76, Mantra 8
Sukta 10.76
- Rishi
- Traditionally attributed to a seer of the late tenth maṇḍala
- Devata
- Indra and the pressing-stones as invoked powers
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एते नरः स्वपसो अभूतन य इन्द्राय सुनुथ सोममद्रयः । वामंवामं वो दिव्याय धाम्ने वसुवसु वः पार्थिवाय सुन्वते ॥
eté naraḥ svápaso abhūtana yá índrāya sunútha sómam ádrayaḥ | vā́mam-vā́maṃ vo divyā́ya dhā́mne vásu-vasu vaḥ pārthivā́ya sunvaté ||
يا أحجارَ العصرِ الأقوياء، لقد صرتم هذه القوى الفاعلة—أنتم الذين تعصرون السُّوما لإندرا. فامنحوا كلَّ خيرٍ مرغوبٍ للمقام السماوي، وكلَّ غنىً أيضًا للعاصرِ الأرضي؛ ولتمتلئ المستويان كليهما بسيلِ البهجة.
Word by Word
- एते
- thesePronoun/Determinerपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नरः
- menNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot नृ (प्रातिपदिक: नर)
- स्वपसः
- skilled in good workAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (नरः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot सु- + अपस् (प्रातिपदिक: स्वपस् ‘good-work’)
- अभूतन
- they became / provedVerbलुङ् (अorist) परस्मैपदम्, उत्तम? → वस्तुतः मध्यम?; 3 पुरुष बहुवचनम् (अभूतन = ‘they became’)Role (क्रिया)Root भू (धातु)
- ये
- whoRelative pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुनुथ
- press (ye)Verbलोट् (imperative) परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष बहुवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root सु (धातु ‘to press/express Soma’)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रयः
- (you) stones / pressing-stonesNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वामं-वामं
- each desirable (gift/boon)Adjective (reduplicated for distributive sense)नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (प्रत्येकं ‘वामम्’), कर्मरूपेणRole KarmaRoot वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (enclitic)Role (सम्बन्धः)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- दिव्याय
- to the heavenlyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम् (धाम्ने इति विशेषणम्)Role SampradānaRoot दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाम्ने
- abode / stationNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot धामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसु-वसु
- each wealth / each goodNoun/Adjective (reduplicated distributively)नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (प्रत्येकं ‘वसु’), कर्मरूपेणRole KarmaRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (enclitic)Role (सम्बन्धः)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- पार्थिवाय
- to the earthlyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम् (धाम्ने इति विशेषणम्, ‘earthly’)Role SampradānaRoot पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुन्वते
- to the presser (of Soma)Participleपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम् (वर्तमान-कर्तरि शतृ)Role SampradānaRoot सु (धातु) → सुन्वत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविच्छेद): एते | नरः | स्वपसः | अभूतन | ये | इन्द्राय | सुनुथ | सोमम् | अद्रयः | वामं-वामं | वः | दिव्याय | धाम्ने | वसु-वसु | वः | पार्थिवाय | सुन्वते । विशेषाः: (1) ‘नरः स्वपसः’—विशेषण-विशेष्यसम्बन्धः, सन्धिः न
- (2) ‘वामंवामं’ तथा ‘वसुवसु’—पुनरुक्ति/वितरणार्थक-द्विरुक्ति
- (3) ‘दिव्याय धाम्ने’ तथा ‘पार्थिवाय (धाम्ने)’—चतुर्थी-सम्बन्धः
- (4) ‘वः’ द्विवारं षष्ठी-बहुवचन-एन्क्लिटिकम्
- (5) ‘सुन्वते’—सु-धातोः शतृ-कृदन्तस्य चतुर्थी एकवचनम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The pressing-stones (adrayaḥ/grāvāṇaḥ), strong and effective, press Soma for Indra. They are asked to give desirable goods to the heavenly dwelling and riches to the earthly presser.
Inner meaning
The “stones” are the firm powers of disciplined effort that crush the raw life-substance and release Soma—the delight/ānanda hidden in experience. Offered to Indra (illumined Mind), this delight strengthens the inner warrior and distributes ‘wealth’ to both planes: the higher (divine consciousness) and the lower (embodied life). The mantra affirms an integral yoga: not escape upward, but a twofold fulfillment—heavenly clarity and earthly transformation—by the flow of conscious delight.
Universal truth
When aspiration and disciplined practice refine experience, an inner delight is released that feeds illumination; then both spiritual realization and practical life become enriched and harmonized.
Themes
Indra-Soma, Heaven–Earth integration, Fruits of sacrifice as inner riches, Consecration of action
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 10.76 (context hymn to Soma-pressing/Indra)
Significance
The anonymity of the seer foregrounds the ‘collective’ yogic process: the impersonal powers (adris) of practice that any sādhaka can awaken to release Soma for the illumined mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (receiver of Soma) with Adri/Grāvāṇaḥ (pressing-stones) as invoked powers
- Epithets
- svapasaḥ (effective, of good work), naraḥ (strong ones, heroes)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Indra upholds the luminous order by drinking Soma and breaking limitations; the Adris are the operative forces that prepare the offering and set the rite in motion.
Inner power
Indra: clarity, courage, victorious discernment; Adris: concentrated tapas, repetition, and right pressure that releases delight from the subconscient substance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (Soma-yajña) passages; praise/invocation connected with pressing-stones and Indra’s Soma-drinking
ए॒ते न॑र॒: स्वप॑सो अभूतन॒ य इन्द्रा॑य सुनु॒थ सोम॑मद्रयः । वा॒मंवा॑मं वो दि॒व्याय॒ धाम्ने॒ वसु॑वसु व॒: पार्थि॑वाय सुन्व॒ते ॥
ए॒ते । न॒रः॒ । सु॒ऽअप॑सः । अ॒भू॒त॒न॒ । ये । इन्द्रा॑य । सु॒नु॒थ । सोम॑म् । अ॒द्र॒यः॒ । वा॒मम्ऽवा॑मम् । वः॒ । दि॒व्याय॑ । धाम्ने॑ । वसु॑ऽवसु । वः॒ । पार्थि॑वाय । सु॒न्व॒ते ॥
ete | naraḥ | su-apasaḥ | abhūtana | ye | indrāya | sunutha | somam | adrayaḥ | vāmam-vāmam | vaḥ | divyāya | dhāmne | vasu-vasu | vaḥ | pārthivāya | sunvate
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (triṣṭubh cadence)
Forward-driving, martial yet expansive; suited to invocation and effective action.
Builds will and momentum; the repeated distributive sense (vāmaṃ-vāmaṃ, vasu-vasu) leaves a felt impression of abundance flowing into both higher and lower consciousness.
- अद्रयः (adrayaḥ)
- Literal: pressing-stones. Symbolic: steady, hard powers of tapas and method that extract the hidden essence
- सोम (soma)
- Literal: Soma-juice. Symbolic: divine delight/ānanda distilled from experience
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: illumined mind-force that receives Soma and conquers obscurity
- दिव्याय धाम्ने (divyāya dhāmne)
- Literal: to the heavenly home. Symbolic: higher plane of luminous consciousness (svarga as inner height)
- पार्थिवाय (pārthivāya)
- Literal: to the earthly. Symbolic: embodied nature to be filled with the same delight
- वसु (vasu)
- Literal: wealth, good. Symbolic: powers/attainments: light, strength, joy, right action
Soma offering to Indra; distribution of the Soma’s fruits to ‘divine abode’ and ‘earthly presser’—a two-level (heaven/earth) consecration.
During Soma-pressing sequences (abhisava) and Indra-Soma offerings
Pressing Soma; offering libations; recitation to empower the extraction and distribution of the Soma essence
Use as a meditation-chanted affirmation for ‘integral fulfillment’: let inner joy nourish insight and also reorganize daily life and action.
: su- + apas ‘work, action’ (√ap ‘to work/attain’), ‘good/effective work’. : √bhū ‘become’, 2pl perfect/preterite ‘you became’. : ‘desirable, pleasant, choice’ (semantic: that which is wished). : from √dhā ‘to place, establish’, ‘seat/home/abode’—psychologically the settled plane of consciousness. : ‘wealth’ from √vas ‘to dwell/abide; to shine’ (Vedic polyvalence: richness as stable luminous possession). : from pṛthivī ‘earth’, embodied existence.
Bṛhat (wideness across heaven and earth), Integration of higher and embodied planes, Rita as effective right action (su-apas)
The rite is an image of ṛta: right process yields right distribution of powers across planes.
‘Divine home’ signifies a stable truth-plane where the gains are secure and luminous.
Extraction of hidden delight from matter-like substance; ascent and descent of powers (heaven–earth integration).
Proto-Vedāntic and integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): transformation of nature through Soma/Ānanda and Indra/Illumination.
Stones = firm disciplines; Soma = distilled joy; heaven/earth = higher mind and embodied life to be simultaneously fulfilled.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Soma pressed for Indra yields ‘choice goods’ (vāma) and ‘riches’ (vasu) that must populate both the divine seat (divyāya dhāmne) and the earthly existence (pārthivāya). Mythically it is the distribution of Soma’s boons; psychologically it is the integration of higher consciousness with embodied life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The heaven/earth dyad (divya/pārthiva) echoes the PIE *di̯ew- ‘sky/daylight’ and the widespread Indo-European cosmological pairing of sky and earth. dhāman (seat) from √dhā ‘place’ reflects a common IE notion of establishing order by ‘placing’ (cf. Greek τίθημι).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer recognizes the stones/energies as ‘su-apas’—rightly effective—because they serve Indra by pressing Soma. In return, the requested reciprocity is fullness on both planes: the divine realm is established in the human, and the human is enriched by the divine.
‘Pressing’ the mind: apply steady attention to experience until a subtle joy (Soma) is felt and offered to the illumined intelligence (Indra).
Ājñā (illumination) with support from Maṇipūra (will/pressure of tapas)
Moderate rhythmic breathing (sama-vṛtti) synchronized with mental ‘pressure-release’ on exhale/inhale
From active concentration to luminous gladness; a poised, victorious clarity.
Choose one recurring difficulty; ‘press’ it with calm repetition (japa/attention) without violence. Notice the first emergence of quiet joy; offer it upward (to insight) and then consciously let it descend into action and habit.
Vedic svaras not fully specified here; chant in a neutralized tri-svara style if traditional accents are unavailable (maintain gentle rise on udatta-like syllables, fall on anudatta, glide on svarita).
Keep compound repetitions clear: vā́maṃ-vā́maṃ, vásu-vásu; avoid flattening the cadence at pāda ends.
ete with clear long ē, naraḥ : visarga lightly aspirated, svapaso : cluster ‘sva’ clean, short a in -pa-, sunutha : dental n; ‘th’ aspirated dental, adrayaḥ : roll light r; ‘dr’ conjunct, pārthivāya : long ār; dental th
Firm, resonant, ‘pressing’ articulation; end each pāda with a settled release.
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