Rig Veda 5.39.1: Mandala 5, Sukta 39, Mantra 1
Sukta 5.39
यदिन्द्र चित्र मेहनास्ति त्वादातमद्रिवः । राधस्तन्नो विदद्वस उभयाहस्त्या भर ॥
yád indra citra mehanā́sti tvā́dātam adrivaḥ | rā́dhas tán no vidadvaso ubhayāhastyā́ bhar ||
يا إندرا، إن كان عندك عطاءٌ متألّقٌ فائضٌ تُفيضه—يا حاملَ الحجر—فاحملْ إلينا ذلك الكنز، يا مُدركَ الغِنى، بكلتا يديك ممتلئتَين؛ ولتنزلِ الوفرةُ بلا شُحّ.
Soma-liturgy petition for rādhas (bounty) at Indra’s invocation; encouraging the ‘full-handed’ giving of the god.
rādhas as increase of inner substance, descent of divine giving (√dā) into the human vessel
Indra’s bounty descends when the seeker’s aspiration and offering align with ṛta—right movement and sincerity.
True riches are those that carry truth-power: light that organizes life, not mere gain.
Descent of higher plenitude into the human field; increase (vardhana) through right invocation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent–descent dynamic, transformation of nature by higher consciousness.
Rain/overflow = descent of higher force; stone/bolt = decisive illumination breaking knots; treasure = gathered powers of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘full-handed giver’ Indra: after victory over obstruction, the god pours out rādhas (grace/treasure). The image ‘with both hands’ mythically encodes inexhaustible divine largesse; psychologically it is the ungrudging descent of force and joy into the seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘give’ reflects PIE *deh₃- ‘give’ (cf. Greek dídōmi, Latin dōnum). √vid ‘know/find’ reflects PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’ (cf. Latin videō, English wit). √bhṛ reflects PIE *bʰer- ‘carry’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Indra as the conscious source of rādhas, not as chance fortune. The reciprocity is explicit: praise names Indra as ‘finder of wealth’, and the seer requests that this defining power become operative ‘for us’—a transfer of divine capacity into human life.
Receiving the higher Light and Force integrally—ask for the ‘best you can receive now’ and open to descent.
ājñā (illumined mind) with support into maṇipūra (will/force)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while repeating ā bhara as a downward ‘pouring’ cue.
Dynamic quietude: alert, uplifted, receptive.
Begin with a brief offering (Agni-will), then invoke Indra for clarity in decision and strength in execution; feel the gift descending ‘with both hands’ into thought and action.
Default Ṛgvedic accenting: udatta on marked syllables, svarita on following, anudatta elsewhere (exact pada-svara requires śākhā-specific notation).
Keep clear lift on vocatives (indra, adrivaḥ); emphasize ā bhara as the decisive downward call.
indra: roll light ‘r’, short ‘i’, citra: ‘ci’ as ‘chi’ (palatal), crisp ‘tra’, mehanā: aspirate ‘h’, long ‘ā’, adrivaḥ: clear ‘dri’, visarga as soft echo before pause, ubhayāhastyā: articulate compound: u-bha-yā-has-tyā
Bright, firm, invoking; end each pāda with a gentle settling to suggest descent.
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