Rig Veda 8.49.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 49, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.49
आ त्वा सुतास इन्दवो मदा य इन्द्र गिर्वणः । आपो न वज्रिन्नन्वोक्यं सरः पृणन्ति शूर राधसे ॥
ā́ tvā sutā́sa índavo madā́ yá índra girvaṇaḥ | ā́po ná vajrinn ánvokyaṃ sáraḥ pṛṇánti śūra rā́dhase ||
إليك تأتي قطراتُ السُّوما (Soma) المعصورة، نشواتُها—يا إندرا، سيّد الأناشيد. وكالمياهِ وهي تملأ بحيرةً في مجراها، كذلك تملؤك—يا حاملَ الصاعقة (vajra)، يا بطل—لأجلِ عملِ عطائك.
Soma offering to Indra during pressing; visualizes Soma as waters filling Indra to empower his gift and victory.
Ecstasy (mada) as fuel for divine force, Filling/satisfaction as completion of power, Bounty as accomplished giving (rādhas)
The ‘waters filling the lake’ images the lawful movement of energies toward their true seat in consciousness—R̥ta as natural right-flow.
Indra as girvaṇaḥ responds to true speech; Satya is maintained by accurate invocation and sincere offering.
Inflow → containment → overflow: a microcosmic model of manifestation where consciousness gathers power then distributes form and action.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent of delight into illumined mind leading to transformation of life.
Flowing waters = streaming prāṇic and mental currents; lake = widened inner being (peaceful receptacle); Soma = delight-essence that nourishes illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The filling of Indra by Soma: pressed drops and ecstasies flow to Indra like waters filling a lake, empowering him for acts of bounty and victory. Mythically, Soma is the energizing substance that makes Indra capable; psychologically, delight fills the will-force to act rightly and powerfully.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad (PIE *med- 'be intoxicated/joyful' seen widely, cf. 'mead') is a notable IE cognate field; √pṝ 'fill' relates to PIE *pleh₁- 'fill' (broadly comparable). The water-filling simile is an inherited IE poetic mechanism connecting fluidity with power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers Soma and simultaneously interprets its inner effect: Soma’s madāḥ fill Indra, and Indra’s consequent rādhas (effective giving) returns as boon to the community. Praise (gir) is the medium of exchange—song invites presence; presence yields power.
Offer ‘drops’ of attention into the heart-mind; feel a lake-like wideness receiving delight; let clarity arise for decisive action.
Anāhata to Ājñā (delight rising into illumined mind)
Gentle kumbhaka after inhale: ‘press’ attention; exhale as offering into a widened inner space.
From active aspiration to luminous fullness (quiet power).
Begin with 9 recitations; after each, pause and sense ‘filling’. End by dedicating one concrete act of generosity/strength as rādhas.
Follow saṃhitā accents: udatta on marked syllables; svarita where indicated by sandhi; maintain flowing continuity through ā-invocations.
Give clear lift on ‘इन्द्र’, ‘वज्रिन्’, ‘शूर’; keep ‘आपो न… सरः’ as a smooth simile-phrase without breaking the flow.
Hold long vowels: ā, ī, ū., Retroflex ṇ in ‘ (girvaṇaḥ)’ and ‘ (vajrin)’—keep tongue curled back., Cluster ‘pṛṇanti’ : crisp ṛ, then nasal n.
Full-chested, steady, ‘filling’ tone; slight swell on the simile of waters.
9
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
