Rig Veda 8.65.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 65, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.65
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ त्वा गीर्भिर्महामुरुं हुवे गामिव भोजसे । इन्द्र सोमस्य पीतये ॥
ā́ tvā gīrbhír mahā́m urúṃ huvè gā́m-iva bhójase | índra sómasya pītáye ||
بأقوالنا الموحاة نناديك—عظيمًا واسعًا—كما يُنادى البقرُ ليدرَّ: تعالَ يا إندرا لِشُربِ السُّوما، لتشارك وتزيد فينا فيضَ العطاء.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (गत्यर्थकः)Root आ (upasarga) अथवा ā (avyaya)
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया एकवचन (अहम्-परः सर्वनाम)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (त्वद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- गीर्भिः
- with hymns/voicesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot गिर् (स्त्री.)
- महाम्
- the great (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (इन्द्रम् इति लुप्तं विशेष्यं अपेक्षते)Role KarmaRoot महत् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- उरुम्
- the wide/mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (इन्द्रम् इति लुप्तं विशेष्यं अपेक्षते)Role KarmaRoot उरु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- हुवे
- I invokeVerbलट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (वैदिक प्रयोगः: ‘I call/invoke’)Root ह्वे (ह्वयति/ह्वयते)
- गाम्
- a cowNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot गो (स्त्री.)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानवाचक अव्ययRoot इव
- भोजसे
- for bounty/for enjoyment (as giver/receiver of gifts)Nounचतुर्थी एकवचन (सम्प्रदानार्थः)Role SampradānaRoot भोज (पुं.) / भोजस् (नपुं.)—‘भोग/दान/आतिथ्य’ अर्थे; दातृ/भोक्तृ-सम्बन्धः
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (Vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRoot इन्द्र (पुं.)
- सोमस्य
- of SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRoot सोम (पुं.)
- पीतये
- for drinkingNoun (action noun)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot पीति (स्त्री.) < पा (धातु) ‘पान’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आ | त्वा | गीर्भिः | महाम् | उरुम् | हुवे | गाम् | इव | भोजसे | इन्द्र | सोमस्य | पीतये । विशेषम्: (1) ‘गीर्भिर्महामुरुं’ इत्यत्र संहितायां र् + म → ‘र्म’ (गीर्भिः + महाम्), तथा ‘महाम् + उरुम्’ इत्यत्र म् + उ → ‘मु’ (महामुरुम्) । (2) ‘गामिव’ = गाम् + इव (म् + इ → मि) ।
- ‘इन्द्र’ सम्बोधनः। (4) ‘हुवे’ वैदिक आत्मनेपद-लट् रूपम् (ह्वे धातोः) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
With hymns the singers call vast Indra, as one calls a cow for her bounty; he is invited to drink Soma.
Inner meaning
The inspired word (gīḥ) is a force of revelation that summons Indra’s vast consciousness into the seeker. The ‘cow’ is not cattle but the luminous rays/knowledges that yield nourishing milk—i.e., the abundance of illumination. Indra is called to drink Soma: the divine mind is strengthened by bliss, and in return it releases greater giving—light, courage, right action—within the practitioner.
Universal truth
Mantra (inspired speech) is a technology of consciousness: when uttered with sincerity, it calls higher intelligence and unlocks inner knowledge and nourishment.
Themes
invocation, Soma-ritual, wideness, mantric speech
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.65.1, Rig Veda 8.65.2, Rig Veda 8.65.4, Rig Veda 8.65.5
Significance
Shows the Vedic psychology of mantra: speech is not description but invocation; calling Indra ‘vast and wide’ is itself an act of widening the consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Mahān (great), Uru (wide), Maghavan (bountiful), Somapā (Soma-drinker)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni (priest of the inner sacrifice), Sarasvatī (inspired word)
Cosmic role
Receives Soma to increase divine force; releases light and right action into the human field.
Inner power
Expansive illumination that turns inspired speech into effective transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña: invitation to Indra to partake of Soma
आ त्वा॑ गी॒र्भिर्म॒हामु॒रुं हु॒वे गामि॑व॒ भोज॑से । इन्द्र॒ सोम॑स्य पी॒तये॑ ॥
आ । त्वा॒ । गीः॒ऽभिः । म॒हाम् । उ॒रुम् । हु॒वे । गाम्ऽइ॑व । भोज॑से । इन्द्र॑ । सोम॑स्य । पी॒तये॑ ॥
ā | tvā | gīḥ-bhiḥ | mahām | urum | huve | gām-iva | bhojase | indra | somasya | pītaye
32
4 × ~8 syllables
Invocatory and lyrical; the simile ‘gām iva’ gives a soft yielding turn amid firm cadence.
Encourages sweetness and wideness; supports a receptive state for knowledge to ‘yield’.
- gīrbhiḥ
- Literal: by songs/utterances. Symbolic: inspired speech (mantra-śakti) that evokes and shapes inner states
- mahām urum
- Literal: great, wide. Symbolic: vast consciousness; wideness as a sign of higher mind
- huve
- Literal: I call/invoke. Symbolic: active aspiration; deliberate opening to descent
- gām iva
- Literal: like a cow. Symbolic: like calling the rays of knowledge to yield their milk of delight and strength
- bhojase
- Literal: for enjoyment/bounty, to the bountiful. Symbolic: to the giver who increases inner richness
- somasya pītaye
- Literal: for the drinking of Soma. Symbolic: for Indra to take up bliss-substance, intensifying luminous power in us
Soma-invitation (āvāhana): calling Indra to the Soma pressing and offering; suitable for the Madhyandina/Tr̥tīya-savana style invocations broadly.
At Soma offering moments; also as stuti preceding libation.
Praise + invitation; offering Soma while reciting.
Before study, decision, or creative work: chant to call wide clarity and the ‘cow’ of knowledge to yield.
√hū ‘call’ (huve) is the technical verb of invocation in sacrifice and inner aspiration. urú ‘wide’ resonates with the Vedic ideal of ‘uru loka’ (wide world), psychologically the expansion beyond constriction. gīḥ ‘inspired speech’ from √gā/√gai ‘sing’ indicates mantra as formative power. go ‘cow’ is multivalent: outer animal, inner ‘ray/illumination’ (from √gav ‘to shine/move’ in Vedic semantic field); the simile suggests a willing yielding of abundance. √bhuj (bhojase) includes both ‘enjoy/partake’ and ‘apportion’, matching Indra’s role as receiver and giver.
mantra as effective speech (vāc-śakti), widening of consciousness (uru), reciprocity of offering and grace
Inspired speech aligns the mind to ṛta; Indra’s coming stabilizes right movement.
Truth-utterance (gīḥ) becomes a channel for satya to enter mentality.
Word calls the Power; the Power drinks delight; creation in consciousness proceeds through mantra → force → illumination.
Mantra-vidyā orientation; integral psychological Vedism.
Cow = rays/knowledges; milking = drawing nourishment of insight; Soma = bliss that empowers illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘invited Indra’ mythologem: the god is summoned by song to come and drink Soma, a recurring ritual-mythic action that precedes empowerment for victory. Innerly, the mantra calls the expansive force to partake of prepared delight and thereby act in the seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- divergent but clear inheritances: √pā ‘drink’ reflects PIE *peh₃- ‘to drink’ (Latin pōtus, English ‘potable’ via Romance). go ‘cow’ reflects PIE *gʷōus (Skt go-, Gk bous, Lat bōs). urú ‘wide’ relates to PIE *wer- ‘broad’ (cf. English ‘room’ is different root; but Indo-Iranian terms for wideness show inherited spatial semantics).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers gīḥ (formative speech) as the means of approach; Indra is approached as ‘mahān urú’—the needed greatness and wideness. The simile ‘like a cow’ frames the devatā as a willing giver when rightly invoked: the human call + Soma preparation elicits divine participation and bestowal.
Use mantra as ‘calling the light’: feel inspired speech rising from the heart to the brow, summoning wide clarity.
Viśuddha (mantric speech) to Ājñā (illumined mind)
Gentle ujjāyī or simple nasal breathing; chant on exhale, pause briefly to feel wideness.
Receptive inspiration (śruti-bhāva) with widening mind.
Chant softly, then sit in silence imagining rays (go) gathering in the forehead and pouring as ‘milk’ into the heart—nourishing calm strength.
Accents highlight vocatives and imperatives; keep uplift on ‘índra’ and clarity on ‘sómasya pītáye’.
Make ‘mahām urum’ expansive in tone (slightly lengthened vowels), then ‘huve’ as a clear call; ‘gām iva’ softer and yielding.
gīrbhir: long ī; keep ‘rbh’ cluster distinct, mahām: nasalized m̐ at end if following tradition, urum: short u at start, rolled r, gām: long ā; nasal m audible, pītaye: long ī; dental t
Warm, devotional, slightly expansive on ‘uru’.
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.
