Rig Veda 8.80.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 80, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.80
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism)
इन्द्र प्र णो रथमव पश्चाच्चित्सन्तमद्रिवः । पुरस्तादेनं मे कृधि ॥
indra prá no rátham ava paścā́c cit sántam adrivaḥ | purástād enaṃ me kṛdhi ||
يا إندرا، قدِّم لنا المركبة، وإن كانت قد تخلَّفت وراءً؛ يا حامل حجر العصر (أَدْري)، اجعلها أمامي.
Word by Word
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- नः
- of us, ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘our’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रथम्
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अव
- down, away; (with verb) ‘off/back’Indeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अव (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पश्चात्
- from behind, backwardIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/कालवाचक)Role अधिकरण (दिशा/स्थान)Root पश्चात् (अव्यय)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableअव्यय (अपि/एव-भावे, ‘even’)Root चित् (निपात)
- सन्तम्
- being; existingParticiple (adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वर्तमान-कालिक शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (सन्त्)Role विशेषण (रथम्)Root अस् (धातु) → सन्त् (वर्तमान कृदन्त/शतृ)
- अद्रिवः
- O wielder of the stone (press-stone), O AdrivahNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अद्रि + वस् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/उपाधि)
- पुरस्तात्
- in front, forwardIndeclinableअव्यय (दिशा/स्थानवाचक)Role अधिकरण (दिशा/स्थान)Root पुरस्तात् (अव्यय)
- एनम्
- this (him/it)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot एतद्/इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; एनद्-श्रुति)
- मे
- for me; to mePronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी (एन्क्लिटिक), एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (हिते: ‘for me’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कृधि
- make!; set!; put!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot कृ (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): इन्द्र | प्र | नः | रथम् | अव | पश्चात् | चित् | सन्तम् | अद्रिवः | पुरस्तात् | एनम् | मे | कृधि । मुख्य संधि/संयोग: (1) पश्चाच्चित् = पश्चात् + चित् (त् + च् → च्च्)
- (2) पुरस्ता॑देनम् = पुरस्तात् + एनम् (त् + ए → दे; तकारस्य दकारादेशः स्वर-सन्धौ)
- (3) प्र णो॒ = प्र + नः (एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम; पदविभागे पृथक्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, bring forward our chariot even if it is behind; O wielder of the pressing stone, place it in front for me.
Inner meaning
The ‘chariot’ (ratha) is the psycho-spiritual vehicle of progress—organized energies of mind, life, and will meant to move toward the goal. Even if the seeker’s movement has fallen behind (paścāc cit santam), Indra can advance it, restoring leadership in the journey. ‘Adrivaḥ’ (stone-wielder) links Indra to Soma-pressing: the illumined mind actively participates in extracting delight and power; thus he can re-order our movement and put the right impulse in front.
Universal truth
When progress lags, a higher intelligence can reorganize the forces and restore the forward lead; delay is not defeat when illumination is invoked.
Themes
progress, leadership, victory in movement, Indra as guide
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.80.3, Rig Veda 8.80.5, Rig Veda 8.80.6, Rig Veda 8.80.7
Family tradition
Book 8 Indra hymns often voice immediate needs—speed, victory, forward motion—read inwardly as rapid spiritual advance.
Significance
Represents the rishi’s pragmatic yoga: ask not for abstraction but for the re-positioning of inner forces so the journey is led by light.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Adrivaḥ (pressing-stone wielder)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Sets the victorious course; leads the hosts of light; makes the human journey align with the divine movement.
Inner power
Executive illumination—capacity to re-rank motives, bring the true leading force forward, and push the being out of regression.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invocation in Soma context
इन्द्र॒ प्र णो॒ रथ॑मव प॒श्चाच्चि॒त्सन्त॑मद्रिवः । पु॒रस्ता॑देनं मे कृधि ॥
इन्द्र॑ । प्र । नः॒ । रथ॑म् । अ॒व॒ । प॒श्चात् । चि॒त् । सन्त॑म् । अ॒द्रि॒ऽवः॒ । पु॒रस्ता॑त् । ए॒न॒म् । मे॒ । कृ॒धि॒ ॥
indra | pra | naḥ | ratham | ava | paścāt | cit | santam | adri-vaḥ | purastāt | enam | me | kṛdhi
32
4 × 8 (approx.)
March-like, directive; strong imperatives.
Instills forward-drive; helpful for breaking tamas and restoring momentum.
- रथ (ratha)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: vehicle of sadhana; coordinated powers enabling forward movement
- पश्चात् (paścāt)
- Literal: behind. Symbolic: lagging consciousness; inertia, relapse, or delayed manifestation
- पुरस्तात् (purastāt)
- Literal: in front. Symbolic: right leading impulse; the forefront of being governed by light
- अद्रिवः (adri-vaḥ)
- Literal: wielder of the stone (pressing-stone). Symbolic: power that presses out Soma—extracts essence/Ananda and turns it into force
Prayer for precedence/victory in contests and processions; inner sense: to bring the aspirant’s movement under Indra’s leading force.
When seeking Indra’s ‘leading’ and victory during offerings; also suitable as a ‘pravartana’ (setting in motion) prayer.
Recited to invite Indra to lead and to secure precedence/success for the sacrificer.
Use before study, meditation, or major life effort to ‘put the right force in front’ and correct drift.
ratha ‘chariot’ from √ṛ/√ar ‘to fit, move’ (vehicle of movement). purastāt/pascāt are spatial adverbs mapping to inner progress/regress. adrivaḥ: adri ‘stone’ (pressing-stone), marking Indra’s link to Soma. kṛdhi imperative of √kṛ ‘do/make’ (PIE *kwer- ‘make’ debated).
forward leading of the soul’s movement, divine governance of progress, Rita as right direction (purastāt)
Purastāt (in front) signifies ṛta’s proper ordering—right precedence in the inner economy.
Truth must lead; when it does, the chariot becomes rightly guided.
Re-ordering as a creative act: higher mind rearranges lower energies into a progressive formation.
Integral yoga reading: transformation by reorientation and divine leadership.
Chariot = dynamic embodiment; stone press = disciplined extraction of essence; ‘behind/in front’ = psychological precedence (what leads the life).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the divine charioteer-leader: Indra brings the chariot to the front, ensuring victory and right direction. Psychologically, the ‘vehicle of the being’ that lags behind is seized by the illumined force and set in the vanguard of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Chariot imagery is pan-Indo-European in heroic and ritual poetics. The spatial opposition behind/in-front (paścāt/purastāt) becomes a moral-psychological axis, a common IE trope where spatial deixis encodes value and destiny.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi asks Indra for direct executive action (kṛdhi): not merely blessing but reordering the seeker’s movement. Indra’s reciprocity is leadership—placing the aspirant’s ‘ratha’ under a higher will.
Invite Indra to reorder priorities so the soul’s aim leads the day.
maṇipūra (drive, forward movement) and ājñā (right direction)
Brisk, even nāḍī-śodhana for 3–5 rounds, then chant once and sit feeling ‘purastāt’—the inner lead.
From scattered effort to aligned forward motion.
Before action, visualize your energies as a chariot: place aspiration in front, hesitation behind; chant and then take one immediate step forward.
Follow śākhā svara; keep imperatives (‘pra’, ‘ava’, ‘kṛdhi’) distinctly lifted where accented.
Pause after ‘ratham ava’; articulate ‘paścāc cit santam’ clearly (avoid merging consonants).
indra: short ‘i’, crisp ‘dr’ cluster, adrivaḥ: ‘dri’ as in ‘dr’ + short i; final ḥ light, purastād: long ā held; retroflex ‘ṣṭ’ not used here—keep dental ‘st’ per word
Commanding, forward-thrusting; end with a decisive cadence on ‘kṛdhi’.
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