Rig Veda 3.53.9: Mandala 3, Sukta 53, Mantra 9
Sukta 3.53
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
महाँ ऋषिर्देवजा देवजूतोऽस्तभ्नात्सिन्धुमर्णवं नृचक्षाः । विश्वामित्रो यदवहत्सुदासमप्रियायत कुशिकेभिरिन्द्रः ॥
mahā́n ṛ́ṣir devajā́ devajū́to ástabhnāt síndhum arṇaváṃ nṛcákṣāḥ | viśvā́mitro yád ávahat sudā́sam ápriyāyata kuśikébhir índraḥ ||
মহান ঋষি—দেৱজাত, দেৱে প্ৰেৰিত—নৃচক্ষাঃ (মানৱদৰ্শী) জনে সাগৰসম সিন্ধুক স্থিৰ কৰি থামাই দিলে। বিশ্বামিত্ৰে যেতিয়া সুদাসক পাৰ কৰালে, কুশিকসকলৰ সৈতে ইন্দ্ৰ অপ্রিয় (বৈৰী)-ৰ বিপক্ষে গ’ল।
Word by Word
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विशेषण (कर्तृपदस्य)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋषिः
- seerNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवजाः
- god-born / born of the godsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विशेषण (ऋषेः)Root देवजा (प्रातिपदिक; देव+जा)
- देवजूतः
- god-impelled / urged by the godsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विशेषण (ऋषेः)Root देवजूत (प्रातिपदिक; देव+जूत)
- अस्तभ्नात्
- propped up; held fast; supportedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot स्तभ् (धातु)
- सिन्धुम्
- the river Sindhu / the riverNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्णवम्
- the flood; the sea-like surgeNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (सिन्धुम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
- नृचक्षाः
- man-seeing; having men in view (far-sighted for men)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप)Role विशेषण (ऋषेः)Root नृचक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक; नृ+चक्षस्)
- विश्वामित्रः
- ViśvāmitraProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्वामित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- whenRelative pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणार्थे ‘यदा/यत्’ = when)Role सम्बन्ध/काल-निर्देशRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवहत्
- carried/led down; broughtVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot वह् (धातु) + अव (उपसर्ग)
- सुदासम्
- SudāsProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सुदास (प्रातिपदिक)
- अप्रियायत
- went away; departedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु) + अप (उपसर्ग)
- कुशिकेभिः
- with the Kuśikas (clan of Viśvāmitra)Noun (tribal/patronymic)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole सह/करण (सहचर्य/साधनभाव)Root कुशिक (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: महान् ऋषिः देवजाः देवजूतः अस्तभ्नात् सिन्धुम् अर्णवम् नृचक्षाः । विश्वामित्रः यत् अवहत् सुदासम् अप्रियायत कुशिकेभिः इन्द्रः ॥ मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) देवजूतोऽस्तभ्नात् = देवजूतः + अस्तभ्नात् (विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः, अ-आदौ)
- (2) यदवहत् = यत् + अवहत् (त् + अ → द + अ; जश्त्व)
- (3) केभिरिन्द्रः = केभिः + इन्द्रः (विसर्गलोपः/रुत्व-प्रभावः; पदे ‘कुशिकेभिः इन्द्रः’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Viśvāmitra, the great seer, divinely born and divinely impelled, holds firm the ocean-like river; when he carries King Sudās across, Indra sides with the Kuśikas and turns against hostile forces.
Inner meaning
The ‘oceanic river’ is the vast, turbulent current of the subconscient and life-forces. The seer (illumined intuition) steadies this flood by the power of mantra and right will, enabling the soul-personality (Sudās) to cross from the lower nature to a safer, wider consciousness. Indra’s alliance with the Kuśikas signifies the descent of illumined Mind to support the seer-family’s yoga, reversing adverse tendencies and inner resistances.
Universal truth
When the higher intuition is supported by the illumined intelligence, the overwhelming currents of habit, fear, and obscurity can be stabilized; then the seeker is carried across transitional crises into a more luminous and protected state of being.
Themes
River-crossing, Rishi power (brahman), Indra as ally of the seer, Protection of the leader (Sudās)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra (Kauśika)
- Lineage
- Kauśika
- Other hymns
- RV 3.53 (entire hymn), RV 3.62 (Gāyatrī/Sāvitrī), RV 3.33 (river-crossing motif)
Family tradition
Kuśika/Kaushika seer-line emphasizing brahman (mantric force) allied with Indra for protection and victory in crossings/crises.
Significance
Viśvāmitra embodies the transition from forceful aspiration to illumined mastery: the seer who ‘makes a passage’ by mantra, aligning human leadership with divine mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vajrin (implied thunder-wielder), maghavan (bountiful), vṛtrahan (contextual)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Sarasvatī
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; establisher of free flow of light and power; protector of the journey across perilous currents.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence that discriminates, decides, and strikes through resistance; courage of consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yāga / Indra-Soma praise within a śrauta setting (contextual)
म॒हाँ ऋषि॑र्देव॒जा दे॒वजू॒तोऽस्त॑भ्ना॒त्सिन्धु॑मर्ण॒वं नृ॒चक्षा॑: । वि॒श्वामि॑त्रो॒ यदव॑हत्सु॒दास॒मप्रि॑यायत कुशि॒केभि॒रिन्द्र॑: ॥
म॒हान् । ऋषिः॑ । दे॒व॒ऽजाः । दे॒वऽजू॑तः । अस्त॑भ्नात् । सिन्धु॑म् । अ॒र्ण॒वम् । नृ॒ऽचक्षाः॑ । वि॒श्वामि॑त्रः । यत् । अव॑हत् । सु॒ऽदास॑म् । अप्रि॑यायत । कु॒शि॒केभिः॑ । इन्द्रः॑ ॥
mahān | ṛṣiḥ | deva-jāḥ | deva-jūtaḥ | astabhnāt | sindhum | arṇavam | nṛ-cakṣāḥ | viśvāmitraḥ | yat | avahat | su-dāsam | apriyāyata | kuśikebhiḥ | indraḥ
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (approx.)
Forward-driving, heroic cadence with strong caesurae supporting narrative and decisive turns.
Creates steadiness and resolve; suited to ‘crossing’ moments—stabilizes breath and attention into a firm, victorious poise.
- महान् ऋषिः (mahān ṛṣiḥ)
- Literal: great seer. Symbolic: vast intuitive consciousness that can govern inner movements
- देवजाः (devajāḥ)
- Literal: born of the gods. Symbolic: originating in higher planes (inspiration, revelation)
- देवजूतः (devajūtaḥ)
- Literal: impelled by the gods. Symbolic: moved by divine impulsion rather than ego-drive
- सिन्धुम् अर्णवम् (sindhum arṇavam)
- Literal: oceanic river. Symbolic: immense flood of life/subconscient energies
- अस्तभ्नात् (astabhnāt)
- Literal: he held/steadied. Symbolic: establishes a firm poise; makes a stable passage
- अवहत् (avahat)
- Literal: carried across. Symbolic: transfers consciousness over a dangerous threshold
- अप्रियायत (apriyāyata)
- Literal: turned against the unfriendly. Symbolic: divine force opposes hostile inner formations
- इन्द्रः (indraḥ)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: illumined mind-power that conquers obscurity
Historico-mythic validation within the hymn: Viśvāmitra’s power to ‘hold’ the river and aid Sudās; used to affirm the rishi’s brahman-force in communal/royal contexts tied to Soma and Indra.
During Indra invocations and victory/protection sequences; also in recitation celebrating safe passage and divine aid.
Stotra/śastra-style praise; calling Indra’s support to overcome hostility and secure passage.
Use as a meditation mantra for navigating life transitions, anxiety surges, or overwhelming emotions—invoke ‘steadiness of the flood’ and decisive inner protection.
astabhnāt from √stabh ‘to prop, make firm’ (cf. ‘stiff’ not cognate directly but similar semantic). sindhu originally ‘river’ and by extension ‘sea’; arṇavá ‘surge, flood’. ava-√vah ‘carry down/over’ continues √vah. nṛ-cakṣas ‘man-seeing’ (cakṣ ‘see’ IE cognate with Greek opsis? not direct; but √cakṣ is Indo-Iranian).
divine impulsion (devajūta), stabilization of the flood (mastery of vital energies), alliance of seer-force and warrior-force
The seer establishes ṛta by fixing the unstable current into a lawful movement that can be crossed.
Mantra as truth-speech aligns Indra’s force with the seeker’s right aim.
Ordering of the waters/flows—bringing cosmos out of inundation by conscious power.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent and descent—intuition + illumined mind mastering the vital/subconscient.
The river-ocean is the life-energy and subconscient flux; the ‘crossing’ is a shift of consciousness to a wider, safer plane under Indra’s illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The river-stopping/river-mastering and safe-crossing myth: the seer stabilizes the flood so the leader passes. Innerly, the inspired consciousness (ṛṣi) steadies the surging life-stream (sindhu arṇava) so the soul-leader (Sudās) can cross a crisis; Indra supports the movement against hostile forces.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- devajā/devajūta show Indo-Iranian divine agency constructions. √stabh ‘support’ has parallels in Iranian and broader IE semantic fields of ‘prop/stand’. The river-crossing motif itself is a common IE poetic theme of overcoming a boundary-water.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Viśvāmitra acts as the locus of brahman-power; Indra aligns with him (‘with the Kuśikas’), indicating that divine force serves the truth-seer when the action is in ṛta—protecting the right leader and opposing hostile tendencies.
Stabilize the inner ‘flood’ and invite Indra’s clear decision-force to carry you across a threshold.
maṇipūra (will/decision)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 while mentally repeating key phrases; exhale on ‘astabhnāt’ (steadied).
From restless vital turbulence to illumined steadiness and protected movement.
Recall a current difficulty as ‘sindhu arṇava’; feel a higher poise above the waves; offer the situation upward; invite decisive clarity; act from the steadied center, not from the surge.
Use standard Ṛgvedic udātta/anudātta/svarita per śākhā; emphasize udātta on key nouns (ṛ́ṣiḥ, síndhum, índraḥ) while keeping sandhi crisp.
Maintain a clear caesura near the middle of each triṣṭubh pāda; slightly lift pitch on udātta syllables and let svarita fall naturally.
Keep retroflex ṛ in ṛṣiḥ clean and brief., Differentiate sindhum (n) from sīndhu (don’t lengthen i)., Pronounce viśvāmitro with clear śv cluster: viś-vā-., In apriyāyata, avoid swallowing the yā: a-pri-yā-ya-ta.
Steady, resonant, heroic; avoid haste—let ‘astabhnāt’ land firmly.
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