Rig Veda 6.39.2: Mandala 6, Sukta 39, Mantra 2
Sukta 6.39
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अयमुशानः पर्यद्रिमुस्रा ऋतधीतिभिॠतयुग्युजानः । रुजदरुग्णं वि वलस्य सानुं पणीँर्वचोभिरभि योधदिन्द्रः ॥
ayám uśānáḥ páry ádrim usrā́ ṛtádhītibhī ṛtáyug yujānáḥ | rujád arúgṇaṃ ví válasya sā́nuṃ paṇī́n váco-bhir abhí yódhad índraḥ ||
এই ইন্দ্ৰ, কামনাৰে উদ্দীপ্ত, ঋত-যুগে যোজিত হৈ, ঋতধীতি (সত্য-দৰ্শন)ৰে অদ্ৰি (শিলা)ৰ চাৰিওফালে গতি কৰিলে আৰু উষ্ৰা—উজ্জ্বল ৰশ্মিসমূহ—উন্মোচন কৰিলে। তেওঁ বলৰ আৱৰণৰ অখণ্ড শৃংগ ভাঙিলে; বাক্-শক্তিৰে পণিসকলৰ বিৰুদ্ধে যুদ্ধ কৰিলে ইন্দ্ৰ।
Word by Word
- अयम्
- this (he)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (इन्द्रस्य निर्देशः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उशानः
- desiring, eagerAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root वश् (धातु) → उशान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; इच्छन्/कामयमानः) अथवा √उश् ‘to desire’ (वैदिक)
- परि
- around, all aboutIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम् (पर्यद्रिम् इत्यत्र उपसर्गभावः)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अद्रिम्
- the rock, mountainNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (पर्यद्रिम्—‘अद्रिं परि’)Root अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- उस्राः
- ruddy cows; dawn-raysNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (गावः/किरणाः—सन्दर्भानुसार)Root उस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतधीतिभिः
- with true/ṛta-inspired thoughtsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण (याभिः—‘ऋतधीतिभिः’)Root ऋत-धिति (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतयुग्युः
- yoking/linked with ṛta (right order)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (इन्द्रस्य)Root ऋत-युग्यु (समास-प्रातिपदिक; ‘ऋतेन युज्यमानः/योजयितुम् अर्हः’)
- अजानः
- begetting, producingParticipleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम्Root जन् (धातु) → अजान (कृदन्त; ‘जनयन्/उत्पादयन्’)
- रुजत्
- breakingVerb (participle) / verbal adjectiveवर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (इन्द्रः—‘breaking’)Root रुज् (धातु) ‘to break’
- अरुग्णम्
- unbroken, intactAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः/पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (वस्तुनि)Role कर्म-विशेषणम् (सानुम् इत्यस्य)Root रुज् (धातु) → रुग्ण (कृदन्त) with privative अ-
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम् (रुजत् इत्यत्र)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वलस्य
- of Vala (the cave/obstructor)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (सानुम्—‘वलस्य’)Root वल (प्रातिपदिक)
- सानुम्
- ridge; summit; side (of the rock/cave)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (रुजत्—what is broken)Root सानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पणीन्
- the Paṇis (niggardly demons/traders)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (अभि योद्धत्—whom he fought)Root पणि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वचोभिः
- with words; with sacred utterancesNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण (with words/formulas)Root वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- against, towardsIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणम् (योद्धत् इत्यत्र)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- योद्धत्
- foughtVerb (injunctive/imperf. form)लुङ्/लिट्-प्रायः वैदिक-रूपम्; 3 पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम् (वैदिक ‘योद्धत्’ = ‘he fought’)Role क्रियाRoot युध् (धातु) ‘to fight’
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): अयम् उशानः परि अद्रिम् उस्राः ऋतधीतिभिः ऋतयुग्युः अजानः । रुजत् अरुग्णम् वि वलस्य सानुम् पणीन् वचोभिः अभि योद्धत् इन्द्रः ॥ मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) पर्यद्रिम् = परि + अद्रिम् (इ/अ संधि → य)
- (2) पणीँर्वचोभिः = पणीन् + वचोभिः (न् + व → ँव्/अनुस्वार-चिह्न वैदिक-पाठे)
- (3) योधदिन्द्रः = योद्धत् + इन्द्रः (त् + इ → दि; वैदिक संधि/पाठभेद)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, desiring, harnessed to Truth with truth-visions, moved around the stone and brought forth the shining rays. He broke Vala’s unbroken ridge; with words he fought the Paṇis.
Inner meaning
Indra as illumined Mind, yoked to ṛta (ṛta-yuk), uses truth-intuitions (ṛtadhīti) to work upon the ‘stone’ (adri)—the hard obstruction or compressed subconscient. From it he brings out usrāḥ—the shining rays/cows of knowledge. He breaks the sealed summit of Vala (the cave of concealment) and combats the Paṇis—powers of falsehood, miserliness, and anti-light—by vāc (word-power): mantra as a weapon of truth.
Universal truth
Truth-consciousness does not merely contemplate; it acts: it circles the obstruction, applies insight, releases hidden light, and defeats hostile tendencies through the power of true speech and right knowledge.
Themes
Vala cave and cows (rays) release, Paṇis as hoarders, truth-yoked Indra, word as weapon
The seer
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja (probable)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.24 (Bṛhaspati breaks Vala with the word), RV 1.62-63 (release of cows; Indra/Angiras themes), RV 6.38.5 (battle against Vṛtra—covering)
Family tradition
Strong Indra-Bṛhaspati ‘cave of Vala’ symbolism: release of cows (rays) through truth-vision and word-power; a hallmark of psychological interpretation.
Significance
This is a compact map of inner liberation: aspiration + truth-yoking + mantra leads to the release of hidden knowledge and defeat of hostile negations.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- ṛtayuk (truth-yoked), uśāna (aspiring), vala-bhid (breaker of Vala; implied), paṇi-yodh (fighter of Paṇis; implied)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (word-lord), Aṅgirasas (finders of the cows), Sarasvatī (inspired speech)
Cosmic role
Liberator of the cows/rays; breaker of the cave; champion of ṛta against hostile forces.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence wielding mantra as force; capacity to penetrate the subconscient and release concealed light.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Vala mythic praise within Soma ritual cycles; also general Indra stotra
अ॒यमु॑शा॒नः पर्यद्रि॑मु॒स्रा ऋ॒तधी॑तिभिॠत॒युग्यु॑जा॒नः । रु॒जदरु॑ग्णं॒ वि व॒लस्य॒ सानुं॑ प॒णीँर्वचो॑भिर॒भि यो॑ध॒दिन्द्र॑: ॥
अ॒यम् । उ॒शा॒नः । परि॑ । अद्रि॑म् । उ॒स्राः । ऋ॒तधी॑तिऽभिः । ऋ॒त॒ऽयुक् । यु॒जा॒नः । रु॒जत् । अरु॑ग्णम् । वि । व॒लस्य॑ । सानु॑म् । प॒णीन् । वचः॑ऽभिः । अ॒भि । यो॒ध॒त् । इन्द्रः॑ ॥
ayam | uśānaḥ | pari | adrim | usrāḥ | ṛtadhīti-bhiḥ | ṛta-yuk | yujānaḥ | rujayt | arugṇam | vi | valasya | sānum | paṇīn | vacaḥ-bhiḥ | abhi | yodhat | indraḥ
44
4×11 (approx.)
Vigorous narrative rhythm; verbs of motion and breaking give a decisive cadence.
Invokes breakthrough energy; supports inner excavation and release of insight.
- uśānaḥ
- Literal: desiring. Symbolic: aspiration for truth and light
- ṛtadhītibhiḥ
- Literal: with truth-thoughts/visions. Symbolic: intuitions aligned with ṛta; right seeing
- ṛtayuk
- Literal: yoked to Truth. Symbolic: mind-force harnessed to the law of truth
- adri
- Literal: stone. Symbolic: hard resistance; compressed subconscient; obstacle to release
- usrāḥ
- Literal: shining ones (cows/rays). Symbolic: rays of knowledge/illumination released from concealment
- Vala
- Literal: enclosure/cave-demon. Symbolic: principle of concealment imprisoning light
- sānu
- Literal: ridge/summit. Symbolic: sealed threshold of the cave—limit of consciousness
- Paṇi
- Literal: miser/trader (hostile). Symbolic: forces that hoard light, deny sacrifice, promote false values
- vacobhiḥ
- Literal: with words. Symbolic: mantra-power; truth-speech as spiritual weapon
Indra’s archetypal release-myth (Vala/cows, Paṇis) used in Soma praise to invoke the same releasing action in the sacrificer.
When invoking Indra as opener of obstacles and releaser of ‘cows’ (prosperity/light)
Recitation as empowering narrative to align the sacrificer with Indra’s victory
Use when stuck in confusion: chant to ‘break the cave’—then journal insights (vacobhiḥ) immediately after.
Vala: ‘enclosure/cave’ (from √vṛ/val ‘cover/enclose’ in semantic field), mythically the cave of cows; psychologically the subconscient holding back illuminations. Paṇi: ‘miser/hoarder’—inner forces that refuse the circulation of light and delight. √yuj ‘yoke’ (PIE *yeug-). √yudh ‘fight’ (PIE *yeudh-). √ruj ‘break’ expresses the decisive rupture of obstruction by truth-yoked force.
R̥ta (truth-order) as the yoke of effective action, Vāc (word) as weapon of truth, Release of light/knowledge from enclosure
Indra’s action succeeds because it is ṛta-yoked: truth is the method and the force.
Truth-vision (ṛtadhīti) precedes truth-word (vāc); seeing and saying together break the enclosure.
Evolution as release of light from matter/obstruction (adri, Vala) through conscious force.
Early yogic cosmology: ascent through breaking subconscient seals; consonant with Aurobindo’s evolutionary reading.
Stone/cave = subconscient fixity; cows/rays = emergent illuminations; breaking ridge = crossing a psychological threshold.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Vala-cave and Paṇi conflict: Indra breaks Vala’s ridge and fights the Paṇis to release the usrāḥ (cows/rays). Innerly, it is the liberation of concealed illuminations (knowledge-powers) from the sealed subconscient, achieved by truth-yoked force and truth-inspired vision.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yuj (yujānaḥ) reflects PIE *yeug- ‘yoke’ (Latin iungō, English yoke). √yudh (yodhat) reflects PIE *yeudh- ‘fight’ (Old English gūð ‘battle’ is sometimes adduced in broader IE battle lexicon). usrā (shining) ties to the IE dawn/light semantic network, though exact root mapping is complex.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recalls Indra’s paradigmatic inner function: when yoked to R̥ta (ṛtayuk) and moved by truth-visions (ṛtadhīti), Indra’s force breaks the sealed ridge and defeats the hoarding powers. The hymn thereby invites Indra to repeat this releasing action within the practitioner’s consciousness.
‘Break the cave’: apply truth-vision to a hard knot in the subconscient; use mantra as decisive speech against inner falsehood.
Ājñā (insight) with grounding in Mūlādhāra (subconscient base)
Moderate kapalabhāti (30–60 strokes) to energize, then calm breathing; chant once per long exhale
Penetrative clarity; breakthrough readiness
Bring to mind one ‘stone’—a rigid belief or habit. Chant 12 times. After each chant, silently affirm one true sentence (vacobhiḥ) that counters the Paṇi-like miserliness or denial in you. End by imagining rays (usrāḥ) emerging and lighting the mind.
Not fully derivable; accents visible (e.g., अ॒यम्, उ॒शा॒नः, परि॑, ऋ॒तधी॑तिभिः, ऋ॒त॒युग्यु॑, रु॒जत्, प॒णीँ).
Give clear verbal emphasis to action words: pary, rujat, vi; let ‘ṛta’ compounds be steady and elevated in pitch.
(ṛtadhītibhiḥ): vocalic ‘ṛ’; long ‘ī’; aspirate ‘bh’, (ṛtayuk): final ‘k’ crisp, (adrim): dental ‘d’; short ‘i’, (usrāḥ): ‘uṣ/ us’ depending on recensional pronunciation; keep long ā; soft visarga, (valasya): clear ‘la’, (paṇīm̐): retroflex ‘ṇ’; nasalization indicated, (vacobhiḥ): ‘co’ long-ish; aspirate ‘bh’
Bright, decisive, slightly percussive consonants; maintain vowel length.
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