Rig Veda 1.30.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 30, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.30
- Rishi
- Kakṣīvān Dairghatamasa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ घा गमद्यदि श्रवत्सहस्रिणीभिरूतिभिः । वाजेभिरुप नो हवम् ॥
ā́ ghā gamad yádi śrávat sahasríṇībhir ūtíbhiḥ | vā́jebhir úpa no hávam ||
Wahrlich, er wird kommen, wenn er hört: er naht mit tausendfachen Hilfen und mit Füllen der Kraft — zu unserem Ruf.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towards (adds directional force)Indeclinableउपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे) / preverbRoot आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- घ
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपातः (अवधारण/उत्कर्षार्थ) / emphatic particleRoot घ (निपात) / gha (particle)
- गमद्
- let him come / may he comeVerbलोट् (वैदिके लेट्-प्रयोगसदृशः) / imperative-injunctive sense; परस्मैपदम्; प्र. 3; एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root √गम् (गच्छति) / √gam
- यदि
- if, whenIndeclinableशर्तार्थक-अव्ययम् / conditional particleRoot यदि (सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय) / yadi
- श्रवत्
- may he hear / let him listenVerbलोट्/लेट्-भावः (वैदिक) ; परस्मैपदम्; प्र. 3; एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root √श्रु (शृणोति) / √śru
- सहस्रिणीभिः
- with thousandfold (many)Adjective (used substantively) / Noun-likeस्त्रीलिङ्गम्; तृतीया; बहुवचनम्Role करण (instrument/means)Root सहस्रिणी (सहस्र- + -इनी) / sahasriṇī
- ऊतिभिः
- with helps, with aids, with protectionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गम्; तृतीया; बहुवचनम्Role करण (instrument/means)Root ऊति (from √अव्/√ऊ? ‘to help, protect’; Vedic noun) / ūti
- वाजेभिः
- with prizes/strengths (vajas)Nounपुंलिङ्गम्; तृतीया; बहुवचनम्Role करण (instrument/means)Root वाज (strength, prize, food; also ‘victory’) / vāja
- उप
- near, towardsIndeclinableअव्ययम् (समीप/अभिमुख्ये) / adverb-preverbRoot उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) / upa
- नः
- of us, ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक) / genitive; बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (possessor/related)Root अस्मद् / asmad
- हवम्
- invocation, callNounपुंलिङ्गम्; द्वितीया; एकवचनम्Role कर्म (object)Root हव (call, invocation) / hava
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आ | घ | गमद् | यदि | श्रवत् | सहस्रिणीभिः | ऊतिभिः | वाजेभिः | उप | नः | हवम् । 1) गम॒द्यदि॒ = गमद् + यदि (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: द् + य → द्य)
- 2) श्रव॑त्सह॒स्रिणी॑भिः = श्रवत् + सहस्रिणीभिः (त् + स → त्स)
- 3) सहस्रिणी॑भिरू॒तिभि॑: = सहस्रिणीभिः + ऊतिभिः (विसर्ग/रुत्व-लेखनभेदः; संहितायां ‘भिरू’ इति दृश्यते, पदे ‘भिः | ऊतिभिः’)
- 4) वाजे॑भि॒रुप॑ = वाजेभिः + उप (भिः + उ → भिरु (रुत्व) + प)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra will surely come if he listens—approaching our invocation with thousandfold helps and with powers that win the prize.
Inner meaning
When the illumined Mind (Indra) ‘hears’ the soul’s call, it descends near the consciousness bringing abundant aids—many-sided intuitions, protections, and victorious energies (vāja) that break resistance and establish progress in the inner sacrifice.
Universal truth
Grace answers sincerity: when aspiration becomes audible to the higher Power, help arrives not as a single gift but as a multiplicity of supports, enabling decisive inner victory.
Themes
invitation, abundance, help, approach
The seer
- Rishi
- Kakṣīvān Dairghatamasa
- Lineage
- Dīrghatamas (Angirasa-associated seer-line)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 1.18, Rig Veda 1.29, Rig Veda 1.30, Rig Veda 1.31
Family tradition
A visionary poet-seer of the early Rigvedic period, linked with the Dīrghatamas heritage of inspired speech and inner journeying.
Significance
Kakṣīvān’s Indra hymns often emphasize the intimate, responsive relationship between aspiration (havam) and the descending force of illumination, portraying Indra as a near, companion power in the yogic battle.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vajrin (वज्रिन्), Puruhūta (पुरुहूत), Nara (नर), Soma-pā (सोमपा)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Lord of the luminous heaven; wielder of the thunderbolt who releases the waters/light by defeating the Coverer (Vṛtra).
Inner power
Illumined Mind and decisive will of understanding that breaks subconscious obstruction and brings victorious energies into the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stuti within Soma-yajña recitation cycles (general)
आ घा॑ गम॒द्यदि॒ श्रव॑त्सह॒स्रिणी॑भिरू॒तिभि॑: । वाजे॑भि॒रुप॑ नो॒ हव॑म् ॥
आ । घ॒ । ग॒म॒त् । यदि॑ । श्रव॑त् । स॒ह॒स्रिणी॑भिः । ऊ॒तिऽभिः॑ । वाजे॑भिः । उप॑ । नः॒ । हव॑म् ॥
ā | gha | gamat | yadi | śravat | sahasriṇībhiḥ | ūti-bhiḥ | vājebhiḥ | upa | naḥ | havam
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (requires full Vedic scansion with sandhi)
Forward-driving, martial cadence with a strong mid-line lift typical of Indra-invocation.
Energizes aspiration and confidence; supports a sense of ‘approach’ and imminent descent of help.
- ā (आ) / upa (उप)
- Literal: towards; near. Symbolic: descent/approach of higher consciousness into the field of practice
- śravat (श्रवत्)
- Literal: hears, heeds. Symbolic: the higher Mind’s response to true aspiration; receptivity and sanction
- sahasriṇībhir ūtibhiḥ (सहस्रिणीभिरूतिभिः)
- Literal: with thousandfold helps. Symbolic: innumerable forms of guidance, protection, and uplift from the illumined plane
- vājebhiḥ (वाजेभिः)
- Literal: with prizes/strengths. Symbolic: energies of accomplishment; victorious force of progress (inner ‘wins’)
- havam (हवम्)
- Literal: call, invocation. Symbolic: aspiration of the psychic being; the soul’s summons to the Divine Mind
Invitatory: calling Indra to approach the pressing/offering with abundant aids; also inner-ritual sense of inviting force into the consciousness
During Soma pressing/offerings and Indra-focused praise sequences
Hotṛ recitation inviting Indra to the offering; mental ‘calling-in’ of the deity’s force
Use as a short invocation before meditation or difficult action: ‘May the higher Mind hear and come with many helps.’
gamat: optative/aorist injunctive nuance from √gam (PIE *gʷem- 'go/come'). śrávat: from √śru 'hear' (PIE *ḱleu- 'hear'; cf. Gk. κλύω). sahasra 'thousand' is inherited IE numeral. ūtí again 'help'. upa indicates approach/near-presence.
hearing as consent (śru → receptivity), abundance of protective powers (sahasriṇī ūtayaḥ), approach into nearness (upa) as inner descent of force
Indra’s coming signifies restoration of ṛta in the human field through right discernment and victorious action.
‘Heeding’ implies truth-contact: the call aligned with satya becomes efficacious.
Descent of higher powers into the lower field to further the unfolding of consciousness.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral yogic reading (Aurobindonian): gods as powers of consciousness.
Like a storm that breaks stagnation and brings fertile waters, Indra’s illumination breaks inertia and pours supportive forces into the seeker.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The 'hearing-and-coming' of the god: divine aid becomes active when the call is truly heard (śravat). The condition signals alignment; then the power approaches with multiplied helps and force-plenitudes.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- śru/śrávat reflects PIE *ḱleu- 'hear' (cf. 'loud', 'listen' cognate network via different branches). The conditional yádi + verb is a common inherited syntactic pattern for ritual efficacy: 'if he hears, he comes'.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s havam is the aspirational summons; Indra’s response is not arbitrary but keyed to receptivity (heeding). The reciprocity is: right call → heard by the power → descent with abundant supports.
Invite the higher illumination to ‘come near’ and organize the inner forces for progress.
Ājñā (brow)
Gentle inhalation on ‘ā ghā gamat’, exhalation on ‘upa no havam’ to embody descent and offering.
Active receptivity—alert, aspiring, confident.
Repeat at the start of practice; then sit silently, noticing small ‘helps’ (clarities, protections, right impulses) as Indra’s sahasra-ūti.
Use Vedic svara as per śākhā tradition; key lifts on finite verb (gamat) and on śravat; maintain clear udātta peaks and avoid flattening.
Keep ‘śrávat’ crisp; do not over-lengthen short vowels; honor sandhi lightly without swallowing consonants.
śr- cluster: ‘śra’ not ‘sra’, sahasriṇībhir: articulate -ṇī- long ī; retroflex ṇ, ūtibhiḥ: long ū; final visarga ḥ lightly aspirated, vājebhir: long ā; soft j, havam: short a; final m clear
Bright, invoking, slightly upward-leading at the cadence.
12
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.
