Rig Veda Sukta 4
Mandala 1Sukta 410 Mantras

Sukta 4

Sukta 1.4

Rishi

Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra

Chandas

Gāyatrī

Dieser Gāyatrī-Hymnus ruft die göttliche Macht an, die das Opfer wirksam macht: Agni als die wohlgeformte, ungebrochene Kraft von Darbringung und Streben, die Tag für Tag um Schutz und Mehrung angerufen wird. Zugleich wendet er sich an Indra als den sichernden Frieden und mächtigen Helfer des Soma-Pressers und bittet um guten Ruf, Fülle und sicheren Übergang jenseits der Hindernisse. So rahmt der Hymnus das frühe vedische Ritual als inneres und äußeres Tun: den Willen entfachen (Agni) und sieghaften Schutz empfangen (Indra).

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.4

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • AgniMantra 1invoked as the integral, well-formed power of the sacrifice and inner will

    Agni is the perfectly-formed (surūpa), unbroken (akṛtnu) power of the offering, invoked repeatedly as the priestly fire that carries oblations and awakens the sacrifice.

  • IndraMantras 2-10as Soma-pā, the drinker of Soma, the victorious lord of luminous force

Mantras

Mantra 1

सुरूपकृत्नुमूतये सुदुघामिव गोदुहे । जुहूमसि द्यविद्यवि ॥

Zu unserer Förderung und zum Schutz rufen wir Agni an, die wohlgestaltete, ungebrochene Kraft, wie man eine reichlich milchgebende Kuh zum Melken des Lichtes herbeiruft — Tag um Tag.

Mantra 2

उप नः सवना गहि सोमस्य सोमपाः पिब । गोदा इद्रेवतो मदः ॥

Komm her zu unseren Pressungen; tritt heran. O Somatrinker, trink vom Soma. Denn die Ekstase, die die Strahlen (die erleuchteten Herden) schenkt, ist wahrlich der Rausch der reichen Fülle.

Mantra 3

अथा ते अन्तमानां विद्याम सुमतीनाम् । मा नो अति ख्य आ गहि ॥

Dann mögen wir jene deiner innersten gütigen Eingebungen erkennen; geh in deinem Schauen nicht an uns vorüber — komm her zu uns.

Mantra 4

परेहि विग्रमस्तृतमिन्द्रं पृच्छा विपश्चितम् । यस्ते सखिभ्य आ वरम् ॥

Geh weiter, schreite voran; befrage Indra, den unerschütterlichen Schritt der Macht, den lichtvollen Wissenden. Er ist es, der deinen Gefährten die erlesene Gabe bringt, den höchsten Segen.

Mantra 5

उत ब्रुवन्तु नो निदो निरन्यतश्चिदारत । दधाना इन्द्र इद्दुवः ॥

Und mögen die Stimmen feindlicher Hemmung, die gegen uns reden, vertrieben werden, selbst von allen anderen Seiten; und indem wir die Gabe des Dienstes darbringen, mögen wir sie allein in Indra gründen, damit seine Kraft bei uns stehe.

Mantra 6

उत नः सुभगाँ अरिर्वोचेयुर्दस्म कृष्टयः । स्यामेदिन्द्रस्य शर्मणि ॥

Und mögen die Völker von uns sprechen als Trägern leuchtenden Glücks, o Dasma, du Wunderwirkender; wahrlich, mögen wir in Indras schirmendem Frieden weilen.

Mantra 7

एमाशुमाशवे भर यज्ञश्रियं नृमादनम् । पतयन्मन्दयत्सखम् ॥

Bring herbei für diesen Schnellen die schnelle Wonne, den Glanz des Opfers, der den Menschen erfreut; (bring) die auffliegende Kraft, die sich mit dem Gefährten jubelnd vereint, damit die innere Darbringung lichtvoll und sieghaft werde.

Mantra 8

अस्य पीत्वा शतक्रतो घनो वृत्राणामभवः । प्रावो वाजेषु वाजिनम् ॥

Nachdem du hiervon (vom Soma-Entzücken) getrunken hattest, o Śatakratu, wurdest du zum Zerschmetterer der Hemmenden; und du führtest den Träger der Fülle hervor in den Bereichen des vā́ja — jener sieghaften Kraftsteigerungen.

Mantra 9

तं त्वा वाजेषु वाजिनं वाजयामः शतक्रतो । धनानामिन्द्र सातये ॥

Dich, o Indra, Śatakratu, den Träger der Fülle in all unseren vā́jas — dich wollen wir siegreich machen, damit die Reichtümer (die inneren Schätze des Seins) gewonnen werden.

Mantra 10

यो रायोऽवनिर्महान्त्सुपारः सुन्वतः सखा । तस्मा इन्द्राय गायत ॥

Singt Indra — dem großen Helfer und Hüter der Reichtümer, dem sicheren Fährmann über die Furt, dem Freund dessen, der Soma presst.

Inside Sukta 4

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A daily invocation of Agni as the perfectly-formed, unbroken power sought for fostering protection and increase.

  2. Development

    Agni’s role as the effective force of sacrifice expands into the wider aim: prosperity, good fortune, and social recognition, with divine support made concrete as protection.

  3. Climax

    The prayer for abiding in Indra’s śarman (protecting peace) and for Indra’s active help as the great guardian of plenitudes.

  4. Where it settles

    A closing exhortation to sing to Indra, the helper and ‘ferryman across,’ affirming divine friendship with the consecrated effort of the Soma-presser.

The deity: Agni

  • In the VedaIndra appears as the wonder-worker (dasma), protector, and companion of the Soma-presser, granting shelter (śarman) and plenitude (rāyaḥ).
  • Cosmic functionAgni mediates between human and divine realms, translating offerings into divine reception and maintaining ṛta through the rite; Indra upholds victory, protection, and the widening of life-force and abundance.
  • Inner significanceAgni signifies the integrated will, aspiration, and clarity that makes spiritual effort coherent and ‘well-formed’; Indra signifies the courageous, overcoming power that establishes inner security and opens the way across difficulties.

The seer

  • Madhucchandas VaiśvāmitraVaiśvāmitra (Kauśika/Viśvāmitra line) · One of the earliest seers of Mandala 1, credited with foundational hymns that establish the Vedic act of invocation; closely associated with the Vaiśvāmitra tradition and the shaping of early Vedic liturgy.

Famous verses

juhūmasi dyavi-dyavi
Verse 1.4.1Defines Agni as surūpa-akṛtnu—an integral, well-shaped and unbroken power—invoked daily for protection, using the vivid image of a richly-yielding cow for the ‘milking’ of light and increase.Read verse 1.4.1 →
indrasya śarmaṇi
Verse 1.4.6Expresses the social and spiritual fruit of the rite: luminous good fortune and the aspiration to dwell in Indra’s sheltering peace (śarman), a key Vedic ideal of protected well-being.Read verse 1.4.6 →
supāraḥ sunvataḥ sakhā
Verse 1.4.10Summarizes Indra’s function as protector of plenitudes and the ‘safe-crosser’ (supāraḥ), emphasizing companionship with the Soma-presser—divine support for sustained disciplined effort.Read verse 1.4.10 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Well-formed, integral power (surūpa)
  • Unbroken/consistent force (akṛtnu)
  • Daily-invoked priestly fire (dyavi-dyavi)
  • Giver of fostering protection (ūtaye)
  • Indra as shelter/peace (śarman)
  • Indra as helper of plenitudes and the ‘ferryman across’ (supāraḥ)

Also by this seer

  • RV 1.1–1.11 (traditional Anukramaṇī attribution, including early Agni and Indra hymns)
  • Early Mandala 1 Gāyatrī-style stotras used in Soma and fire rites

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/vedi and establish ritual purity and intention.
  • Kindle or rekindle Agni; invoke him as the well-formed, unbroken power of the sacrifice (invocation repeated day by day).
  • Offer oblations into the fire while reciting the Gāyatrī verses as a steady stotra.
  • Turn the praise toward Indra, aligning the rite with Soma-pressing and asking for śarman (protecting peace) and rāyas (plenitudes).
  • Conclude with a directive to sing to Indra as the great helper and safe ‘crosser-over,’ sealing the rite in confidence and protection.

Offerings

  • Ghṛta (clarified butter) into Agni
  • Samidh (fuel sticks) for kindling
  • Soma (or Soma-substitute) offered/praised in Indra’s context
  • Optional: grains/cakes (puroḍāśa) according to the rite

Frequently Asked Questions

It asks for protection and increase by invoking Agni as the steady, well-formed power that makes the sacrifice work, and it seeks Indra’s sheltering peace and help for success and safe progress.

The hymn praises Agni as an integrated, consistent force—both the ritual fire and the inner will—that does not fail in carrying the offering and sustaining the effort day after day.

Early Mandala 1 hymns often move fluidly between closely linked divine powers in the ritual. Here, Agni establishes the rite, and Indra is praised as the protector and helper who grants peace (śarman) and abundance to the Soma-presser.

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