Sukta 157
Sukta 10.157
Indra with the Viśve Devāḥ (All Gods)
Dieser kurze Hymnus ruft Indra zusammen mit den Viśve Devāḥ (»allen Göttern«) an, die »Welten in rechte Ordnung zu setzen« und so Harmonie über die Ebenen des Daseins und des menschlichen Lebens zu stiften. Er bittet, Indra möge, begleitet von den Ādityas und Maruts, zum Beschützer unserer verkörperten Lebenskraft werden; und er gipfelt in einer nach innen gewendeten heiligen Strahlen‑Dichtung (arká), die svadhā wiederherstellt — das angeborene Gesetz und die tragende Kraft.
Mantras
Mantra 1
इमा नु कं भुवना सीषधामेन्द्रश्च विश्वे च देवाः ॥
Nun mögen Indra und alle Götter diese Welten für uns in rechte Ordnung setzen.
Mantra 2
यज्ञं च नस्तन्वं च प्रजां चादित्यैरिन्द्रः सह चीकॢपाति ॥
Das Opfer und unseren Leib und die Nachkommenschaft — Indra möge es uns zusammen mit den Ādityas bereiten.
Mantra 3
आदित्यैरिन्द्रः सगणो मरुद्भिरस्माकं भूत्वविता तनूनाम् ॥
Möge Indra, im Gefolge der Ādityas und zusammen mit den Maruts, unser Schützer werden — Hüter unseres leibhaftigen Seins und seiner rechten Kräfte.
Mantra 4
हत्वाय देवा असुरान्यदायन्देवा देवत्वमभिरक्षमाणाः ॥
Als die Götter auszogen, die Asuras zu erschlagen, schritten die Götter dahin, ihr Gottsein behütend und bewahrend — das lichtvolle Gesetz ihres eigenen göttlichen Wesens unversehrt erhaltend.
Mantra 5
प्रत्यञ्चमर्कमनयञ्छचीभिरादित्स्वधामिषिरां पर्यपश्यन् ॥
Mit ihren wirksamen Kräften führten sie den zurückkehrenden Strahl‑Gesang (arká) nach innen; da erblickten sie ringsum svadhā, das Selbst‑Gesetz, schnell und antreibend — seine angestammte Kraft wiederhergestellt.
Inside Sukta 157
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
A direct appeal for cosmic and personal alignment: Indra and all gods are asked to set the worlds in right order.
- Development
The hymn specifies Indra’s companionship—Ādityas and Maruts—linking order (law) with force (energy) as guardians of embodied life.
- Climax
The ‘returning arká’ is led inward by effective powers (śacī), revealing svadhā as a swift, impelling native principle restored to full function.
- Where it settles
The movement ends in re-established harmony: protection, right energy, and an inwardly anchored order that supports life and action.
The deity: Indra with the Viśve Devāḥ
- In the VedaIndra is hailed as the mighty organizer and protector, acting with śacī (effective powers) and supported by the collective divine host (Viśve Devāḥ). The Ādityas represent order and rightness, while the Maruts embody storm-force, vigor, and energizing movement.
- Cosmic functionTo stabilize and re-align the bhuvanāni (worlds/realms), uphold ṛta (cosmic order), and defend life-force and prosperity through the combined governance of sovereign law (Ādityas) and dynamic power (Maruts).
- Inner significanceIndra signifies awakened will and victorious clarity that breaks disorder; the Viśve Devāḥ indicate integrated faculties of the psyche working together. The ‘returning arká led inward’ suggests recollection and interiorization of sacred intention, restoring svadhā—one’s intrinsic capacity to act rightly and effectively.
Famous verses
इमा नु कं भुवना सीषधामेन्द्रश्च विश्वे च देवाः ॥avitā tanūnām
pratyañcam arkam
Attributes of the deity
- World-ordering and harmonizing power
- Protector of embodied life (tanū)
- Alliance with Ādityas (law, truth, right order)
- Alliance with Maruts (energy, courage, impetus)
- Śacī: efficacious force, skill, mastery
- Integration of many divine powers (Viśve Devāḥ)
Also by this seer
- Attributed anonymously within Maṇḍala 10’s anukta corpus; no secure additional hymn attributions can be made from the received tradition.
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the fire/altar and establish ritual silence and intention (saṅkalpa) for harmony and protection.
- Recite the opening verse invoking Indra and the Viśve Devāḥ to ‘set the worlds in order.’
- Offer oblations while calling Indra with the Ādityas and Maruts as guardians of tanū (embodied vitality).
- Conclude with a contemplative recitation that turns the arká inward—internalizing the hymn’s power and reaffirming svadhā (native law/strength).
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya) into Agni
- Soma libation where applicable
- Grains or simple oblations as substitutes in non-soma settings
- Water offering (ācamana/āpah) for purification
Frequently Asked Questions
It asks Indra and the collective gods (Viśve Devāḥ) to set the worlds and our life-conditions in right order—bringing harmony, protection, and stability.
The Ādityas represent law, truth, and right order, while the Maruts represent energizing force and courage. Together with Indra they symbolize protected, well-directed vitality.
In this hymn, svadhā points to an innate, self-sustaining law or native power—your built-in capacity to function rightly. The hymn suggests it can be restored by aligning with divine order and effective power (śacī).
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