Rig Veda 10.48.5: Mandala 10, Sukta 48, Mantra 5
Sukta 10.48
अहमिन्द्रो न परा जिग्य इद्धनं न मृत्यवेऽव तस्थे कदा चन । सोममिन्मा सुन्वन्तो याचता वसु न मे पूरवः सख्ये रिषाथन ॥
ahám índro ná párā jigye íd dhánaṃ ná mṛtyáve ’vá tasthé kadā́ caná | sómam ín mā sunvánto yācatā vásu ná me pū́ravaḥ sakhyé riṣāthana ||
Ich bin Indra: keineswegs bin ich besiegt, nicht durch Reichtum, und niemals habe ich mich dem Tod gebeugt. Die Soma‑Presser mögen von mir die Güter erbitten; o Pūrus, verletzt meine Freundschaft nicht.
Used to affirm Indra’s unconquered sovereignty and to frame the right relationship of request (yāc) after Soma pressing; also preserves a social/tribal address (Pūrus) within ritual speech.
Victory over death (amṛtatva tendency), Right alliance (sakhya) between human and divine powers, Soma as means of approach
Indra’s steadfastness is the stability of Ṛta against disordering forces of desire and dread.
Truth-power is not negotiable with wealth; it stands independent.
Immortality motif: the divine consciousness does not submit to ‘death’ (limitation).
Integral Vedāntic-yogic reading: death as contraction of consciousness; Indra as luminous mind overcoming it.
Soma = distilled joy; death = night/contraction; wealth = earth’s pull—both are mastered by the luminous mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s invincibility—especially the motif of not bowing to death—functions as a mythic guarantee that the Indra-power in man can overcome mortal limitation. The social note ‘Pūrus’ frames the idea of not damaging the alliance with the divine force.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- mṛ- ‘die’ aligns with PIE *mer- ‘to die’ (cf. Latin mori). The perfect jigye from √ji (win/conquer) shows the Indo-European verbal system’s aspectual force used to assert accomplished, irreversible status.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Indra invites the Soma-pressers to ask for vasu, but warns that the bond (sakhya) must not be harmed—i.e., the seeker’s relation to the divine force must remain loyal and harmonious. The gift depends on maintaining inner alliance rather than mere external asking.
Establish the ‘Indra-seat’ in the mind: unconquered by craving and fear; let joy (Soma) be the offering that stabilizes it.
ājñā (sovereign mind)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) to build steadiness; silently affirm ‘na mṛtyave’ on exhale
Fearless, detached, benevolently powerful.
After chanting, note one desire and one fear; offer both into inner Soma (quiet gladness), then act from clarity rather than compulsion.
Maintain Vedic accent integrity; emphasize udātta on ‘índro’ and ‘sómam’.
Keep a decisive pause after ‘kadā cana |’; let the second half sound invitational rather than combative.
‘mṛtyave’: clear syllabic ‘ṛ’ (mṛ-tya-ve)., ‘jigya’: hard ‘gya’ cluster, not ‘ji-ja’., ‘sakhye’: khy cluster (sa-khye), not ‘sa-khe’., ‘riṣāthana’: retroflex ṣ, and long ā in -thana.
Steady, fearless, not harsh; clarity over volume.
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