Rig Veda 6.45.22: Mandala 6, Sukta 45, Mantra 22
Sukta 6.45
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तद्वो गाय सुते सचा पुरुहूताय सत्वने । शं यद्गवे न शाकिने ॥
tád vo gāya suté sacā puruhūtā́ya sátvane | śáṃ yád gáve ná śākíne ||
Singt ihm dies beim gepressten Soma, in enger Gemeinschaft — dem Vielangerufenen, dem Mächtigen: das, was Frieden und Heil bringt, wie der Kuh (dem Licht), und nicht dem Ohnmächtigen.
Word by Word
- तत्
- that (this praise/that thing)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (गाय ‘गाय’ इत्यस्य कर्म)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वः
- for you / of you (you all)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role Sampradāna (युष्मभ्यं/युष्माकं—सम्बन्ध/प्रयोजन)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- गाय
- sing (you)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √गै (गायति) / √गा (गायति) ‘to sing’
- सुते
- at the pressed SomaNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (सचा सह—‘in/at the pressed Soma’)Root सुत (ppp of √सु ‘to press (Soma)’)
- सचा
- together with, in company (with)Indeclinableअव्ययRole (सह-सम्बन्धः) सहचर्य/सङ्गतिRoot सचा (अव्यय) < स- ‘with’
- पुरुहूताय
- to the much-invoked (Indra)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (यस्यार्थं गाय—इन्द्राय)Root पुरुहूत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘much-invoked’)
- सत्वने
- to the strong/winning oneNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (पुरुहूताय इत्यस्य विशेषण-चतुर्थी)Root सत्वन (प्रातिपदिक; ‘winner/strong one’, from सत्वन् ‘strength, winning’)
- शम्
- well, auspiciouslyIndeclinableअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role (फल/प्रयोजन-भावः)Root शम् (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक ‘welfare, auspiciousness’)
- यत्
- what/that whichPronoun/Relativeनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (शाकिने—‘that which (is) beneficial’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम)
- गवे
- for the cow / for cattleNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (गवे—‘for the cow/for cattle’)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableअव्यय (उपमा/तुलना)Role (उपमान-चिह्न)Root न (अव्यय)
- शाकिने
- for the able one / the effective (Indra)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (यस्यार्थं—‘for the able/beneficent one’)Root शाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘able, effective, beneficent’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तत् वः गाय सुते सचा पुरुहूताय सत्वने । शम् यत् गवे न शाकिने ॥ 1) तद्वो → तत् + वः (द् + व → द्व्; पदे ‘तत्’ रूपम्)
- 2) यद्गवे → यत् + गवे (त् + ग → द्ग् संधि-लेखनम्; पदे ‘यत्’)
- अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Sing to Indra with the pressed Soma, in companionship—Indra who is much-invoked and powerful—sing what brings well-being, as for the cow, not for the powerless.
Inner meaning
The rishi directs the soul’s speech to become a deliberate hymn (gāya) fused with Soma (delight/immortal essence) and intimacy with the Divine Mind (sacā). Indra is puruhūta—called from many parts of the being—and satvan/powerful—able to establish mastery. The ‘śam’ (peace) is for the go (rays of knowledge) to flourish; it is ‘not for the śākina’—the powerless part of us that refuses effort, faith, and aspiration.
Universal truth
True well-being arises when speech, joy, and aspiration unite in conscious companionship with higher intelligence; peace strengthens the luminous faculties, not inertia.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Communal chant, Peace and well-being, Illumination strengthened
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja (Bārhaspatya)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 6.45, Rig Veda 6.44, Rig Veda 6.48
Family tradition
Bharadvāja’s tradition emphasizes mantra as an effective force: song joined to Soma becomes the means of calling Indra’s illumination into the human instrument.
Significance
The seer teaches the psychology of invocation: right utterance + offered delight + companionship with the higher Mind yields peace that nourishes inner light.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- puruhūta (much-invoked), satvan (puissant)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati, Maruts
Cosmic role
Receives Soma, increases the powers, and establishes victorious harmony by illumination.
Inner power
Capacity-making intelligence: turns aspiration into competence; gives śam as stable luminous order.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-stotra addressed to Indra during Soma pressing/offering.
तद्वो॑ गाय सु॒ते सचा॑ पुरुहू॒ताय॒ सत्व॑ने । शं यद्गवे॒ न शा॒किने॑ ॥
तत् । वः॒ । गा॒य॒ । सु॒ते । सचा॑ । पु॒रु॒ऽहू॒ताय॑ । सत्व॑ने । शम् । यत् । गवे॑ । न । शा॒किने॑ ॥
tat | vaḥ | gāya | sute | sacā | puru-hūtāya | satvane | śam | yat | gave | na | śākine
44
4 × ~11
Expansive yet forceful; suited to ‘song’ and proclamation.
Encourages uplift and coherence; the cadence supports a calm strength (śam with satva).
- गाय (gāya)
- Literal: sing. Symbolic: shape consciousness through inspired mantra
- सुते (sute)
- Literal: in the pressed (Soma). Symbolic: in the distilled delight/essence of experience offered upward
- सचा (sacā)
- Literal: together with, in companionship. Symbolic: yoked union of human effort with divine guidance
- पुरुहूत (puruhūta)
- Literal: much-invoked. Symbolic: the Power called by many voices of the being
- सत्वन (satvane)
- Literal: to the puissant/strong. Symbolic: to the force of mastery and effective illumination
- शम् (śam)
- Literal: peace, welfare. Symbolic: settled harmony that supports illumination
- गव (gave)
- Literal: to/for the cow. Symbolic: to/for the rays of knowledge (inner light)
- शाकिन् (śākin)
- Literal: able, capable. Symbolic: inner capacity; negated here as incapacity/inertia
Soma-pressing hymn instruction: communal singing to Indra during Soma offering; aligns with stotra performance practice.
At moments of Soma praise to intensify Indra’s presence and confer welfare.
Chanting/singing (stotra) with Soma offering; emphasizing companionship (sacā).
For meditation: recite before chanting practice or kīrtan-like repetition—align voice with inner delight and intention for peace that empowers clarity.
gāya from √gai ‘sing’. suté loc. of suta- ‘pressed (Soma)’ from √su ‘press/express’. sacā ‘together’ (adverb). puru-hūta ‘much-invoked’ (puru ‘many’ + √hū ‘call’). sátvan- from sat- ‘being’ or √as ‘to be’ with strength nuance; in RV ‘strong, powerful’. śam ‘well-being, peace’. gave dat. of go-; symbolic ‘cow’ as light/knowledge. śākin- from √śak ‘to be able, have power’. Note: pāda “śaṃ yad gave na śākine” is elliptical/gnomic; interpreted as ‘that (song) which brings śam to the go (illumination) and not to incapacity’—i.e., strengthens the luminous faculty rather than feeding weakness/obscurity.
Soma as delight that clarifies consciousness, śam as harmonization of the being, strength (śak) as condition for receiving divine peace
Śam is not mere quietude but ṛta-made harmony—peace that supports right functioning of the faculties.
The ‘cow’ as light belongs to satya; it grows when speech is truthful and offered.
Soma-pressing as inner distillation: extracting delight to feed the gods within.
Vedic yoga of mantra and offering; psychological interpretation aligned with integral yoga.
Soma = distilled bliss; song = vibration shaping mind; cow = light-rays; peace = settled luminous order in the nervous-mental system.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Soma-song as effective power: the community is urged to sing in the Soma context to the ‘much-invoked’ Indra. The inner mythic action is the conversion of delight (Soma) into peace (śam) and illumination (go), strengthening what is capable in us rather than nourishing incapacity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śak ‘be able’ has wide IE cognacy (ability/power lexicon). The performative imperative gāya ‘sing!’ reflects archaic Indo-European poetics where praise-song is an act with real efficacy. The compound puru-hūta shows the RV’s inherited compounding style typical of early IE poetic diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi instructs the collective voice: the relationship is mediated by Soma and song. Indra is approached as puruhūta, implying a practiced intimacy—repeated invocation builds a stable channel through which peace and illumination can descend into the human system.
Mantra as companionship: feel ‘sacā’—you are not alone in practice; offer inner delight to the illumined mind.
anāhata (peace/śam) with ājñā (illumined guidance).
Soft ujjāyī or gentle lengthened exhale to cultivate śam while chanting.
Calm strength—settled, luminous, capable.
Chant as ‘song’ rather than recitation: let tone carry devotion; after 3–7 repetitions, sit silently and feel peace feeding the growth of inner light (go).
Vedic accents as per śākhā; keep udātta prominence on puruhūtāya and satvane; sustain śaṃ clearly without nasal over-darkening.
Let pāda breaks be audible; avoid rushing ‘sute sacā’—keep them linked yet clear.
पुरुहूताय: pu-ru-hū-tā-ya (long ū), सत्वने: sat-va-ne (clear ‘t’, not ‘th’), शाकिने: śā-ki-ne (long ā; palatal ś)
Melodic, steady, soothing but confident.
7
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.
