Rig Veda 8.93.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 93, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.93
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यद्वा प्रवृद्ध सत्पते न मरा इति मन्यसे । उतो तत्सत्यमित्तव ॥
yád vā pravṛddha satpate ná marā́ íti mányase | utó tát satyám ít táva ||
Und wenn du, o stets wachsender Herr der Wahrheit, meinst: »Ich werde nicht zugrunde gehen« — ja, das ist wahrlich deine Wahrheit: dein Sein steht in unvergänglicher Wirklichkeit und fällt nicht ab.
Word by Word
- यद्वा
- or if (indeed)Indeclinableसमुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक अव्ययसमूह (यद् = यदा/यदि-प्रयोगः; वा = विकल्पः) — ‘or if/and if’Role Adhikaraṇa (शर्त/प्रसङ्ग-निर्देशक) / Discourse particleRoot यद् + वा
- प्रवृद्ध
- O mighty/fully grownAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (हे प्रवृद्ध) — ‘O grown/mighty’Role Sambodhana (address)Root वृध् (वर्धने) → प्रवृद्ध (ppp) + प्र-
- सत्पते
- O lord of the goodNoun (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन — ‘O lord of the good/true (men)’Role Sambodhana (address)Root सत् + पति (प्रातिपदिक: पति)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- मरा
- (you) dieVerbमध्यमपुरुष एकवचन; वैदिक-प्रयोगः ‘मरा’ = ‘(thou) mayest die / wouldst die’ (न मरा = ‘thou shalt not die / do not die’)Role Kriyā (verbal predicate)Root मृ (मरणे) → मरा (Vedic injunctive/imperf.-like form)
- इति
- thus / ‘so’Indeclinableउद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति सूचकRoot इति
- मन्यसे
- you think/supposeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष एकवचनRole Kriyā (verbal predicate)Root मन्/मन्य् (मन्यते—‘to think, suppose’)
- उतो
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अधिकरणार्थक निपातः — ‘and also / moreover’Root उ + तो (उत + उ) → उतो
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (सन्दर्भे ‘that (fact)’)Role Kartā (as subject of ‘is’) / or Karma depending on ellipsisRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सत्यम्
- true / truthNoun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — predicate nominalRole Kriyā-pūraka (predicate complement)Root सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeedIndeclinableअवधारणम् — ‘indeed/just’Root इत् (एव/अवधारणार्थक निपातः)
- तव
- your / of youPronounषष्ठी एकवचन — ‘of you/your’Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- (1) यद्वा = यद् + वा (विकल्पार्थक ‘वा’ के पूर्व ‘द्’ के साथ संधि-समासिक संयोग)
- (2) उ॒तो = उत + उ (स्वर-संधि: अ + उ → ओ; वैदिक लेखन ‘उतो’)
- (3) तत्सत्यम् = तत् + सत्यम् (व्यञ्जन-संधि: त् + स → त्स)
- (4) सत्यमित्तव = सत्यम् + इत् + तव (म् + इ → मि; ‘इत्’ अव्यय ‘एव’ अर्थ में)
The meaning
Outer meaning
If, O ever-increasing lord of the true, you think ‘I shall not perish’—indeed that is your truth.
Inner meaning
Indra as satpati—lord/master of the true being and right order—stands in an imperishable reality. The illumined consciousness does not ‘die’ like ego-constructs; it persists as a stable power (satya). The seeker is reminded to rely on the deathless principle of truth-consciousness rather than transient moods and vital collapses.
Universal truth
What is founded in truth is imperishable; the deathless element in us is accessed by aligning with the principle of the True and allowing it to govern life and mind.
Themes
truth-being, divine-immortality, Indra-praise
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.93.4 (sunward uplift), RV 8.93.7 (strengthening Indra for Vṛtra-slaying)
Significance
The verse turns from heroic action to ontological grounding: Indra’s power is rooted in satya, suggesting the seeker’s need for a truth-basis that does not perish amid struggle.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- pravṛddha (ever-increasing), satpati (lord of the true)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (ṛta/satya guardianship), Surya (truth-light), Agni (will that carries truth)
Cosmic role
Embodies victorious, expanding sovereignty of the luminous order; sustains the gods’ triumph by truth-power.
Inner power
Truth-force in the mental plane that becomes increasingly capable and stable; grants endurance and invincibility against inner decay.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma context; affirmation of Indra’s truth-nature
यद्वा॑ प्रवृद्ध सत्पते॒ न म॑रा॒ इति॒ मन्य॑से । उ॒तो तत्स॒त्यमित्तव॑ ॥
यत् । वा॒ । प्र॒ऽवृ॒द्ध॒ । स॒त्ऽप॒ते॒ । न । म॒रै॒ । इति॑ । मन्य॑से । उ॒तो इति॑ । तत् । स॒त्यम् । इत् । तव॑ ॥
yat | vā | pra-vṛddha | sat-pate | na | marai | iti | manyase | uto iti | tat | satyam | it | tava
44
4 × ~11
Measured and declarative; less battle-like, more axiomatic.
Instills steadiness and fearlessness; the cadence supports an affirmation of imperishability.
- प्रवृद्ध (pravṛddha)
- Literal: grown, increased, ever-expanding. Symbolic: Ever-intensifying power of illumination; progressive enlargement of consciousness
- सत्पते (satpate)
- Literal: lord of the true/being. Symbolic: Master of truth-consciousness; governor of right existence
- न मरै (na marai)
- Literal: I shall not die/perish. Symbolic: Deathlessness of the true consciousness; freedom from inner collapse
- सत्यम् (satyam)
- Literal: truth. Symbolic: Truth as stable reality (not merely factuality); law of the Spirit
- मन्यसे (manyase)
- Literal: you think, you hold as will. Symbolic: Divine intention/assurance—truth as a power of being
Indra praise within Soma liturgy emphasizing Indra’s satya/imperishability; supports the sacrificer’s aspiration for steadfastness and victory grounded in truth-being.
During praise sequences emphasizing Indra’s enduring sovereignty and truth
Stuti; reinforcing faith (śraddhā) in the deity’s unfailing power
Use during periods of discouragement: chant as a truth-affirmation that the higher consciousness in you does not perish.
sat-pati: sat (from √as ‘to be’ → being, reality, truth as existent) + pati ‘lord’ (PIE *pótis ‘master’) → ‘lord of true being’. satyam: formation in -ya from sat → ‘truth’ as the law/quality of being. marai: from √mṛ ‘to die’ (PIE *mer- ‘to die’) in optative, here within quoted intention; the verse asserts Indra’s amṛtatva implicitly by denying mṛtyu. pra-vṛddha: from √vṛdh ‘to grow, increase’ → expansion of power.
Satya (truth), Sat (being/existence), amṛtatva (deathlessness; implied by ‘not perish’)
What is true is what endures and orders movement; Indra’s growth is growth in ṛta.
Explicit: Indra’s ‘not perishing’ is identical with satya—truth as being.
Progressive increase (pravṛddha) of the luminous power; evolution toward stable truth-consciousness.
Vedāntic resonance: sat as imperishable being; also Aurobindonian ‘truth-consciousness’ as deathless foundation.
Increase = expansion of consciousness; imperishability = contact with amṛta/sat beyond decay.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Not a narrative myth but a doctrinal mythologem: the god grounded in Satya does not perish. The ‘deathlessness of the divine power’ functions as the stable pole enabling victory and ascent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sat (< √as ‘be’) and pati (< *pótis) are strongly inherited IE elements. mar- (< *mer-) is a classic IE root for death. The verse juxtaposes ‘being/truth’ with ‘death’ in an inherited opposition: what is founded in *h₁es- (being) is beyond *mer- (perishing).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet affirms Indra’s self-conception (‘you think…’) and seals it as ‘your satyam’. This is a pact of speech: the seer’s mantra ratifies the god’s truth-nature, inviting that same truth-force to stabilize the human seeker against inner dissolution.
Rest in the sense of an imperishable truth within; let thoughts of failure dissolve.
hṛdaya (truth-feeling) supporting ājñā (truth-vision)
Slow exhale-lengthening (1:2 ratio) for 5 minutes, then chant as an affirmation.
Still, grounded, fearless.
After chanting, repeat inwardly: ‘What is true in me does not perish.’ Observe one area where you can replace reactive impulse with truth-aligned action.
Use the saṃhitā accent marks; keep the cadence calm and even, honoring the declarative satyam.
Slightly emphasize ‘satpate’ and ‘satyam’ as semantic pivots; avoid speeding through the conditional opening ‘yad vā’.
pravṛddha: clear ‘vṛ’ (vocalic ṛ) and doubled ‘ddh’ (aspirated), satpate: dental ‘t’, short a; ‘pate’ with clear e, marai: roll lightly; keep ‘ai’ diphthong, satyam: ‘ty’ cluster clean, not ‘ch’
Low, steady, resonant; mantra as affirmation.
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