Rig Veda 2.16.4: Mandala 2, Sukta 16, Mantra 4
Sukta 2.16
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
विश्वे ह्यस्मै यजताय धृष्णवे क्रतुं भरन्ति वृषभाय सश्चते । वृषा यजस्व हविषा विदुष्टरः पिबेन्द्र सोमं वृषभेण भानुना ॥
viśvé hí asmai yajatā́ya dhṛṣṇáve krátum bháranti vṛṣabhā́ya sáścate | vṛ́ṣā yajasva havíṣā vidúṣṭaraḥ píbendra sómaṃ vṛṣabhéṇa bhānúnā ||
All indeed bring to him, the adorable and daring Bull, the power of will and join him. O Bull, sacrifice with the offering, O most knowing; drink, Indra, the Soma with thy bull-like radiance.
Word by Word
- विश्वे
- all (the gods/men), all (of them)Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/causal)Root हि (निपात)
- अस्मै
- to him (to this one = Indra)Pronounचतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- यजताय
- to the worshipful/adorable oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot यजत (कृदन्त/विशेषण; √यज्)
- धृष्णवे
- to the bold/impetuous oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot धृष्णु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रतुम्
- strength, resolve, power (ritual/mental energy)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरन्ति
- they bring, they bearVerbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot √भृ (भरति)
- वृषभाय
- to the bull (i.e., the mighty one)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सश्चते
- he accompanies/attends, he joinsVerbलट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot √सच् (सचते)
- वृषा
- O bull! (O mighty one)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole सम्बोधन/कर्तृ (addressed)Root वृषन्/वृषा (प्रातिपदिक)
- यजस्व
- worship! perform sacrifice!Verbलोट्; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot √यज् (यजस्व)
- हविषा
- with the oblationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot हविस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विदुष्टरः
- more knowing, most discerningAdjective (comparative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole सम्बोधन/कर्तृ (addressed)Root विदुष्टर (तुलनात्मक-विशेषण; विद्वस् + -तर)
- पिब
- drink!Verbलोट्; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot √पा (पिब)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमम्
- Soma (the pressed drink)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषभेण
- with (your) bull-like (strength) / with the bullNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
- भानुना
- with (your) radiance, with the shining lightNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचनRole करणRoot भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): विश्वे॒ ह्य॑स्मै → विश्वे हि अस्मै (hy = hi + a-). Other junctions are straightforward: यज॒ताय॑ धृ॒ष्णवे॒ (no change), क्रतुं॒ भर॑न्ति (anusvāra before bh), वृष॒भाय॒ सश्च॑ते (no external sandhi), वृषा॑ यजस्व (pause), ह॒विषा॑ वि॒दुष्ट॑रः (no external sandhi), पिबे॑न्द्र॒ → पिब इन्द्र (e + i → e; written as pibendra), सोमं॑ वृष॒भेण॑ (anusvāra before v), भा॒नुना॑ (final). Accents retained as in saṃhitā
- padapāṭha would mark each pada separately
The meaning
Inner meaning
All the powers of the being (thoughts, impulses, senses) are to contribute their kratu—concentrated will and intentionality—to the inner Indra, the courageous illumined Mind. ‘Joining him’ is the integration of scattered energies into one luminous leadership. The sacrifice is the conscious offering of movements to the higher intelligence. Soma is the delight-substance of consciousness; Indra drinks it as radiance (bhānu), meaning illumination is fed by bliss and becomes a stable light-force in action.
Universal truth
When the parts of the personality unite around a higher discerning intelligence and offer their energies, clarity is nourished by joy, and will becomes effective without violence or fragmentation.
Themes
Soma invitation, Indra as Bull, kratu offering, radiant drinking
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhārgava (Bhṛgu lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.12 (Indra hymn, ‘Who is Indra?’), RV 2.1 (Agni as priest of inner sacrifice)
Family tradition
Mantric craftsmanship emphasizing inner yajña: the gathering of powers (viśve) and their offering to the luminous leader.
Significance
The seer frames worship as psychological unification: all powers bring kratu to Indra, suggesting an integral yoga of collected will and illumined mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vṛṣabha (Bull), Dhṛṣṇu (daring), Yajata (adorable), Bhānuvat (radiant, implied)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Viśve Devāḥ, Maruts
Cosmic role
Receives Soma and grows in power to conquer Vṛtra; distributes light and strength to the human aspirant.
Inner power
Central illumined intelligence that can coordinate the being; transforms offered energies into radiant effective action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña praise to Indra with Soma invitation (pibendra somam)
विश्वे॒ ह्य॑स्मै यज॒ताय॑ धृ॒ष्णवे॒ क्रतुं॒ भर॑न्ति वृष॒भाय॒ सश्च॑ते । वृषा॑ यजस्व ह॒विषा॑ वि॒दुष्ट॑र॒: पिबे॑न्द्र॒ सोमं॑ वृष॒भेण॑ भा॒नुना॑ ॥
विश्वे॑ । हि । अ॒स्मै॒ । य॒ज॒ताय॑ । धृ॒ष्णवे॑ । क्रतु॑म् । भर॑न्ति । वृ॒ष॒भाय॑ । सश्च॑ते । वृषा॑ । य॒ज॒स्व॒ । ह॒विषा॑ । वि॒दुःऽत॑रः । पिब॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । सोम॑म् । वृ॒ष॒भेण॑ । भा॒नुना॑ ॥
viśve | hi | asmai | yajatāya | dhṛṣṇave | kratum | bharanti | vṛṣabhāya | saścate | vṛṣā | yajasva | haviṣā | viduḥ-taraḥ | piba | indra | somam | vṛṣabheṇa | bhānunā
44
4×11 syllables (approx., with Vedic flexibility)
Stately yet forceful; well-suited to themes of gathering powers and decisive offering.
Encourages collected aspiration; the rhythm supports ‘bringing’ and ‘joining’—a sense of convergence into one center.
- यजताय (yajatāya)
- Literal: worthy of worship/adoration. Symbolic: the higher principle in us that deserves centrality and reverence
- धृष्णवे (dhṛṣṇave)
- Literal: bold, daring. Symbolic: courage of truth to confront inner darkness and inertia
- क्रतुम् (kratum)
- Literal: will-power, resolve, intelligence of action. Symbolic: concentrated intentional force; effective will guided by light
- सश्चते (saścate)
- Literal: they accompany/join. Symbolic: integration, harmonizing of faculties around the inner leader
- वृषभ (vṛṣabha)
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: abundant force, victorious potency; masterful energy of illumination
- हविषा (haviṣā)
- Literal: with the oblation. Symbolic: offering of one’s movements—breath, thought, desire—into the inner fire
- विदुष्टरः (viduṣṭaraḥ)
- Literal: most knowing. Symbolic: the discerning intelligence that knows right offering and right measure
- भानुना (bhānunā)
- Literal: with radiance. Symbolic: illumined consciousness; light that organizes life
Soma offering invitation: Indra is urged to drink Soma; kratu is ‘brought’ to him—i.e., the rite aligns will/intelligence with Indra’s force.
At pressings when Soma is offered to Indra; also in Indra-focused stotras.
Recitation while presenting Soma; emphasizing Indra’s right to the offering and his radiant strengthening.
Use to unify scattered attention before meditation or work: ‘all powers bring kratu’—a mantra for integration and focus.
: from √dhṛṣ ‘to dare, be bold’. √sac ‘accompany’ has IE parallels (Latin sequor ‘follow’ is different root; but the semantic field is common). : ‘light, radiance’ from √bhā ‘shine’ (PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’). : from √vid (PIE *weid-).
kratu as effective will aligned with divine force, collective cooperation of powers (‘all bring’), Soma as illumination-delight
Ṛta as coordinated functioning: the many become one movement around the luminous law.
True knowledge guides true offering; radiance (bhānu) is the mark of Satya in mind.
Convergence and nourishment: Soma-fed illumination grows and becomes world-ordering force.
Integral-psychological Vedism: sacrifice as self-offering leading to luminous integration.
Bull-force is victorious potency in consciousness; Soma is bliss; bhānu is the solar light of clarity; offering is self-giving of energies to the higher center.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The communal strengthening of the divine champion: all powers bring ‘kratu’ to Indra and accompany him; Indra drinks Soma to blaze with radiance. Inner sense: the seeker gathers faculties into a single will and feeds the illumined force with delight, so it can act victoriously.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhā (bhānu) reflects PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘shine’ (cf. Greek φαίνω). √vid (viduṣ-) reflects PIE *weid- ‘see/know’. The verse fuses seeing/knowing with shining/force—an inherited IE association of light and knowledge.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi directs the rite as a collaboration: he invites Indra to drink Soma and to ‘yaj’ with the offering—meaning to take up the human sacrifice inwardly and convert it into luminous action through kratu.
Collect the faculties and offer them to the inner Indra; feel bliss (Soma) feeding clarity (bhānu).
Maṇipūra (will/kratu) with ascent to Ājñā (illumination)
Inhale: ‘kratum bharanti’ (gather will). Exhale: ‘pibendra somam’ (offer and receive bliss).
Integrated will with luminous joy.
Before chanting, list inwardly the ‘many’ (thought, emotion, body) and invite them to join one intention; chant 12 times; sit 2 minutes sensing radiance fed by quiet delight.
Use Rigvedic accenting as marked in the saṃhitā/padapāṭha tradition; emphasize udatta on key invocatory words (indra, somaṃ, vṛṣā/vṛṣabha).
Maintain clear separation of compounds; keep ‘pibendra somaṃ’ flowing as an invitation phrase; avoid dragging consonant clusters.
viśve: ‘sh’ palatal, not ‘s’, dhṛṣṇave: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṣṇ cluster, kratum: short a; dental t, haviṣā: ṣ with clear retroflex fricative; long ā, bhānunā: long ā; nu is light, not ‘noo’ heavy
Steady, bright, devotional yet firm.
12
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.
