Rig Veda 8.13.14: Mandala 8, Sukta 13, Mantra 14
Sukta 8.13
आ तू गहि प्र तु द्रव मत्स्वा सुतस्य गोमतः । तन्तुं तनुष्व पूर्व्यं यथा विदे ॥
ā́ tū́ gahi prá tú drava mátsvā sutásya gómataḥ | tántuṃ tanuṣva pū́rvyaṃ yáthā vidé ||
Come here; run forth—take delight in the pressed soma rich in rays. Stretch out the ancient thread within us, so that we may truly know.
Urgent invitation during soma offering: Indra is asked to delight in soma and to ‘stretch the thread’—stabilizing continuity of the rite and the inner knowledge it awakens.
go (ray/knowledge) symbolism, tantu as continuity of ṛta and inner tradition, vidyā (knowing) as goal
‘Tantu’ can be read as ṛta’s continuity—right order woven through mind and life.
Knowledge as vision, not inference: ‘vide’.
Weaving/extension motif: creation as a stretched thread or web of consciousness.
Integral Vedic symbolism: Ananda (Soma) supports Vijñāna-like knowing through illumined mind (Indra).
Distilled joy in the nerves/mind (Soma) carrying rays of insight (go), producing a continuous attentive thread (tantu) that yields knowledge.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The recovery/extension of the ‘thread’ and the ‘cows’ (rays): rather than theft narratives, the verse uses go-mat soma and tantu imagery to describe extension of luminous continuity that enables knowledge (vide).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tan (tantu, tanuṣva) reflects PIE *ten- ‘stretch’ (Latin tendō, English ‘tend’/‘tense’ via related developments). √vid reflects PIE *weyd- (Greek oîda, Latin videō). The verse fuses these: stretched continuity enables seeing/knowing.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely request enjoyment of soma; he asks Indra to perform an inner work—extend the primordial continuity of right consciousness—so the human can arrive at true knowledge (vide). The offering is the condition; the divine action is illumination and integration.
‘Tantu’ practice: feel a subtle thread from heart to brow; invite Indra to straighten and extend it into steady awareness.
ājñā (for knowing) with support of anāhata (for Soma-joy)
Brisk 6–8 rounds of energizing breath (kapālabhāti-like, gentle) then settle into slow inhale/exhale while mentally repeating ‘tantuṃ tanuṣva’.
From scattered attention to continuous luminous mindfulness.
Offer your ‘pressed Soma’ as purified joy (gratitude, sincerity). Ask for knowledge that is coherent and lived—one thread through the day.
Imperatives often carry lift; maintain crisp accent on ‘ā’ and ‘pra’; preserve svarita transitions as marked in Saṃhitā (śākhā-dependent).
Punch ‘ā tū gahi / pra tu drava’ with clear caesura; soften into a sustained tone on ‘tantuṃ tanuṣva’.
‘drava’: clear ‘dr’ cluster, ‘gomataḥ’: long ‘o’, light final visarga, ‘tantuṃ’: nasalize ‘ṃ’ lightly; do not over-close, ‘pūrvyaṃ’: long ‘ū’, palatal ‘vy’ glide
commanding at the start, then steady and luminous for the knowledge-portion.
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