Rig Veda 1.52.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 52, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.52
आ यं पृणन्ति दिवि सद्मबर्हिषः समुद्रं न सुभ्वः स्वा अभिष्टयः । तं वृत्रहत्ये अनु तस्थुरूतयः शुष्मा इन्द्रमवाता अह्रुतप्सवः ॥
ā́ yáṃ pṛṇánti diví sadmábarhiṣaḥ samudráṃ ná subhvàḥ svā́ abhíṣṭayaḥ | táṃ vṛtrahátye ánu tasthur ūtáyaḥ śúṣmā índram avā́tā ahrútapsavaḥ ||
A aquel a quien los moradores del asiento divino colman en el cielo — como al océano— con sus propios logros veloces y fulgurantes, con sus anhelos. Tras él, en la matanza de Vṛtra, siguieron las ayudas: potencias de fuerza en torno a Indra, incansables en su ardor.
Ritual filling/strengthening of Indra through offerings; mythic recollection of Vṛtra-hatya to intensify communal supports (ūtayaḥ)
Tapas (ardour, sustained intensity), Collective supports (ūtayaḥ) as powers of the sacrifice, R̥ta-action: coordinated forces following the right victory
The divine seat in heaven signifies stable ṛta; from there fullness is poured into the working power.
True aspiration (abhiṣṭi) attracts real helps rather than restless desire.
Wideness (ocean) as a condition for effective action against obstruction.
Integral Yoga hermeneutic: higher-plane supports descend when the inner seat is prepared.
Ocean = vast peace/power; heaven = higher mind; swift fulfillments = right-moving energies; unwearied ardour = steady tapas.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The empowerment-and-entourage mythologem: Indra is filled to vastness (ocean) by the collective ritual/inner aspirations, and in the archetypal Vṛtra-slaying the aiding powers (ūtayaḥ/śuṣmāḥ) take their stations after him. Inner sense: when the central illumined force awakens, subsidiary capacities align and follow.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sthā in tasthuḥ is PIE *steh₂-. The ‘filling’ √pṛ has Indo-Iranian continuity. The ocean simile is a common IE poetic device for vastness, though not a single-root inheritance claim; it reflects shared formulaic imagination.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s community (sadma-barhiṣaḥ) ‘fills’ Indra—i.e., the divine force increases by human aspiration rightly offered. The verse shows reciprocity not as barter but as co-operation: the human formation supplies intensity and intention; the deity leads the decisive breakthrough, with attendant powers organizing behind.
Widen the consciousness (ocean) before confronting a difficulty; then call in ‘helps’—breath, attention, will, faith—as a surrounding circle.
anāhata (widening) leading to maṇipūra (force)
3 minutes of slow breathing with a widening visualization on inhale; then 12 steady breaths with firm exhale to gather śuṣma.
Wideness → concentrated force-field.
Begin by sensing a vast inner space above the head (divi). Invite supportive energies around the heart and navel; then face the ‘Vṛtra’ from this supported wideness, not from strain.
Vedic tri-svara per Śākala; keep steady udātta rises on key nouns (divi, samudram, indram).
Let ‘samudraṃ na’ be broad and sustained; tighten articulation at ‘vṛtrahatye anu tasthuḥ’.
sadmabarhiṣaḥ: conjunct dm, retroflex ṣ, samudram: soft d, short a, subhvaḥ: bhv cluster cleanly, abhiṣṭayaḥ: retroflex ṣṭ, ahrutapsavaḥ: clear hr, ts cluster
Broad and spacious in first half; firm and energizing in second.
9
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.
