Rig Veda 10.113.7: Mandala 10, Sukta 113, Mantra 7
Sukta 10.113
या वीर्याणि प्रथमानि कर्त्वा महित्वेभिर्यतमानौ समीयतुः । ध्वान्तं तमोऽव दध्वसे हत इन्द्रो मह्ना पूर्वहूतावपत्यत ॥
yā́ vīryā́ṇi prathamā́ni kártvā mahitvébhir yátamānau samī́yatuḥ | dhvā́ntaṃ támo ’vá dadhvase hatá índro mahnā́ pū́rvahūtāv apatyata ||
Hechas las primeras hazañas heroicas, esforzándose con su grandeza, se reunieron; la bruma, la oscuridad, fue abatida para aquel a quien oprimía: Indra, por su inmenso poder, se lanzó adelante, fuerza invocada desde antiguo.
Recital as remembrance of archetypal victories; inner use: invoking the ‘old-call’ Indra-force to strike down recurring darkness
archetypal recurrence (pūrva-hūta), striving (yatna) and grace/power, overcoming ignorance (tamas)
Indra’s action reestablishes the luminous order by removing the cover.
Truth becomes effective when faculties unite (samīyatuḥ) around it.
Emergence of light from darkness; the perennial drama of manifestation overcoming obscuration.
Proto-Vedāntic/Vedic yoga (Aurobindonian psychological reading)
pre-dawn to dawn transition (symbolic)
The shift from subconscient clouding to awakened illumination through the descent/upsurge of Indra-consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the recurring ‘first victory’ pattern: the archetypal smiting of darkness re-enacted whenever Indra is invoked. Darkness is not merely night but the compressing ignorance that ‘presses’ the being; Indra’s rushing forth is the sudden descent of victorious consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The formulaic pairing of ‘heroic deeds’ (vīrya) with ‘striving’ (√yat) reflects an inherited poetics of the hero’s exertion culminating in a decisive act. The verb √pat ‘rush/fly’ is a widely attested IE root; the semantics of ‘casting down’ darkness parallels IE diction of overthrowing obscurity to restore sight/order.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames Indra as ‘pūrva-hūta’, suggesting a traditional, dependable reciprocity: invocation awakens the power, and the power repeats its foundational deed in the seeker. Human striving (yatamānau) is not opposed to divine action; it is the condition for meeting (sam-īyatuḥ) with the greatness (mahitva) that removes darkness.
Invoke the illumined Mind-force to cast down inner gloom; unify scattered faculties into one aspiration.
ājñā (brow)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while mentally emphasizing ‘dhvāntaṃ tamo’ on exhale as release
From tamasic inertia to sattvic clarity with a heroic uplift
Recall a prior moment of inner victory; chant once, pause, feel a forward surge of will; repeat until the mind feels ‘collected’ (samīyatuḥ).
Follow śākala recitation norms: maintain udātta on marked syllables; avoid flattening svarita transitions (exact pitch requires a pada-svara text).
Keep a clear lift on vīryā́ṇi, prathamā́ni; give weight to dhvā́ntam támaḥ; emphasize índraḥ as the turning point.
: pronounce dhvā- (aspirated dh) with long ā; keep nt cluster crisp, : sandhi—tamo ’va, slight pause/glide at avagraha, : pūrva-hūtau, keep long ū in pūrva and hū
Firm, rallying, chest-supported; end each pāda with controlled release
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