Rig Veda 8.13.32: Mandala 8, Sukta 13, Mantra 32
Sukta 8.13
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
वृषा ग्रावा वृषा मदो वृषा सोमो अयं सुतः । वृषा यज्ञो यमिन्वसि वृषा हवः ॥
vṛ́ṣā grā́vā vṛ́ṣā mádo vṛ́ṣā sómo ayáṃ sutáḥ | vṛ́ṣā yajñó yám invasi vṛ́ṣā hávaḥ ||
Taureau est la pierre à presser, taureau l’ivresse; taureau est ce Soma, pressé. Taureau est le sacrifice que tu mets en mouvement, et taureau l’appel (hávah) — tout est chargé de force féconde.
Word by Word
- वृषा
- mighty, bull-likeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण ‘ग्रावा/मदः/सोमः/यज्ञः/हविः’ इत्यादीनां)Root वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक) < √वृष् ‘वर्षणे/सेचने’ (वृद्धि-प्रयोगः ‘वृषन्’ = ‘बलवान्/वृषभः’)
- ग्रावा
- the pressing-stoneNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot ग्रावन्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘सोमपेषण-शिला’
- वृषा
- mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदः
- intoxication, exhilarationNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot मद- (प्रातिपदिक) < √मद् ‘हर्षे/मादे’
- वृषा
- mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमः
- Soma (the pressed sacred drink)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot सोम- (प्रातिपदिक) < √सु ‘अभिषवे’ (सुत-सम्बन्धः)
- अयम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सह-सम्बन्धः ‘सोमः’ इत्यस्य निर्देशः)Root इदम्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतः
- pressed, expressedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणम् ‘सोमः’)Root सुत- (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < √सु ‘अभिषवे’ + क्त (PPP)
- वृषा
- mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यज्ञः
- sacrifice, ritualNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यज्ञ- (प्रातिपदिक) < √यज् ‘देवपूजासङ्गतिकरणदानेषु’
- यम्
- whom/whichPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्वसि
- you set in motion / you impelVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया) —Root √इन्/इन्व् ‘प्रेरणे/बलवर्धने’
- वृषा
- mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- हविः
- oblation, offeringNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot हविस्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘आहुति-द्रव्य’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रहः): वृषा | ग्रावा | वृषा | मदः | वृषा | सोमः | अयम् | सुतः || वृषा | यज्ञः | यम् | इन्वसि | वृषा | हविः || १) ‘सोमो॑ अ॒यं’ इति पदयोः सन्धिः: सोमः + अयम् → सोमो अयम् (विसर्गस्य ओ-आदेशः, अकारादौ)। २) ‘सुतः । वृषा’ इत्यत्र विसर्गः पादान्ते स्थितः
- संहितायां ‘सुतः । वृषा’ इति विरामेण पृथक्। ३) ‘हव॑:’ इति संहितापाठे विसर्ग-चिह्नः
- पदे ‘हविः’ (हविस्-शब्दस्य प्रथमा एकवचनम्) — वैदिकलेखने ‘हवः/हविः’ रूपभेदः दृश्यते। ४) उदात्त/अनुदात्त/स्वरित-चिह्नाः (॒, ॑) संहितापाठानुसारं
- पदच्छेदे मूलाक्षररूपं प्रदर्शितम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Bull-like is the pressing-stone, bull-like the ecstasy; bull-like is this Soma pressed out. Bull-like is the sacrifice you set in motion, and bull-like is the call.
Inner meaning
All elements of the inner Soma-sacrifice are suffused with vṛṣā—fruitful potency. The grāvā (pressing-stone) is the disciplined pressure of practice that expresses the hidden delight; psychologically, it is the concentrated will that presses the essence out of experience. Mada (ecstasy) is the uplifted delight that arises when consciousness tastes the divine. Soma, pressed, is the distilled bliss-substance in the system—ananda that becomes active and shareable. Indra ‘sets the yajña in motion’ (invasi): the illumined mind energizes and directs the entire process. Even the invocation becomes potent: aspiration, method, delight, and action align into one generative force.
Universal truth
When discipline (pressure), joy (ecstasy), essence (bliss), and action (sacrifice) are unified under illumination, spiritual life becomes naturally powerful and creative; the call itself carries realization-force.
Themes
Soma pressing, Unified potency, Consecrated action, Delight-force
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition (probable); specific rishi not securely identified from the verse alone
- Lineage
- Kāṇva (probable)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.13.31 (paired refrain), Rig Veda 8.13 (Indra hymn context)
Family tradition
Kāṇva Indra-Soma sequences frequently fuse Soma imagery with psychological delight and force, using refrain-like structures to build mantric intensity.
Significance
The seer presents an integral formula: tapas (pressing), ānanda (Soma/mada), and illumined direction (Indra) together make the yajña a potent engine of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Soma as operative power)
- Epithets
- Śatakratu (contextually near), Somapā (Soma-drinker; functional), Vṛṣan (potent one; implied)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni (carrier of offering), Maruts (impelling allies)
Cosmic role
Indra receives Soma, grows in might, and uses that power to establish the luminous order; Soma is the delight-force that sustains the gods.
Inner power
Indra is the illumined intelligence that impels practice; Soma is the bliss-substance; together they generate victorious transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (grāvā), Soma offering and Indra praise in Soma-yajña.
वृषा॒ ग्रावा॒ वृषा॒ मदो॒ वृषा॒ सोमो॑ अ॒यं सु॒तः । वृषा॑ य॒ज्ञो यमिन्व॑सि॒ वृषा॒ हव॑: ॥
वृषा॑ । ग्रावा॑ । वृषा॑ । मदः॑ । वृषा॑ । सोमः॑ । अ॒यम् । सु॒तः । वृषा॑ । य॒ज्ञः । यम् । इन्व॑सि । वृषा॑ । हवः॑ ॥
vṛṣā | grāvā | vṛṣā | madaḥ | vṛṣā | somaḥ | ayam | sutaḥ | vṛṣā | yajñaḥ | yam | invasi | vṛṣā | havaḥ
Trishtubh (probable; refrain-like; exact scansion needed)
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables (approx.)
Pulsed and cumulative; repeated vṛṣā creates a drumbeat of potency.
Invokes energetic delight; helpful for lifting mood and charging aspiration with joy.
- ग्रावा (grāvā)
- Literal: pressing-stone. Symbolic: Concentrated discipline/will that extracts the essence
- मदः (madaḥ)
- Literal: intoxication, ecstasy. Symbolic: Uplift of delight and inspired force in consciousness
- सोमः सुतः (somaḥ sutaḥ)
- Literal: Soma pressed out. Symbolic: Distilled divine bliss (ānanda) made active in the being
- यज्ञः (yajñaḥ)
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: Total self-offering and transformation-process
- इन्वसि (invasi)
- Literal: you set in motion/impel. Symbolic: Illumined mind energizes and directs the practice
- हवः (havaḥ)
- Literal: call. Symbolic: Aspiration/mantra-force that draws down higher power
Soma pressing: sanctification of instruments (grāvan), product (soma), experience (mada), and rite (yajña) as one empowered field for Indra.
At or around pressing/offerings; to intensify Indra through Soma and affirm the rite’s potency.
Recitation while pressing/mentally ‘pressing out’ Soma; affirmation of the rite’s generative power.
Use when practice feels dry: reconnect discipline (pressing) with delight (Soma) so effort becomes joyful and fruitful.
: pressing stone; inner symbol of tapas/pressure that extracts essence. : from √mad ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’; psychologically the uplifted energy-state that supports illumination. : past participle of √su ‘press out’; essence made available. √inv ‘to impel’ indicates Indra’s role as initiator of dynamic movement in the yajña.
Tapas as pressure yielding essence, Ananda (Soma) energizing right action, Rita as unified empowerment of means and end
The yajña becomes effective when impelled in right order by illumined intelligence.
True delight (Soma) supports truth-consciousness rather than escapist intoxication.
From pressure and churning arises essence (Soma), which empowers the gods and sustains cosmic order.
Integral Veda reading: bliss is a power of realization, not merely reward.
Morning pressing (typical Soma association, though not explicit)
Spring/renewal symbolism (Soma’s freshness; not explicit)
Stone is disciplined pressure; nectar is distilled bliss; ecstasy is uplifted energy; the moon suggests cool, sustaining delight in consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The total empowerment of the Soma rite: instrument → essence → ecstasy → sacrifice → invocation, all ‘vṛṣā’. Innerly, it is the doctrine that realization requires every layer—discipline (grāvan/tapas), extracted delight (soma), uplifted state (mada), ordered work (yajña), and mantra (havaḥ)—to be charged with one victorious potency.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad (exult) has IE cognate networks (e.g., Germanic *medu- ‘mead’ as intoxicant is often compared culturally though etymology is debated), while √su (press) and √mā/√dhā in surrounding verses show inherited root stock. The repetitive predicate style is a hallmark of oral-formulaic intensification.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents a fully prepared, energized field and acknowledges Indra as the impeller (invasi). The reciprocity: human tapas and preparation release Soma; Indra’s force sets the yajña moving to its luminous effect.
Unite discipline with delight: ‘press out’ inner Soma through steady practice until joy naturally rises.
Svadhisthana (bliss-flow) integrated with Manipura (discipline/pressure)
Breath with gentle internal ‘press’: inhale feeling gathering; exhale feeling essence flow as cool nectar; repeat mantra softly after each exhale.
Joyful power—energized yet cool and clear.
Begin with a firm but kind discipline (grāvā), allow uplift (mada) without chasing it, and rest in the distilled sweetness (Soma). Offer that sweetness back as yajña; let Indra (illumined mind) direct the movement.
Rigvedic accents as per śākha; repeated ‘vṛṣā’ functions as strong uplift points.
Keep each ‘vṛṣā’ crisp and equal; slightly lengthen at ‘sómo ayaṃ sutáḥ’ to savor the Soma-image.
grāvā: long ā; vā clear, madaḥ: short a; visarga audible but light, sutaḥ: dental t; visarga at end, invasi: pronounce nv cluster clearly
Bright and jubilant yet controlled; let resonance carry rather than volume.
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