Rig Veda 4.31.2: Mandala 4, Sukta 31, Mantra 2
Sukta 4.31
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
कस्त्वा सत्यो मदानां मंहिष्ठो मत्सदन्धसः । दृळ्हा चिदारुजे वसु ॥
kás tvā satyó madā́nāṃ maṃhíṣṭho matsád ándhasaḥ | dṛḷhā́ cid ā́ruje vásu ||
મદોના સત્યમાં સ્થિર, અતિ-મંહિષ્ઠ—હે ઇન્દ્ર—કોણ તને મત્સદ અંધસ (આનંદ-રસ)થી તૃપ્ત કરી શકે? અને એમ કરીને દૃઢપણે બંધાયેલા વસુઓને પણ ફોડી ખુલ્લાં કરી શકે?
Word by Word
- कः
- who?Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) सर्वनाम
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सत्यः
- true, truthfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot सत्य (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + य)
- मदानाम्
- of the exhilarations/raptures (intoxicating joys)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- मंहिष्ठः
- most bountiful, most generousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot मंहिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इष्ठ (तमप्-प्रत्यय; अतिशय)
- मत्सद्
- sitting in exhilaration / exhilaration-seatedAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (विशेषण-रूपेण) ; वर्तमानकृदन्त-स्वभावRole KartāRoot मद् (धातु, ‘to be exhilarated’) + सद् (धातु, ‘to sit’) ; समास/कृदन्त-रूप (वेदिक)
- अन्धसः
- of the soma-juice (pressed drink)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot अन्धस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- दृळ्हाः
- firm, strong (ones/things)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot दृळ्ह (प्रातिपदिक; दृढ-रूपस्य वेदिक-पर्याय)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableनिपातः (अपि/एव-अर्थे)Root चित् (अव्यय)
- आरुजे
- I have broken / I brokeVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot रुज् (धातु ‘to break’) उपसर्गः आ-
- वसु
- wealth, good (treasure)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (वेदे प्रायः ‘धनम्/वस्तु’ अर्थे)Role KarmaRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: कः त्वा सत्यः मदानाम् मंहिष्ठः मत्सद् अन्धसः । दृळ्हाः चित् आरुजे वसु ॥ 1) कस्त्वा = कः + त्वा (विसर्ग-लोपः, त्-आदेशः/संयोगः)
- 2) मदानां मंहिष्ठो = मदानाम् + मंहिष्ठः (म् + म् संयोगः; ओ-रूपः पदान्त-ः)
- 3) मत्सदन्धसः = मत्सद् + अन्धसः (द् + अ → दन्ध; संधि-समासवत् संयोगः)
- 4) दृळ्हा चिदारुजे = दृळ्हाः + चित् + आरुजे (विसर्गः + च → चिद्; ततः द् + आ → दा)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A questioning praise to Indra: who can truly satisfy him with the intoxicating essence, so that he breaks open even firmly held treasures?
Inner meaning
The seeker asks what in us can truly meet the Divine Mind (Indra): only a sincerity that is faithful to the soul’s ecstasies (madāḥ) and a large giving (maṃhiṣṭha) of our being into the inner offering. When the delight-essence (andhas) is offered—purified joy, not mere excitement—Indra’s force breaks the hard knots that imprison the riches of consciousness (vasu): hidden powers, knowledge, and wideness locked in the subconscient.
Universal truth
Spiritual breakthroughs do not come by force or doubt, but by truthful aspiration and the offering of purified delight; then the higher intelligence opens what is most tightly sealed within our nature.
Themes
Soma-ecstasy, Opening of treasures, Truth and power, Indra as breaker of obstructions
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama (traditional attribution for RV 4.31)
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.26, Rig Veda 4.27, Rig Veda 4.18, Rig Veda 4.1
Family tradition
Vāmadeva’s hymns often move from outward praise to inner conquest: opening the ‘cows’ (rays) and releasing the hidden wealth through Indra’s illumination.
Significance
Vāmadeva is associated with the seer’s widening into universal being and the recovery of the hidden light; his Indra hymns frequently emphasize breaking the cover and releasing inner plenitudes.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- satya (true), maṃhiṣṭha (most bounteous), maghavan (giver of largesse, implied), vṛtrahan (slayer of the Coverer, implied by ‘breaking open’)
- Related deities
- Soma, Sūrya, Agni, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Lord of luminous Mind and victorious power who releases the waters/lights and establishes the right order by conquering obstruction.
Inner power
Illuminating intelligence joined to forceful will: the capacity to pierce subconscious resistance and release sealed ananda and knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise within Soma-yajña recitation context (general)
कस्त्वा॑ स॒त्यो मदा॑नां॒ मंहि॑ष्ठो मत्स॒दन्ध॑सः । दृ॒ळ्हा चि॑दा॒रुजे॒ वसु॑ ॥
कः । त्वा॒ । स॒त्यः । मदा॑नाम् । मंहि॑ष्ठः । म॒त्स॒त् । अन्ध॑सः । दृ॒ळ्हा । चि॒त् । आ॒ऽरुजे॑ । वसु॑ ॥
kaḥ | tvā | satyaḥ | madānām | maṃhiṣṭhaḥ | matsat | andhasaḥ | dṛḷhā | cit | āruje | vasu
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, heroic cadence suited to Indra’s breakthrough-force.
Builds questioning intensity that resolves into a felt ‘opening’—supporting inner resolve and release.
- कः (kaḥ)
- Literal: who?. Symbolic: the soul’s inquiry that turns toward the true means of inner fulfilment
- सत्यः (satyaḥ)
- Literal: true, truthful. Symbolic: psychic sincerity; alignment with Satya beyond surface desire
- मदानाम् (madānām)
- Literal: of the ecstasies/intoxicating joys. Symbolic: uplifted intensities of consciousness; spiritual rapture that supports ascent
- मंहिष्ठः (maṃhiṣṭhaḥ)
- Literal: most bounteous, most generous. Symbolic: vast self-giving; largeness of offering and receptivity
- अन्धसः (andhasaḥ)
- Literal: Soma-juice/essence. Symbolic: ananda-substance; distilled delight that nourishes illumination
- दृळ्हा (dṛḻhā)
- Literal: firm, hard, strongly held. Symbolic: subconscient fixities; rigid formations resisting change
- आ-रुजे (ā-ruje)
- Literal: break open, shatter. Symbolic: liberation by the descending force; opening sealed inner gates
- वसु (vasu)
- Literal: wealth, treasures. Symbolic: inner riches: powers, truths, luminous energies, wideness of being
Soma offering: identifies the true, bounteous offerer/act that can gladden Indra and release the 'firm treasures'—a trope for opening obstructions.
During Soma pressing/offerings or Indra-related stotras in a broader Soma ritual cycle (contextual use)
Recitation to invoke Indra’s satisfaction through Soma and to seek opening of ‘wealth’.
Use as a contemplative mantra before meditation: offer one’s joy and sincerity inwardly, asking for the breaking of inner knots and release of latent capacities.
satya- from sat 'being' (√as) → truth as 'that which is.' mada from √mad 'be glad, exhilarated' (Soma register). andhas- 'Soma-juice' possibly from √andh 'moisten/press' (traditional). dṛḷha- from √dṛh 'make firm.' ā-ruj from √ruj 'break.' vasu from √vas 'to dwell' → 'that which is possessed/dwells as a treasure'; extended to inner riches.
Satya as truth-being, Ananda (mada/andhas as delight-essence), Breaking the firm knots (dṛḷhā… āruj)
Indra’s act of ‘breaking open’ restores the right flow of powers (waters/lights) that obstruction had withheld.
Only satya—psychic truth—can truly ‘satisfy’ the god-power and make the opening effective.
Release of hidden plenitude from confinement; manifestation by removing the cover.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-style) reading: ascent and descent, liberation of subconscient holdings.
Soma as distilled delight in the nerves and heart; the ‘rock’ as subconscious inertia; ‘treasures’ as recovered light, strength, and wideness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra is the opener of firmly held riches: the classic 'release' pattern (cows/light/waters/treasures) recast here as breaking the dṛḷhā vasu. The true Soma-delight (andhas) is the key that enables the opening.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- satya- reflects an archaic metaphysics grounded in 'being' (PIE *h₁es-). The verb √ruj 'break' is comparable to PIE *reug- 'to break' (cf. Latin ruga? uncertain; Germanic 'break' parallels are semantic rather than direct). bhū/becoming (implicit in hymn) is PIE *bʰuH-.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames a criterion: only the truth-aligned ecstasy can truly 'satisfy' Indra. The exchange is conditional—divine force responds to a purified delight and then shatters inner fixities to reveal vasu.
Offer purified joy (ānanda) and sincerity to the inner Indra; ask for the breaking of rigid subconscious formations and release of inner riches.
anahata (heart: sincerity and delight) and ajna (illumination/Indra)
Moderate nadi-śodhana for 6–12 rounds, then silent repetition on exhale.
From aspiration to luminous pressure; a sense of inner doors opening.
Begin with a brief self-inquiry (‘what in me is truly satya?’), then repeat the mantra feeling ‘andhas’ as calm delight filling the heart; end by resting in stillness, allowing any tightness to soften and ‘open’.
Use Vedic tri-svara style (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; in app context, mark udātta on key lifts (e.g., tvā́, madā́nām, maṃhíṣṭhaḥ) based on available accent marks in the Saṃhitā text.
Let accented syllables rise cleanly; keep unaccented syllables level; avoid melodic drifting—aim for steady Vedic recitation.
= kas-tvā (no extra vowel between s and t), = dṛḻhā (retroflex ḻ/ḷh cluster; keep tongue curled), = ā-ruje (clear long ā, light r), = andhasaḥ (soft dh, final ḥ as light aspiration)
Clear, bright, invoking; slightly forceful on ‘ā-ruje’ to embody ‘breaking open’.
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