Sukta 4
Rishi: RV-tradition attribution (not recoverable from excerpt alone)
AV 20.4 is a compact Soma-pressing invitation to Indra Śiprin, drawing him toward the sacrificers’ praise and compelling his full drinking of the pressed Soma. Through vivid ingestion imagery—Soma poured into the belly, coursing through the limbs, sweetened for body and heart—the hymn aims to convert divine satisfaction into human gain: strength, victory, and thriving for the patron and his group.
Kind of charm
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
आ नो॑ याहि सु॒ताव॑तो॒ऽस्माकं॑ सुष्टु॒तीरुप॑ । पिबा॒ सु शि॑प्रि॒न्नन्ध॑सः
हमारे पास आओ, सोम बनाने वाले लोग हैं यहाँ। हमारी प्रार्थना सुनो। शिप्रिन देवता, तुम अच्छे से सोम रस पियो। यह रस तुम्हारे लिए है।
Mantra 2
आ ते॑ सिञ्चामि कु॒क्ष्योरनु॒ गात्रा॒ वि धा॑वतु । गृ॒भा॒य जि॒ह्वया॒ मधु॑
मैं तुम्हारे लिए यह पानी पेट में डाल रहा हूँ। यह पूरे बदन में फैल जाए। जीभ से इस मीठा पानी को पकड़ लो।
Mantra 3
स्वा॒दुष्टे॑ अस्तु सं॒सुदे॒ मधु॑मान् त॒न्वे॒३ तव॑ । सोमः॒ शम॑स्तु ते हृ॒दे
सोम तुम्हारे लिए मीठा हो, तुम्हारे लिए शक्ति लाने वाला। तुम्हारे शरीर के लिए जैसे शहद हो। सोम तुम्हारे दिल को सुकून दे, तुम्हारे दिल में शांति लाए।
Inside Sukta 4
How it unfolds
- How it opens
A direct summons—“Come to us, O Soma-pressers; come near our well-wrought praises”—anchoring the hymn in invitation and proximity.
- What it asks
That Indra Śiprin drink the Soma fully; that the offering enter, spread through, and be seized/accepted completely.
- Where its power lies
The hymn speaks as if the offering-act is already effective: Soma is ‘poured,’ ‘runs through the limbs,’ and is ‘grasped with the tongue,’ presenting acceptance as accomplished by mantra.
- How it closes
A pacifying closure: Soma is declared sweet and honeyed for the body and ‘peace/balm’ for the heart, sealing benefit through sweetness and calm.
Famous verses
ā no yāhi … pibā su śiprin
gṛbhāya jihvayā madhu
somaḥ śam astu te hṛde
Kind of hymn
Śrauta-Soma (Indra-invitation; also Paustika/royal-strength by implication)
What it is for
Indra’s prompt arrival and pleased Soma-drinking, resulting in heightened strength, victory, and prosperity for the patron and his community; additionally, Soma is rendered sweet and peace-giving to the heart.
Who it is for
Soma-sacrificers (adhvaryu/hotṛ/udgātṛ milieu), yajamāna (patron/king), and the patron’s clan/retinue seeking strength, success, and increase.
Also used as
- Śrauta-Soma (Indra-invitation)
- Rājanya-bala (royal/warrior-strength by implication)
- Śāntika (heart-soothing/pacifying note via Soma)
Powers of the deity
- Responds to invitation and praise by approaching the rite
- Drinks Soma and becomes exhilarated/strengthened
- Bestows bala (strength), śrī/puṣṭi (increase), and jaya (victory) to the patron
- Accepts offerings fully (tongue/belly imagery) when properly presented
- Converts the sweetness/peace of Soma into well-being for the heart
Why the deity is called
To bring Indra to the Soma-pressers, ensure his complete enjoyment and internalization of Soma, and thereby secure collective strength, success, and welfare for the sacrificer’s side.
The seer
- RV-tradition attribution (Indra-Soma cycle; exact seer not recoverable from excerpt)Angiras. Śrauta-Soma stuti (praise) used as an attractive/compelling speech-act to bring the deity to the pressing, secure acceptance of oblation, and translate divine exhilaration into royal strength and increase
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 20.1
- AV 20.2
- AV 20.3
- AV 20.5
Preparing for the rite
- Complete Soma pressing and filtering so the andhas is ready for offering
- Arrange the Soma-cup/pressing area and seat for the invoked deity in the ritual imagination
- Settle the reciter’s voice and intent on ‘bringing near’ (ā yāhi) through stuti
The rite
- Recite 20.4.1 as an explicit invitation: call Indra Śiprin to the pressers and to the praises, urging him to drink
- Recite 20.4.2 while presenting/pouring the Soma: enact the offering verbally as ‘pouring into the belly,’ wishing it to pervade the limbs; command acceptance ‘with the tongue’
- Recite 20.4.3 as a sweetness-and-peace sealing: declare Soma honeyed for body and a balm for the heart, stabilizing the benefit
What it needs
- Soma (andhas), pressed/strained and offered in a cup
- Praise/chant (stuti) as the operative ‘subtle substance’ of attraction
When
During the Soma pressing/offering sequence (when Soma is ready to be presented and drunk by the deity through the rite).
The main substance
Soma (andhas; madhu—sweet draught)
How it is prepared
Press and strain Soma according to Soma-rite protocol; offer/present in a cup. The verses themselves ‘prepare’ the draught by declaring it sweet (svādu, madhumān) and heart-soothing (śam) for the recipient.
Frequently Asked Questions
It brings Indra Śiprin to the Soma-pressers and compels his pleased drinking of Soma, so that his exhilarated power turns into strength, victory, and increase for the patron’s side.
That imagery verbalizes total acceptance: the offering is not merely tasted but fully internalized, which in Vedic logic maximizes the return-boon from the deity.
Both: Indra’s Soma-drinking implies strength and victory, while the closing verse explicitly frames Soma as sweet, honeyed, and a calming balm for the heart.
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