Sukta 29
Sukta 1.29
Vasiṣṭha (traditional for RV 1.29; confirm per Anukramaṇī)
Indra
Jagatī (refrain-like extension; verify by syllable count across pādas)
This Indra hymn (with a recurring refrain) asks the Soma-drinking, truth-bearing hero to make the poets’ praise effective and to grant tangible prosperity—cattle, horses, and “shining thousandfold” abundance. It also petitions Indra to break obstructive forces and hostile clamour, so that gifts and right utterance may awaken and prevail.
Mantras
Mantra 1
यच्चिद्धि सत्य सोमपा अनाशस्ता इव स्मसि । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
इंद्र, तुम सच बोलने वाले हो और सोम पीते हो। हालांकि हम लोग ऐसे हैं जैसे कोई हमारे बारे में अच्छा ना बोले। फिर भी तुम आ जाओ। हमें ऐसा बना दो कि लोग सच में हमारे बारे में अच्छा बोलें। तुम्हारी शक्ति और रोशनी में, हज़ारों चमक में, तुम हमें बड़े देने वाले हो।
Mantra 2
शिप्रिन्वाजानां पते शचीवस्तव दंसना । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
इंद्र, तुम बहुत ताकत वाले हो। तुम जो काम करते हो वो असल में दिखता है। तुम आ जाओ और हमारी बात को सच कर दो। तुम्हारी शक्ति और रोशनी में, हज़ारों चमक में, लोग हमारे बारे में सही बोलें।
Mantra 3
नि ष्वापया मिथूदृशा सस्तामबुध्यमाने । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
इंद्र, उन दो लोगों को सुला दो जो गलत नज़र से देखते हैं। वो जागे नहीं, बस सोए रहें। फिर तुम आ जाओ और हमारी बात को सच कर दो। तुम्हारी शक्ति और रोशनी में, हज़ारों चमक में, हमारा काम बन जाए।
Mantra 4
ससन्तु त्या अरातयो बोधन्तु शूर रातयः । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
जो लोग रोकने वाले हैं, वो कम हो जाएं। जो देने वाले हैं, वो जाग उठें। इंद्र, तुम वीर हो। तुम आ जाओ और हमारी बात को सच कर दो। तुम्हारी शक्ति और रोशनी में, हज़ारों चमक में, सब कुछ मिल जाए।
Mantra 5
समिन्द्र गर्दभं मृण नुवन्तं पापयामुया । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
इंद्र, उस गधे को कुचल दो जो चिल्लाता है। यह बुरी आदत है, इसको ऐसे मिटा दो जैसे कोई बड़ी ताकत से। फिर आओ और हमारी सच्ची तारीफ को काम करवाओ। चमकते हुए सूरज में, घोड़े और गाय में, हज़ारों चीज़ों में हमारी बात सच करो।
Mantra 6
पताति कुण्डृणाच्या दूरं वातो वनादधि । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
वो बुरी ताकत दूर भागती है, जैसे जंगल से हवा आती है। इंद्र, आओ और हमारी सच्ची तारीफ को काम करवाओ। चमकते हुए सूरज में, घोड़े और गाय में, हज़ारों चीज़ों में हमारी बात सच करो।
Mantra 7
सर्वं परिक्रोशं जहि जम्भया कृकदाश्वम् । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
इंद्र, हर तरफ की चिल्लाहट को खत्म कर दो। उस शोर करने वाले को कुचल दो। फिर आओ और हमारी सच्ची तारीफ को काम करवाओ। चमकते हुए सूरज में, घोड़े और गाय में, हज़ारों चीज़ों में हमारी बात सच करो।
Inside Sukta 29
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
The hymn begins with humility—acknowledging the singers may be ‘unpraised’ or inadequate—yet confidently calls Indra, the truthful Soma-drinker, to empower their utterance.
- Development
Repeated refrain intensifies the request: let praise become effective in ‘cows and horses,’ in shining forces and thousandfold plenitudes; simultaneously, obstacles and withholding powers are targeted for removal.
- Climax
A sharp protective turn: the poet asks Indra to slay surrounding outcry and crush the hostile figure Kṛkadāśva—symbolizing disruptive, predatory obstruction to the rite and its fruits.
- Where it settles
The refrain reasserts the central aim: Indra’s arrival, the success of true acclaim, and the stabilization of prosperity and luminous strength for the community.
The deity: Indra
- In the VedaIndra is the mighty, Soma-strengthened slayer of obstructors, the champion who answers the hymn with gifts, protection, and victory; he is invoked as satya (true) and as the one who makes praise succeed.
- Cosmic functionHe breaks restraints and releases the life-supporting plenitudes—light, waters, and wealth—so that order, fertility, and human thriving can manifest.
- Inner significanceIndra signifies the awakened force of will and courageous clarity that overcomes inner obstruction (doubt, inertia, hostile impulses) and makes one’s ‘true word’ effective in life.
The seer
- VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha gotra (Āṅgirasa-associated priestly lineage in Vedic tradition) · One of the foremost Rigvedic seers, paradigmatic brahman-priest (purohita) whose hymns combine spiritual authority with practical prayer for victory, protection, and right speech.
Famous verses
ā tū na indra śaṃsaya
sasantu tyā arātayaḥ
sarvam parikrośaṃ jahi
Attributes of the deity
- Soma-drinker (somapā)
- Heroic and victorious (śūra)
- Destroyer of obstructors and hostile noise
- Bestower of cattle, horses, and abundance
- Powerful, wide-giving (tuvīmagha)
- Makes the hymn/praise efficacious (śaṃsaya)
Also by this seer
- Large portions of Maṇḍala 7 of the Rig Veda are attributed to Vasiṣṭha and his family line (Vasiṣṭhas).
- Traditionally linked with royal priesthood and the articulation of brahman (sacred formulation) that makes the sacrifice effective.
- Later Vedic-Itihāsa tradition associates Vasiṣṭha with dharma instruction and exemplary rishihood (though these are post-Rigvedic developments).
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the altar and fires; establish ritual purity and intention for prosperity and protection.
- Press/offer Soma (or symbolically offer Soma in later adaptations) while reciting the verses with the recurring refrain.
- Invite Indra to ‘make the praise effective’ (śaṃsaya), linking spoken brahman with desired results.
- Petition for the awakening of gifts and the diminution of withholding forces; conclude with a protective request against hostile clamour.
- Seal with final oblations and a closing dedication of merit/fruit to Indra’s guardianship.
Offerings
- Soma libation (primary)
- Ghee/clarified butter into the fire
- Optional: milk, barley preparations as ancillary offerings
Frequently Asked Questions
The hymn asks Indra to come and make the singers’ praise effective, granting visible prosperity—especially cattle, horses, and abundant, shining wealth—while removing obstacles.
The repeated refrain works like a ritual anchor: it reinforces the central petition and is suited to steady, emphatic recitation during offering, especially in Soma contexts.
In the hymn, Kṛkadāśva appears as a hostile, disruptive force to be crushed by Indra; it can be read both as an external adversary and as a symbol of inner or ritual obstruction.
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