Rig Veda 1.32.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 32, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.32
- Rishi
- गृत्समदः शौनकः
- Devata
- इन्द्रः
- Chandas
- त्रिष्टुप्
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
यदिन्द्राहन्प्रथमजामहीनामान्मायिनाममिनाः प्रोत मायाः । आत्सूर्यं जनयन्द्यामुषासं तादीत्ना शत्रुं न किला विवित्से ॥
yád índrā́han prathamajā́m áhīnām ā́n māyínām ámināḥ prá uta māyā́ḥ | ā́t sū́ryaṃ janáyan dyā́m uṣā́saṃ tā́dītnā́ śátruṃ ná kilā́ vivitse ||
जब इंद्र ने उस पहले साँप को मारा, तो उसने जादू करने वाली ताकतें तोड़ दी। उसके बाद उसने सूरज को पैदा किया, आसमान और सवेरा भी आया। उसके बाद उसको कोई दुश्मन नहीं मिला।
Word by Word
- यत्
- when/that (relative)Indeclinableनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धसूचकं यद्) — ‘यत्’ = ‘यदा/यत् कर्म’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / यद्-शब्द
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहन्
- slewVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot हन् (धातु)
- प्रथमजाम्
- first-bornAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (महीनाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot प्रथम (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + जा (स्त्री. ‘जन्म/जाति’)
- अहीनाम्
- of the serpents (Vṛtra’s brood)Nounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् (वेदे ‘अहीनाम्’ = ‘अहिनाम्’)Role SambandhaRoot अहि (प्रातिपदिक)
- आन्
- upon/against (intensifier)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातः (क्रियायोगे)Role UpasargaRoot आ (उपसर्ग) + (अभि/आङ्-प्रयोगः) — पदे ‘आन्’ इति निपातवत्
- मायिनाम्
- of the sorcerers/possessors of māyāNounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम्Role SambandhaRoot मायिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘माया’ + इन्)
- अमिनाः
- he crushed/overpoweredVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, द्वितीयपुरुषः? (पाठभेदेषु) / अधिकप्रचलितः: प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन ‘अमिनात्/अमिनाः’ वैदिकरूपम्Role KriyāRoot मि/मीन् (धातु; ‘to diminish, harm’) with अ- (augment) → अमिन्-
- प्रोत
- forth and up; completelyIndeclinableनिपातः (समुच्चय/अनन्तर्ये)Role SambandhaRoot प्र + उत् (उपसर्गौ) / ‘प्रोत’ इति निपातसमूहः
- मायाः
- magical powers/illusionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot माया (प्रातिपदिक)
- आत्
- then/thereuponIndeclinableनिपातः (अनन्तर्य/हेतु)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot आत् (निपात; ‘then/from that’)
- सूर्यम्
- the SunNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनयन्
- generating/bringing forthVerbवर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययः, प्रथमा एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गे (इन्द्रः इत्यस्य विशेषण-क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role KartāRoot जन् (धातु) → जनय (णिच्) + शतृ
- द्याम्
- the heaven/skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
- उषासम्
- DawnNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot उषस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धसूचकं ‘that’)Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeedIndeclinableनिपातः (एव/खलु-अर्थे)Role SambandhaRoot इत् (निपात)
- ना
- like/asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक-निपातःRole SambandhaRoot ना (निपात; ‘like/as’)
- शत्रुम्
- an enemyNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधःRole SambandhaRoot न (निपात)
- किल
- indeed/forsoothIndeclinableनिपातः (खलु/एव/प्रसिद्धौ)Role SambandhaRoot किल (निपात)
- विवित्से
- he wished to find out/seek to knowVerbलिट्/लट्-रूपवत् वैदिके; सन्-धातोः आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम् (इच्छार्थः)Role KriyāRoot विद् (धातु; ‘to know’) → desiderative विवित्स (सन्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): यत् | इन्द्रः | अहन् | प्रथमजाम् | अहीनाम् | आन् | मायिनाम् | अमिनाः | प्रोत | मायाः | आत् | सूर्यम् | जनयन् | द्याम् | उषासम् | तत् | इत् | ना | शत्रुम् | न | किल | विवित्से । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) यदिन्द्राहन् = यत् + इन्द्रः + अहन् (त् + इ → दि; विसर्गलोप/संयोग)
- (2) प्रथमजामहीनाम् = प्रथमजाम् + अहीनाम् (म् + अ → मअ, संहितायां)
- (3) मायाः आत् = मायाः + आत् (आः + आ → आ आ, दीर्घसन्धि/विराम)
- (4) जनयन्द्यामुषासम् = जनयन् + द्याम् + उषासम् (न् + द्य → न्द्य; म् + उ → मउ)
- (5) तादीत्ना = तत् + इत् + ना (तत् + इत् → तदीत्; तदीत् + ना → तदीत्ना)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When Indra struck the first-born serpent, he shattered the powers of the magicians and their spells; then he brought the Sun to birth, and Heaven and Dawn; thereafter he sought no enemy.
Inner meaning
Once the primal obstruction is broken, the deceptive formations (māyinām… māyāḥ)—mental-vital glamour, self-justifying narratives, and compulsions—lose their hold. From that victory arises the birth of Sūrya (the true seeing), Dyauḥ (the wide luminous mind), and Uṣas (awakening illumination). A consciousness established in this light no longer needs to ‘seek enemies’; it stops projecting conflict outward and rests in mastery.
Universal truth
Defeat of the root resistance dissolves illusion-making. True perception and awakening dawn naturally, and the psyche ceases to live by antagonism—clarity replaces the need for constant struggle.
Themes
Cosmogonic manifestation after victory, Defeat of māyā (delusion/obscuration), Indra as bringer of Sun and Dawn
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Śaunaka
- Lineage
- Śaunaka (Bhr̥gu-Aṅgiras stream, later tradition)
- Other hymns
- RV 2.12, RV 2.15, RV 2.19, RV 2.23
Family tradition
Maṇḍala 2 seer whose Indra hymns often move from battle imagery to cosmological ‘birth’ of light, showing a sequence of inner realization.
Significance
He frames the Vṛtra-slaying as a turning point: not only removal of obstruction but the positive emergence of Sun/Dawn—an inner cosmogony of awakening.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vṛtrahan (slayer of Vṛtra), Maghavā, Śatakratu (of a hundred powers/works, traditional epithet)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Varuṇa (Ṛta), Bṛhaspati (word/illumination)
Cosmic role
Opens the world-order by destroying illusion and releasing the lights that structure experience.
Inner power
The mind’s divine capacity to discriminate truth from glamour, enabling the birth of higher seeing (Sūrya) and awakening (Uṣas).
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra stotra in Soma rites; also recited in contexts seeking removal of ‘māyā’/harmful influences (protective intent).
यदि॒न्द्राह॑न्प्रथम॒जामही॑ना॒मान्मा॒यिना॒ममि॑ना॒: प्रोत मा॒याः । आत्सूर्यं॑ ज॒नय॒न्द्यामु॒षासं॑ ता॒दीत्ना॒ शत्रुं॒ न किला॑ विवित्से ॥
यत् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । अह॑न् । प्र॒थ॒म॒ऽजाम् । अही॑नाम् । आत् । मा॒यिना॑म् । अमि॑नाः । प्र । उ॒त । मा॒याः । आत् । सूर्य॑म् । ज॒नय॑न् । द्याम् । उ॒षास॑म् । ता॒दीत्ना॑ । शत्रु॑म् । न । किला॑ । वि॒वि॒त्से॒ ॥
yat | indra | ahan | prathama-jām | ahīnām | āt | māyinām | amināḥ | pra | uta | māyāḥ | āt | sūryam | janayan | dyām | uṣāsam | tādītnā | śatrum | na | kilā | vivitse
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4 x ~11 syllables
Narrative triṣṭubh: firm opening, expansive middle (birth of sun/heaven/dawn), settled close.
Psychologically ‘clearing’: first a strong cut through illusion, then an opening spaciousness and morning-brightness in the listener.
- मायिनाम् (māyinām)
- Literal: of the magicians/illusionists. Symbolic: forces of deception in mind-life; ego’s glamour and distortion
- मायाः (māyāḥ)
- Literal: spells, artifices. Symbolic: constructed beliefs/habits that maintain ignorance
- सूर्यम् (sūryam)
- Literal: the Sun. Symbolic: truth-seeing, supramental illumination in mind
- द्याम् (dyām)
- Literal: heaven/sky. Symbolic: wideness and higher mental plane
- उषासम् (uṣāsam)
- Literal: dawn. Symbolic: awakening, first light of realization
- शत्रुम् (śatrum)
- Literal: enemy. Symbolic: projected opposition; inner conflict-pattern that fades after integration
Indra-stotra within Soma rites; emphasizes post-victory manifestation of luminaries (often recited to affirm Indra’s world-ordering victory)
After invocations celebrating Indra’s victory; suitable in morning recitations due to Uṣas/Sūrya imagery.
Praise and offering; inner ritual: expose and renounce self-deception, then invite dawn-like clarity.
A mantra for ‘clearing illusion’—use before making important decisions or when caught in anxiety narratives; follow with a few minutes of silent sunrise-visualization.
/: from √ (to measure, form), hence māyā as formative power; in the Veda it can denote both divine formation and, in hostile hands, delusive construction that limits light. : present participle of √ (to beget, generate), used for manifestation of hidden luminaries. : desiderative/intentional form from √ (to know/find), implying ‘to seek to encounter’; after restoration of light-order, no further ‘enemy’ is sought/needed.
Ṛta re-established through removal of māyā (obscuring formation), manifestation of light (Sūrya, Uṣas) as cognitive awakening
Breaking māyā restores the right law of perception; then Sūrya (truth-seeing) can ‘be born’ in the mind under Ṛta.
Satya is not merely asserted; it is generated as an inner sun after the coverings are removed.
Cosmic birth through victory: sun, heaven, dawn arise as consequences of conquering obstruction—creation as psychological emergence.
Integral/psychological Vedism: māyā as formative ignorance; Sūrya-Uṣas as stages of awakening.
dawn
Dawn = first illumination; Sun = stable truth-vision; Heaven = wideness of mind; māyā = obscuring formations that mimic truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The dragon-slaying leads to cosmogenesis: once the primal serpent-obstruction is slain, the ‘māyās’ (covering formations) are broken and the Sun, Heaven, and Dawn are ‘born’. Inner sense: when the first subconscient knot is cleft, illumination and awakening necessarily manifest in the mind and its higher wideness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The sequence ‘slay serpent → release/manifest light’ matches wider IE hero myths where a storm/warrior deity defeats a dragon and restores cosmic goods. Lexically, ahi aligns with IE serpent terms; the birth/manifestation verbs (√) and sky/dawn lexemes participate in inherited poetic diction about the emergence of ordered cosmos.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames Indra’s act as inwardly consequential for human consciousness: the devotee’s offering and invocation call Indra to break māyā-like coverings, resulting in the birth of inner Sun (illumination) and Dawn (awakening). The bond is functional: invocation enables divine action; divine action establishes Ṛta in the seeker.
Detect ‘māyā’ as inner storytelling; drop it, then rest attention in a steady ‘inner sun’ behind the forehead (clarity without strain).
ājñā (inner seeing) supported by anāhata (quiet fearlessness)
Slow inhale imagining dawn-light rising; exhale releasing ‘māyā’ as dark mist. After chanting, sit 3–5 minutes in stillness.
Widened, luminous, non-reactive awareness.
Journal one recurring illusion-pattern; chant once, name the pattern, then consciously ‘birth the sun’ by choosing the simplest true perception and holding it gently.
Triṣṭubh with clear udātta on ‘sūryaṃ’, ‘dyām’, ‘uṣāsam’; keep the mid-line (māyā section) slightly sharper in articulation.
Make a distinct pause after the māyā-breaking clause; then open the tone and widen the vowels on ‘sūryaṃ janayan dyām uṣāsam’.
Keep ‘yad indrāhan’ sandhi smooth: indrāhan (not indra-han)., Pronounce long ā in māyāḥ and dyām distinctly., In ‘vivitse’, keep v- sound soft (not b) and final -e clear.
Clear, sunrise-bright; less martial than previous verse, more expansive.
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