Rig Veda 1.84.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 84, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.84
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Karuna (compassion)
कदा मर्तमराधसं पदा क्षुम्पमिव स्फुरत् । कदा नः शुश्रवद्गिर इन्द्रो अङ्ग ॥
kadā mártam arā́dhasaṃ padā́ kṣúmpam iva sphurát | kadā naḥ śuśrávad gíra índro aṅgá ||
इंद्र कब अपने पाँव से उस इंसान को गिरा देगा जो सही तरह से पूजा नहीं करता? जैसे सूखा पेड़ गिर जाता है, वैसे वो गिर जाएगा। और कब इंद्र हमारी पुकार सुनेगा?
Word by Word
- कदा
- when?Indeclinableकालवाचक-प्रश्नाव्यय (when?)Role Adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण) / प्रश्नRoot कदा (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- मर्तम्
- a mortal (man)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मर्त (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ 'to die')
- अराधसम्
- unhelpful; without favor/bountyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मर्तम्)Role Karma (विशेषण-रूपेण)Root अ-राधस् (प्रातिपदिक; राधस् 'success, favor, bounty' with privative अ-)
- पदा
- with (his) foot; by a stepNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot पद (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षुम्पम्
- a stump/stock (as something struck and made to jerk)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot क्षुम्प (प्रातिपदिक; RV-विशेष शब्दः)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानवाचक-अव्ययRole (उपमा-सम्बन्ध)Root इव
- स्फुरत्
- jerks/quivers; makes (it) springVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kartā (अन्तर्निहितः; इन्द्रः/सः)Root √स्फुर् (स्फुरति) 'to quiver, jerk, spring'
- कदा
- when?Indeclinableकालवाचक-प्रश्नाव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण) / प्रश्नRoot कदा (प्रश्नाव्यय)
- नः
- of us; ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप: नः = our/of us)Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शुश्रवत्
- has heard; listenedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kartā (इन्द्रः)Root √श्रु (शृणोति) 'to hear'
- गिरः
- songs; hymns; utterancesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अङ्ग
- indeed; pray; O!Indeclinableनिपात (सम्बोधन/आश्चर्य/उत्साहार्थक)Role (निपात)Root अङ्ग
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): क॒दा | मर्त॑म् | अरा॒धसम् | प॒दा | क्षुम्प॑म् | इव | स्फुरत् || क॒दा | नः | शुश्रव॒त् | गिरः | इन्द्रः | अङ्ग ।
- ‘नः’ is enclitic gen. pl. ‘of us’. Accent marks in the saṃhitā text are retained on the corresponding pada forms (e.g., मर्त॑म्, अरा॒धसम्, क्षुम्प॑म्, शुश्रव॒त्, इन्द्रो॑)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet asks when Indra will kick down/shake the mortal who offers wrongly or not at all—like a dry stump—and when Indra will hear the poet’s cry and word.
Inner meaning
The seeker asks when the Illuminating Mind (Indra) will strike down the arādhasá— the unoffering, unresponsive ego-nature that withholds energy from the inner sacrifice—like a dead stump in consciousness. The ‘foot’ is the decisive pressure of higher force that dislodges inertia and falsehood. ‘Hearing our word’ is the opening of the inner ear: the Divine Mind consenting to the soul’s aspiration (gíraḥ) so that the true thought and mantra become effective.
Universal truth
Transformation requires two movements: (1) the removal of resistant patterns that do not collaborate with truth, and (2) the sincere call/aspiration that invites higher intelligence to act. When aspiration becomes authentic and steady, illumination responds and the obstructing inertia collapses.
Themes
prayer for intervention, downfall of the unoffering nature, divine hearing, removal of inertia (tamas)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.84 (entire sūkta)
Family tradition
Gotama seers; hymns of Indra-invocation emphasizing illumination, force, and the right offering (ṛta-aligned action).
Significance
Gotama’s voice here is the psychic call for Indra’s intervention: not merely victory over outer foes, but the overthrow of inner inertia and the awakening of responsive higher mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- ugra (fierce), vṛṣan (bull-like, puissant), vajrin (wielder of the thunderbolt)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; releaser of the cows (rays) and waters (streams of consciousness); establisher of victorious order.
Inner power
Illuminating, executive intelligence that acts decisively against tamas and falsehood; the power that ‘hears’ true aspiration and makes the mantra effective.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra Soma-yajña context (general Indra-stuti within Soma pressing rites)
क॒दा मर्त॑मरा॒धसं॑ प॒दा क्षुम्प॑मिव स्फुरत् । क॒दा न॑: शुश्रव॒द्गिर॒ इन्द्रो॑ अ॒ङ्ग ॥
क॒दा । मर्त॑म् । अ॒रा॒धस॑म् । प॒दा । क्षुम्प॑म्ऽइव । स्फु॒र॒त् । क॒दा । नः॒ । शु॒श्र॒व॒त् । गिरः॑ । इन्द्रः॑ । अ॒ङ्ग ॥
kadā | martam | arādhasam | padā | kṣumpam-iva | sphurat | kadā | naḥ | śuśravat | giraḥ | indraḥ | aṅga
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Firm, martial cadence suited to challenge and invocation.
Builds urgency and force; supports a ‘call-and-response’ inner mood—questioning that turns into concentrated demand for illumination.
- कदा (kadā)
- Literal: when?. Symbolic: the soul’s impatience for realization; urgency of aspiration
- मर्तम् (martam)
- Literal: mortal (man). Symbolic: the limited ego-personality bound to death/inertia
- अराधसम् (arādhasam)
- Literal: without right offering; not worshipping. Symbolic: the part of nature that refuses surrender/participation in the yoga; non-cooperative desire-mind
- पदा (padā)
- Literal: with the foot. Symbolic: downward pressure of higher force; decisive executive power of will
- क्षुम्पम् (kṣumpam)
- Literal: dry stump / withered stock. Symbolic: dead habit-energy; tamasic residue in the subconscient
- स्फुरत् (sphurat)
- Literal: shake, kick, dislodge. Symbolic: sudden loosening of obstruction; breakthrough
- शुश्रवत् (śuśravat)
- Literal: may he hear. Symbolic: divine response; inner hearing and assent
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: words, hymns, cry. Symbolic: mantric thought-force; articulated aspiration
- इन्द्रः (indraḥ)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: luminous mind-power that conquers darkness
Indra-invocation in Soma setting; also suitable as a prayer for removal of inner resistance and for the god’s ‘hearing’ (śravaṇa) of the hymn.
During Soma offerings and Indra praises; also as a general prayer for victory and right action.
Recitation to invoke Indra’s hearing and to remove obstacles to the sacrifice.
Use as a mantra of inner purification: asking for the fall of inert habits and for higher mind to respond to one’s sincere intention.
: a- ‘not’ + rādh-as ‘success, right offering, propitiation’ from √rādh ‘to accomplish, succeed, satisfy’ → ‘without the accomplishing worship’. : from √sphur ‘to quiver, jerk, spring’ (3sg injunctive/imperf. style form in Vedic usage). : reduplicated desiderative/intensive sense from √śru ‘hear’ → ‘hear well, listen attentively’.
R̥ta vs anr̥ta (right alignment vs failure of offering), śruti as divine hearing/response
arādhasá signifies deviation from ṛta—non-offering, non-alignment; Indra restores ṛta by force.
‘Hearing the word’ indicates truth-response: mantra becomes satya when received by the higher power.
Release of blocked energies—opening channels for light and flow.
Proto-Vedāntic / Aurobindonian psychological reading: gods as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner yoga.
The ‘dry stump’ is tamasic residue; Indra’s ‘foot’ is descending force that uproots it; the ‘cry/word’ is aspiration shaping thought into mantric power.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the crusher of the ‘non-offering’ mortal: the god’s foot dislodges inert obstruction (kṣumpa-iva). In inner symbolism, the unaligned ego-nature is shaken down so the inspired word (giraḥ) can be heard and answered.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ reflects PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear, be famed’ (cf. Greek klýō). The reduplication in śuśravat is an archaic intensification strategy. √rādh (success/propitiation) shows the ritual-to-psychological bridge: ‘accomplishing’ becomes ‘right inner alignment’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi presses for a double movement: (1) Indra’s forceful removal of what refuses the offering, and (2) Indra’s attentive reception of the poet’s formulated aspiration. The relationship is pedagogic and transformative: the god disciplines and then responds.
Offer the resistant habit-pattern to the inner fire and call for higher illumination to act.
maṇipūra (will/executive force)
Moderate inhale on ‘kadā’; steady exhale through the pāda—use the exhale to ‘press down’ the obstruction inwardly.
From restless seeking to concentrated will for change.
Identify one ‘arādhasá’ pattern (avoidance, dullness, self-justification). On repetition, feel Indra’s downward force dislodging it; then pause in stillness to ‘listen’ for the answering clarity.
Follow RV śākhā tradition: maintain udatta on marked syllables; svarita on following; anudatta as base—especially watch ‘índro aṅgá’ cadence.
Keep the interrogative ‘kadā’ clear and lifted; do not flatten the second ‘kadā’—it renews the plea.
kṣ in kṣumpam is a conjunct: ‘kshum’ (not ‘ksum’), śuśravad: keep both ś sounds palatal (ś), not s, giraḥ: final ḥ is light visarga, not a hard ‘h’, aṅga: nasal ṅ before g—‘aṅ-ga’
Bright, firm, invoking; slight emphasis on the questioning turns.
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