Rig Veda 1.84.9: Mandala 1, Sukta 84, Mantra 9
Sukta 1.84
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यश्चिद्धि त्वा बहुभ्य आ सुतावाँ आविवासति । उग्रं तत्पत्यते शव इन्द्रो अङ्ग ॥
yáś cid dhí tvā bahúbhya ā́ sutā́vān ā́vivāsati | ugráṃ tát patyate śáva índro aṅgá ||
जो कोई सोम रस निकाल के इंद्र को बुलाता है, उसके पास इंद्र की ताकत आ जाती है। वो इंसान तब बहुत ताकतवर हो जाता है। यह बात इंद्र की है।
Word by Word
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (यः = कर्ता)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- even, indeedIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root चित् (निपात)
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root हि (निपात)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (आविवासति इत्यस्य)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- बहुभ्यः
- to/for many (people)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (दत्तिवाचक-प्रयोगे: ‘many (people)’)Root बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- सुतावान्
- having Soma pressed; Soma-presserAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (आविवासति इत्यस्य)Root सुत + वत् (कृत्-प्रत्ययः वत्) < √सु (सुनोति ‘to press (Soma)’)
- आविवासति
- welcomes, entertains (with offerings)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √वास्/√वस् (विवासयति/विवासति ‘to welcome, to entertain, to honor’) with उपसर्ग आ-
- उग्रम्
- mighty, fierce (thing/power)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (तत्पत्यते इत्यस्य)Root उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- तत्
- thatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (अत्र ‘उग्रम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणतया)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पत्यते
- rushes/falls uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √पत् (पतति/पत्यते ‘to fall, to rush, to swoop’)
- शवः
- strength, mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (पत्यते इत्यस्य)Root शवस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘strength, might’)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अन्तर्भूत-सम्बन्धः: इन्द्रस्य शवः)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अङ्ग
- indeed, surely (emphatic particle)Indeclinableअव्ययम्Root अङ्ग (निपात)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यः चित् हि त्वा बहुभ्यः आ सुतावान् आविवासति । उग्रम् तत् पत्यते शवः इन्द्रः अङ्ग ॥ 1) यश्चित् = यः + चित् (विसर्ग-लोपः, श्च्-संयोगः). 2) चिद्धि = चित् + हि (त् + ह् → द्ध्). 3) सुतावाँ आविवासति: सुतावान् (वत्-प्रत्ययान्तः) + आ- उपसर्गयुक्त-क्रिया
- संहितायां नासिक्य/अनुस्वार-परिवर्तनं (वेदपाठभेदानुसार). 4) तत्पत्यते = तत् + पत्यते (त् + प् संयोगः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whoever, having pressed Soma, calls Indra down among the many—upon him that fierce strength comes to mastery; that is Indra indeed.
Inner meaning
Soma-pressing is the inner extraction of delight (ānanda) from experience by purification and concentration. When the seeker invokes Indra in the midst of many movements (thoughts, impulses, life-forces), Indra’s ugra śavas—fierce victorious energy of luminous mind—descends and becomes ‘master’ (patyate): it organizes the mixed nature under a higher sovereignty.
Universal truth
When delight is refined into a conscious offering and one calls the higher intelligence into the complexity of life, an executive strength arises that can govern the many parts of the being.
Themes
Soma-invitation, empowerment, victorious force, divine descent
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.84 (entire sūkta)
Family tradition
Indra hymns where Soma is the inner means to awaken victorious mind-force.
Significance
The rishi links invocation with inner preparation (Soma): the god’s power answers not vague wishing but a distilled offering and a clear call.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- ugra, śavasyu (full of might), maghavan (bounteous)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Giver of victorious force; harmonizer of the many powers through a central illumination.
Inner power
Mastering intelligence—turns dispersed energies into a unified, effective will.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and Indra invitation (āvāhana) within Soma sacrifice
यश्चि॒द्धि त्वा॑ ब॒हुभ्य॒ आ सु॒तावाँ॑ आ॒विवा॑सति । उ॒ग्रं तत्प॑त्यते॒ शव॒ इन्द्रो॑ अ॒ङ्ग ॥
यः । चि॒त् । हि । त्वा॒ । ब॒हुऽभ्यः॑ । आ । सु॒तऽवा॑न् । आ॒ऽविवा॑सति । उ॒ग्रम् । तत् । प॒त्य॒ते॒ । शवः॑ । इन्द्रः॑ । अ॒ङ्ग ॥
yaḥ | cit | hi | tvā | bahu-bhyaḥ | ā | suta-vān | āvivāsati | ugram | tat | patyate | śavaḥ | indraḥ | aṅga
44
4 × ~11
Compact, assertive, declarative.
Creates confidence: a law-like statement that invocation plus offering yields mastery.
- सुता-वान् (sutā-vān)
- Literal: one who has pressed (Soma). Symbolic: one who has extracted inner delight through discipline
- आविवासति (āvivāsati)
- Literal: invites, calls hither, worships. Symbolic: active aspiration that summons higher consciousness into life
- बहुभ्यः (bahubhyaḥ)
- Literal: amid/among the many. Symbolic: the multiplicity of inner movements; the many energies of nature
- उग्रम् (ugram)
- Literal: fierce, formidable. Symbolic: uncompromising force against falsehood and inertia
- शवः (śavaḥ)
- Literal: strength, might. Symbolic: effective power of illumination to accomplish works
- पत्यते (patyate)
- Literal: becomes lord/master. Symbolic: higher governance replaces lower impulsion
Soma pressing and Indra-invitation: emphasizes that the pressed Soma (inner delight) is the condition for Indra’s descent and empowerment.
At or around Soma libations dedicated to Indra.
Recited to invite Indra and affirm the fruit of Soma-offering: strength and lordship.
Before demanding work or difficult decisions: ‘press Soma’ by centering in inner sweetness, then invoke clarity to govern scattered thoughts.
: past participial adjective from √su ‘to press (Soma)’ → ‘one who has pressed’. : from √vas with ā-; Vedic ‘to entertain, welcome, worship’ (causative/intensive feel). : middle from √pat ‘to be lord, rule’ (PIE *pótis ‘master’), indicating ‘comes into lordship/possession’. : from √śū/√śav semantic field ‘impel, be strong’ → ‘driving strength’.
yajña as inner discipline (pressing/extraction), śavas as empowered will-force aligned to r̥ta
Right offering aligns the being with ṛta; then power becomes rightful mastery, not ego-domination.
The statement functions as satya-mantra: truth of process—offering → invocation → descent of power.
Ordering of multiplicity into unity via a higher lordship.
Yoga of the inner sacrifice (Aurobindo/Kashyap psychological exegesis).
Soma is distilled delight; descent is higher mind entering the field of many energies and governing them.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The descent of Indra to the Soma-presser: the mythic pattern ‘press Soma → invite Indra → receive victorious force (śavas)’ is stated as a universal law. Psychologically, disciplined extraction of delight calls down the illumined power that turns energy into mastery.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pátyate from √pat links to PIE *pótis ‘master, lord’ (Skt pati-, Gk pósis). The social-mythic notion of ‘lordship’ becomes an inner mastery of force. The Soma root √su (‘press’) is Indo-Iranian specific ritual lexicon but uses inherited verbal morphology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi presents a transferable method: any who performs the inner/outer pressing and invitation becomes a vessel for Indra’s śavas. The relationship is conditional and experiential—Indra responds to prepared consciousness rather than mere petition.
Unify the ‘many’ by calling a single clear light of discernment into all activities.
ājñā (governing intelligence)
Inhale: ‘draw up Soma’ (feel sweetness in chest); exhale: invite Indra into the mind-field; brief kumbhaka to feel ‘patyate’ (mastery).
From dispersion to governed clarity.
Begin with a minute of gratitude/inner sweetness (Soma). Then speak the mantra once, and sit silently, letting one directive insight arise that can organize the day.
Standard RV accents; keep ‘úgram’ lifted; let ‘índro aṅgá’ close with firmness.
Mark the causal structure: emphasize ‘sutāvān’ (preparedness) and ‘patyate śavaḥ’ (result).
āvivāsati: long ā at start; keep v soft, not b, bahubhyaḥ: aspirate bh clearly, śavaḥ: ś is palatal; final ḥ light
Confident, steady, slightly triumphant.
9
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