Rig Veda 10.86.6: Mandala 10, Sukta 86, Mantra 6
Sukta 10.86
- Rishi
- Indrāṇī
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Tr̥ṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
न मत्स्त्री सुभसत्तरा न सुयाशुतरा भुवत् । न मत्प्रतिच्यवीयसी न सक्थ्युद्यमीयसी विश्वस्मादिन्द्र उत्तरः ॥
ná mat strī́ subhasátttarā ná suyā́śutarā bhuvat | ná mat práticyavīyasī ná sákthy udyámīyasī víśvasmād índra úttaraḥ ||
कोई औरत मुझसे ज़्यादा खुश नहीं रहती, कोई इतनी जल्दी अच्छा नहीं पा लेती। कोई मुझसे आगे नहीं निकल सकता, कोई मुझसे टक्कर नहीं ले सकता। इंद्र सबसे बड़ा है, इसलिए मैं जीत लेती हूँ।
Word by Word
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- मत्
- than me / of mePronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (enclitic/genitive) = ‘of me / than me’ (Vedic comparative construction)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive of comparison)Root अस्मद्
- स्त्री
- womanNounप्रथमा-एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्गRole कर्तृ (of implied ‘is/exists’)Root स्त्री
- सु-भसत्तरा
- more splendid/brightAdjectiveप्रथमा-एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषणRole विशेषण (of स्त्री)Root भसत्तरा (comparative stem; with prefix सु-)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- सु-याशुतरा
- more swift/quickAdjectiveप्रथमा-एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषणRole विशेषण (of स्त्री; continued)Root याशुतरा (comparative stem; with prefix सु-)
- भुवत्
- was / becameVerbलुङ् (aorist injunctive), 3rd person singular, परस्मैपद (Vedic: ‘became/was’ without augment)Role क्रियाRoot भू
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- मत्
- than mePronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (genitive of comparison) = ‘than me’Role सम्बन्ध (genitive of comparison)Root अस्मद्
- प्रति-च्यवीयसी
- more prone to slip away / more fickleAdjectiveप्रथमा-एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषणRole विशेषण (of स्त्री)Root च्यु (च्यव्) + प्रति-; च्यवीयस् (comparative stem)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- सक्थि
- thigh / hipNounप्रथमा-एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Vedic usage; ‘thigh/hip’)Role कर्तृ (of implied ‘is/exists’)Root सक्थि
- उद्यमी-यसी
- more lifted/raised (upward-stretched)Adjectiveप्रथमा-एकवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषणRole विशेषण (predicate adjective; ‘more raised/strained’)Root यम् + उद्; यमी-यस् (comparative stem)
- विश्वस्मात्
- from all / than allAdjective (used substantively)पञ्चमी-एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; अपादान (ablative) ‘from/than all’Role अपादान (standard of comparison)Root विश्व
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)सम्बोधन-एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र
- उत्तरः
- higher / superiorAdjectiveप्रथमा-एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग; comparative sense ‘higher/superior’Role प्रधानीय-विशेषण (predicate of Indra)Root उत्तर
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: मत्स्त्री → मत् + स्त्री (final -t before s-)
- मत्प्रतिच्यवीयसी → मत् + प्रति-च्यवीयसी
- सक्थ्युद्यमीयसी → सक्थि + उद्यमी-यसी (i + u → yu)
- Accent marks in the prompt are retained as Vedic svara indicators but do not change the lexical segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indrāṇī boasts: no woman is more richly seated in prosperity than she, none swifter to attain good; The refrain: Indra is higher than all.
Inner meaning
The soul-force aligned with Indra (Indrāṇī as the Shakti of illumination) affirms a stable foundation (subhasattara: well-seated) and swift attainment (suyāśutara) of the good—because the governing light is supreme. The ‘contest’ imagery points to inner rival impulses
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires confident alignment with the highest discernment. When the inner Shakti is seated in well-being and guided by illumination, competing impulses lose their power to destabilize.
Themes
Indrāṇī’s self-assertion, comparative superiority, discipline and stance, Indra uttara refrain
The seer
- Rishi
- Indrāṇī
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.86
Family tradition
Dialogue-hymn voice emphasizing Shakti’s self-assertion under Indra’s sovereignty; reflective of late Rigvedic psychological dramatization.
Significance
Indrāṇī’s ‘boast’ is not egoism in the inner reading; it is the fearless affirmation of the soul’s executive power when founded on higher light, necessary to resist relapse into obscurity.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Indrāṇī as speaking power)
- Epithets
- uttara (higher), śūra (hero, implied), maghavan (bounteous, implied by well-being)
- Related deities
- Maruts, Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Giver of wide well-being and victorious might; establishes supremacy of light in the worlds.
Inner power
Confers victorious poise and swift right action; prevents overthrow by adverse impulses.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise/boast (śruti-style) supporting Indra’s śakti; potentially recited in contexts emphasizing victory and dominance of right force.
न मत्स्त्री सु॑भ॒सत्त॑रा॒ न सु॒याशु॑तरा भुवत् । न मत्प्रति॑च्यवीयसी॒ न सक्थ्युद्य॑मीयसी॒ विश्व॑स्मा॒दिन्द्र॒ उत्त॑रः ॥
न । मत् । स्त्री । सु॒भ॒सत्ऽत॑रा । न । सु॒याशु॑ऽतरा । भु॒व॒त् । न । मत् । प्रति॑ऽच्यवीयसी । न । सक्थि॑ । उत्ऽय॑मीयसी । विश्व॑स्मात् । इन्द्रः॑ । उत्ऽत॑रः ॥
na | mat | strī | subhasat-tarā | na | suyāśu-tarā | bhuvat | na | mat | prati-cyavīyasī | na | sakthi | ut-yamīyasī | viśvasmāt | indraḥ | ut-taraḥ
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Boastful-heroic stride with balanced caesurae; suited to self-affirmation.
Builds confidence and uprightness; steadies the ‘seat’ of awareness and energizes forward movement.
- स्त्री (strī)
- Literal: woman. Symbolic: Shakti, the executive force of consciousness in nature
- सु-भसत्तरा (su-bhasattarā)
- Literal: more richly/well seated. Symbolic: stable establishment in inner well-being; firm seat of consciousness
- सु-याशुतरा (su-yāśutarā)
- Literal: more swift to reach the good. Symbolic: quick receptivity and execution toward the true aim
- प्रतिच्यवीयसी (praticyavīyasī)
- Literal: outmatched/overpowered in return. Symbolic: no counter-force can dislodge the illumined poise
- सक्थि (sakthi)
- Literal: thigh. Symbolic: vital support/propulsive power; the lower nature’s leverage in struggle
- इन्द्रः उत्तरः (indraḥ uttaraḥ)
- Literal: Indra is higher. Symbolic: supremacy of illumined intelligence over all movements
Praise/boast (śruti-style) supporting Indra’s śakti; potentially recited in contexts emphasizing victory and dominance of right force.
Recited within the 10.86 hymn sequence; thematically linked to Indra invocations for victory and stability.
Praise/affirmation (stuti) supporting Indra’s victorious power; could accompany mental ‘offering’ of competing impulses into the fire of discernment.
Affirmation mantra for stability in practice, especially when challenged by comparison, doubt, or inner contest.
Comparatives in -tarā/-yasī show archaic Indo-European morphology. √cyu 'move, dislodge' (cf. 'shift' semantics) and √yam 'raise/restrain' (discipline + elevation) support the psychological reading: the embodied power asserts stable superiority grounded in Indra’s higher principle.
śakti as support of Indra (power aligned to illumined mind), victory as establishment in ṛta
‘Well-seated’ indicates a consciousness established in Ṛta, not shaken by lower contest.
Swift to the good signifies truth’s natural velocity when unobstructed.
Establishing a firm station in the worlds (āsana/seat motif) as a microcosmic creation of order.
Integral psychological theism: deities as powers enabling stable realization.
A stable ‘throne’ of awareness and a swift current toward the good, guarded by the higher light against destabilizing forces.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine-consort boast: Indrāṇī embodies the victorious force upheld by Indra. Mythically it is rivalry; psychologically it is the soul-force asserting that no competing impulse can dislodge her established well-being when illumined power (Indra) is sovereign.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The comparative system (-tarā, -yasī) is inherited PIE morphology. The root √yam (‘hold/raise/restrain’) corresponds to Indo-European *yem- ‘to hold’ (cf. Latin emere?; more securely: Sanskrit yam- ~ Avestan yam-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi speaks as Indrāṇī—power aligned to Indra—showing reciprocity as identity-in-action: by establishing the śakti in right poise, Indra’s higher mind-force becomes effective in the embodied field.
Establish the ‘seat’ (inner posture) in calm strength; repeat the refrain to invoke higher governance.
mūlādhāra (stability/seat) supported by maṇipūra (vīrya)
Square breathing 4-4-4-4 while holding the sense of a firm inner throne; refrain mentally on the holds.
Sattvic confidence; steady will without aggression.
When inner comparison or insecurity arises, return to the felt sense of being ‘well-seated’; act only after invoking the higher light (Indra uttaraḥ).
Triṣṭubh with traditional accenting; keep the refrain as a consistent melodic/tonal ‘seal’ at the end.
Sustain clarity on compounds: subhasattarā, suyāśutarā; do not rush the negatives ‘na…na…’—they create rhythmic emphasis.
subhasattarā: articulate bh + s cluster cleanly, suyāśutarā: long ā; śu is palatal ś, praticyavīyasī: keep ‘vī’ long; avoid collapsing syllables, sakthy udyamīyasī: aspirate th; ud- clearly separated
Confident, steady, slightly resonant in the chest (grounded).
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