Rig Veda 10.89.1: Mandala 10, Sukta 89, Mantra 1
Sukta 10.89
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्रं स्तवा नृतमं यस्य मह्ना विबबाधे रोचना वि ज्मो अन्तान् । आ यः पप्रौ चर्षणीधृद्वरोभिः प्र सिन्धुभ्यो रिरिचानो महित्वा ॥
índraṁ stavā nṛ́tamaṁ yásya mahnā́ víbabādhe rócanā ví jmá antā́n | ā́ yáḥ papráu carṣaṇīdhṛ́d várobhíḥ prá síndhubhyo riricānó mahitvā́ ||
इंद्र की तारीफ करो, वो सबसे बड़ा बलवान है। उसकी ताकत से दुनिया का उजाला और उसकी हदें खुल गई। उसने अपनी चौड़ी दायरें भर दी और नदियों से भी आगे बढ़ गया।
Word by Word
- इन्द्रम्
- Indra (as the one praised)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तव
- praise!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √स्तु (स्तुतौ)
- नृतमम्
- the most manly/heroicAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root नृतम (प्रातिपदिक; नृ + तम)
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मह्ना
- by (his) greatness/mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot मघन्/मह्न् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महन्’ का वैदिक रूप)
- विबबाधे
- has pressed apart/has forced asunderVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root वि + √बाध् (बाधने)
- रोचनाः
- the shining realms (lights/heavens)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot रोचना (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, asunderIndeclinableउपसर्ग (विबबाधे इत्यस्य)Role (क्रियाविशेषक)Root वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ज्मः
- the earth/groundNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (द्वितीयः कर्तृ-समुच्चयः)Root ज्म (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भूमि/पृथिवी’ इत्यर्थे वैदिक)
- अन्तान्
- the ends/boundariesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, up toIndeclinableउपसर्ग (पप्रौ इत्यस्य)Role (क्रियाविशेषक)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पप्रौ
- has filled/has reached fullyVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्रथम पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √प्रा/पॄ (पूरणे/प्रपूरणे; वैदिक ‘प्रा’)
- चर्षणीधृत्
- supporter of the peoplesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणरूपेण)Root चर्षणीधृत् (प्रातिपदिक; चर्षणी ‘जनाः’ + धृत् ‘धारकः’)
- वरोभिः
- with protections/coverings (defences)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot वर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘आवरण/रक्षा/वरण’ इत्यर्थे)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग (रिरिचानः इत्यस्य)Role (क्रियाविशेषक)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सिन्धुभ्यः
- from the rivers/streamsNounपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole अपादानRoot सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
- रिरिचानः
- pouring out/flowing forthVerbवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), आत्मनेपदीय-प्रयोगः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इन्द्रः)Role कर्तृRoot √रिच् (रेचने/रिक्तिकरणे)
- महित्वा
- by (his) greatness/majestyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (अव्ययीभाववत्—‘महित्वेन’)Role करणRoot महित्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘महन्’ से भाव)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): इन्द्रम् | स्तव | नृतमम् | यस्य | मह्ना | विबबाधे | रोचनाः | वि | ज्मः | अन्तान् || आ | यः | पप्रौ | चर्षणीधृत् | वरोभिः || प्र | सिन्धुभ्यः | रिरिचानः | महित्वा || Notes: (1) रोचनाः वि ज्मः अन्तान्—‘वि’ क्रियाविशेषकः
- ‘ज्मः’ वैदिक-शब्दः (भूमिः) प्रथमा एकवचन। (2) चर्षणीधृत् एकपद-समासः (जन-धारकः) इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्। (3) रिरिचानः = √रिच् शानच्-कृदन्तः, ‘प्र’ उपसर्गेण ‘प्र-रिरिचानः’ (प्रवहन्/प्ररेचयन्)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Praise Indra, the most manly. By his greatness he opened the luminous worlds and their farthest limits. He filled the ranges by his widenesses and poured himself beyond the rivers by his vastness.
Inner meaning
Indra is the divine Mind-force of illumination and victorious expansion. He breaks open the rocanā (luminous realms) and their boundaries in our consciousness—opening higher ranges of perception. His ‘widenesses’ are the enlarging powers that exceed cramped mental-vital habits; he overflows beyond the ‘rivers’ (sindhu)—the habitual currents of nature, the fixed channels of thought, desire, and customary life-movement. The mantra is an invocation to the heroic inner power that makes consciousness vast, free, and luminous.
Universal truth
Human growth requires a force that breaks limiting boundaries and widens the field of awareness. True strength is the capacity to exceed habitual patterns and enter larger light.
Themes
Indra victory, Opening of the luminous worlds, Wideness and plenitude, Crossing beyond currents
The seer
Significance
The seer speaks from the experience of expansion: Indra is not merely a storm-god but the inner breaker of limits, opening the ‘luminous worlds’—a central theme in Aurobindo’s psychological exegesis.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Nṛtama (most heroic), Carṣaṇīdhṛt (upholder of the peoples/energies), Mahān (great/vast—implied)
- Related deities
- Agni (will that calls Indra), Sūrya (illumination), Bṛhaspati (word/vision that breaks the cave), Soma (bliss that empowers Indra)
Cosmic role
Opener of the luminous worlds; slayer of obstructing powers; establisher of wide space (uru loka) for life and thought.
Inner power
Illuminative force that breaks mental-vital constriction, widens consciousness, and pours higher energy into the system.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma/yajña contexts (general)
इन्द्रं॑ स्तवा॒ नृत॑मं॒ यस्य॑ म॒ह्ना वि॑बबा॒धे रो॑च॒ना वि ज्मो अन्ता॑न् । आ यः प॒प्रौ च॑र्षणी॒धृद्वरो॑भि॒: प्र सिन्धु॑भ्यो रिरिचा॒नो म॑हि॒त्वा ॥
इन्द्र॑म् । स्त॒व॒ । नृऽत॑मम् । यस्य॑ । म॒ह्ना । वि॒ऽब॒बा॒धे । रो॒च॒ना । वि । ज्मः । अन्ता॑न् । आ । यः । प॒प्रौ । च॒र्षणि॒ऽधृत् । वरः॑ऽभिः । प्र । सिन्धु॑ऽभ्यः । रि॒रि॒चा॒नः । म॒हि॒ऽत्वा ॥
indram | stava | nṛ-tamam | yasya | mahnā | vi-babādhe | rocanā | vi | jmaḥ | antān | ā | yaḥ | paprau | carṣaṇi-dhṛt | varaḥ-bhiḥ | pra | sindhu-bhyaḥ | riricānaḥ | mahi-tvā
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Heroic, forward-driving; long phrases of expansion mirror the theme of widening.
Energizes and uplifts; evokes spaciousness and confidence, suitable for invoking inner strength.
- इन्द्रम् (indram)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: illumined Mind, lord of inner victory and expansive consciousness
- नृतमम् (nṛtamaṃ)
- Literal: most manly/best of men. Symbolic: supreme heroic power in the soul’s journey
- रोचना (rocanā)
- Literal: luminous worlds. Symbolic: planes/states of light in consciousness; illumined mind and beyond
- वि बबाधे (vi-babādhe)
- Literal: he opened/cleared apart. Symbolic: breaks obstructions; releases blocked perception
- वरः (varaḥ)
- Literal: widenesses/expanses. Symbolic: vast formations of consciousness-force that enlarge being
- सिन्धुभ्यः (sindhubhyaḥ)
- Literal: from/beyond the rivers. Symbolic: beyond habitual life-currents; beyond fixed channels of nature
- महित्वा (mahitvā)
- Literal: by greatness. Symbolic: by the inherent vastness of the divine power
Indra-stotra in Soma sacrifice (strengthening Indra for the victorious opening of the luminous worlds within the sacrificer).
Indra invocations during Soma pressing/offerings; also as a hymn of victory before undertakings.
Stuti (praise) to invite Indra’s power; supports the ‘opening’ of the rite and removal of obstructions.
Use before difficult work or meditation to invoke expansive clarity; recite to break inner inertia and widen perspective.
vi-√bādh ‘break open’ is a standard verb of Indra’s ‘opening’ action (outer: Vṛtra’s obstruction; inner: breaking inertia/ignorance). rocanā ‘luminous spaces’ (from √ruc ‘shine’) signals planes of light-consciousness. √pṛ ‘fill’ (paprau) expresses plenitude rather than mere physical filling.
widening (vara/mahitva), breaking obstruction (vi-√bādh), plenitude (√pṛ)
Indra’s opening of rocanā establishes a larger order in consciousness—ṛta as right space for right action.
Rocanā are truth-lit ranges; Indra grants access to satya-vision.
Worlds of light opened from confinement; movement from bounded to vast.
Vedic integralism: ascent to higher planes through divine powers; anticipates Upanishadic ‘expansion’ (bhūmā) motifs.
Wide spaces = expanded consciousness; rivers = habitual energetic currents; luminous worlds = higher states of awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as opener of the rocanā (luminous worlds), a variant of the ‘release/opening’ myth: he breaks through limits and obstruction and then fills the widened spaces with his force, overflowing even the ‘rivers’—the fixed currents of ordinary nature.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ruc ‘shine’ relates to Indo-Iranian brightness vocabulary (cf. Avestan raoxšna- ‘bright’). √pṛ ‘fill’ connects to PIE *pleh₁- ‘fill’ (cf. Greek plḗthō). √dhṛ ‘hold’ (dhṛt) continues PIE *dher- ‘hold’ (cf. Greek thronos is not direct; but the holding root is widespread in IIr).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s praise is a deliberate reinforcement of Indra’s widening and opening action. The reciprocity is: the poet offers intensified affirmation (stava) and Indra responds by enlarging the inner field (rocanā/vara) and pouring plenitude into the practitioner’s being.
Invoke Indra as the inner force that widens awareness beyond habitual thought-streams.
Maṇipūra (heroic force) supporting Ājñā (illumination)
Brisk-energetic 3-part breath for 9 rounds (inhale–hold–exhale equal), then rest in open awareness; or kapalabhāti (gentle) if appropriate.
Vigorous clarity; expansive mind; readiness to confront inner resistance.
During recitation, feel boundaries of mind ‘opening’ on each phrase about rocanā and wideness; afterward, sit and watch thoughts as ‘rivers’—let awareness stand beyond their flow.
Rigvedic tri-svara; maintain strong udātta peaks on key invocatory words (indraṃ, mahnā) per tradition (exact accents per śākhā).
Keep a heroic, continuous flow; avoid chopping compounds; broaden the tone on ‘rocanā’ and ‘mahitvā’ to mirror vastness.
indraṃ: anusvāra as nasalization before ‘d’, stavā: long ā, nṛtamaṃ: vocalic ṛ; keep ‘t’ dental, vibabādhe: articulate ‘bā’ long ā, rocanā: ‘c’ unaspirated; long ā, paprau: ‘au’ diphthong clear, sindhubhyaḥ: aspirate ‘bh’; visarga light
Firm, resonant, chest-supported; end each pāda with steady release rather than fade.
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