Rig Veda 2.16.2: Mandala 2, Sukta 16, Mantra 2
Sukta 2.16
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
यस्मादिन्द्राद्बृहतः किं चनेमृते विश्वान्यस्मिन्त्सम्भृताधि वीर्या । जठरे सोमं तन्वी सहो महो हस्ते वज्रं भरति शीर्षणि क्रतुम् ॥
yasmā́d índrād bṛhatáḥ kíṃ caném ṛté víśvāny asmint sambhṛtā́dhi vīryā́ | jaṭháre sómaṃ tanvī́ sahó mahó háste vájraṃ bhárati śī́rṣaṇi krátum ||
इंद्र से कोई अलग नहीं हो सकता, थोड़ा भी नहीं। उसमें सारी ताकत भरी है। उसके पेट में सोम है, शरीर में बल और बड़ाई है। हाथ में वज्र है, सिर में बुद्धि है।
Word by Word
- यस्मात्
- from whom / from whichPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग?; पञ्चमी एकवचन (यस्-प्रातिपदिकस्य)Role ApādānaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रात्
- from IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहतः
- from the great (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी एकवचन (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Role ApādānaRoot बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- किम्
- anythingPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (अव्यक्त-प्रयोगः: ‘anything’)Role KarmaRoot किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न
- ईम्
- indeed / at allIndeclinableनिपात (एन्क्लिटिक-प्रयोगः)Root ईम्
- ऋते
- without / exceptIndeclinableउपपद-अव्यय (विना-अर्थे) + पञ्चमीRoot ऋते
- विश्वानि
- all (things)Adjective (substantive)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मिन्
- in him / in this (one)Pronounपुं/नपुं; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्भृतानि
- gathered together, amassedParticiple (past passive)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot सम्-√भृ (भृ धातु) → सम्भृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinableउपसर्ग/उपपद-अव्ययRoot अधि
- वीर्याणि
- powers, heroic deedsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- जठरे
- in (his) bellyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot जठर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- तन्व्या
- with (his) bodyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot तनू (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहः
- strength, mightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- महत्
- greatAdjective (substantive)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (सहसः विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- हस्ते
- in (his) handNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
- वज्रम्
- the thunderboltNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरति
- bears, carriesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √भृ (भृ धातु)
- शीर्षणि
- on (his) headNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot शीर्षन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रतुम्
- resolve, will, intelligenceNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): यस्मा॒दिन्द्रा॑द्बृह॒तः → यस्मात् + इन्द्रात् + बृहतः (द्+इ → दि; द्+ब् → द्ब्)
- किं च॒नेमृ॒ते → किम् + च + न + ईम् + ऋते (म्+च → ंच; न+ईम् → नेम्)
- विश्वा॑न्यस्मि॒न्त्सम्भृ॒ताधि॑ → विश्वानि + अस्मिन् + सम्भृतानि + अधि (नि+अ → न्य; न्+त् → न्त्; नि+अ → ता in recitation via sandhi: सम्भृतानि अधि → सम्भृताधि)
- त॒न्वी॒३॒॑ सहो॒ → तन्व्या + सहः (आ+स → आ सः with external sandhi; Vedic contraction in saṃhitā)
- महो॒ हस्ते॒ → महत् + हस्ते (त्+ह → द्ध/त्ह assimilation in saṃhitā giving महो)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Apart from Indra the Vast none can exist even a little; in him all heroic powers are gathered. In his belly is Soma; in his body are might and greatness; in his hand he bears the thunderbolt, and in his head the kratu (effective will).
Inner meaning
Indra is presented as the integrating center of conscious power: the illumined Mind is the ‘vast’ principle without which no part of our being can truly stand. All vīryas (energies of victory) are collected in that higher intelligence when it rules. Soma in the belly indicates that delight/ananda is the assimilated fuel of action and transformation. In the body are saho and maho—force and wideness—showing that true strength is inseparable from expansion. Vajra in the hand is the discriminating power that strikes falsehood; kratu in the head is luminous will—effective knowledge that decides and executes rightly.
Universal truth
Human faculties become coherent and powerful when governed by a higher integrating intelligence rooted in joy. True effectiveness is not brute force: it is will guided by light, energized by delight, and expressed as widening strength.
Themes
Indra as total power, Soma within, vajra and kratu, bṛhat (vastness)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.16.1, RV 2.12
Family tradition
Bhārgava vision often synthesizes: Indra as vast integrator, Soma as inner delight, vajra as discriminative power.
Significance
A compact psychological ‘map’ of the divine faculties: bliss as fuel, wideness as nature, bolt as method, kratu as governing head-power.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Bṛhat (Vast), Vajrin (bolt-bearer), Maghavan
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Centralizer of powers; wielder of the force that breaks obstruction; sustainer of victorious order.
Inner power
Integrative illumination: gathers scattered energies, acts from delight, executes with decisive will.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise in Soma sacrifice; doctrinal verse affirming Indra’s supremacy and completeness.
यस्मा॒दिन्द्रा॑द्बृह॒तः किं च॒नेमृ॒ते विश्वा॑न्यस्मि॒न्त्सम्भृ॒ताधि॑ वी॒र्या॑ । ज॒ठरे॒ सोमं॑ त॒न्वी॒३॒॑ सहो॒ महो॒ हस्ते॒ वज्रं॒ भर॑ति शी॒र्षणि॒ क्रतु॑म् ॥
यस्मा॑त् । इन्द्रा॑त् । बृ॒ह॒तः । किम् । च॒न । ई॒म् । ऋ॒ते । विश्वा॑नि । अ॒स्मि॒न् । सम्ऽभृ॑ता । अधि॑ । वी॒र्या॑ । ज॒ठरे॑ । सोम॑म् । त॒न्वि॑ । सहः॑ । महः॑ । हस्ते॑ । वज्र॑म् । भर॑ति । शी॒र्षणि॑ । क्रतु॑म् ॥
yasmāt | indrāt | bṛhataḥ | kim | cana | īm | ṛte | viśvāni | asmin | sam-bhṛtā | adhi | vīryā | jaṭhare | somam | tanvi | sahaḥ | mahaḥ | haste | vajram | bharati | śīrṣaṇi | kratum
44
4 × ~11
Majestic, declarative, “all-in-him” cadence; strong caesuras emphasize totality.
Produces a sense of consolidation and sovereignty—mind feels gathered, centered, and empowered.
- बृहत् (bṛhat)
- Literal: Vast. Symbolic: Wideness of consciousness; integrative principle
- वीर्या (vīryā)
- Literal: heroic powers. Symbolic: Energies of victory, capacities of effective action
- जठर (jaṭhara)
- Literal: belly. Symbolic: Assimilative center; where delight is digested into power
- सोम (soma)
- Literal: Soma. Symbolic: Divine Bliss/Ananda as fuel of transformation
- सहः (saho)
- Literal: might, force. Symbolic: Dynamic strength of will and endurance
- महः (mahaḥ)
- Literal: greatness. Symbolic: Wideness, largeness of being
- वज्र (vajra)
- Literal: thunderbolt. Symbolic: Discriminating force that breaks obstruction/falsehood
- क्रतु (kratu)
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligence. Symbolic: Effective knowledge-will (illumined decision)
Praise of Indra’s totality in Soma ritual: establishes Indra as the comprehensive bearer of powers—delight (soma), force (sahas), greatness (mahas), weapon (vajra), and will (kratu).
When establishing Indra as the main support of the rite and the bearer of all powers.
Recitation to strengthen invocation; aligns sacrificer with Indra’s total force.
Use as ‘centering’ mantra: gather scattered energies, reconnect delight with will, and act with clear discrimination.
: from √bṛh ‘expand’. : PPP of sam-√bhṛ ‘gather together’ (PIE *bʰer-). : from vīra ‘hero’ (< √vīr ‘be strong’), ‘heroic power’. : belly; locus of digestion/assimilation—inner symbol of holding soma. : ‘will, resolve, intelligence’; possibly from √kr ‘do’/√kṛt?; in RV denotes efficacious mental power (not mere ‘sacrifice’). : ‘thunderbolt’ (weapon; also symbolic of irresistible force).
unity of powers in the divine consciousness, kratu as effective will/knowledge, Soma as delight that fuels victory
Ṛta is upheld when powers are harmonized under illumined governance rather than fragmented impulses.
Kratu in the head signals truth-will as the apex faculty.
Integration: the One power containing and organizing the many.
Integral Vedism: Ananda as constitutive power; kratu as knowledge-will (proto-supramental hint).
Nectar = delight-energy; bolt = decisive discrimination; vast sky = expanded awareness that can contain all powers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the all-containing power: all vīrya are gathered in him; Soma fuels him; vajra executes; kratu directs. Inner sense: the awakened luminous mind becomes the integrating center where delight, force, and effective will unite for the soul’s victory.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid (implicit in ‘powers/knowing’ is thematic, but explicit is √bhṛ in sambhṛtā and bharati) continues PIE *bʰer-. The anatomical mapping (belly/body/hand/head) is a common IE poetic technique: distributing divine functions across body parts to express total sovereignty.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Indra as the indispensable source: ‘none is without him.’ This is devotional-metaphysical dependence: by aligning with Indra’s kratu (right will) and receiving Soma-delight, the human can participate in the gathered vīrya.
Unify joy, will, and discrimination under a vast awareness.
maṇipūra (sahas), ājñā (kratu), sahasrāra (bṛhat)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 while contemplating: belly=Soma, hand=vajra, head=kratu, whole=vastness.
Integrated, luminous sovereignty; reduced inner conflict and increased effective resolve.
Chant 9 times; then do a brief body-scan: feel delight in the belly, strength in the torso, a clear ‘bolt’ in the right hand (symbolic), and luminous resolve in the head; act on one clear decision.
Tri-svara; keep bṛhataḥ resonant and open; emphasize jaṭhare somaṃ with rounded vowels.
Sustain the totalizing phrases (viśvāny asmin sambhṛtā); then sharpen on vajraṃ bharati.
bṛhataḥ: clear ṛ; aspirate th., sambhṛtā: retroflex ṛ; do not reduce cluster., jaṭhare: retroflex ṭ., kratum: crisp t; short u.
Majestic, grounded, resonant chest tone; a clean ‘cut’ on vajra-related words.
9
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
