Rig Veda 2.17.9: Mandala 2, Sukta 17, Mantra 9
Sukta 2.17
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
नूनं सा ते प्रति वरं जरित्रे दुहीयदिन्द्र दक्षिणा मघोनी । शिक्षा स्तोतृभ्यो माति धग्भगो नो बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीराः ॥
nūnáṃ sā́ te práti váraṃ jaritré duhīyád indra dákṣiṇā maghónī | śíkṣā stotṛ́bhyo mā́ti dhag bhágo no bṛhád vadema vidáthē suvī́rāḥ ||
अब इंद्र तुम्हारा दिया हुआ तोहफा हमारे गाने के बदले मिले। हमारे गाने वाले को यह सिखाओ। हमें वो बड़ा ज्ञान दो जिससे हम सबके सामने बोल सकें। हमें ताकत मिले और हम अच्छे से जियें।
Word by Word
- नूनम्
- now; indeedIndeclinableअव्यय (काल/निश्चयार्थे)Root नूनम् (अव्यय) < नून (प्रातिपदिक) / नु (निपात)
- सा
- she; that (goddess/one)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- to/for you; yourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रति
- towards; in returnIndeclinableअव्ययRoot प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वरम्
- a choice gift; boonNounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- जरित्रे
- to the praiser (singer)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot जरितृ (प्रातिपदिक) < √गॄ/√जर्? (स्तुति/गान-संबद्ध; ‘praiser/singer’)
- दुहीयत्
- may (she) milk/yieldVerbविधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (injunctive-like optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot √दुह् (दोहने)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- दक्षिणा
- the sacrificial fee; giftNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघोनी
- the bountiful oneAdjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot मघोनी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bountiful/wealth-giving’, fem.)
- शिक्षा
- teach; grant; make (us) ableVerbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot √शिक्ष् (शिक्षायाम्/प्रशिक्षणे; ‘to train, to teach; to bestow/enable’ in Vedic usage)
- स्तोतृभ्यः
- to the praisersNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot स्तोतृ (प्रातिपदिक) < √स्तु (स्तुतौ)
- मातिम्
- thought; inspirationNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मति (प्रातिपदिक) < √मन् (मनने)
- धक्
- indeed; just; surelyIndeclinableअव्ययRoot धक् (निपात; Vedic particle, emphatic/asseverative)
- भगः
- Bhaga; fortune; distributorNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot भग (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to/for us; ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहद्वदेम
- let us speak greatly (loftily)Verb (with adverbial qualifier)लोट्, परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot √वद् (वदने) + बृहद् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- विदथे
- in the assembly; at the riteNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot विदथ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘assembly/ritual gathering’)
- सुवीराः
- having good heroes/sons; well-mannedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सुवीर (प्रातिपदिक; सु- + वीर)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): नूनं | सा | ते | प्रति | वरं | जरित्रे | दुहीयत् | इन्द्र | दक्षिणा | मघोनी || शिक्षा | स्तोतृभ्यः | मातिम् | धक् | भगः | नः | बृहद्-वदेम | विदथे | सुवीराः || Notable: बृहद्वदेम = बृहद् + वदेम (final द् + व- → द्व)
- धग्भगो in saṃhitā is taken as धक् + भगः (Vedic particle धक् before voiced consonant; orthography shows assimilation)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May that bounteous dakṣiṇā be milked out as your answering gift to the singer, O Indra. Teach it to the praisers; let not our Bhaga be burnt away. May we speak the Vast in the assemblies, rich in heroic powers.
Inner meaning
Dakṣiṇā is not merely a fee but the ‘right-giving’—the return current of power and abundance that comes when the inner sacrifice is rightly offered. Indra is asked to let this fruitful energy be ‘milked’ into the consciousness of the jaritṛ (the utterer). ‘Teach it to the praisers’—stabilize the knowledge of how to receive and hold the divine return. ‘Let not our Bhaga be burnt away’—do not let our portion of felicity be lost to misdirection, waste, or inner scorching by wrong desire. Then we can ‘speak the Vast’ (bṛhat): utter large truth in the inner assemblies, becoming suvīrāḥ—bearers of heroic (spiritual) powers.
Universal truth
When aspiration is true, the universe answers: a right return of energy and joy becomes available. But it must be learned and safeguarded, so that our rightful felicity is not consumed by unwise impulses; then speech and action can express the Vast.
Themes
dakshina, abundance, ritual distribution, speech of the Vast, heroic force
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada Bhārgava
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- RV 2.17, RV 2.18
Family tradition
A line attentive to the reciprocity of sacrifice: offering, return (dakṣiṇā), and the safeguarding of the right portion (bhaga) so the being can speak and live the Vast.
Significance
The seer frames spiritual gain as nourishment and training: the divine gift must be ‘milked’ and learned, not squandered—so consciousness can widen into bṛhat.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Bhaga motif)
- Epithets
- Maghonī (bounteous, applied to dakṣiṇā), Indra (lord of illumination)
- Related deities
- Bhaga, Agni (burning motif), Bṛhaspati (vast speech, implied by bṛhat-vadema)
Cosmic role
Responds to the hymn with bounty; empowers speech and heroic energies; guards the rightful portion from being lost.
Inner power
Illumined mind that grants sustainable abundance and trains the seeker in right reception; protector of felicity against dissipation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dakṣiṇā and Indra praise in Soma-yajña setting; prayer for proper recompense/fruit of rite.
नू॒नं सा ते॒ प्रति॒ वरं॑ जरि॒त्रे दु॑ही॒यदि॑न्द्र॒ दक्षि॑णा म॒घोनी॑ । शिक्षा॑ स्तो॒तृभ्यो॒ माति॑ ध॒ग्भगो॑ नो बृ॒हद्व॑देम वि॒दथे॑ सु॒वीरा॑: ॥
नू॒नम् । सा । ते॒ । प्रति॑ । वर॑म् । जरि॒त्रे । दु॒ही॒यत् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । दक्षि॑णा । म॒घोनी॑ । शिक्ष॑ । स्तो॒तृऽभ्यः॑ । मा । अति॑ । ध॒क् । भगः॑ । नः॒ । बृ॒हत् । व॒दे॒म॒ । वि॒दथे॑ । सु॒ऽवीराः॑ ॥
nūnam | sā | te | prati | varam | jaritre | duhīyat | indra | dakṣiṇā | maghonī | śikṣa | stotṛ-bhyaḥ | mā | ati | dhak | bhagaḥ | naḥ | bṛhat | vadema | vidathe | su-vīrāḥ
44
4×11 (approx.)
Measured and affirmative; blends request with resolve (bṛhad vadema).
Grounds aspiration into confident, expansive speech; stabilizes a sense of protected abundance.
- dakṣiṇā
- Literal: gift/fee to priests; right-hand offering. Symbolic: right-giving return current; abundance and capacity gained by right sacrifice
- duhīyat
- Literal: may it be milked. Symbolic: drawn steadily as nourishment of consciousness (not seized violently)
- jaritṛ
- Literal: singer/praiser. Symbolic: the mantra-conscious part of the being that articulates aspiration
- śikṣā
- Literal: teach, train. Symbolic: inner discipline of receiving, holding, and applying the divine gift
- mā ati dhak
- Literal: let it not burn away/exceedingly scorch. Symbolic: prevent wasteful dissipation; avoid desire-fire that consumes felicity
- bhagaḥ
- Literal: portion/felicity. Symbolic: right share of joy and harmony allotted by the divine
- bṛhat
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: wide consciousness; truth-speech from the large being
- vidathe
- Literal: in the assembly/ritual gathering. Symbolic: inner council of powers; collective field of practice
- suvīrāḥ
- Literal: rich in heroes/heroic sons. Symbolic: rich in courageous soul-forces; powers that win the inner battle
Dakṣiṇā and distribution context within Soma ritual (vidatha as assembly of distribution); reinforcement of reciprocity between praise and divine giving
Toward the gifting/fruit-bearing phases of the rite; also as a closing prayer for ‘right return’.
Recitation while offering and/or during distribution of dakṣiṇā; intention for auspicious fruit and protected felicity.
Reflect on ‘right return’: after practice, consciously receive calm energy and dedicate it to right action; avoid ‘burning away’ gains through agitation or excess.
dakṣiṇā: from dakṣiṇa ‘right/south/skillful’; in ritual, the ‘right gift’ but psychologically the right-apportioned power and capacity. - √duh ‘milk’ is a standard Vedic abundance metaphor: the divine yields its essence as nourishing flow. : √dah ‘burn’—fear of the ‘portion’ being consumed by hostile forces/excess; innerly, loss of felicity through wrong movement or over-strain.
reciprocity of yajña (gift and return), Bṛhat (the Vast utterance), protection of bhaga (inner felicity) from loss
Dakṣiṇā as lawful return: ṛta governs reciprocity between aspiration and response.
bṛhad vadema—speech from vast truth, not narrow ego.
Sustaining the growing being through nourishment (milk) and protection of felicity—maintenance and expansion rather than initial creation.
Brāhmaṇa-to-Upaniṣad bridge: fruit of sacrifice internalized as states of consciousness; ‘vast speech’ anticipates later emphasis on vāg and brahman.
Milk = steady nourishment of inner strength; fire = tapas that must be governed; vast sky = widened consciousness expressing truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘milked abundance’ mythologem: dakṣiṇā as a cow-like flow of divine return to the singer. Innerly, the right gift becomes a stream of capacity and felicity; the prayer guards this ‘portion’ from being ‘burnt’—lost to hostile excess or dissipative forces.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh ‘milk’ is archaic Indo-Iranian pastoral-sacral vocabulary with broad IE parallels in milking imagery; √dah ‘burn’ is pan-IE (PIE *dhegwh- ‘burn’). The optative/jussive tone (duhīyat, vadema) is characteristic of early IE hymn modality: desired becoming rather than mere command.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Explicit reciprocity: praise (jaritṛ/stotṛ) is met by a divine ‘return gift’ (prati varam) in the form of dakṣiṇā. The rishi also asks Indra to ‘teach’ the praisers—i.e., to install a capacity/discipline—so the community can utter the Bṛhat in the vidatha with enduring heroic energies.
Receive the ‘return gift’ after japa/meditation: notice subtle nourishment; resolve to protect it from being ‘burnt’ by restlessness.
Vishuddha (speech: bṛhad vadema) supported by Anahata (felicity/bhaga).
Slow exhale emphasis (1:2 ratio) to ‘milk’ calm; brief silent pause after exhale to sense fullness.
Settled abundance; widening into quiet vastness.
After chanting, sit 2–5 minutes in silence. Feel a gentle ‘milk’ of energy descending. Make one clear intention to avoid a known leakage (overwork, argument, compulsive stimulation) so bhaga is not ‘burnt away’.
Let the first pāda be gently rising (request), middle with caution on mā ati dhak, final pāda expansive on bṛhat.
Stress: duhīyat, dakṣiṇā maghonī, śikṣā, mā ati dhak, bṛhat vadema, vidathe.
dakṣiṇā: retroflex ṣ; long ā at end., duhīyat: long ī; aspirate dh., mā ati dhak: keep dhak as a crisp stop; do not blur into ‘dhaga’., suvīrāḥ: long ī; visarga soft.
Nourishing, steady; slightly expansive on the final pāda.
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