Rig Veda 3.34.9: Mandala 3, Sukta 34, Mantra 9
Sukta 3.34
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
ससानात्याँ उत सूर्यं ससानेन्द्रः ससान पुरुभोजसं गाम् । हिरण्ययमुत भोगं ससान हत्वी दस्यून्प्रार्यं वर्णमावत् ॥
sasā́nātyā́ṃ uta sū́ryaṃ sasānéndraḥ sasāna purubhójasam gā́m | hiraṇyáyam uta bhógaṃ sasāna hatvī́ dasyū́n prā́ryaṃ várṇam āvat ||
उसने तेज़ घोड़े पा लिए, सूर्य को भी जीत लिया। इंद्र ने वो गाय पा ली जो सबको खुश रखती है। उसने सोना और सम्पन्नता भी पा ली। दुश्मनों को मारकर उसने अच्छे लोगों की हिफाज़त की।
Word by Word
- स॒साना॑
- has conquered / has wonVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्र. पु., एकवचनRole KartāRoot सस् (धातु, ‘जीतना/अभिभव करना’) → परस्मैपदी परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट-स्टेम ‘सस’
- अत्याँ॑
- the steeds (horses)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अत्य (प्रातिपदिक) ‘अत्य/अश्व’
- उ॒त
- and / alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot उत
- सूर्यं॑
- the SunNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- ससा॒न
- has conqueredVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्र. पु., एकवचनRole KartāRoot सस् (धातु) → परफेक्ट-रूप
- इन्द्रः॑
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ससान
- has wonVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्र. पु., एकवचनRole KartāRoot सस् (धातु) → परफेक्ट-रूप
- पुरुभोजसम्॑
- rich in bounty / of abundant giftsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot पुरु-भोजस् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- गाम्
- a cow / cattle (as spoil)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वैदिक), द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि॒र॒ण्ययम्॑
- golden (treasure)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot हिरण्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
- उ॒त
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot उत
- भोगम्॑
- enjoyment; booty/possessionNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
- ससान
- has wonVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), प्र. पु., एकवचनRole KartāRoot सस् (धातु) → परफेक्ट-रूप
- हत्वी
- having slainVerbक्त्वा (absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘having slain’Root हन् (धातु ‘मारना’) → त्वा-प्रत्यय (क्त्वान्त)
- दस्यून्
- the Dasyus (hostile foes)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth; forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot प्र
- आर्यं॑
- Aryan; nobleAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot आर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वर्णम्॑
- color; (social) order/identityNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- आवत्
- protected; upheldVerbलङ् (इम्परफेक्ट), प्र. पु., एकवचनRole KartāRoot अव् (धातु ‘रक्षा/पालन करना’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (संधि-विग्रह): ससाना + अत्यान्
- उत
- सूर्यं
- ससान + इन्द्रः
- ससान + पुरुभोजसम् + गाम्
- हिरण्ययम् + उत + भोगम् + ससान
- हत्वी + दस्यून् + प्र + आर्यं + वर्णम् + आवत्। ‘दस्यून् प्र’ पाठे संहिता में ‘दस्यून्-प्र’ (नकार-परसवर्ण/अनुस्वार-प्रभाव) सम्भव
- अर्थतः उपसर्ग ‘प्र’ अगले पद ‘आर्यम्’ से सम्बद्ध।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra has won swift horses and the Sun; he has won the Cow of rich enjoyments, golden delight and plenitude. Slaying the Dasyus, he advanced and protected the Aryan radiance.
Inner meaning
The ‘horses’ are vital energies harnessed for right action; the ‘Sun’ is the illumined truth. The ‘Cow of rich enjoyments’ is the plenitude of rays of knowledge that nourish the being; ‘golden delight’ is a refined ananda in the mind and life. By slaying Dasyus (obscurant impulses), Indra advances the Aryan varṇa—not racial color, but the luminous ‘radiance/quality’ of the soul’s nobility and truth-nature—protecting the inner light against relapse into darkness.
Universal truth
Spiritual victory brings a triple gain: disciplined energy for action, clear truth-illumination, and a rich increase of knowledge and delight. Protection of the ‘Aryan radiance’ means safeguarding the soul’s aspiration and truth-habit against lower sabotage.
Themes
sun-winning, cow-recovery, dasyu-slaying, protection-of-arya
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina (Kauśika lineage traditionally associated)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 3.34
Family tradition
Vision of Aryanhood as inner nobility and light; repeated motif of cows (rays) and sun (illumination) released by Indra’s victory.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s Indra is the power that converts struggle into concrete acquisitions—energy, light, knowledge, delight—then protects the achieved radiance.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- winner (sasāna) of sūrya and go, protector of ārya varṇa, dasyu-hantṛ (slayer of obscurity)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Soma, Uṣas, Aśvins
Cosmic role
Conqueror who wins light and riches for the gods and their human allies; protector of the luminous order.
Inner power
Mastery of prāṇa (horses), awakening of truth-vision (sun), release of knowledge-rays (cow), and establishment of luminous delight (gold).
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra victory and wealth hymns in Soma ritual; also suitable for protective invocations.
स॒सानात्याँ॑ उ॒त सूर्यं॑ ससा॒नेन्द्र॑: ससान पुरु॒भोज॑सं॒ गाम् । हि॒र॒ण्यय॑मु॒त भोगं॑ ससान ह॒त्वी दस्यू॒न्प्रार्यं॒ वर्ण॑मावत् ॥
स॒सान॑ । अत्या॑न् । उ॒त । सूर्य॑म् । स॒सा॒न॒ । इन्द्रः॑ । स॒सा॒न॒ । पु॒रु॒ऽभोज॑सम् । गाम् । हि॒र॒ण्यय॑म् । उ॒त । भोग॑म् । स॒सा॒न॒ । ह॒त्वी । दस्यू॑न् । प्र । अय॑म् । वर्ण॑म् । आ॒व॒त् ॥
sasāna | atyān | uta | sūryam | sasāna | indraḥ | sasāna | puru-bhojasam | gām | hiraṇyayam | uta | bhogam | sasāna | hatvī | dasyūn | pra | ayam | varṇam | āvat
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Rapid-acquisitive listing rhythm; feels like successive gains after victory.
Energizes and brightens; encourages a sense of progress and accumulation of inner riches.
- अत्यान् (atyān)
- Literal: swift steeds. Symbolic: vital energies, dynamic powers of action under discipline
- सूर्यम् (sūryam)
- Literal: the Sun. Symbolic: truth-illumination, clear seeing
- गाम् पुरुभोजसम् (gām purubhojasam)
- Literal: cow of many enjoyments. Symbolic: rays of knowledge yielding abundant nourishment and right enjoyment
- हिरण्ययम् (hiraṇyayam)
- Literal: golden. Symbolic: luminous delight, refined ananda in mind and life
- भोगम् (bhogam)
- Literal: enjoyment, plenitude. Symbolic: capacity to hold and assimilate spiritual richness without fall
- दस्यून् (dasyūn)
- Literal: Dasyus. Symbolic: inner darkness-forces, divisive impulses
- आर्यम् वर्णम् (āryam varṇam)
- Literal: Aryan color/quality. Symbolic: the luminous soul-quality; clarity, nobility, aspiration
- आवत् (āvat)
- Literal: protected. Symbolic: guarding the gained light from obscuration
Victory and prosperity formula within Indra praise; invoked for protection of the ‘arya’ order and for gaining ‘light-cows’ (knowledge) and ‘sun’ (illumination)
When seeking success, protection of gains, and increase of ‘wealth’ (inner and outer).
Recitation to secure Indra’s favor for winning light/strength and guarding the sacrificer’s path.
For practitioners: use when rebuilding after setbacks—invoke protection of aspiration and consolidation of gains (energy, clarity, knowledge, joy).
sūrya from √svar/√sur ‘shine’ (IE solar vocabulary). gā́m ‘cow’ from go (PIE *gʷōus). √han ‘strike/kill’ (PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike, slay’). ārya as ‘noble’ (Indo-Iranian social-ethical term). √av ‘protect’ is well-attested in Vedic. hiraṇya ‘gold’ possibly from √hṛ ‘yellow/bright’ (etymology debated).
arya as ṛta-aligned nobility, go as ray/knowledge, protection (√av) as sustaining the truth-order
Protection of ārya varṇa is preservation of ṛta-consciousness against chaos.
Winning Sūrya symbolizes establishing truth-vision.
Release of rays and delight through victory over obscurity.
Integral Yoga: transformation includes prāṇa discipline (aśva), knowledge (go), and ananda (hiraṇya).
morning/noon (sun won and established)
Harnessed vitality, illumined mind, released knowledge-rays, and golden delight—secured against inner sabotage.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A compressed victory-catalog: winning the Sun and the cows (light/knowledge), gaining golden enjoyment, and slaying Dasyus. The mythic action is the restoration of luminous order and safeguarding of ‘arya varṇa’—the noble radiance of right-being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- go ‘cow’ (PIE *gʷōus) and √han ‘slay’ (PIE *gʷhen-) are classic IE inheritances. The verse’s paratactic listing (‘he won… he won…’) resembles early IE heroic style, where repeated perfect/aorist forms build a catalogue of feats.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s praise enumerates the boons as inner attainments: energies (horses), illumination (sun), knowledge-yields (cow), and protected nobility (arya varṇa). The reciprocity is that Indra’s victories become templates and gifts for the aspirant’s own conquest.
Threefold acquisition: (1) steady energy for action, (2) clear seeing, (3) rich knowledge and delight—then protection of aspiration.
maṇipūra (vital power/‘horses’) and ājñā (sun/vision)
Kapalabhati lightly (30–60 strokes) to awaken energy, then slow exhale chanting to stabilize and ‘protect’ gains.
Bright, victorious, consolidated.
After chanting, note one concrete inner gain today (clarity, energy, insight). Mentally ‘guard’ it: resolve one boundary (speech, habit, attention) that prevents the dasyu-force from re-entering.
Rigvedic three-tone; repeated ‘sasāna’ can be chanted with a consistent udātta peak to emphasize ‘winning’ as refrain.
Keep the anaphora ‘sasāna… sasāna…’ steady and rhythmic; emphasize ‘āryaṃ varṇam’ with clarity and dignity.
: keep nasalization on -tyā̃-; do not harden into ‘tyan’., : articulate ru-bho-ja-sam distinctly., : aspirate th; avoid ‘hatvi’ without breath., : retroflex ṇ.
Bright, forward, confident; maintain evenness through the repeated clauses.
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