Rig Veda 3.51.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 51, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.51
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
शतक्रतुमर्णवं शाकिनं नरं गिरो म इन्द्रमुप यन्ति विश्वतः । वाजसनिं पूर्भिदं तूर्णिमप्तुरं धामसाचमभिषाचं स्वर्विदम् ॥
śatákra tum arṇaváṃ śā́kinaṃ náram gíro ma índram úpa yanti viśvátāḥ | vājásaniṃ pūrbhídaṃ tū́rṇim aptúraṃ dhā́masācam abhiṣā́caṃ svárvidam ||
मेरे गीत चारो तरफ से इन्द्र के पास जा रहे हैं। उसकी सौ ताकतें हैं, वो समुंदर जैसा बड़ा है। वो धन जीतता है, किले तोड़ता है, तेज़ी से काम करता है। वो सच्चे स्थान का साथी है, दुश्मन को हराता है और सूरज की दुनिया ढूंढता है।
Word by Word
- शतक्रतुम्
- the hundred-powered (Indra)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root शत-क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक) प्रत्ययान्त समास
- अर्णवम्
- surging, ocean-likeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
- शाकिनम्
- mighty, capableAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root शाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् ‘to be able’ से)
- नरम्
- the man/heroNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम्)Root नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- गिरः
- songs, hymnsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (यन्ति का? गिरः)Root गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मे
- myPronounषष्ठी (gen.), एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (गिरः—‘my’)Root अहम् (सर्वनाम)
- इन्द्रम्
- IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (उप यन्ति—whom?)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- उप
- towards, nearIndeclinableRole क्रियाविशेषण (यन्ति—‘towards’)Root उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यन्ति
- go, proceedVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √या (गत्यर्थ)
- विश्वतः
- from every sideIndeclinableRole क्रियाविशेषण (यन्ति)Root विश्वतस् (अव्यय; ‘from all sides’)
- वाजसनिम्
- winner of prizes/strengthAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root वाज-सनि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘prize-winning’)
- पूर्-भिदम्
- splitter of strongholdsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root पूर्-भिद् (समास; ‘fort-splitter’)
- तूर्णिम्
- swiftAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root तूर्णि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अप्तुरम्
- active, effectiveAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root अप्तुर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘active/efficient’)
- धामसाचम्
- reaching/possessing (divine) abodesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root धाम-साच् (समास; ‘attaining/possessing abodes’)
- अभिषाचम्
- assailing, overpoweringAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root अभि-षाच् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘overpowering/assailing’)
- स्वर्विदम्
- finder of heaven/lightAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (इन्द्रम् विशेषणम्)Root स्वर्-विद् (समास; ‘finding heaven/light’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): शतक्रतुम् अर्णवम् शाकिनम् नरम् गिरः मे इन्द्रम् उप यन्ति विश्वतः । वाजसनिम् पूर्भिदम् तूर्णिम् अप्तुरम् धामसाचम् अभिषाचम् स्वर्विदम् ॥ मुख्य सन्धि: (1) गिरो म → गिरः मे (ओः + म् → ओ म्; पदे ‘गिरो’ रूपं संहितायाम्) । (2) इन्द्रम् उप → इन्द्रम् उप (अनुस्वार/म् + उ- आरम्भे पृथक्, संहितायाम् ‘मुप’ इव दृश्यते) । (3) च + अभिषाचम् → चाभिषाचम् (अ + अ → आ) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Hymns go to Indra from all sides: hundred-powered, oceanic, capable hero; winner of prize, breaker of forts, swift worker, companion of seats, overpowerer, finder of the Sun-world.
Inner meaning
The seeker’s calls approach Indra from every side—meaning all movements of the being (thought, will, feeling, life) converge toward illumination. Indra is ‘oceanic’ (arṇava): vast consciousness-force; ‘hundred-powered’ (śatakratu): multiple effective energies of discernment. He breaks the ‘forts’ (pūḥ): entrenched formations of ignorance and habit. He is swift (tūrṇi) and ‘aptura’—accomplisher of works: illumination is not passive; it executes transformation. As dhāmasāca (companion of true seats), he establishes us in right stations of consciousness; as svarvid, he discovers the Sun-world within and above.
Universal truth
When the whole being turns toward truth, illumination becomes vast, swift, and practical—breaking old structures and establishing new stable bases of living.
Themes
epithet catalogue, fort-breaker motif, svar-finding, victory and swift accomplishment
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Kuśika
- Other hymns
- RV 3.51, RV 3.53, RV 3.62
Family tradition
Emphasis on total being’s call (viśvataḥ) and on Indra as practical transformer—breaker of inner forts.
Significance
The seer’s method is integral: not a single faculty but ‘from every side’ the invocation rises, enabling a decisive restructuring of consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Śatakratu, Arṇava, Pūrbhid, Svarvid, Vājasani (winner of plenitude)
- Related deities
- Maruts (dynamic energies), Agni (will), Sūrya (svar)
Cosmic role
Opens the luminous world by force; conquers and distributes the prize; breaks imprisoning formations.
Inner power
Vast, many-sided illumination that is swift and effective in action—transformative intelligence.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stuti within Soma ritual sequences; epithets suited for invoking specific Indra-functions (fort-breaking, svar-finding)
श॒तक्र॑तुमर्ण॒वं शा॒किनं॒ नरं॒ गिरो॑ म॒ इन्द्र॒मुप॑ यन्ति वि॒श्वत॑: । वा॒ज॒सनिं॑ पू॒र्भिदं॒ तूर्णि॑म॒प्तुरं॑ धाम॒साच॑मभि॒षाचं॑ स्व॒र्विद॑म् ॥
श॒तऽक्र॑तुम् । अ॒र्ण॒वम् । शा॒किन॑म् । नर॑म् । गिरः॑ । मे॒ । इन्द्र॑म् । उप॑ । य॒न्ति॒ । वि॒श्वतः॑ । वा॒ज॒ऽसनि॑म् । पूः॒ऽभिद॑म् । तूर्णि॑म् । अ॒प्ऽतुर॑म् । धा॒म॒ऽसाच॑म् । अ॒भि॒ऽसाच॑म् । स्वः॒ऽविद॑म् ॥
śata-kratum | arṇavam | śākinam | naram | giraḥ | me | indram | upa | yanti | viśvataḥ | vāja-sanim | pūḥ-bhidam | tūrṇim | ap-turam | dhāma-sācam | abhi-ṣācam | svaḥ-vidam
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4 × ~11
Enumerative and forceful; epithets pile like waves (arṇava) giving momentum.
Creates a sense of Indra’s magnitude and capability; energizes confidence in swift inner change.
- शतकृतुम् (śatakratum)
- Literal: of a hundred powers/works. Symbolic: manifold capacities of illumined intelligence
- अर्णवम् (arṇavam)
- Literal: ocean. Symbolic: vastness of consciousness-force
- शाकिनम् (śākinam)
- Literal: capable, powerful. Symbolic: effective spiritual agency
- पूर्भिदम् (pūrbhidam)
- Literal: breaker of forts. Symbolic: breaker of fixed ignorances and subconscious strongholds
- अप्तुरम् (apturam)
- Literal: accomplisher of works. Symbolic: illumination that completes transformation in life
- धामसाचम् (dhāmasācam)
- Literal: companion of seats/dwellings. Symbolic: establisher in true poises of consciousness
- अभिषाचम् (abhiṣācam)
- Literal: overpowering attacker. Symbolic: force that overwhelms hostile impulses
- स्वर्विदम् (svarvidam)
- Literal: finder of svar. Symbolic: discoverer of the Sun-world (truth-consciousness)
Indra-stotra in Soma rite: enumerative epithets to invoke comprehensive aid—breaking inner forts, finding svar, winning vāja
During praise sections emphasizing Indra’s powers and victories.
Recitation with mental offering of all faculties ‘from every side’ (viśvataḥ).
Use when stuck in rigid patterns: chant as a ‘fort-breaking’ prayer before changing habits or beginning disciplined practice.
śata-kratu: kratu from √kṛ 'to do' with sense 'will-power, effective intelligence'—hundredfold capacities. arṇava 'flood, ocean' conveys vastness of force. śākin from √śak 'to be able'. pūr 'fort' + √bhid 'split' → breaker of strongholds (psychologically: entrenched formations). tūrṇi 'swift'. ap-tura: debated; often 'active, accomplishing' (turá 'overcoming' from √tṝ/√tur 'to overcome') with ap- possibly 'waters/works' nuance—here taken as 'accomplisher through difficulties'. dhāman 'seat, abode, law' + √sac 'accompany' → aligned companionship with right stations of being. abhi-ṣāc from √sac/√sāh? in Vedic denotes 'assailing/overpowering'—pressing upon the adversary. svar-vid from √vid 'to find/know'—finder/knower of the luminous world.
kratu as effective will/intelligence, breaking fixed formations (pūr) as liberation from ignorance, svar as realized luminous consciousness
Indra establishes right stations (dhāma) after breaking disordering resistances.
Svarvid indicates discovery of truth-plane as experiential reality.
Re-creation of the being: destruction of old forts, founding of new dhāmas.
Integral Vedic psychology: conquest of subconscient formations by illumined mind.
Ocean = vast consciousness; forts = hardened samskāras; swiftness = rapid effective insight; svar = illumined plane.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The fort-breaker and svar-finder: Indra shatters the closed strongholds that imprison the lights and then discovers/opens the Sun-world. Inwardly, it is the breaking of hardened psychological structures and the consequent emergence of luminous knowledge.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śak 'be able' is widely cognate (e.g., Germanic 'shall' historically related to ability/obligation semantics in PIE developments). √bhid 'split' has Indo-European parallels in 'cleave/split' roots. √vid 'know/find' is strongly Indo-European (Latin vidēre 'see' as a later semantic branch).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s giras approach Indra 'from all sides'—a total consecration of speech and intention. Indra’s reciprocation is comprehensive: he wins vāja (force), breaks pūr (fixed obstructions), and leads to svar (luminous realization), mapping a full inner sādhanā arc from struggle to illumination.
All-sided offering: gather attention from body, life, heart, mind and direct it to the illumined center above the brow.
ājñā (illumination) with grounding in maṇipūra (effective action)
Four-fold breath: inhale (gather from every side), hold (invoke Indra), exhale (strike the fort), pause (rest in dhāma).
Wide, strong, swiftly decisive.
While chanting, name one ‘fort’ (rigid belief/habit). On ‘pūrbhidam’ feel a clean break; on ‘dhāmasācam’ feel establishment in a calmer, truer posture; on ‘svarvidam’ visualize a sun opening in the mind.
Observe udatta on key epithets; keep compound words cleanly articulated to preserve cadence.
Slight emphasis on the epithets list; avoid rushing—let each title ‘land’ as a distinct invocation.
śatakratum: clear retroflex ṭ? (here ‘kratu’ dental; keep ‘śata’ palatal ś)., pūrbhidam: long ū; cluster -rbh- with voiced aspirate bh., svarvidam: pronounce ‘svar’ as ‘swar’ (not ‘suvar’), crisp ‘d’ in -dam.
Strong, expansive, declarative.
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