Rig Veda 3.53.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 53, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.53
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
तिष्ठा सु कं मघवन्मा परा गाः सोमस्य नु त्वा सुषुतस्य यक्षि । पितुर्न पुत्रः सिचमा रभे त इन्द्र स्वादिष्ठया गिरा शचीवः ॥
tíṣṭhā su káṃ maghavan mā́ parā́ gāḥ | sómasya nú tvā súsutasya yakṣi | pitúr ná putráḥ sícam ā́ rabhé ta índra svā́diṣṭhayā girā́ śacīvaḥ ||
यहीं रुको, तुम जो बहुत देते हो, मत जाओ। अभी सोम तैयार है, तुम्हे बुलाता हूँ। जैसे बेटा बाप के पास जाता है, मैं तुम्हारे पास आया हूँ। मेरी बात मीठी है, तुम ताकत के मालिक हो।
Word by Word
- तिष्ठ
- stand; stayVerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot स्था (√स्था)
- सु
- well; indeedIndeclinableRoot सु (upasarga/avyaya)
- कम्
- what?; why?Pronounneuter, accusative singular (enclitic interrogative/indefinite use)Role Karma (adverbial accusative: ‘why?/what for?’)Root क (kim-prātipadika)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful one (Indra)Noun (epithet)masculine, vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot मघवन् (prātipadika)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableprohibitive (with injunctive/imperative)Root मा (prohibitive particle)
- परा
- away; forthIndeclinableindeclinable (preverb/adverb)Root परा (upasarga/avyaya)
- गाः
- goVerbInjunctive/Aorist (Vedic), 2nd person singular, parasmaipada (prohibitive with मा)Root गा (√गा)
- सोमस्य
- of SomaNounmasculine, genitive singularRole Sambandha (genitive)Root सोम (prātipadika)
- नु
- now; indeedIndeclinableRoot नु (particle)
- त्वा
- youPronoun2nd person, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (pronominal base त्व-)
- सुषुतस्य
- well-pressedParticiple (adjectival)masculine/neuter, genitive singular (agreeing with सोमस्य understood)Role Sambandha (genitive qualifier)Root सु-√सु (√सु ‘press, extract’) → सुषुत (PPP) (prātipadika)
- यक्षि
- worship; offer sacrifice toVerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipada (Vedic form yákṣi)Root यज् (√यज्)
- पितुः
- of the fatherNounmasculine, genitive singularRole Sambandha (genitive)Root पितृ (prātipadika)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableindeclinable (comparative particle)Root न (particle)
- पुत्रः
- a sonNounmasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (of रभे)Root पुत्र (prātipadika)
- सिचमा
- I attach myself (indeed)Verb + particleVerb: present (Vedic), 1st person singular, ātmanepada (síc-e ‘I cling/attach’); particle मा = emphatic/encliticRoot सिच् (√सिच्) + मा (enclitic particle)
- रभे
- I seize; I take holdVerbpresent indicative, 1st person singular, ātmanepadaRoot रभ् (√रभ्)
- त
- to you; of youPronoun2nd person, genitive singular enclitic (= ते)Role Sampradāna/Sambandha (to/for you; of you)Root त्वद् (enclitic pronominal base)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounmasculine, vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- स्वादिष्ठया
- with the sweetestAdjectivefeminine, instrumental singular (agreeing with गिरा)Role KaraṇaRoot स्वादिष्ठ (superlative adj. from √स्वद् ‘be sweet’) (prātipadika)
- गिरा
- with (my) song/voiceNounfeminine, instrumental singularRole KaraṇaRoot गिर्/गीर् (prātipadika)
- शचीवः
- O possessor of might/power (Indra)Noun (epithet)masculine, vocative singular (Vedic voc. in -वः)Role SambodhanaRoot शचीवत् (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) तिष्ठा॒ सु कं॑ → तिष्ठ | सु | कम् (pāda break; no internal sandhi)
- (2) मघव॒न्मा → मघवन् | मा (final -न् before म retained in saṃhitā)
- (3) परा॑ गा॒: → परा | गाः
- (4) सोम॑स्य॒ नु → सोमस्य | नु
- (5) त्वा॒ सुषु॑तस्य → त्वा | सुषुतस्य (gen. sg. of PPP सुषुत- qualifying सोम)
- (6) पि॒तुर्न → पितुः | न (visarga before न becomes र् in saṃhitā)
- (7) सिच॒मा → सिच | मा (enclitic मा, not prohibitive here)
- (8) त॒ इन्द्र॒ → त (= ते, enclitic gen./dat. sg.) | इन्द्र
- (9) स्वादि॑ष्ठया गि॒रा → स्वादिष्ठया | गिरा
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is asked to stand here peacefully and not depart; he is invoked for the well-pressed Soma. Like a son reaching for the father’s portion, the speaker reaches for Indra’s outpouring with sweetest speech, O Śacīvan.
Inner meaning
The sadhaka asks the illumined Mind to remain present—do not withdraw into distance or silence without response. The well-pressed Soma is the ready bliss distilled by practice. The ‘son to father’ image is the soul’s intimate claim: with trust and rightful kinship, the seeker reaches for the divine ‘sicam’—the pouring out of force, light, and joy. ‘Svādiṣṭhā girā’ is the sweetest mantric speech: sincerity and delight in the Word that makes the power effective (Śacīvan).
Universal truth
Spiritual realization deepens through intimate, persistent invocation: when joy is prepared and speech becomes true and sweet, the higher power stays near and pours itself into our nature.
Themes
stay-with-us invocation, Soma offering, intimate devotion, effective speech
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthin / Kauśika
- Other hymns
- RV 3.53.1, RV 3.53.3
Family tradition
Known for forceful yet intimate invocations—combining heroic demand with filial closeness to the Divine.
Significance
Shows the mature devotional psychology in the Rig Veda: not fear or bargain, but intimate insistence that the divine presence remain and pour itself into the seeker.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maghavan, śacīvaḥ
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Receiver of Soma who becomes mighty; protector and increaser; the power that answers invocation and establishes victorious movement.
Inner power
Stable presence of illumined intelligence that can ‘pour’ force and joy into the nature when invoked by true speech.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and invitation to Indra to remain and partake
तिष्ठा॒ सु कं॑ मघव॒न्मा परा॑ गा॒: सोम॑स्य॒ नु त्वा॒ सुषु॑तस्य यक्षि । पि॒तुर्न पु॒त्रः सिच॒मा र॑भे त॒ इन्द्र॒ स्वादि॑ष्ठया गि॒रा श॑चीवः ॥
तिष्ठ॑ । सु । क॒म् । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । मा । परा॑ । गाः॒ । सोम॑स्य । नु । त्वा॒ । सुऽसु॑तस्य । य॒क्षि॒ । पि॒तुः । न । पु॒त्रः । सिच॑म् । आ । र॒भे॒ । ते॒ । इन्द्र॑ । स्वादि॑ष्ठया । गि॒रा । श॒ची॒ऽवः॒ ॥
tiṣṭha | su | kam | magha-van | mā | parā | gāḥ | somasya | nu | tvā | su-sutasya | yakṣi | pituḥ | na | putraḥ | sicam | ā | rabhe | te | indra | svādiṣṭhayā | girā | śacī-vaḥ
44
4 × ~11
A calming imperative start (‘stand, do not depart’) followed by intimate imagery and sweet cadence in the final pāda.
Stabilizes attention and evokes closeness; good for drawing down a quiet but potent descent of force.
- tiṣṭhā su kam
- Literal: stand well/peacefully here. Symbolic: abide in the being as a stable presence of clarity
- maghavan
- Literal: bountiful one. Symbolic: the giver of inner riches—light, strength, wideness
- mā parā gāḥ
- Literal: do not go away. Symbolic: do not withdraw the higher consciousness from our field
- suṣuta soma
- Literal: well-pressed Soma. Symbolic: bliss distilled by disciplined practice and aspiration
- yakṣi
- Literal: I invoke/worship. Symbolic: conscious calling that opens receptivity
- pitur na putraḥ
- Literal: like a son (to) the father. Symbolic: psychic intimacy and rightful claim through kinship of spirit
- sicam
- Literal: pouring/outflow. Symbolic: descent of force and delight into mind-life-body
- svādiṣṭhayā girā
- Literal: with the sweetest speech. Symbolic: mantra spoken with delight, truth, and purity of intention
- śacīvaḥ
- Literal: possessing śacī (effective power). Symbolic: the divine capacity to make the word and will effective in transformation
Soma invocation: request for Indra’s continued presence and acceptance of well-pressed Soma; intimate devotional stance within the rite
During Soma offering moments when the deity is requested to stay near the rite and accept the pressed Soma.
Āvāhana/niyama tone: requesting presence; offering Soma; praising Indra’s effective power.
A ‘stay with me’ invocation in meditation: when clarity flickers, repeat to stabilize presence and invite the descent of strength and sweetness.
from √sthā ‘stand’ (PIE *steh₂-). from √gā ‘go’ with parā ‘away’. (su-suta) from √su ‘press (Soma)’; yakṣi is Vedic 1sg from √yaj ‘to worship, sacrifice, invoke’ (PIE *h₁yeh₁g- ‘worship’). (sica) ‘pouring’ from √sic ‘to pour’ (PIE *seikʷ- ‘pour’). (rabh) ‘grasp’ from √rabh ‘seize, take’. (śacī) denotes effective power/skill; śacī-vant ‘possessing śacī’.
divine-human kinship metaphor (son/father) as inner intimacy, soma as extracted essence through discipline, śacī as effective power (accomplishment)
Right calling (yakṣi) and right speech (gīr) maintain the lawful interchange between human and divine planes.
Sweet speech is not flattery; it is truth-toned mantra that matches inner sincerity.
Descent (sicam) as a creative inflow—higher consciousness pours into lower nature to remake it.
Bhakti-inflected Vedic yoga: intimacy with the divine power as method of transformation.
Pressing Soma = extracting bliss from experience through tapas; pouring (sicam) = descent of higher force into the being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘the god who must be held present’: the sacrificer asks Indra not to depart, then invokes him for Soma. The son-father simile expresses a sanctioned intimacy—human consciousness claims a filial right to the divine outpouring (sica) through sweetest mantric speech.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sthā ‘stand’ is PIE *steh₂- (Lat. stare, Eng. stand). √yaj ‘worship’ is an Indo-Iranian hallmark with PIE ancestry in sacral action. √sic ‘pour’ is PIE *seikʷ- (Lat. sīcāre?; more securely in Germanic ‘seihe’ etc. via ‘strain/pour’ developments), supporting the core image of streaming abundance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s stance is both commanding and intimate: he asks Indra to remain (presence is essential), then invokes him for Soma with ‘sweetest speech’. Indra is śacī-vān, the one whose effective power answers; the human reaches (ā rabh-) for the divine flow, implying a reciprocal bond where speech and soma open the channel of force.
Stabilize the presence of clarity; invite a gentle descent of strength through sweet, sincere mantra.
anāhata (devotional sweetness) supporting ājñā (clarity)
Slow inhale with mental ‘tiṣṭhā’; slow exhale with ‘mā parā gāḥ’; then a few breaths feeling a cool Soma-like sweetness spreading from crown to heart.
Quiet intimacy; receptive stillness with subtle joy.
When the mind wanders, do not strain—invite. Speak inwardly with sweetness, as a child to the inner Father. Wait for the ‘pouring’—a tangible settling of strength or peace.
Observe udātta on key imperatives and names (tiṣṭhā́, mághavan, sómasya, índra, svā́diṣṭhayā); keep svarita gentle in sandhi.
Make the first pāda steady and calming; soften and sweeten the final pāda, lingering slightly on ‘svādiṣṭhayā girā’.
tiṣṭhā: retroflex ṭh cluster, maghavan: gh voiced aspirate, mā parā gāḥ: long ā; final ḥ audible, suṣutasya: ṣ retroflex; clear ‘suta’, pitur na putraḥ: retroflex ṛ; final ḥ, śacīvaḥ: long ī; v softened but clear
Gentle, intimate, steady; avoid aggressive emphasis.
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