Rig Veda 4.22.8: Mandala 4, Sukta 22, Mantra 8
Sukta 4.22
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
पिपीळे अंशुर्मद्यो न सिन्धुरा त्वा शमी शशमानस्य शक्तिः । अस्मद्र्यक्छुशुचानस्य यम्या आशुर्न रश्मिं तुव्योजसं गोः ॥
pipīḷé aṃśúr mádyo ná síndhur ā́ tvā śámī śaśamā́nasyá śaktíḥ | asmadryák chuśucā́nasyá yamyā́ āśúr ná raśmíṃ tuvyójasaṃ góḥ ||
सोम का पौधा एक नदी की तरह भरता है, जैसे कोई मदहोश करने वाला पानी हो। यह ताकत उसके लिए है जो मेहनत कर रहा है। यह हमारे पास आती है, जैसे चमकता हुआ तेज। गाय की किरणी जल्दी आती है, वैसे ही यह भी आती है।
Word by Word
- पिपीळे
- he has pressed/impelled; he has set in motionVerbलिट् (परोक्स/परफेक्ट), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kriyā (मुख्य क्रिया)Root पि-पीळ् (धातु; √पीळ्/√पील् ‘दब्/पीड्, बलात् प्रेरय्’—वेदिक रूप)
- अंशुः
- the Soma-stalk / Soma-ray (Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (पिपीळे का कर्ता)Root अंशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मद्यः
- the intoxicating (drink)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-रूपेण)Root मद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- सिन्धुराः
- the rivers / the streaming onesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-रूपेण)Root सिन्धुर (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (शमी/यम्या इत्यादि क्रियाणां)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शमी
- has pacified/has made favorableVerbलिट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole Kriyā (अनु-क्रिया)Root शम् (धातु; √शम् ‘शमय्, शान्ति/हितं कर्’)
- शशमानस्य
- of the one who is pacifying/appeasingParticiple (Adjective)षष्ठी, एकवचन (पुं/नपुं समासानुसार)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the pacifying one’)Root शम् (धातु; √शम्) → शशमान (कृदन्त, लिट्-प्रत्ययान्त/परफेक्ट-भागवत्)
- शक्तिः
- power, mightNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (शमी का कर्तृ-भावे/वाक्य-कर्तृ)Root शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् ‘समर्थ’)
- अस्मद्र्यक्
- towards usIndeclinable/Adverbial compoundदिशा/सम्बन्ध-बोधक अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (दिशा-निर्देशः)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम) + र्यक् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक ‘तिर्यक्, towards’)
- शुशुचानस्य
- of the blazing/gleaming oneParticiple (Adjective)षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the blazing one’)Root शुच् (धातु; √शुच् ‘दीप्/शोच्, चमक्’) → शुशुचान (कृदन्त, लिट्-भागवत्)
- यम्या
- restraining, holding backAdjective/Participleस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (शक्तिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā-विशेषण (शक्तेः)Root यम् (धातु; √यम् ‘यच्छ्, नियम्’) → यम्य (कृदन्त; यतव्य/यम्य ‘to be restrained/held’)
- आशुः
- swiftAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (उपमान-रूपेण)Root आशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (अव्यय)
- रश्मिम्
- rein, ray, strapNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (आशुः… इत्यस्य उपमान-वस्तु)Root रश्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
- तुव्योजसम्
- of mighty strength, very powerfulAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (रश्मिम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma-विशेषणRoot तुवि (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘बहु, अत्यन्त’) + ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक) → तुव्योजस् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय)
- गोः
- of the cow; (also) of the steedNounस्त्री/पुं (वेदे उभयथा), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the cow/steed’)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठे ‘सिन्धुरा त्वा’ इति संधिः: सिन्धुराः + त्वा (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते, ऋग्वैदिके प्रायः)
- ‘अस्मद्र्यक्छुशुचानस्य’ इति: अस्मद्र्यक् + शुशुचानस्य → अस्मद्र्यक्छुशुचानस्य (क् + श् → क्छ्)
- अन्यत्र ‘न’ उपमान-निपातः पृथक् पदम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Soma-stalk, swelling like an intoxicating river, comes to Indra as the strength of the striving seeker; it draws toward us the yoking of a flaming power, swift like a ray from the Cow, mighty in force.
Inner meaning
Soma (delight-consciousness) rises in the being like a rushing stream and moves toward Indra, the illumined Mind. The seeker’s śakti (aspiring force) offers this intensification, and in return the mantra ‘draws near’ the yoking (yamyāḥ) of a purified, flaming energy (chuśucāna)—the disciplined harnessing of the dynamic life-force to the luminous mental power. The ‘ray of the Cow’ signifies a swift descent of knowledge-light that organizes and drives the inner energies toward effective action.
Universal truth
When aspiration concentrates and delight becomes abundant, the higher Intelligence is naturally attracted; then the inner energies can be harnessed and guided by rays of knowledge, producing swift, powerful progress in life and yoga.
Themes
Soma as luminous force, Harnessing of energy, Descent of illumination toward the human, Delight and strength
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.1, RV 4.18, RV 4.22, RV 4.26
Family tradition
Vāmadeva is a principal seer of Maṇḍala 4, voicing the psychology of Indra-Soma: illumination won by aspiration, right speech, and inner battle.
Significance
Vāmadeva’s diction repeatedly converts sacrificial images into an inner yoga: Soma as delight, Indra as illumined mind, cows as rays—showing how tapas and inspired speech call down higher force.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Soma as the offering-power)
- Epithets
- Vṛtrahan (implicit in the hymn), Maghavan (bounteous), Harivaḥ (tawny-steeded, in adjacent verse)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Opens the obstructed waters/lights; establishes wide space for the human journey by breaking coverings.
Inner power
Illumined Intelligence that receives delight (Soma) and converts it into victorious energy and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering and Indra-invocation within Soma-yajña sequences
पि॒पी॒ळे अं॒शुर्मद्यो॒ न सिन्धु॒रा त्वा॒ शमी॑ शशमा॒नस्य॑ श॒क्तिः । अ॒स्म॒द्र्य॑क्छुशुचा॒नस्य॑ यम्या आ॒शुर्न र॒श्मिं तु॒व्योज॑सं॒ गोः ॥
पि॒पी॒ळे । अं॒शुः । मद्यः॑ । न । सिन्धुः॑ । आ । त्वा॒ । शमी॑ । श॒श॒मा॒नस्य॑ । श॒क्तिः । अ॒स्म॒द्र्य॑क् । शु॒शु॒मा॒नस्य॑ । य॒म्याः॒ । आ॒शुः । न । र॒श्मिम् । तु॒वि॒ऽओज॑सम् । गोः ॥
pipīḷe | aṃśuḥ | madyaḥ | na | sindhuḥ | ā | tvā | śamī | śaśamānasya | śaktiḥ | asmadryak | śuśumānasya | yamyāḥ | āśuḥ | na | raśmim | tuvi-ojasam | goḥ
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Forward-driving, heroic cadence with strong mid-line lifts suited to invocation and battle-imagery.
Builds momentum and inner heat; supports a felt ‘drawing near’ of force and a decisive yoking of energies.
- aṃśuḥ
- Literal: Soma-stalk/beam. Symbolic: A concentrated thread of delight and luminous essence offered upward
- madyaḥ
- Literal: intoxicating. Symbolic: Ecstatic intensification of consciousness
- sindhuḥ
- Literal: river/ocean current. Symbolic: A flood of life-force and awareness, a streaming movement of Soma-delight
- śaktiḥ
- Literal: power/force. Symbolic: Aspiration-energy of the sādhaka that effects inner change
- śaśamānasya
- Literal: of one who strives/endeavors. Symbolic: The persistent will of tapas (effort) in the seeker
- chuśucānasya
- Literal: of the flaming/bright-burning. Symbolic: Purified ardor—energy made luminous by inner fire
- yamyāḥ
- Literal: to be yoked/yoking. Symbolic: Discipline and harnessing of energies for the divine work
- raśmi
- Literal: ray/rein. Symbolic: A directive beam—guiding knowledge that also ‘reins in’ the forces
- goḥ
- Literal: cow. Symbolic: Rays of Light/Knowledge (illumining herds)
Soma-pressing context: the aṃśu (Soma) ‘comes to’ Indra; also inner-practice: gathering delight-force and offering it to the Indra-power for victorious action.
During Soma pressing/libation praises to Indra
Recitation to invite Indra to drink Soma and to empower the sacrificer
Use as a mantra of ‘harnessing’: before meditation or work, to gather scattered energies and align them with clear intelligence.
aṃśú- ‘Soma stalk/beam’ connects plant and light: aṃśa ‘portion, ray’ (beam semantics). mádya- from √mad ‘to rejoice, be intoxicated’ indicates delight-force, not mere liquor. śaktí- from √śak ‘to be able’ is capacity/power. yamyā́ relates to √yam ‘to hold, rein in, yoke’; thus ‘discipline/harnessing’ of blazing energy (śuśucāna- from √śuc ‘to shine, blaze’ with intensive). raśmí- is both ‘ray’ and ‘rein’ (control + illumination), enabling an inner reading: the ray that guides and the rein that governs. gó- ‘cow’ in RV frequently functions as ‘ray/light/knowledge’; justified by go as ‘radiance’ in many Vedic contexts and its pairing with raśmi (ray).
Mada/Madhu (delight as power), Ojas (vital/spiritual vigor), Yama (control/yoking; discipline of energies)
Yoking (yamyāḥ) signifies aligning life-force to ṛta—energy moving in right channels under light.
The ‘ray’ (raśmi) implies truth-light that directs power without distortion.
From concentrated essence (Soma) arises a streaming force that attracts and organizes higher intelligence.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-style) psychology: ascent of delight and descent of light-force.
A rising stream of delight meets illumined mind; knowledge-rays rein and direct the purified ardor into disciplined action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma-as-river/beam: the pressed luminous essence swells like a river and moves toward Indra, while the ‘ray of the Cow’ (illumination) is swift and powerful. Mythically: Soma empowers Indra; psychologically: delight-force gathered by aspiration becomes a controlled, luminous energy directed toward us.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad (ecstatic exhilaration) has Indo-Iranian continuities (Avestan mad-), pointing to an inherited sacral-poetic complex of intoxication/delight. √yam ‘to yoke/control’ is widely IE (cf. Latin iugum ‘yoke’ from PIE *yeug-, distinct root; but the semantic field of restraint/yoking is archaic). The polysemy of raśmí (‘ray/rein’) exemplifies early poetic compression typical of IE diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers the gathered śakti (capacity) of his striving—Soma as delight-force—to Indra, and asks that Indra’s response be not only power but a yoking (yamyā) of the blazing energies so they become a swift, guided ray in the human instrument.
Let delight (Soma) rise as a clear current; offer it to the higher Intelligence (Indra) and feel the ‘yoking’ of energies into one direction.
ājñā (guiding light) with support from maṇipūra (fiery energy disciplined)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana, then inhale ‘upward offering’ and exhale ‘downward ray-guidance’ for 6–12 cycles.
From energized uplift to luminous control (sattvic dynamism).
Begin with aspiration; sense a sweet intensification; then consciously ‘rein’ speech, impulse, and action under a single ray of insight.
Use Vedic tri-svara approach (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; default to a steady udātta lift on invocatory peaks (ā tvā, jahi-like words not present here) and gentle svarita falls on compound endings.
Keep clear stress on long vowels and conjuncts; maintain pāda breaks after ‘śaktiḥ’ and at the end of the verse.
pī in pipīḻe is long; ḻ is retroflex lateral (approx. ‘l’ with curled tongue), aṃśuḥ: anusvāra nasal before ś, chuśucānasya: articulate chu-śu-cā- with clear ś, tuvyojasaṃ: split tuvi-ojasaṃ, do not swallow the vowel junction
Bright, forward tone; let the second half feel like ‘drawing in’ and ‘yoking’.
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