Rig Veda 5.30.3: Mandala 5, Sukta 30, Mantra 3
Sukta 5.30
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
प्र नु वयं सुते या ते कृतानीन्द्र ब्रवाम यानि नो जुजोषः । वेददविद्वाञ्छृणवच्च विद्वान्वहतेऽयं मघवा सर्वसेनः ॥
prá nú vayáṁ suté yā́ te kṛtā́nīndra brávāma yā́ni no jújoṣaḥ | védad ávidvā́n śṛṇávac ca vidvā́n váhate ’yáṁ maghávā sárva-senaḥ ||
अब सोम की पूजा के बाद हम बताते हैं इंद्र, तूने क्या क्या किया है। तूने हमें बहुत खुश किया है, हमने तेरी पूजा की। जो लोग नहीं जानते थे, वो अब जान लें। जो जानते हैं, वो सुन लें। यह इंद्र अपनी पूरी सेना लेकर आता है।
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- नु
- now, indeedIndeclinableparticle (emphatic/now)Root नु
- वयम्
- wePronounmasc./common, nominative, pluralRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root अस्मद्
- सुते
- at the pressed SomaNounneuter, locative, singularRole अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)Root सुत (ppp. of √सु / √सु- ‘press, extract’)
- या
- which (things)Pronoun (relative)neuter, accusative, pluralRole कर्म (Karma)Root यद्
- ते
- for youPronoundative, singularRole सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root युष्मद् (enclitic)
- कृतानि
- done, accomplishedAdjective/Participleneuter, accusative, pluralRole कर्म (Karma)Root कृत (ppp. of √कृ)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)masculine, vocative, singularRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र
- ब्रवाम
- we speak, we proclaimVerbpresent (indicative), 1st person, plural (Vedic injunctive/indicative form ब्रवाम)Root √ब्रू (ब्रवीति)
- यानि
- which (things)Pronoun (relative)neuter, accusative, pluralRole कर्म (Karma)Root यद्
- नः
- to usPronoungenitive/dative, plural (here: dative ‘to us’)Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root अस्मद् (enclitic)
- जुजोषः
- you have favored / you are pleasedVerbperfect, 2nd person, singular (active)Root √जुष् (to be pleased, favor)
- वेद
- he knowsVerbperfect (present sense), 3rd person, singularRoot √विद् (to know)
- अविद्वान्
- not knowing, unknowingAdjectivemasculine, nominative, singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root अ-विद्वांस् (neg. of विद्वांस् from √विद्)
- शृणवत्
- let him hear / he hearsVerbimperative/optative-type Vedic form, 3rd person, singular (injunctive/imperative sense)Root √श्रु (to hear)
- च
- andIndeclinableconjunctionRoot च
- विद्वान्
- knowing, wiseAdjectivemasculine, nominative, singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root विद्वांस् (from √विद्)
- वहते
- he carries / he conveysVerbpresent (indicative), 3rd person, singular, middle (ātmanepada)Root √वह् (to carry, convey)
- अयम्
- this (one)Pronounmasculine, nominative, singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root इदम्
- मघवा
- the bountiful oneNoun/Epithetmasculine, nominative, singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root मघवन्
- सर्वसेनः
- having all armies / with all forcesAdjective (epithet)masculine, nominative, singularRole कर्तृ (Kartā)Root सर्व-सेन (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa epithet)
Sandhi Notes
- Padapāṭha-style resolution: (1) सुते = सुत + ए (loc.sg.)
- (2) ते कृता-नि इन्द्र → ते कृतानि इन्द्र (no further change)
- (3) यानि नो जुजोṣः = यानि नः जुजोषः (enclitic नः)
- (4) वेददविद्वान् = वेदत् + अविद्वान् (final -t before vowel; often written as -d in saṃhitā)
- (5) शृणवच्च = शृणवत् + च (t + c → cc)
- (6) वहतेऽयम् = वहते + अयम् (’avagraha marks a-vowel sandhi). Accent marks in the saṃhitā are retained in the given text but not re-applied per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
“Now, over the pressed Soma, we proclaim, O Indra, the deeds you have done—those you have made us enjoy and accept. Let the unknowing come to know; let the knowing hear: this Maghavan bears onward with all his hosts.”
Inner meaning
In the joy of Soma (inner delight), the seeker recounts Indra’s victorious workings—past breakthroughs of light that must be remembered to strengthen faith. ‘Those you made us enjoy’ indicates that divine action becomes experiential delight, not mere doctrine. The mantra is pedagogical: it calls the ignorant parts of the being to awaken and the already knowing parts to listen deeper—so all levels align. Indra ‘with all hosts’ is the coordinated descent of multiple powers (mental, vital, intuitive) moving the sādhanā forward.
Universal truth
Testimony of lived transformation educates the whole being: remembrance of grace converts ignorance into knowledge and renews the knowing into deeper hearing. Spiritual progress is collective within us—many ‘hosts’ must move together.
Themes
proclamation over Soma, knowledge transmission, Indra as total force
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 5.30.1, Rig Veda 5.30.2, Rig Veda 5.30.4
Family tradition
Atri’s hymns often combine praise with instruction—turning collective memory of divine deeds into a means of awakening.
Significance
The ṛṣi uses proclamation (bravāma) as mantra-power: speaking truth of past illumination calls it again into the present.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maghavān (bountiful), sarvasena (with all hosts)
- Related deities
- Maruts (hosts), Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Leader of the luminous powers; he advances the battle for light with a full retinue of supporting energies.
Inner power
Coordinating intelligence—brings multiple faculties into one victorious movement; turns experience into conscious knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Recitation during Soma offering/praise to recount Indra’s deeds and invite renewed action.
प्र नु व॒यं सु॒ते या ते॑ कृ॒तानीन्द्र॒ ब्रवा॑म॒ यानि॑ नो॒ जुजो॑षः । वेद॒दवि॑द्वाञ्छृ॒णव॑च्च वि॒द्वान्वह॑ते॒ऽयं म॒घवा॒ सर्व॑सेनः ॥
प्र । नु । व॒यम् । सु॒ते । या । ते॒ । कृ॒तानि॑ । इन्द्र॑ । ब्रवा॑म । यानि॑ । नः॒ । जुजो॑षः । वेद॑त् । अवि॑द्वान् । शृ॒णव॑त् । च॒ । वि॒द्वान् । वह॑ते । अ॒यम् । म॒घऽवा॑ । सर्व॑ऽसेनः ॥
pra | nu | vayam | sute | yā | te | kṛtāni | indra | bravāma | yāni | naḥ | jujoṣaḥ | vedat | avidvān | śṛṇavat | ca | vidvān | vahate | ayam | magha-vā | sarva-senaḥ
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Proclamatory and inclusive; balanced antithesis (avidvān/vidvān) gives didactic clarity.
Creates collective uplift; strengthens faith through remembrance and shared hearing.
- sute (soma)
- Literal: pressed Soma. Symbolic: distilled delight/ānanda that supports illumination and surrender
- kṛtāni
- Literal: deeds done. Symbolic: inner victories—moments when light broke through resistance
- jujoṣaḥ
- Literal: you made (us) enjoy/accept. Symbolic: divine consent that turns effort into tasted realization
- avidvān
- Literal: unknowing. Symbolic: ignorant layers of mind/vital/body still outside the light
- vidvān
- Literal: knowing. Symbolic: illumined intelligence already awake—needs deeper listening, not complacency
- maghavā
- Literal: bountiful. Symbolic: the giver of plenitude—Indra as increaser of inner richness
- sarvasenaḥ
- Literal: with all his armies/hosts. Symbolic: totality of divine forces supporting transformation
Stotra-like proclamation at Soma pressing; public recitation to spread ‘knowing’ through hearing (śruti-function).
After Soma pressing when Indra is praised; in sequences of stotra/śastra themes of Indra’s victories.
Praise and proclamation; invites community participation (“let the unknowing know; let the knowing hear”).
Group chanting for motivation and clarity; also personal journaling practice: recall ‘Indra-deeds’ (moments of insight) after chanting.
√śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear/fame’, cf. Greek klúō, English loud via Germanic) ties hearing to becoming ‘famed/illumined’; sarva-senaḥ reframes ‘army’ as totality of operative powers—Indra’s integrated energies in the seeker; √vah ‘carry’ indicates the god’s driving-forward of the inner movement.
transmission of knowledge through hearing (śruti), transformation of ignorance to knowledge (avidvān → vedat)
Indra’s deeds are restorations of ṛta—order and truth in the human field.
Truth becomes transmissible by speech grounded in experience, not speculation.
Progressive manifestation: ignorance is educated into knowledge; knowing is deepened into wider hearing.
Integral Yoga psychology: all parts (ignorant/knowing) must be integrated under higher leadership.
Soma → delight that fuels transformation; hosts → multiple energies in coordinated action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘Indra with all hosts’ advancing—an image of the divine warrior leading total powers. Psychologically, it is the mobilisation of all inner faculties under the truth-force so that ignorance is converted by hearing and remembrance into knowledge.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru connects to PIE *ḱleu- (hearing/fame), showing the old equation: to hear the sacred word is to participate in its ‘fame’/radiance. √vid is PIE *weid-. These are core IE cognition roots.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acts as herald: he proclaims Indra’s deeds so that both unknowing and knowing are transformed by the hearing. Indra is the bearer of force; the rishi’s speech is the channel that distributes that force as knowledge.
Remembrance (smaraṇa) of past illuminations to strengthen present aspiration; integrate ignorant and knowing parts.
viśuddha (throat)
Chant on a steady exhale; after each pāda, pause one beat to ‘hear’ inwardly (vidvān śṛṇavat).
Uplifted clarity—speech as truth-force; communal inner alignment.
After chanting, speak inwardly (or write) 3 ‘deeds of Indra’—times when clarity conquered confusion. Offer gratitude (Soma) and invite the same force to move today with ‘all hosts’ (all faculties cooperating).
Emphasize udatta on indra, maghavā; keep the vidvān/avidvān contrast clear in pitch and pause; follow marked svaras for exact recitation.
Slight rhetorical stress on vedad avidvān… vidvān; make the contrast audible without speeding.
pra nu: keep ‘pra’ crisp, vayaṃ: nasal ‘ṃ’ light, sute: short u, clear dental t, bravāma: long ā, jujoṣaḥ: retroflex ṣ; visarga soft, vedad: pronounce ‘vedad’ not ‘veda’, śṛṇavac: ṛ vowel clear; ‘vac’ crisp, maghavā: gh aspirated, sarvasenaḥ: cluster ‘rv’; visarga light
Proclamatory, resonant, inclusive; avoid harshness—strength with clarity.
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