Rig Veda 6.47.14: Mandala 6, Sukta 47, Mantra 14
Sukta 6.47
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अव त्वे इन्द्र प्रवतो नोर्मिर्गिरो ब्रह्माणि नियुतो धवन्ते । उरू न राधः सवना पुरूण्यपो गा वज्रिन्युवसे समिन्दून् ॥
áva tvé índra pra-váto nṓrmír gíro bráhmāṇi ni-yúto dhávante | urū́ ná rā́dhaḥ sávanā purū́ṇy apó gā́ vajrin yúvase sám índūn ||
इंद्र के पास हम सब की बातें और यह सब मंत्र दौड़ते हैं। जैसे नीचे की तरफ लहर आती है, वैसे ही यह सब उसके पास पहुँचते हैं। इंद्र बहुत देता है, उसका हाथ खुला है। लोग बहुत बार सोम रस निकालते हैं उसके लिए। पानी, किरणें और सोम की बूंदें सब उसके पास आ जाती हैं। यह सब उसकी ताकत के लिए है जो वज्र हाथ में लिए है।
Word by Word
- अव
- down; forth (as preverb/intensifier)Indeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग (अव्यय)Root अव (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- त्वे
- in/at youPronounसप्तमी एकवचन (m./n.)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounसम्बोधन एकवचन (पुं.)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रवतः
- from the streams/flowing coursesNounपञ्चमी एकवचन (स्त्री.)Role ApādānaRoot प्रवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us; ourPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊर्मिः
- wave; surgeNounप्रथमा एकवचन (पुं.)Role KartāRoot ऊर्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
- गिरः
- songs; hymnsNounप्रथमा बहुवचन (स्त्री.)Role KartāRoot गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ब्रह्माणि
- sacred formulations; prayersNounप्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन (नपुं.)Role KartāRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- नियुतः
- yoked teams (of horses); harnessed pairsNounप्रथमा बहुवचन (स्त्री.)Role KartāRoot नियुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- धवन्ते
- run; speedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot धव्
- उरू
- wide; abundantAdjectiveद्वितीया एकवचन (नपुं.) (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)Role KarmaRoot उरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (निपात)
- राधः
- bounty; gift; wealthNounद्वितीया एकवचन (नपुं.)Role KarmaRoot राधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सवनानि
- pressings; Soma-ritesNounप्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन (नपुं.)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरूणि
- manyAdjectiveप्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन (नपुं.)Role Viśeṣaṇa (of सवनानि)Root पुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपः
- watersNounद्वितीया बहुवचन (स्त्री.)Role KarmaRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- गाः
- cowsNounद्वितीया बहुवचन (स्त्री.)Role KarmaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- वज्रिन्
- O wielder of the thunderboltNounसम्बोधन एकवचन (पुं.)Root वज्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- युवसे
- you join/yoke; you harnessVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, मध्यम पुरुष, एकवचनRoot यु (युज्/यु)
- सम्
- together; completely (preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (अव्यय)Root सम् (उपसर्ग)
- इन्दून्
- Soma-drops; SomaNounद्वितीया बहुवचन (पुं.)Role KarmaRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेदः: (1) त्वे इन्द्र → त्वे + इन्द्र (स्वर-सन्धि/विसर्गाभावः)
- (2) प्रवतो नोर्मिः → प्रवतः + नः + ऊर्मिः (अः + नः; नः + ऊ- आरम्भे ‘नोर्मिः’)
- (3) गा वज्रिन् युवसे → गाः + वज्रिन् + युवसे (विसर्ग-लोप/पद-सन्धि)
- (4) समिन्दून् → सम् + इन्दून् (म् + इ → मि)
- (5) सव॑ना पु॒रूण्य् → सवनानि + पुरूणि (पदपाठे नपुंसक-बहुवचन; संहितायां ‘पुरूण्य’ इति रूप-समास/सन्धि-प्रभावः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The hymn says the seer’s words and sacred formulations rush down toward Indra like a descending wave. Indra’s giving is vast; many Soma-pressings are offered. For Indra’s youthful might, the waters, the cows, and Soma-drops are gathered together.
Inner meaning
The movement of aspiration (giraḥ, brahmāṇi) pours toward the illumined Mind (Indra) with the force of an inner tide (ūrmiḥ). When the higher Mind is invoked, the whole inner sacrifice becomes abundant: the “waters” are the flowing currents of consciousness, the “cows” are rays of knowledge released from obscurity, and the “Soma-drops” are distilled bliss-essences. Indra’s ‘youth’ is the ever-fresh power of awakening that can repeatedly renew the seeker’s energy and break inertia.
Universal truth
When sincere aspiration and clear intention surge toward the higher intelligence, life-energy, understanding, and joy begin to converge and cooperate. True power gives widely: it organizes many inner offerings into one uplifted movement.
Themes
mantric flow, Soma-ritual, recovery of light (cows), release of waters
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 6.47 (entire sūkta), Rig Veda Mandala 6 (Bharadvāja collection)
Family tradition
Āṅgirasa-Bārhaspatya line; a family of seers of inspired speech (Bṛhaspati as archetype of mantra and luminous thought).
Significance
Bharadvāja’s Indra hymns often emphasize the psychology of the sacrifice: the mind’s ascent through inspired speech, and the release of ‘cows’ (illumined knowledges) by the thunderbolt of awakened intelligence.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vajrin (वज्रिन्), Maghavān (मघवान्) implied by bounty, Vīra (वीर) in the surrounding verses, Ugra (उग्र) in the surrounding verses
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Lord of the luminous heaven; wielder of the vajra who breaks the Coverer and releases the waters and rays; organizer of the victorious movement of consciousness.
Inner power
Illumined Mind and dynamic discernment that gathers energies, concentrates will, and opens blocked streams of awareness into clarity and joy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña / Indra-Soma praise within pressing sequences (general).
अव॒ त्वे इ॑न्द्र प्र॒वतो॒ नोर्मिर्गिरो॒ ब्रह्मा॑णि नि॒युतो॑ धवन्ते । उ॒रू न राध॒: सव॑ना पु॒रूण्य॒पो गा व॑ज्रिन्युवसे॒ समिन्दू॑न् ॥
अव॑ । त्वे इति॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । प्र॒ऽवतः॑ । न । ऊ॒र्मिः । गिरः॑ । ब्रह्मा॑णि । नि॒ऽयुतः॑ । ध॒व॒न्ते॒ । उ॒रु । न । राधः॑ । सव॑ना । पु॒रूणि॑ । अ॒पः । गाः । व॒ज्रि॒न् । यु॒व॒से॒ । सम् । इन्दू॑न् ॥
ava | tve iti | indra | pra-vataḥ | na | ūrmiḥ | giraḥ | brahmāṇi | ni-yutaḥ | dhavante | uru | na | rādhaḥ | savanā | purūṇi | apaḥ | gāḥ | vajrin | yuvase | sam | indūn
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, wave-like cadence suited to invocation and forceful offering.
Builds momentum and inner ‘rush’ toward the deity; supports concentration and an expansive feeling of abundance.
- अव (ava)
- Literal: downward, toward. Symbolic: a descending rush of aspiration into receptivity; the soul’s movement ‘toward’ the higher Power
- प्रवतः (pravataḥ)
- Literal: slopes, descents. Symbolic: channels of being through which force and inspiration pour; the ‘incline’ of surrender
- ऊर्मिः (ūrmiḥ)
- Literal: wave, surge. Symbolic: a powerful swell of consciousness/aspiration
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: words, songs. Symbolic: articulate thought-forces that carry intention upward
- ब्रह्माणि (brahmāṇi)
- Literal: formulations, prayers. Symbolic: mantric will and shaping ideas that build the inner sacrifice
- राधः (rādhaḥ)
- Literal: gift, bounty. Symbolic: the wideness of grace and effective power bestowed by the illumined Mind
- सवनानि (savanāni)
- Literal: Soma-pressings. Symbolic: repeated inner extractions of delight/essence from experience
- अपः (apaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: streams of consciousness, clarifying and energizing flows
- गाः (gāḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge (illumined perceptions)
- इन्दून् (indūn)
- Literal: Soma drops. Symbolic: drops of bliss, luminous delight in the mind-heart
- वज्रिन् (vajrin)
- Literal: wielder of the thunderbolt. Symbolic: the power that breaks obstruction and releases light
Soma-yajña setting explicit (savana, indu); verse frames the rush of stotra toward Indra and the gathering of offerings
During Soma pressings and Indra invocations; also as a general stotra for strength and illumination.
Recitation/chant with offering of Soma; mental ‘gathering’ of energies and intentions toward Indra.
Use before focused work or meditation to collect scattered energies—visualize ‘waters, rays, and Soma’ converging into a single uplifted will.
ūrmi ‘wave’ (fluid-motion imagery); giraḥ ‘songs’ from √gṛ/√gir ‘utter’; brahmāṇi as plural of brahman ‘formulated word/power’ (√bṛh ‘to expand’ underlying the sense of expansive formulation); ni-yuta ‘yoked, harnessed’ (ni- + √yuj); rādhas ‘bounty’ tied to √rādh ‘to succeed, accomplish, grant’; apas ‘waters’ central Vedic symbol of released energies; gāḥ ‘cows’ (go-) with multivalence ‘cow/ray’ in Vedic poetics; vajrin from vajra (thunderbolt) + -in; indu ‘drop of Soma’.
brahman as formative word-power, rādhas as fullness of being, Soma as delight/immortalizing essence
The ordered ‘gathering’ of waters/rays/Soma mirrors Ṛta: forces align when invoked by true speech.
Brahmāṇi as truth-formulations that make the inner world ‘see’ rightly.
Release and convergence: the One Power draws multiplicity (energies/knowledges/delight) into a creative unity.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent through mind to higher light and ananda.
Surging aspiration draws down clarifying consciousness-flows; rays of insight and drops of delight are collected into one empowered state.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A compressed Vṛtra-cycle: waters (apah) and cows (gāḥ = rays) gathered for Indra, the vajrin who breaks obstruction; the hymn’s wave-like rush mirrors the released torrent of truth-force once the blockage is shattered.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yuj ‘yoke’ in ni-yuta reflects PIE *yeug- ‘join, yoke’ (cf. Latin iugum, English yoke). √bṛh ‘expand’ behind brahman aligns with PIE *bʰerǵʰ- ‘rise/high’ type semantic expansions in IE (noting complex correspondences), supporting the sense of ‘expansive utterance/power’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers a disciplined surge of word-power (giraḥ, brahmāṇi) and ritual essences (indu) to Indra; Indra reciprocates with wide rādhas—an enlargement of the seeker’s being through released waters and recovered lights.
Gathering practice: collect thought (giraḥ), intention (brahmāṇi), life-force (waters), insight (cows), and joy (Soma) toward a single illumined center (Indra).
Ājñā (focus/illumination) with support from Maṇipūra (will/force).
Inhale: ‘rush toward Indra’ (draw attention upward between brows). Exhale: ‘gather waters and Soma’ (settle clarity through the system).
Uplifted, concentrated, expansive clarity with a subtle sweetness (ānanda).
Chant 3–9 times, then sit: feel a wave of aspiration descend into still receptivity; allow insights to arise as ‘rays’ and keep them collected, not scattered.
Use Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; key lifts often occur on deity-name and power-words (e.g., índra, vájrin).
Keep ‘índra’ clearly udātta; avoid flattening compounds like pravato, brahmāṇi; let cadence ‘rush’ through mid-pāda then resolve at pāda end.
ava short ‘a’, tve cluster ‘tv’ clean, no extra vowel, ūrmiḥ long ‘ū’, clear ‘rm’, brahmāṇi aspirate ‘bh’, long ‘ā’, vajrin ‘j’ as in ‘judge’, crisp ‘vr’ cluster, indūn nasal ‘n’ then long ‘ū’
Bright, forward, slightly forceful; end each pāda with a settled openness.
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