Rig Veda 7.27.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 27, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.27
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
य इन्द्र शुष्मो मघवन्ते अस्ति शिक्षा सखिभ्यः पुरुहूत नृभ्यः । त्वं हि दृळ्हा मघवन्विचेता अपा वृधि परिवृतं न राधः ॥
yá índra śúṣmo maghavante ásti śíkṣā sákhī-bhyaḥ puru-hūta nṛ́-bhyaḥ | tváṁ hí dṛḷhā́ maghavan ví-cetā ápa vṛdhi pári-vṛtaṁ ná rā́dhaḥ ||
हे इंद्र, जो तेरी ताकत है, वो देने वाली है। अपने दोस्तों को और इंसानों को सिखाओ। तू पक्का है और समझदार है। जो दौलत बंदी हुई है उसको खोल और बढ़ा।
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root इन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- शुष्मः
- might, vigorNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot शुष्म- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful oneNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root मघवन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी (gen.), एकवचनम्Role SambandhaRoot त्वद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्ति
- isVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (Predication)Root अस् (धातु)
- शिक्ष
- teach; instructVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (Prayojaka/niyoga)Root शिक्ष् (धातु)
- सखिभ्यः
- to (our) comrades/friendsNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी (dat.), बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot सखि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरुहूत
- O much-invoked oneAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root पुरुहूत- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नृभ्यः
- to the menNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी (dat.), बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot नृ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot त्वद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role (Discourse particle)Root हि (निपात)
- दृळ्हाः
- firm, steadfast (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot दृळ्ह- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘firm, strong’)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful oneNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role (Sambodhana)Root मघवन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- विचेताः
- discerning, wiseAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot वि-चेतस्/विचेतृ- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘discerning’)
- अप
- away, offIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययम्Role (Verb-modifier)Root अप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वृधि
- increase; make growVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (Niyoga)Root वृध् (धातु)
- परिवृतम्
- enclosed, surroundedParticiple (past passive)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (कर्मपद-रूपेण) अथवा अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगःRole KarmaRoot परि-वृत् (धातु) → क्त (कृदन्त) / ‘enclosed, hemmed in’
- न
- like, asIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role (Comparison marker)Root न (उपमा-निपात)
- राधः
- bounty, gift, wealthNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot राधस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): यः इन्द्र शुष्मः मघवन् ते अस्ति | शिक्षा सखिभ्यः पुरुहूत नृभ्यः || त्वम् हि दृळ्हाः मघवन् विचेताः | अप वृधि परिवृतम् न राधः || 1) मघवन्ते → मघवन् + ते (सम्बोधन-रूप ‘मघवन्’ + सर्वनाम ‘ते’). 2) सखि॑भ्यः, नृभ्यः: दत्तिविभक्ति-बहुवचन.
- साधारण संयोग. 4) अपा वृधि → अप + वृधि (उपसर्ग ‘अप’ + लोट् ‘वृधि’). 5) परि॑वृतं॒ न → परिवृतम् + न (उपमा)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Indra, your impetuous force—teach it to our comrades, to the men who invoke you much. You are firm and discerning; increase and bring out the wealth as if shut in and enclosed.
Inner meaning
The seeker appeals to Indra’s śuṣma—his charged, impelling power of illumination—and asks that this force be trained and communicated to the allied energies in us (sakhibhyaḥ, nṛbhyaḥ): the cooperating life-forces and capacities that must learn the divine way of acting. Indra is dṛḻhā (firm) and vicetā (wide-discerning): stable in will and broad in understanding. Therefore he can ‘increase and bring out’ (apā vṛdhi) the inner wealth (rādhaḥ)—the latent powers, joy, and knowledge that lie imprisoned behind coverings and circumferential knots of the subconscient.
Universal truth
Spiritual power must be educative and transmissible: it should train the whole system, not only illumine the mind. The richest capacities are often enclosed within inner fear and inertia; firm discernment can release them.
Themes
empowerment, removal of coverings, inner wealth revelation, community of seekers
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.27, RV 7.23, RV 7.24
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s practical spirituality often includes training the ‘companions’ (inner faculties) and releasing hidden wealth from coverings.
Significance
He emphasizes not only victory but education of the nature: Indra’s force must become a learned capacity in the whole being, releasing imprisoned riches.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maghavan, puruhūta, dṛḻha, vicetā
- Related deities
- Soma (delight as fuel of force), Agni (will that carries the offering), Bṛhaspati (opening of closed places)
Cosmic role
Breaker of the coverer; increaser of riches; giver of strength and right perception.
Inner power
Dynamic force guided by wide discernment—power that both energizes and enlightens, enabling release of latent capacities.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invocation for strength and increase of wealth in Soma context
य इ॑न्द्र॒ शुष्मो॑ मघवन्ते॒ अस्ति॒ शिक्षा॒ सखि॑भ्यः पुरुहूत॒ नृभ्य॑: । त्वं हि दृ॒ळ्हा म॑घव॒न्विचे॑ता॒ अपा॑ वृधि॒ परि॑वृतं॒ न राध॑: ॥
यः । इ॒न्द्र॒ । शुष्मः॑ । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । ते॒ । अस्ति॑ । शिक्ष॑ । सखि॑ऽभ्यः । पु॒रु॒ऽहू॒त॒ । नृऽभ्यः॑ । त्वम् । हि । दृ॒ळ्हा । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । विऽचे॑ताः । अप॑ । वृ॒धि॒ । परि॑ऽवृतम् । न । राधः॑ ॥
yaḥ | indra | śuṣmaḥ | magha-van | te | asti | śikṣa | sakhi-bhyaḥ | puru-hūta | nṛ-bhyaḥ | tvam | hi | dṛḷhā | magha-van | vi-cetāḥ | apa | vṛdhi | pari-vṛtam | na | rādhaḥ
44
4 × ~11
Urgent petition with a strong turn in the second half toward release and increase.
Invokes energizing heat (tapas-like) while keeping it intelligent and controlled; supports breakthrough of stagnation.
- शुष्मः (śuṣmaḥ)
- Literal: impetuous force/energy. Symbolic: Charged spiritual dynamism of illumined mind
- मघवन् (maghavan)
- Literal: bounteous one. Symbolic: Source of plenitude and generous increase
- शिक्ष (śikṣa)
- Literal: teach/train. Symbolic: Discipline and right channeling of force through the parts of the being
- सखिभ्यः (sakhibhyaḥ)
- Literal: to friends/comrades. Symbolic: Cooperating inner powers; allied faculties in sadhana
- पुरुहूत (puruhūta)
- Literal: much-invoked. Symbolic: Ever-available higher power frequently called by aspiration
- दृळ्हा (dṛḻhā)
- Literal: firm, solid. Symbolic: Stable will and unshakable clarity
- विचेता (vicetā)
- Literal: wide in discernment. Symbolic: Comprehensive intelligence seeing through complexity
- परिवृतं राधः (parivṛtaṃ rādhaḥ)
- Literal: wealth enclosed/encircled. Symbolic: Latent inner riches bound by coverings, habits, and subconscious rings
Prayer for empowerment of the community/inner comrades; suited to moments of seeking strength and revelation of ‘enclosed’ riches in Soma worship.
When seeking empowerment of allies and increase of gains; in sequences asking Indra to release riches
Prayer for teaching/empowering the ‘friends’ and for bringing forth enclosed wealth
Use when building a team or inner ‘parts work’: chant to educate impulses and release blocked creativity/strength.
śuṣma: ‘impetuous force’ (often Indra’s breakthrough energy). √śikṣ ‘train’ suggests transmission/installation of divine force into human instruments. vi-cetas: from √cit ‘notice, perceive’ → discriminative luminous awareness. pari-vṛta ‘enclosed’ from √vṛ ‘cover/encircle’ indicates wealth blocked by circumambient ignorance; apa marks unveiling. √vṛdh ‘increase’ is both quantitative and qualitative growth.
teaching/transmission of power (śikṣa), discernment (vi-cetas), unveiling of hidden wealth (pari-vṛta rādhas)
Training (śikṣa) implies right law of force—energy aligned to Ṛta rather than impulse.
Vicetā discernment reveals what is true versus what is covering; Satya releases rādhas.
Uncovering: bringing out what is hidden and enclosed so it can participate in the manifest order.
Aurobindonian psychology: transformation requires both force and conscious discernment; liberation of subconscient holdings.
Thunder-force = awakening energy; enclosure = knots/bindings; wealth = stored prāṇa, insight, joy; teaching = conscious regulation of life-force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The unveiling of ‘encircled wealth’: rādhas is imagined as enclosed by a surrounding limitation (pari-vṛta). Indra’s role is to teach his śuṣma into the human comrades and to bring forth the hidden abundance—an inner analogue of releasing what is shut up by obstruction.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vṛdh ‘grow’ (PIE *werdh-; cf. English ‘worth’ via Germanic developments, and cognate growth semantics) and √cit ‘perceive’ (PIE *ḱeyt-/ *ḱit- perception domains) are archaic. The cover/enclose idea in √vṛ has wide Indo-European parallels in ‘wrap/cover’ roots and imagery of concealment.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks not only for gifts but for capability: Indra’s force must be learned/installed (śikṣa) in the comrades. Indra’s firmness (dṛḷha) and discernment (vi-cetas) are invoked as guarantees that the hidden rādhas can be brought out and increased without distortion.
Awaken dynamic force and then ‘teach’ it—channel energy into conscious, skillful action; invite release of blocked inner wealth.
Maṇipūra (śuṣma/force) guided by Ājñā (vicetā/discernment)
Kapalabhāti light (30–60 strokes), rest, then slow chanting on exhale; finish with 2 minutes silent witnessing at the brow.
Strong, lucid, mobilized; obstacles perceived as removable coverings.
Name one ‘enclosed wealth’ (a talent, courage, joy) you sense is blocked. Chant, then visualize a ring loosening around it. End by choosing one small disciplined action that ‘teaches’ the force to your system.
Tri-svara; emphasize udātta on ‘indra’, ‘maghavan’, ‘puruhūta’, and the imperatives ‘śikṣa’, ‘vṛdhi’.
Make the first pāda energetic (invoking śuṣma); keep the second pāda clear and didactic; give the last pāda a ‘releasing’ cadence on ‘parivṛtaṃ na rādhaḥ’.
śuṣmo: retroflex ṣ; keep o longish, śikṣā: kṣ cluster crisp (śik-ṣā), sakhibhyaḥ: kh aspirated; bhy cluster clean, puruhūta: long ū; keep h audible, dṛḻhā: retroflex ḻh; do not simplify to l, vicetā: ce as ‘che’ (palatal), long ā at end, parivṛtam: ṛ short; keep t dental
Strong and controlled; ‘trained power’ rather than raw intensity.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
