Rig Veda 7.55.3: Mandala 7, Sukta 55, Mantra 3
Sukta 7.55
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Addressed to Sārameya in a pacificatory mode
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh-like short meter
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
स्तेनं राय सारमेय तस्करं वा पुनःसर । स्तोतॄनिन्द्रस्य रायसि किमस्मान्दुच्छुनायसे नि षु स्वप ॥
sténaṃ rāya sārameya táskaraṃ vā punaḥ-sara | stotṝ́n índrasya rāyasi kím asmā́n ducchunāyase ní ṣu svapa ||
सरमा के बेटा, चोर के पीछे दौड़। चोर पकड़ ले। तू इंद्र के भक्तों को परेशान करता है। फिर भी हमारा क्या बिगाड़ रहा है? अब लेटा जा। अच्छे से सो जा।
Word by Word
- स्तेनम्
- thiefNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्तेन (प्रातिपदिक)
- रायः
- of wealth, of richesNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root राय्/रयि (प्रातिपदिक: रयि ‘wealth’)
- सारमेय
- O Sārameya (dog of Saramā)Noun (vocative used as address)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सारमेय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘offspring of Saramā’, i.e., dog)
- तस्करम्
- robberNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तस्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableसमुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक अव्ययRoot वा
- पुनःसर
- O returner/back-trackerNoun/Adjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot पुनःसर (प्रातिपदिक; lit. ‘going back/returning’, used as address)
- स्तोतॄन्
- praisersNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot स्तोतृ (प्रातिपदिक; agent noun from √स्तु ‘to praise’)
- इन्द्रस्य
- of IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- रायसि
- in (his/our) wealth, in the propertyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot रायस्/रयस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wealth, property’)
- किम्
- why? what (for)?Interrogative pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अव्यक्त-कारक; here adverbial ‘why/what for’)Root किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मान्
- usPronounत्रिलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दुच्छुनायसे
- for harm, for mischiefNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (dative of purpose)Root दुच्छुनायस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘ill-will, harm, mischief’)
- नि
- down, away (as preverb)Preverb/Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot नि
- षु
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/particle)Root षु
- स्वप
- sleep!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot √स्वप्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): स्तेनम् | रायः | सारमेय | तस्करम् | वा | पुनःसर | स्तोतॄन् | इन्द्रस्य | रायसि | किम् | अस्मान् | दुच्छुनायसे | नि | षु | स्वप । मुख्य सन्धि/संयोग: (1) स्तोतॄन् + इन्द्रस्य → स्तोतॄनिन्द्रस्य (नकार-सन्धि/अनुस्वार-लोप प्रकार)
- (2) किम् + अस्मान् → किमस्मान् (म् + अ → म्-अवस्थापन, पदसंयोग)
- (3) दुच्छुनायसे + नि → दुच्छुनायसे नि (पदसीमा पर; उच्चारण-सम्बन्ध)
- (4) नि + षु → नि षु (निपात-समुच्चय)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The speaker tells the Sārameya dog to chase thieves and robbers instead of harassing Indra’s worshippers, asking why it brings ill-fortune, and commands it to lie down and sleep.
Inner meaning
The reactive guarding energy is to be redirected toward real inner ‘thieves’—forces that steal clarity, joy, and strength (habitual impulses, intrusive thoughts). It must not turn against the aspirant’s own luminous effort (stotṝn indrasya). The mantra is a re-education of the protective function: discriminate the true enemy (darkness/falsehood), stop self-sabotage, and rest in peace.
Universal truth
Discernment must protect what is highest in us. When defense mechanisms attack our own growth, they become misdirected power; liberation comes through right targeting and conscious pacification.
Themes
Apotropaic redirection, Indra-praise protection, Combatting inner thieves (darkness)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha-gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.18, RV 7.23, RV 7.54
Family tradition
A tradition of ‘ordering powers’: aligning subordinate energies to serve the Indra-force (illumined mind).
Significance
Vasiṣṭha here acts as inner governor: he protects the path of Indra (illumination) by correcting the misdirected guardian.
The deity
- Devata
- Sārameya (guardian force) with Indra as inner reference
- Epithets
- Rāya (vocative; ‘O Rāya’ in the verse)
- Related deities
- Indra, Vāstoṣpati, Saramā
Cosmic role
Boundary protector; in right function, serves Indra’s order by keeping out obscuring forces.
Inner power
Defensive prāṇa that can either safeguard aspiration or, when distorted, persecute it as anxiety/self-attack.
In ritual
Where it is used
Night protection and misfortune-aversion within household setting
स्ते॒नं रा॑य सारमेय॒ तस्क॑रं वा पुनःसर । स्तो॒तॄनिन्द्र॑स्य रायसि॒ किम॒स्मान्दु॑च्छुनायसे॒ नि षु स्व॑प ॥
स्ते॒नम् । रा॒य॒ । सा॒र॒मे॒य॒ । तस्क॑रम् । वा॒ । पु॒नः॒ऽस॒र॒ । स्तो॒तॄन् । इन्द्र॑स्य । रा॒य॒सि॒ । किम् । अ॒स्मान् । दु॒च्छु॒न॒ऽय॒से॒ । नि । सु । स्व॒प॒ ॥
stenam | rāya | sārameya | taskaram | vā | punaḥ-sara | stotṝn | indrasya | rāyasi | kim | asmān | ducchuna-yase | ni | su | svapa
32
4 × ~8 (approx.)
Interrogative and corrective in the middle; ends with a decisive pacifying cadence.
Useful for cognitive reorientation: it ‘names’ the true adversary and releases self-directed agitation.
- स्तेन (stena)
- Literal: thief. Symbolic: subconscient habit-force that steals energy and attention
- तस्कर (taskara)
- Literal: robber. Symbolic: violent intrusion—sudden impulses, compulsions, addictive grabs
- पुनःसर (punaḥsara)
- Literal: run back/after again. Symbolic: persistent pursuit of recurring patterns until they are dissolved
- स्तोतॄन् इन्द्रस्य (stotṝn indrasya)
- Literal: praisers of Indra. Symbolic: our illumined will and aspiring thoughts that invoke higher mind
- दुच्छुना (ducchunā)
- Literal: ill-fortune, bad omen. Symbolic: negative suggestion, fear-projection, self-curse
- नि षु स्वप (ni ṣu svapa)
- Literal: lie down; sleep well. Symbolic: cease reactive misfiring; return to quiet stability
Protective charm redirecting aggressive guarding away from the rightful community; psychologically, a formula to redirect suspicion/hostility toward true inner ‘thieves’ (darkness, falsehood).
When fear of theft/inauspiciousness arises; when household or mind feels ‘attacked’.
Recitation as a warding formula; sometimes paired with establishing calm and boundary (closing, sealing).
For intrusive thoughts: label them as ‘thieves’, redirect vigilance, then command the system to rest.
(stena) ‘thief’ (root uncertain; common Indo-Aryan term). (taskara) ‘robber’ likely from √/related ‘to steal’ (later Sanskrit). (ducchunā) ‘ill-fortune’ from dus- ‘bad’ + śuna/śunā (luck/condition; Vedic). Indra as the power of victorious force and luminous mind.
Misidentification of the enemy (inner discernment), Indra as victorious illumination, Stealing forces as ignorance that robs light/joy
Ṛta demands right discrimination: protect the sacrificer (aspiration) and expel the stealers of light.
Truth-seeking is guarded by turning force against falsehood, not against aspiration.
Integral psychological reading: inner battle between illumination and subconscious stealing forces.
night
Thieves = subtle leakages of prāṇa/attention; dog = vigilance; sleep = restoration after right discrimination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘thief/robber’ mythologem: forces that steal away wealth/light are the true targets, not the Indra-praisers. Inner sense: reactive vigilance can turn against the aspirant; it must be redirected to pursue the real inner thieves—falsehood, inertia, and obscuring impulses—then settle into quiet strength.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The opposition of ‘praisers of Indra’ vs. ‘thief/robber’ reflects an IE poetic polarity: aligned community with the storm/victory god versus chaotic predation. While stena/taskara are not securely PIE-traceable, the broader formulaic structure (imperatives, vocatives, binary antagonists) is strongly Indo-European in style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asserts moral-ritual identity (‘we are Indra’s praisers’) to claim immunity; the addressed guardian-force is corrected and pacified. The reciprocity is governance: the human word of truth directs the protective power to its proper function.
Discern and redirect vigilance: protect aspiration (Indra) and disengage from self-harm loops.
manipura
short inhale, long exhale while mentally repeating ‘ni ṣu svapa’ to seal the practice
alert clarity settling into calm
When anxiety attacks your practice: recite once with full meaning, then 11 times only the closing ‘ni ṣu svapa’ to downshift.
Maintain clear accents; let the interrogative ‘kim asmān…’ rise slightly, then resolve downward on ‘ni ṣu svapa’.
Break at sense units: stenaṃ rāya sārameya | taskaraṃ vā punaḥsara | … kim asmān ducchunāyase | ni ṣu svapa.
stenaṃ: clear dental t; anusvāra before n, taskaraṃ: keep sk cluster crisp, stotṝn: long ṝ; avoid ‘stotrin’, ducchunāyase: geminate cch; long ā in nā
corrective, authoritative, then softening at the end
7
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