Rig Veda 8.12.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 12, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.12
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gayatri
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
येना दशग्वमध्रिगुं वेपयन्तं स्वर्णरम् । येना समुद्रमाविथा तमीमहे ॥
yéna daśá-gvam adhrí-guṃ vepáyantaṃ svàrṇaram | yéna samudrám ā́vithā tám īmahe ||
एक ताकत है जिसने दशग्व को हिला दिया, जो पक्का खड़ा था। एक ताकत है जिसने समुंदर पार करवाया। वही ताकत हम माँग रहे हैं।
Word by Word
- येन
- by which / with whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम् (instrumental sg.)Role करणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-
- दशग्वम्
- Daśagva (a seer/companion; the Daśagva)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot दशग्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दश-गु/ग्व’ = ten-cowed/ten-going; epithet)
- अध्रिगुम्
- Adhrigu (a seer/companion)Noun (proper/epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot अध्रिगु (प्रातिपदिक; epithet)
- वेपयन्तम्
- causing to tremble / shakingVerb-participleपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (present active participle, acc. sg.)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root √वेप् (वेपते ‘to tremble’) → causative √वेपय्
- स्वर्णरम्
- Svarṇara (name/epithet; ‘golden/bright one’)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot स्वर्णर (प्रातिपदिक; epithet)
- येन
- by which / with whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम्Role करणRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → य-
- समुद्रम्
- the ocean / seaNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आविथ
- you helped / you protectedVerbलिट् (परोक्सभूत/परफेक्ट), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √अव् (रक्षणे ‘to protect, help’) with preverb आ-
- तम्
- that (one) / himPronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईमहे
- we seek / we imploreVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √यम्/√इ (याचने/गत्यर्थे; Vedic: ‘to seek, ask, implore’) → ईमहे
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (sandhi-resolved): येन | दशग्वम् | अध्रिगुम् | वेपयन्तम् | स्वर्णरम् | येन | समुद्रम् | आविथ | तम् | ईमहे । मुख्य-सन्धि: (1) येना दशग्वम् → येन + दशग्वम् (अकार-सन्धिः; ‘येन’ इति रूपमेव) । (2) समुद्रमाविथा → समुद्रम् + आविथ (म् + आ → मा; परसवर्ण/अनुस्वार-प्रवृत्तिः) । (3) तमीमहे → तम् + ईमहे (म् + ई → मी; संहितायां दीर्घस्वर-प्रभावः) । स्वर-चिह्नाः मन्त्रपाठे यथास्थानं
- पदपाठे सामान्यतः स्वरचिह्न-रहितं रूपं दर्शितम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The hymn seeks that power by which Indra made the Daśagva tremble—Adhrigu, bearer of the light—and by which he helped (one) across the ocean.
Inner meaning
Indra’s force shakes (vepayantam) even the ‘firm-held’ formations (adhrigu)—the rigid knots in the being—so that the light-bringing powers (svarṇara) can emerge. ‘Daśagva’ suggests the disciplined seekers/energies of the sacrifice (tenfold powers) whose effort is intensified by Indra. ‘Crossing the ocean’ is the passage over the vast subconscient sea—habit, inertia, and undifferentiated life-mass—into a stable luminous foundation.
Universal truth
Spiritual advance requires both a catalytic shaking of fixed inner patterns and the power to cross the deep ocean of the subconscious into a new basis of living.
Themes
aid to seers (Daśagvas), light-recovery, ocean-crossing symbolism
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.12.1, Rig Veda 8.12.3, Rig Veda 8.12.4, Rig Veda 8.12.5
Family tradition
Kāṇva-style brief invocations; emphasis on Indra’s enabling force for the ‘workers of the sacrifice’.
Significance
The seer frames Indra not as an outer warrior but as the inner power that mobilizes disciplined energies and carries consciousness across the deep sea of the subconscient.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- helper across the samudra, stirrer (vepayitṛ) of rigid formations
- Related deities
- Soma, Varuṇa (oceanic vastness), Bṛhaspati (opening)
Cosmic role
Force that sets fixed things into motion, enabling the passage from lower waters to higher light.
Inner power
Dynamic illumination that both destabilizes tamasic fixity and protects the crossing into a wider consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma setting; also suitable in rites seeking ‘passage’/protection
येना॒ दश॑ग्व॒मध्रि॑गुं वे॒पय॑न्तं॒ स्व॑र्णरम् । येना॑ समु॒द्रमावि॑था॒ तमी॑महे ॥
येन॑ । दश॑ऽग्वम् । अध्रि॑ऽगुम् । वे॒पऽय॑न्तम् । स्वः॑ऽनरम् । येन॑ । स॒मु॒द्रम् । आवि॑थ । तम् । ई॒म॒हे॒ ॥
yena | daśa-gvam | adhri-gum | vepa-yantam | svaḥ-naram | yena | samudram | āvitha | tam | īmahe
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3 x 8
Energetic, forward-moving; suited to describing action and transition.
Creates a sense of momentum and crossing; supports courage in inner change.
- दशग्व (daśagva)
- Literal: the ‘ten-cowed/ten-stepped’ (a Vedic group). Symbolic: disciplined seekers or the tenfold energies that complete the inner work
- अध्रिगु (adhri-gu)
- Literal: firm-held/unyielding; also a name/epithet. Symbolic: rigid knot of nature held fast; what must be made to move for light to act
- वेपयन्त (vepayanta)
- Literal: causing to tremble. Symbolic: inner awakening shock that loosens rigidity and brings responsiveness
- स्वर्णर (svarṇara / svaḥ-nara)
- Literal: bringing the light of heaven; ‘man of svah’. Symbolic: luminous force/personality that carries higher light into mind-life
- समुद्र (samudra)
- Literal: ocean. Symbolic: subconscient or vast undivided life-mass to be crossed
- आविथ (āvitha)
- Literal: you helped, protected. Symbolic: guiding protection in the perilous transition between states
Soma context: recalling Indra’s aid to seer-companions and his power to cross/overcome the ‘ocean’ of obstruction; used to invoke supportive might in the pressing.
During Soma libations or praise sequences invoking Indra’s aid
Recitation accompanying offering; mental ‘crossing’ intention and protection invocation
Chant when undergoing life transitions, breaking rigid habits, or moving through emotional heaviness; use as a ‘crossing mantra’ before travel/major change.
vepayantam from √vip/√vep ‘to tremble, quiver’ → to set inert force into active vibration. samudra ‘gathering of waters’ (sam-ud-ra) → symbolic of the undifferentiated mass of being/ subconscient waters. daśagva is a traditional Vedic group-name; philologically opaque but often parsed daśa ‘ten’ + gva/go ‘cow/light-ray’ (symbolic justification: go as ray/knowledge). āvith from √av ‘to help, protect’ (PIE *h₂ew- ‘help’ is sometimes proposed; Indo-Iranian support in av-).
release of light (svar), crossing the ocean of the subconscient, awakening inert nature into movement
Indra supports the right transition—movement from obstructed fixity toward the luminous order.
svarṇara indicates truth-light descending into the human instrument.
Crossing primordial waters toward light—microcosmic reenactment of cosmic emergence.
Integral-psychological Vedic symbolism (Aurobindo/Kashyap): ocean as subconscient, crossing as transformation.
Ocean = subconscious depth; trembling = awakening that breaks inertia; svah-light = higher mind/illumination entering the system.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s empowering intervention for the Daśagvas and the ‘crossing/helping through’ the samudra. Mythically it recalls Indra aiding allied seers in light-winning enterprises; psychologically it is the divine Force that shakes fixed formations into motion and carries consciousness over the oceanic subconscient where light is submerged.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vep ‘tremble’ has broad IE parallels in the semantics of quivering/shaking (cf. Latin vepre-/vibr- in later developments of vibration lexicon; direct cognacy is complex but the onomatopoetic IE pattern is common). √av ‘help’ is a stable Indo-Iranian support-verb with functional parallels across IE ‘aid’ roots. samudra as a compound typifies early IE poetic geography: ‘gathered waters’ as cosmic boundary/foundation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi cites precedent: Indra has already acted as helper of the light-seekers and as the one who enables passage through the vast waters. By invoking ‘that power’ (tam), the rishi asks to participate in the same efficacy—Indra’s might becomes a transferable capacity within the aspirant’s journey.
Feel Indra as the inner force that loosens rigid patterns and carries you across subconscious waves into a stable luminous poise.
maṇipūra (force to break inertia) / ājñā (guiding light)
4-4 breathing (inhale 4, exhale 4) while sensing ‘waves’; chant on exhale, imagining a steady crossing.
Transition-state: alert, protected, steadily advancing.
Name one ‘rigid’ habit (adhrigu). On ‘vepayantam’, allow a gentle inner shake—drop identification. On ‘samudram āvitha’, rest in trust and wideness, as if carried across.
Rigvedic accents with lifts on key action-words (vepayantam, samudram).
Keep pāda breaks clear; let the second pāda swell slightly to mirror ‘ocean’ imagery.
daśagvam: pronounce ś as palatal, not dental, adhriguṃ: keep dh+r cluster; nasalize final ṃ, vepayantam: ‘ve’ longish, keep ‘ya’ clear, samudram: light ‘d’ (not retroflex)
Wave-like, resonant; firm articulation without harshness.
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