Rig Veda 8.3.18: Mandala 8, Sukta 3, Mantra 18
Sukta 8.3
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
इमे हि ते कारवो वावशुर्धिया विप्रासो मेधसातये । स त्वं नो मघवन्निन्द्र गिर्वणो वेनो न शृणुधी हवम् ॥
imé hí te kārávo vāvaśúr dhiyā́ víprāso medhá-sātaye | sá tváṃ no maghavann indra girvaṇo venó na śṛṇudhī́ hávam ||
यह गाने वाले लोग तुम्हारे लिए आवाज़ उठा रहे हैं। यह बुद्धि वाले लोग समझ पाना चाहते हैं। इंद्र, तुम बड़े दानी हो और भजन पसंद करते हो। हमारी पुकार सुनो, जैसे कोई प्यार वाला सुनता है।
Word by Word
- इमे
- thesePronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (स्तुतिकर्तारः)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed / forIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Root हि (निपात)
- ते
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचनम् (सम्बन्धे)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root त्वद् (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- कारवः
- singers / poetsNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot कारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वावशुः
- have eagerly desired / have longedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role क्रिया (कर्तृ-क्रिया)Root √वाश्/√ववश् (इच्छायाम्/तृष्णायाम्; वैदिक)
- धिया
- with (their) thought / inspirationNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role करणRoot धी (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
- विप्रासः
- inspired seersNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (कारवः इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)Root विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मेधासातये
- for the winning of wisdom / intelligenceNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम् (दत्त्यर्थे)Role सम्प्रदानRoot मेधा-साति (समासः; मेधा + साति)
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (त्वम् इत्यस्य पूर्वनिर्देशः)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (त्वद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our / of usPronounषष्ठी बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक; ‘our’)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful oneNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- गिर्वणः
- O lover of hymns / praised by songsAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot गिर्वणस्/गिर्वण (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्तुतिप्रिय’)
- वेनः
- like a longing one / like a wooerNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role उपमान (यथा-तथा)Root वेन (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमानार्थे अव्ययम्Root न (उपमानार्थक-अव्यय)
- शृणुधि
- hear! / listen!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यम पुरुषः एकवचनम्Role क्रिया (आह्वान/आज्ञा)Root √श्रु (श्रवणे)
- हवम्
- the call / invocationNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इमे हि ते कारवः वावशुः धिया विप्रासः मेधासातये । सः त्वं नः मघवन् इन्द्र गिर्वणः वेनः न शृणुधि हवम् ॥ प्रमुख-सन्धिः: (1) वावशुः+धिया → वावशुर्धिया (विसर्ग-रेफः ‘ः’ + ध-)
- (2) मेधासा+आतये → मेधासातये (आ + आ → आ; दीर्घ-सन्धि)
- (3) नो+मघवन् → नो मघवन् (ओ + म्; पदान्त ‘नः’ का रूप ‘नो’ वैदिक-प्रयोग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The singers cry aloud with inspired thought for the winning of intelligence; they ask Indra, lover of hymns, to hear their call like a yearning lover.
Inner meaning
The illumined seekers (viprāsaḥ) project inspired thought (dhī) as a living call to Indra so that medhā—integral intelligence and discernment—may be won. Indra is ‘girvaṇas’, the power that responds to true vibration (mantra) and right articulation. The simile ‘like a lover’ (veno na) indicates intimate, heart-felt aspiration: revelation answers not mechanical ritual but sincere longing joined to luminous thought.
Universal truth
Knowledge is not merely acquired; it is won by a union of clear aspiration and devoted calling—truth responds to sincerity and right vibration.
Themes
hearing-the-call, medhā attainment, devotional-longing, Indra girvaṇaḥ
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (Kaṇvāḥ) tradition (probable)
- Lineage
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.3 (Indra), RV 8.6 (Kaṇva Indra praises), RV 1.62 (release of cows/light—shared Kaṇva themes)
Family tradition
Kaṇva hymns frequently emphasize dhī (inspired thought) and the efficacy of mantra as a force that brings the gods—i.e., higher powers—near.
Significance
The seer-line treats song as a yoga of speech: right vibration + aspiration yields medhā and victory over obscurity.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maghavan (bountiful), girvaṇa (lover of hymns)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (speech/inspiration), Agni (will that carries the offering), Soma (delight that intensifies dhī)
Cosmic role
Giver of luminous intelligence; protector of the inspired; responder to the true call.
Inner power
Active illumination that hears and answers when thought (dhī) is clear and the heart is ardent.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise-invocation preceding Soma offering; common in Indra śastra contexts (general)
इ॒मे हि ते॑ का॒रवो॑ वाव॒शुर्धि॒या विप्रा॑सो मे॒धसा॑तये । स त्वं नो॑ मघवन्निन्द्र गिर्वणो वे॒नो न शृ॑णुधी॒ हव॑म् ॥
इ॒मे । हि । ते॒ । का॒रवः॑ । वा॒व॒शुः । धि॒या । विप्रा॑सः । मे॒धऽसा॑तये । सः । त्वम् । नः॒ । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । गि॒र्व॒णः॒ । वे॒नः । न । शृ॒णु॒धि॒ । हव॑म् ॥
ime | hi | te | kāravaḥ | vāvaśuḥ | dhiyā | viprāsaḥ | medha-sātaye | saḥ | tvam | naḥ | magha-van | indra | girvaṇaḥ | venaḥ | na | śṛṇudhi | havam
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4 × ~11
Oratorical and expansive; suitable for declarative praise followed by petition.
Opens the throat/inner hearing; creates a sense of being ‘heard’ by a higher Presence.
- कारवः (kāravaḥ)
- Literal: singers/poets. Symbolic: faculties that shape inner speech and aspiration
- वावशुः (vāvaśuḥ)
- Literal: cried aloud, called repeatedly. Symbolic: persistent inner invocation, the soul’s insistence
- धिया (dhiyā)
- Literal: by inspired thought. Symbolic: illumined intelligence (dhī) that opens revelation
- विप्रासः (viprāsaḥ)
- Literal: seers, inspired ones. Symbolic: parts of consciousness capable of insight
- मेधसातये (medhasātaye)
- Literal: for winning medhā. Symbolic: for attaining integrated understanding and right discernment
- गिर्वणः (girvaṇaḥ)
- Literal: delighting in hymns. Symbolic: responds to mantra-vibration; the divine power drawn by true speech
- हवम् (havam)
- Literal: call, invocation. Symbolic: the soul’s call that invites descent
- वेनः (venaḥ)
- Literal: lover/ardent one; also ‘desiring’. Symbolic: yearning devotion that makes knowledge intimate
Call-and-response moment in Soma rite: emphasizing the necessity of Indra’s ‘hearing’ and the sincerity (vena) of aspiration for medhā.
During stotra/śastra sequences when inviting Indra to attend the hymn and accept Soma.
Recitation by singers; intensifying the call for divine attention and gift of medhā.
Use before study/meditation: chant to align speech and thought, then sit in receptive listening for intuitive guidance.
vāvaśuḥ from √vaś ‘desire, wish’ (reduplicated perfect intensifies longing). √śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear’, cf. Greek klúō, Slavic slušati) underscores the archaic auditory theology: gods are ‘those who hear’. girvaṇas epithet frames Indra as responsive to mantra. vena- ‘desire/longing’ connects to the psychological key: aspiration itself becomes the bridge.
medhā (luminous intelligence) as attainment, aspiration (vena) as spiritual eros, divine responsiveness to mantra
Right utterance aligned with ṛta becomes a channel for Indra’s truth-force.
Medhā is a form of satya in mind—truth-recognition rather than opinion.
Speech as a formative power that calls down higher knowledge into the mental field.
Mantra-psychology: Vāc and dhī as instruments of realization (Aurobindo’s ‘Word’ as force).
The ‘cry’ is the rising vibration of aspiration; ‘hearing’ is the opening of inner receptivity where illumination answers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘god who hears’ mythologem: Indra’s epiphany is mediated by hearing the havam. Innerly, it is the opening of the higher force to the soul’s sincere longing, enabling medhā (right intelligence) to be won.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru aligns with PIE *ḱleu̯- and supports the IE motif of fame/hearing (kleos). The simile ‘like a lover’ (venaḥ na) uses affective analogy, common in archaic poetry to translate cosmic relation into human psychology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishis present themselves as ‘your singers’—belonging to Indra—so the bond is intimate. They offer dhī and longing; Indra is asked to respond by hearing and granting medhā, completing the circuit of inspiration and power.
Unite dhī (clear thought) with bhakti (yearning) so the higher mind can ‘hear’ and respond within.
viśuddha (mantric speech) supporting ājñā (insight)
Nādī-śodhana 6 rounds, then chant once; pause to ‘listen’ inwardly after each pāda.
Receptive clarity—quiet mind with a warm heart.
Chant as if calling a beloved light: keep meaning in the heart; after chanting, remain still and watch for a gentle brightening of understanding (medhā) rather than discursive thinking.
Rigvedic accenting; emphasize udātta on key nouns (dhiyā, viprāsaḥ, indra) and keep enclitics light.
Do not over-stress particles (hi, na); let the melodic lift fall on semantic peaks (medhasātaye, girvaṇo, havam).
kāravo: long ā; avoid ‘karavo’ short, vāvaśuḥ: vāv- as repeated call; ś pronounced palatal, medhasātaye: keep dh aspirated; long ā in sā, girvaṇo: retroflex ṇ; avoid dental n, śṛṇudhī: ṛ vocalic; dhī long ī
Clear, resonant, slightly tender; end with a listening pause.
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