Rig Veda 8.6.36: Mandala 8, Sukta 6, Mantra 36
Sukta 8.6
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shringara (love)
आ नो याहि परावतो हरिभ्यां हर्यताभ्याम् । इममिन्द्र सुतं पिब ॥
ā́ no yāhi parāváto háribhyāṃ haryatā́bhyām | imám indra sutáṃ piba ||
हे इंद्र, दूर से हमारे पास आ। तुम्हारे पास दो चमकदार ताकतें हैं। यह सोम रस तैयार है, इसको पियो। इससे हमारे अंदर भी ताकत आएगी और हम जीतेंगे।
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towards (preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषक)Root आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- नः
- to us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (enclitic: ‘our/to us’)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (pronominal stem)
- याहि
- come! / go (hither)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot या (धातु: ‘to go’)
- परावतः
- from afarNoun (used adverbially)पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative: ‘from afar’)Role ApādānaRoot परावत् (प्रातिपदिक: ‘far away, distant region’)
- हरिभ्याम्
- with the two bay steedsNounतृतीया, द्विवचनRole KaraṇaRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक: ‘bay/ tawny (steed)’)
- हर्यताभ्याम्
- with the two eager/desirable (ones)Adjectiveतृतीया, द्विवचन (agreeing with हरिभ्याम्)Role KaraṇaRoot हर्यत (प्रातिपदिक; adj. ‘desirable, eager, impetuous’—esp. of horses)
- इमम्
- thisPronoun (demonstrative)द्वितीया, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole KarmaRoot इदम् (pronominal stem)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper name)सम्बोधन, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतम्
- the pressed (Soma)Participle (past passive) used as nounद्वितीया, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्गRole KarmaRoot सु (धातु: ‘to press out’ → क्त-प्रत्यय; सुत ‘pressed’)
- पिब
- drink!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot पा (धातु: ‘to drink’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: आ + नः + याहि | परावतः | हरिभ्याम् + हर्यताभ्याम् | इमम् + इन्द्र + सुतम् + पिब
- Notable: ‘आ’ is a preverb governing the imperative ‘याहि’
- ‘नः’ is enclitic gen./dat. plural (‘to us/our’)
- ‘परावतः’ is abl. sg. used adverbially ‘from afar’
- Instrumental dual pair ‘हरिभ्याम् हर्यताभ्याम्’ describes Indra’s two steeds
- Vocative ‘इन्द्र’ addresses the deity
- ‘सुतम्’ is PPP (kta) from √सु ‘pressed (soma)’, object of ‘पिब’
- Accent marks in the Saṃhitā text are retained in citation but do not change the pada segmentation here
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is invited to come from afar with his two tawny horses and to drink the pressed Soma.
Inner meaning
The seeker calls Indra from the ‘far’ (parāvataḥ): from beyond ordinary mentality into the present field of practice. The two Haris are not merely horses but twin dynamic powers of Indra—swift energies of luminous action (often read as the paired forces that carry illumination into life: thought-force and life-force, or will and understanding). Soma is the pressed delight: distilled bliss/rapture of consciousness offered to the divine Mind so it may awaken victorious strength in us. The mantra is an inner invitation: bring down higher clarity with its swift powers; let it drink the joy we have prepared through discipline.
Universal truth
Transformation requires descent of a higher intelligence into daily life; when delight is purified and offered, it becomes fuel for enlightened action.
Themes
Soma-invitation, arrival-of-Indra, Haris, ecstasy-and-force
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.6.36 (this invitatory), RV 8.2 (multiple Indra-Soma invitations), RV 8.48 (Soma hymns in the same maṇḍala, thematic resonance)
Family tradition
Kaṇvas excel in invitatory Indra-Soma verses: calling the illumined power to ‘drink’ delight so it can act victoriously in the human vessel.
Significance
The seer teaches a practical yoga: prepare Soma (inner delight) and invite the higher Mind with its swift energies to assimilate it and transform action.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Indra, (implicit) Hariyukta (yoked with the Haris)
- Related deities
- Soma (offering and bliss), Agni (pressing/leading the sacrifice), Maruts (storm-powers allied with Indra)
Cosmic role
Receives Soma, becomes mighty, and accomplishes victory—release of light and waters; protector and leader in the battle for truth.
Inner power
Descending illumined intelligence with swift executive energies; capacity to turn delight into force and conquest over inertia.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering invitation (āhvāna) to Indra
आ नो॑ याहि परा॒वतो॒ हरि॑भ्यां हर्य॒ताभ्या॑म् । इ॒ममि॑न्द्र सु॒तं पि॑ब ॥
आ । नः॒ । या॒हि॒ । प॒रा॒ऽवतः॑ । हरि॑ऽभ्याम् । ह॒र्य॒ताभ्या॑म् । इ॒मम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । सु॒तम् । पि॒ब॒ ॥
ā | naḥ | yāhi | parāvataḥ | hari-bhyām | haryatābhyām | imam | indra | sutam | piba
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4 × ~11
Invitatory and kinetic; quick turns suited to calling and receiving.
Energizes and ‘summons’—useful for lifting dullness and invoking clarity.
- ā yāhi
- Literal: come here. Symbolic: invocation for descent of higher consciousness into the active nature
- parāvataḥ
- Literal: from far away, distant regions. Symbolic: from supramental/greater ranges beyond habitual mind
- haribhyām
- Literal: with the two tawny horses. Symbolic: paired dynamic powers that carry illumination into action (swift energies of Indra)
- haryatābhyām
- Literal: golden/tawny, desirable. Symbolic: luminous vital forces purified for divine use
- sutam
- Literal: pressed (Soma). Symbolic: distilled delight/ānanda extracted by inner pressing (discipline)
- piba
- Literal: drink. Symbolic: assimilate the offered bliss so illumination becomes stronger and operative
Clear Soma-invitation (āhvāna): calling Indra to the Soma-pressing; typical of Soma-yāgas (Agnisṭoma/Ukthya/Atirātra sequences).
At Soma pressing/oblation moments; calling Indra to the suta Soma.
Invite, offer, and ‘seat’ the deity; present Soma; recite while offering libation.
Before meditation or demanding work: ‘invite Indra’ (clarity) and ‘offer Soma’ (purified joy) by recalling gratitude and aspiration.
yāhi: √yā ‘to go’ (imperative). parāvataḥ: parā- ‘away, distant’ + -vat (region) → ‘from the far region’. hari: ‘tawny, golden’; Indra’s steeds, psychologically the bright dynamic faculties that bear the force. sutá: past participle of √su ‘to press out’ (Soma). piba: √pā ‘to drink’ (imperative).
descent of divine force from ‘afar’ into the human field, Soma as delight that releases power
Right offering (ṛta) aligns delight with truth so it becomes force, not indulgence.
Soma is to be pressed cleanly—delight purified by truth and aspiration.
Descent-and-assimilation: higher power comes, drinks bliss, and acts in the worlds.
Integral-yogic reading: descent of higher consciousness aided by purified ānanda.
Horses are vital energies harnessed for divine action; Soma is refined bliss; ‘far’ is the higher range of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘coming of Indra’ to drink Soma—divine descent and participation. Mythically, the champion arrives with his Haris; psychologically, the higher force is invited into the seeker’s consciousness to partake of the prepared delight-essence and thereby act.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pā ‘drink’ is PIE *peh₃- ‘to drink’ (cf. Latin bibere shows reduplication; English beverage via Romance). The invitation formula (ā…yāhi…piba) is part of an Indo-European hymn-pragmatics: imperatives that enact presence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi prepares Soma (sutá) and calls Indra to drink; Indra’s acceptance implies empowerment of the sacrificer. The Haris indicate that Indra’s force arrives through dynamic luminous energies that can be harnessed inwardly.
Invite the higher clarity ‘from afar’ into the present breath; offer a refined feeling of joy (Soma) to be assimilated as strength.
maṇipūra (force/energy) and ājñā (illumination)
Inhale: ‘ā no yāhi’; exhale: ‘sutam piba’—feel descent on inhale and assimilation on exhale.
Invocatory, uplifted, energized (dynamic sattva).
Prepare ‘Soma’ by recalling a pure delight (gratitude, devotion); then chant and sit, letting joy become a steady power rather than excitement.
Invitatory udatta peaks on ‘ā́’, ‘yā́hi’, ‘índra’; keep ‘píba’ with clear concluding fall. (Precise accents depend on śākhā notation.)
Let the first pāda be a clear call; slightly quicken on ‘haribhyāṃ haryatābhyām’; pause before ‘imam indra’ then land firmly on ‘sutam piba’.
parāvataḥ: long ā; final ḥ light, haribhyām: bhyām conjunct, do not insert extra vowel, haryatābhyām: palatal ‘rya’ clean; long ā, sutam: short u; dental t, piba: short i; soft ‘ba’
Clear, calling, bright; then warm and offering on the Soma line.
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