Rig Veda 8.6.39: Mandala 8, Sukta 6, Mantra 39
Sukta 8.6
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
मन्दस्वा सु स्वर्णर उतेन्द्र शर्यणावति । मत्स्वा विवस्वतो मती ॥
mándasvā sú svaḥnáre uténdra śaryaṇā́vati | mátsvā vívasvato matī́ ||
हे इंद्र, खुश हो जाओ। तू आसमान का हीरो है। सोम की पूरी लाइन मिल गई है, इसका मज़ा ले। रोशनी वाले रिशि की सोच से भर जाओ। यह रोशनी तुम्हे अंदर से जगाये।
Word by Word
- मन्दस्व
- be exhilarated / become joyfulVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; (मन्द्/मद्-भावे) ‘हर्षित/मत्त हो’Root मन्द् (धातु) / मन्द (प्रातिपदिक) → मन्दस्व (आत्मनेपद-आज्ञार्थ)
- सु
- well, thoroughlyIndeclinableअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगRoot सु (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- स्वर्णरः
- O golden/bright one (Indra)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थे/विशेषणरूपे इन्द्रस्य)Role Kartā (सम्बोधन-विशेषण) / संबोधनRoot स्वर्णर (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-प्रायः ‘सु-वर्ण/स्वर्ण-युक्त’)
- उत
- and, alsoIndeclinableअव्यय; समुच्चय/अधिकरणार्थ ‘और/भी’Root उत (निपात)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- शर्यणावति
- in/at Sharyanāvatī (the Sharyanāvat place/stream)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (अव्यक्त-स्थान/नदी/सरः इत्यादि) ‘शर्यण-युक्ते’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot शर्यणावत् (प्रातिपदिक; -वत् प्रत्यय ‘युक्त/सम्पन्न’)
- मत्स्व
- rejoice / be intoxicated (with Soma)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘मत्त/हर्षित हो’Root मद् (धातु) → मत्स्व (आत्मनेपद-आज्ञार्थ)
- विवस्वतः
- of Vivasvat (the shining one, Sun)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Apādāna (स्रोत/उद्गम-भावे) / सम्बन्धRoot विवस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘प्रकाशमान/सूर्य’)
- मती
- in/with the hymn-thought (inspired praise)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (वेदिक-प्रयोगे; ‘मती’ = ‘मतौ’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot मती (प्रातिपदिक; मति- ‘विचार/स्तुति/प्रेरणा’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): मन्दस्व | सु | स्वर्णरः | उत | इन्द्र | शर्यणावति | मत्स्व | विवस्वतः | मती । 1) मन्दस्वा → मन्दस्व (लोट्) + आ (प्लुत/स्वर-प्रयोग; संहितायां दीर्घता/स्वरचिह्न). 2) स्वर्णर उतेन्द्र → स्वर्णरः + उत + इन्द्र (विसर्ग-लोपः/रेफ-प्रयोगः संहितायाम्). 3) शर्यणावति | मत्स्वा → मत्स्व (लोट्) + आ (संहितायां दीर्घ/स्वर-चिह्न). 4) मती (वेदिक) = मतौ (सप्तमी एकवचन) इति प्राचीन-रूपम्. उच्चारण-स्वरचिह्नाः (॑/॒) संहितापाठानुसारं
- पदपाठे सामान्यतः स्वर-चिह्न-निरपेक्षः पदरूपम् दर्शितम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is urged to become joyful and intoxicated; he is called the hero of the luminous heaven, and asked to rejoice in śaryaṇā-abundance and in the inspired thought of Vivasvat.
Inner meaning
The mantra invites the illumined Mind to enter a state of divine gladness (mada) so it may act powerfully in the seeker. ‘Su svarṇara’ points to Indra as the hero moving in the luminous plane (svar). ‘Śaryaṇā’ suggests a fullness/flow of sustaining energies—an abundant condition of delight and strength in which illumination thrives. ‘Vivasvat’ (the radiant) indicates the solar truth-consciousness; its ‘matī’ (inspired thought/vision) is the luminous intuition that intoxicates Indra—i.e., makes the mind dynamic, courageous, and victorious in us.
Universal truth
Right action arises when intelligence is not dry but suffused with joy and inspiration; illumination becomes effective when it drinks deeply of the radiant intuition.
Themes
Soma-ecstasy, solar-illumination, Indra-hero, inspired-thought
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.6 (hymn context), RV 1.52 (Indra and luminous victory motifs), RV 8.3 (Kāṇva Indra invocations)
Family tradition
Kāṇva diction often couples Indra’s ‘mada’ with solar imagery (svar, vivasvat), indicating a psychology of inspired, victorious intelligence.
Significance
The seer’s emphasis is not mere intoxication but a transfiguring joy—Indra’s delight in solar-inspired thought becomes the engine of inner conquest.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Su svarṇara (hero of the luminous heaven), Joyful/intoxicated one (matsva), Warrior of light
- Related deities
- Vivasvat (solar radiance), Soma, Uṣas (implied dawn-to-solar continuum)
Cosmic role
Receives Soma, grows in power, and uses illumination to overcome the coverer; mediates between solar truth and human aspiration.
Inner power
Dynamic, courageous intelligence energized by delight and inspired intuition (matī).
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma invocation at pressing; encouragement for Indra to drink and empower the rite
मन्द॑स्वा॒ सु स्व॑र्णर उ॒तेन्द्र॑ शर्य॒णाव॑ति । मत्स्वा॒ विव॑स्वतो म॒ती ॥
मन्द॑स्व । सु । स्वः॑ऽनरे । उ॒त । इ॒न्द्र॒ । श॒र्य॒णाऽव॑ति । मत्स्व॑ । विव॑स्वतः । म॒ती ॥
mandasva | su | svaḥ-nare | uta | indra | śaryaṇāvati | matsva | vivasvataḥ | matī
44
4 × ~11 syllables; confirm by detailed syllabification with saṃhitā phonetics.
Exhortative, uplifting; the cadence supports ‘invocation + surge of joy’.
Elicits brightness and enthusiasm; useful to shift from mental dullness to inspired clarity.
- मन्दस्व (mandasva)
- Literal: be glad, become exhilarated. Symbolic: enter divine joy that empowers action and victory
- स्वः-नर (svaḥ-nara)
- Literal: hero/man of heaven (svar). Symbolic: power of luminous mind operating in the higher clarity
- शर्यणावति (śaryaṇāvati)
- Literal: having śaryaṇā; in abundance/with plenty. Symbolic: fullness of supportive energies; rich condition for the growth of illumination and delight
- मत्स्व (matsva)
- Literal: be intoxicated, rejoice. Symbolic: let the mind be possessed by higher inspiration rather than lower impulse
- विवस्वतः (vivasvataḥ)
- Literal: of Vivasvat, the radiant sun. Symbolic: solar truth, radiant consciousness, source of intuitive light
- मती (matī)
- Literal: thought, inspired vision. Symbolic: illumined intuition (kavi-vision) that guides transformation
Soma exhilaration formulae; urging Indra to take joy in the Soma-mixture and in the inspired vision associated with solar radiance (Vivasvat).
During Soma offerings, especially where Indra is urged to accept Soma and grant strength; also suitable for personal japa before study/decision-making.
Offering Soma, recitation as invitatory/strengthening verse.
Use to kindle ‘joyful clarity’ before creative work, teaching, leadership, or difficult conversations—invoking inspired intelligence rather than reactive force.
mandasva/matsva: from √mand/√mad ‘to be exhilarated, rejoice, be intoxicated’ (Soma-ecstasy; inwardly, divine delight-force). svaḥ: heaven/light-world. nara: ‘man/hero’. vivasvat: ‘the shining one’ from vi- + √vas ‘to shine, dwell’ (radiant solar power). śaryaṇā: difficult RV word; often treated as a richness/refreshment connected with Soma; here glossed as ‘abundance of sustaining delight’ to preserve inner coherence.
ānanda-like delight as power-source (mad/mand), illumined cognition (mati) from the radiant principle
When Indra is gladdened by solar matī, action aligns with r̥ta rather than egoic impulse.
Vivasvat signifies truth-light; the mind becomes effective when it is ‘intoxicated’ with that light.
Solar radiance as a generative principle that quickens mind into victorious force.
Integral Vedism: delight and illumination are mutually reinforcing powers of consciousness.
morning to midday (dawn-to-solar rise implied)
From awakening brightness to steady solar clarity—joy becomes the fuel of illumined action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s Soma-intoxication as the condition for victorious action. Mythically, Soma fuels Indra; psychologically, divine delight (mad/mand) energizes the will-force, while Vivasvat’s radiance supplies illumined mati—together enabling conquest over inner darkness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad ‘rejoice/intoxicate’ has Indo-European parallels in the semantic field of exhilaration (cf. English mad with shifted sense). Vivasvat as ‘radiant’ aligns with widespread IE solar epithets. The hymn fuses delight (mad) and light (svaḥ/vivasvat), a recurrent IE pairing of brightness and vitality.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi urges Indra to enter a state of divine gladness through Soma and through solar-inspired thought. The reciprocity is that Indra’s exhilaration becomes the seeker’s empowerment: the god’s joy turns into effective force within the human field.
Invoke Indra as ‘joyful clarity’: let the mind drink the ‘Soma’ of gratitude and the ‘solar matī’ of intuition; then act from that state.
Ājñā (intuition) with Anāhata (joyful openness)
Inhale imagining solar light filling the brow; exhale offering the heart’s delight upward; keep a gentle ‘smile of breath’ to support manda (gladness).
Brightened manas → illumined buddhi; a sattvic exhilaration.
If dullness arises: (1) recall a truth that inspires (vivasvat-matī), (2) savor it as Soma, (3) let joy spread, (4) decide/act immediately from that uplift.
Follow saṃhitā accents (,, etc.); keep the imperative verbs (mandasva, matsva) energized without rushing.
Let ‘mandasva’ open the tone (uplift), and ‘matsva’ peak slightly; maintain clarity on compound ‘svaḥ-nare’.
: pronounce visarga ‘ḥ’ softly before ‘n’; do not drop it entirely, : ‘ś’ palatal; ‘ṇ’ retroflex; keep ‘ā’ long, : articulate ‘viva-sva-taḥ’ with clear ‘va’
Bright, smiling resonance; avoid heaviness—this is a ‘gladdening’ call.
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