Rig Veda 8.64.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 64, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.64
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
त्वमीशिषे सुतानामिन्द्र त्वमसुतानाम् । त्वं राजा जनानाम् ॥
tvám ī́śiṣe sutā́nām índra tvám ásutānām | tváṁ rājā́ jánānām ||
इंद्र, तुम उन लोगों के ऊपर राज करते हो जो सोम पीते हैं और उन लोगों पे भी जो नहीं पीते। तुम लोगों के राजा हो। तुम सबपे हक़ रखते हो।
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thou, youPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (त्रिलिङ्ग), प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईशिषे
- you rule / you are lordVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root ईश् (धातु) ‘to rule, be master’
- सुतानाम्
- of the pressed (Soma-draughts)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √सु ‘to press (Soma)’ → सुत ‘pressed (Soma)’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounत्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- असुतानाम्
- of the unpressed (Soma-draughts)Noun/Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root असुत (नञ्-समास; अ- + सुत) ‘unpressed (Soma)’
- त्वम्
- youPronounत्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- राजा
- kingNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृ-समनाधिकरण (विशेष्य/विधेय-भावः)Root राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- जनानाम्
- of peoples / of menNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root जन (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: त्वम् | ईशिषे | सुतानाम् | इन्द्र | त्वम् | असुतानाम् | त्वम् | राजा | जनानाम् ।
- ‘इन्द्र’ सम्बोधन-रूपम्। उच्चारणचिह्नाः (॑) मन्त्रपाठे उदात्त/स्वरित-सूचकाः, पदच्छेदे रूपपरिवर्तनं न कुर्वन्ति।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra rules both those who have pressed Soma and those who have not; he is king over the peoples.
Inner meaning
The illumined Divine Mind (Indra) governs both the parts of us that actively prepare the delight of consciousness (Soma “pressed” = consciously distilled aspiration and joy) and the parts not yet prepared or awakened. Indra’s kingship is sovereignty over all ‘peoples’ within—thoughts, impulses, senses, and life-forces—until the whole being comes under a single luminous governance.
Universal truth
True inner sovereignty is not partial: the light must rule both the awakened and the unawakened zones of nature; spiritual leadership integrates the whole psyche, not only its refined segments.
Themes
Indra kingship, Soma pressing (suta), universal mastery
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.64.1-2, Rig Veda 8.64.4-7
Significance
The anonymity itself suits the psychological reading: the mantra speaks from a generalized human collectivity seeking the reign of illumination over all inner states, not from a strongly individualized rishi-voice.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- īśa (lord) implied by īśiṣe, rājā (king), maghavan (bounteous) contextually in Indra cycle
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions, establisher of luminous order, leader of the gods in the battle for the Light.
Inner power
Illuminating intelligence and victorious will in the mind that subdues confusion and integrates the personality.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma-yajña context (general)
त्वमी॑शिषे सु॒ताना॒मिन्द्र॒ त्वमसु॑तानाम् । त्वं राजा॒ जना॑नाम् ॥
त्वम् । ई॒शि॒षे॒ । सु॒ताना॑म् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । त्वम् । असु॑तानाम् । त्वम् । राजा॑ । जना॑नाम् ॥
tvam | īśiṣe | sutānām | indra | tvam | asutānām | tvam | rājā | janānām
32
4 pādas of ~8 syllables (reconstructed)
Compact, declarative, sovereign cadence.
Instills a sense of inner kingship and steady authority; good for affirmational japa.
- tvam īśiṣe
- Literal: you rule / have lordship. Symbolic: the higher consciousness exercises mastery over the nature
- sutānām
- Literal: of those who have pressed (Soma). Symbolic: states that have consciously prepared delight/illumination through discipline and offering
- asutānām
- Literal: of those who have not pressed. Symbolic: unprepared, inert, or subconscient parts not yet participating in the inner sacrifice
- rājā
- Literal: king. Symbolic: central sovereign power that harmonizes and commands the faculties
- janānām
- Literal: of the peoples. Symbolic: the many inner ‘tribes’—mental, vital, physical movements in the being
Affirmation of Indra’s universal lordship; suitable as a framing verse in Indra hymns regardless of the sacrificer’s stage—pressed or not pressed.
During Indra praises in Soma pressing sequences; also suitable in daily recitation as a sovereignty-invocation
Stuti (praise) to invite Indra’s force to govern the sacrifice
Use as a daily resolve: invite the higher mind to rule both disciplined and undisciplined parts of one’s nature.
√īś ‘rule, possess’ (related to īśa ‘lord’). suta- from √su ‘press (Soma)’ (PIE *seuH- ‘press/drive’ debated; Indo-Iranian Soma pressing lexicon is specialized). rājā- from √rāj ‘shine, rule’ (PIE *h₃reǵ- ‘rule’; cf. Latin rēx). jana- from √jan (PIE *ǵenh₁-). The antithesis sutānām / asutānām expresses sovereignty over both prepared and unprepared states—psychologically, over conscious and yet-unconsecrated parts of the being.
universal governance of consciousness-states, integration of prepared and unprepared parts of the being
Indra’s ‘kingship’ implies restoration of ṛta across all inner provinces.
Truth-governance that does not exclude the shadowed parts; it claims them for transformation.
Integration of multiplicity (janāḥ) under a single luminous principle.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral yoga-friendly psychological monism (Aurobindo-style interpretation)
Soma as distilled delight/illumination: ‘pressed’ = consciously extracted through practice; ‘unpressed’ = latent delight still concealed in the subconscient.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as universal king: his sovereignty extends over both the consecrated (Soma-pressed) and the unconsecrated (unpressed). Inner sense: the divine Force governs not only the awakened, offering parts of us but also the still unprepared regions—drawing the whole people of the being under one rulership toward Rita.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājā reflects PIE *h₃reǵ- ‘rule’ (rex/raj- is a flagship IE cognate set). jana- from PIE *ǵenh₁-. The balanced parallelism (tvam… tvam… tvam…) is a characteristic Indo-European poetic device of anaphora for emphasis and totalization.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not bargain from ritual merit alone; he acknowledges Indra’s lordship even beyond the domain of the prepared sacrifice. This widens devotion into a psychology of surrender: Indra is invited to rule the entirety of life—both offered and not yet offered.
Offer all inner ‘peoples’ to the governance of the illumined mind; include even resistant habits.
ājñā (brow)
Slow inhale on tvam…; exhale on rājā janānām, feeling a settling of inner order.
Collected, witness-like clarity with a sense of inner command.
Name the parts of you that are ‘pressed’ (disciplined) and ‘unpressed’ (untrained); invoke Indra to rule both without rejection, then act from the clarified center.
Use standard Rigvedic accenting as marked; key udatta on ī́ in īśiṣe; keep svarita transitions smooth (exact pada svara not fully specified in prompt).
Hold udatta slightly higher and brighter; do not over-stress enclitics like tvam when repeated—let the verb and key nouns carry weight.
ī in īśiṣe is long; keep it clear, sutānām / asutānām: dental t, not retroflex, rājā: long ā at end, janānām: soft j, long ā
Steady, kingly, centered tone; minimal ornamentation.
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