Rig Veda 8.68.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 68, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.68
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
तुविशुष्म तुविक्रतो शचीवो विश्वया मते । आ पप्राथ महित्वना ॥
túviśuṣma túvikrato śácīvo víśvayā mate | ā́ paprātha mahitvanā́ ||
इंद्र, आप में बहुत जोश है, बहुत इच्छा शक्ति है। आप शचि के मालिक हो, जो शक्ति का काम करती है। आपकी सोच सब जगह है, इसलिए आपका महत्व बढ़ता जा रहा है।
Word by Word
- तुविशुष्म
- O very-mighty (abounding in strength)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थे/विशेषणरूपेण)Role सम्बोधन (कर्तृ-सम्बोधन) / विशेषणम्Root तुवि- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद ‘बहु, अत्यन्त’) + शुष्म (प्रातिपदिक ‘बल, तेज’)
- तुविक्रतो
- O of very-great resolve/powerAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थे)Role सम्बोधन / विशेषणम्Root तुवि- + क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक ‘क्रतु = शक्ति/संकल्प/यज्ञ-प्रज्ञा’)
- शचीवो
- O possessor of might/skill (powerful)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थे); वैदिक रूप: शचीवो = शचीवन्/शचीवःRole सम्बोधन / विशेषणम्Root शचीवत् (प्रातिपदिक ‘शची = कौशल/शक्ति’; -वत् ‘युक्त’)
- विश्वया
- with all (power), whollyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (साधनम्) / प्रकार-निर्देशRoot विश्व (सर्व) → विश्वा (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)
- मते
- with thought/insight (devotion)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (साधनम्) / हेत्वर्थ-छायाRoot मति (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक ‘मतिः = बुद्धि/विचार/उपासना’)
- आ
- forth, unto; completelyIndeclinableउपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे) / निपातःRole क्रियाविशेषण (आगमन/विस्तार-भाव)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पप्राथ
- has spread/expandedVerbलिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ-क्रिया)Root √प्रथ् (प्रथँ विस्तारे)
- महित्वना
- by (thy) greatness, through majestyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करण (साधनम्) / प्रकारRoot महित्वन (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक ‘महित्व = महानता/महिमा’; तद्धित/भाव-प्रत्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तुविशुष्म | तुविक्रतो | शचीवो | विश्वया | मते | आ | पप्राथ | महित्वना । 1) तुवि- पूर्वपदेन समासाः: तुवि+शुष्म → तुविशुष्म
- तुवि+क्रतु → तुविक्रतु (सम्बोधन-एकवचने ‘-ओ’ रूप: तुविक्रतो)। 2) शचीवत्-शब्दस्य वैदिक सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-एकवचन रूप ‘शचीवो’ (क्लासिकल ‘शचीवन्/शचीवान्’ इत्यादि अपेक्षितम्)। 3) ‘आ’ उपसर्गः √प्रथ्-धातोः लिट्-रूपे ‘पप्राथ’ इत्यनेन योगे ‘आ पप्राथ’ = ‘आ-प्रथ्’ (पूर्ण-विस्तारः) अर्थे।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Indra of mighty ardor and vast power, lord of Śacī, by your all-embracing thought you have expanded by greatness.
Inner meaning
Indra is invoked as tuviśuṣma (immense fiery energy) and tuvikratu (vast effective will/intelligence). Śacī is the power of effective action/skill (often ‘force of realization’ accompanying Indra). Indra’s viśvayā mati (all-encompassing thought) is the luminous mind that widens the being; true greatness is expansion of consciousness, not ego-inflation. The mantra affirms the nature of the divine Mind: it grows by wideness and integrality.
Universal truth
Real power is not mere intensity but intelligent, comprehensive vision that expands capacity and integrates life. Greatness is measured by wideness of consciousness and effectiveness in truth.
Themes
praise, divine-will, expansion-of-consciousness
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.68.1-? (Indra sequence)
Significance
The seer emphasizes Indra’s ‘mati’—a key psychological insight: illumination is not only a flash but an all-embracing thought that widens the nature and makes action effective.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- tuviśuṣma (of immense ardor), tuvikratu (of vast will), śacīvaḥ (possessor of Śacī), viśvayā-mati (of all-embracing thought)
- Related deities
- Śacī (Indrāṇī), Soma, Maruts, Agni
Cosmic role
Expander of the worlds; victor who increases the luminous domain by force and intelligence.
Inner power
Widening illumination; effective will; skillful power that translates vision into victorious action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise within soma/strength invocations (general)
तुवि॑शुष्म॒ तुवि॑क्रतो॒ शची॑वो॒ विश्व॑या मते । आ प॑प्राथ महित्व॒ना ॥
तुवि॑ऽशुष्म । तुवि॑क्रतो॒ इति॒ तुवि॑ऽक्रतो । शची॑ऽवः । विश्व॑या । म॒ते॒ । आ । प॒प्रा॒थ॒ । म॒हि॒ऽत्व॒ना ॥
tuvi-śuṣma | tuvikrato itituvi-krato | śacī-vaḥ | viśvayā | mate | ā | paprātha | mahi-tvanā
33
3 pādas (approx. 11 syllables each)
Compact and declarative; builds a crescendo into ‘mahitvanā’.
Concentrates energy, then opens into a sense of widening; good for invoking ‘effective clarity’ before action.
- शुष्म (śuṣma)
- Literal: ardor, force, energy. Symbolic: fiery dynamism of awakened mind-power
- क्रतु (kratu)
- Literal: will, intention, intelligent power. Symbolic: effective will guided by insight; executive intelligence
- शची (śacī) / शचीवः (śacīvaḥ)
- Literal: (Indra) possessor of Śacī; Śacī as consort. Symbolic: power of skill, effective formation, victorious execution in action
- मति (mati)
- Literal: thought, understanding. Symbolic: luminous discernment; comprehensive ideation that holds many sides
- महित्व (mahitva)
- Literal: greatness. Symbolic: expansion (bṛhat) of consciousness; largeness of being
Stotra-like praise preceding requests in soma ritual: magnifies Indra’s śuṣma/kratu to draw his presence and action.
When seeking expansion, strength, and victorious effectiveness; in Indra-focused recitation sets.
Stotra-like praise to intensify Indra’s presence and force.
Use as an affirmation of ‘wide mind’: before planning, leadership decisions, or creative work to invoke comprehensive vision and effective execution.
śuṣma- is intense dynamic energy (often Indra’s). kratu- is will/intelligence capable of execution—central to Vedic psychology. √prath ‘spread’ (paprātha) expresses cosmic expansion; psychologically, the widening of consciousness. śacī- is efficacy/skill-power, making Indra’s force effective rather than blind.
kratu (effective will) as instrument of ṛta, widening (prath) as growth into brihat
Indra’s effective will supports ṛta by expanding the domain where truth can act.
All-embracing thought is a satya-mati: it sees truly by including rather than excluding.
Expansion of worlds by luminous power; greatness as widening (bṛhat) rather than accumulation.
Integral/psychological: tapas + kratu + mati as coordinated powers of consciousness.
mid-morning (clarity + energetic growth)
spring/early monsoon (expansion and vigor)
Fire = tapas/ardor; sky-expansion = widened awareness; lightning = decisive insight that reorganizes.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘cosmic expansion of the victorious power’: Indra’s all-encompassing thought and greatness cause widening—an archetypal Indra-function where force guided by kratu enlarges the field for light and right action.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √prath corresponds to PIE *pleth₂-/*pr̥th- ‘broad, spread’ (cf. Sanskrit pṛthu ‘broad’). mati- from √man reflects PIE *men- ‘think’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer intensifies Indra’s defining inner powers (śuṣma, kratu, śacī) so that the same expansive greatness may act within the human field.
Rest in ‘viśvayā mati’: hold a problem in awareness, then deliberately widen perspective to include all sides without strain.
ajna (integrative cognition) and sahasrara (wideness)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for steadiness, then one long exhale imagining expansion on ‘ā paprātha’.
From narrow focus to expansive, effective intelligence.
When energy rises (śuṣma), yoke it to kratu (wise will) and mati (wide understanding). Act only after the mind becomes ‘viśvayā’—inclusive and clear.
Chant with Vedic accent discipline; keep compounds clean and evenly segmented.
Stress clarity on tuviśuṣma / tuvikrato as twin powers (energy + will). Let the phrase ā paprātha open in tone as if widening.
tuviśuṣma: palatal ś; retroflex ṣ in śuṣma, tuvikrato: crisp ‘kr’ cluster, śacīvo: long ī; soft ‘v’, mahitvanā: aspirated ‘h’; long ā at end
bright, expansive, assured
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