Rig Veda 8.98.3: Mandala 8, Sukta 98, Mantra 3
Sukta 8.98
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh or similar short meter
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
विभ्राजञ्ज्योतिषा स्वरगच्छो रोचनं दिवः । देवास्त इन्द्र सख्याय येमिरे ॥
vi-bhrā́jan jyótiṣā svàr agaccho rocanáṃ diváḥ | devā́s ta indra sakhyā́ya yemire ||
तुम रोशनी लेकर चमक रहे हो, आसमान के उजाले जगह गए हो। देवता, इंद्र, तुम्हारा साथ पकड़ के तुम्हारे साथ खड़े हैं, जैसे कोई दोस्त बनता है।
Word by Word
- वि
- apart, forth (intensifying/separative prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root वि- (उपसर्ग)
- भ्राजन्
- shining, blazingVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ) → भ्राजन्; प्रथमा एकवचन (पुं.) (सम्बोधन/कर्तरि प्रयोगः)Role KartāRoot भ्राज् (धातु)
- ज्योतिषा
- with light, by radianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वः
- to heaven, to the sunlit skyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (गन्तव्य-देशः)Role KarmaRoot स्वर्/स्वः (प्रातिपदिक)
- अगच्छः
- you went, you reachedVerbलुङ् (अorist); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot गम् (धातु)
- रोचनम्
- the shining realm, luminous worldNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot रोचन (प्रातिपदिक; √रुच् ‘shine’)
- दिवः
- of heaven, of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRoot दिव्/द्यौस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- to/for you; (here) yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचन (enclitic) अथवा चतुर्थी एकवचन; अत्र ‘तव’ (gen.)Role SampradānaRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सख्याय
- for friendship, for companionshipNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot सख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- येमिरे
- they have restrained/held fast; they have devoted themselvesVerbपरफेक्ट (लिट्); तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRoot यम् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: वि॒भ्राज॒ञ्ज्योति॑षा॒ स्व१॒॑रग॑च्छो रोच॒नं दि॒वः । दे॒वास्त॑ इन्द्र स॒ख्याय॑ येमिरे ॥ पद-विच्छेदः: वि | भ्राजन् | ज्योतिषा | स्वः | अगच्छः | रोचनम् | दिवः | देवाः | ते | इन्द्र | सख्याय | येमिरे । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) विभ्राजन् + ज्योतिषा → विभ्राजञ्ज्योतिषा (न् + ज् = ञ्ज्)
- (2) स्वः + अगच्छः → स्वरगच्छः (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः स्वर्-रूपेण)
- (3) देवाः + ते → देवास्ते (विसर्गस्य ‘स्’ आदेशः तकारादौ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Shining with light, you went to the luminous realm of heaven; the gods, O Indra, have bound themselves to you in comradeship.
Inner meaning
Indra, radiating with consciousness-light (jyotis), ascends/arrives at svah—the luminous world (rocanaṃ divaḥ), symbolizing the attainment of a higher mental/heavenly plane in the yogic ascent. When that illumination is established, the devās—our divine faculties and powers—enter into sakhyā (comradeship) with Indra: they consent to be organized by the victorious illumined Mind. The inner meaning is integration: illumination first, then alliance of all powers for a unified spiritual action.
Universal truth
When a person stabilizes in higher illumination, inner capacities naturally coordinate around that light, producing harmony and effective spiritual progress.
Themes
Ascent to light, Divine alliance, Illumination
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.98 (sequence emphasizing Indra’s greatness and luminous ascent)
Significance
The rishi articulates a key inner-sadhana movement: ascent into svah (higher luminous mind) and consequent integration of all powers—an experiential map of transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vibhrājan (shining forth), jyotiṣmat (full of light), svargāmī (goer to svah, implied), sakhā (friend/leader in comradeship, implied)
- Related deities
- Ādityas (luminous powers), Maruts (forces that accompany Indra), Sūrya (light)
Cosmic role
Leader of the gods who moves in the luminous heaven and draws other powers into alliance.
Inner power
Illumined leadership that unifies the faculties; a radiant center of conscious coordination.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise of Indra’s ascent to svar and alliance with gods; recitable in stotra sequences emphasizing divine cooperation
वि॒भ्राज॒ञ्ज्योति॑षा॒ स्व१॒॑रग॑च्छो रोच॒नं दि॒वः । दे॒वास्त॑ इन्द्र स॒ख्याय॑ येमिरे ॥
वि॒ऽभ्राज॑न् । ज्योति॑षा । स्वः॑ । अग॑च्छः । रो॒च॒नम् । दि॒वः । दे॒वाः । ते॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । स॒ख्याय॑ । ये॒मि॒रे॒ ॥
vi-bhrājan | jyotiṣā | svaḥ | agacchaḥ | rocanam | divaḥ | devāḥ | te | indra | sakhyāya | yemire
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4 pādas of ~8 syllables; smooth narrative flow
Light, ascending, and cohesive—mirrors the movement to svah and the binding of powers.
Gives a sense of elevation and inner unification; calming yet uplifting.
- ज्योतिषा (jyotiṣā)
- Literal: with light. Symbolic: consciousness-illumination; clarity and revelation
- स्वः (svaḥ)
- Literal: heaven, luminous world. Symbolic: higher plane of mind; wide luminous consciousness
- रोचनम् दिवः (rocanam divaḥ)
- Literal: the shining realm of heaven. Symbolic: domain of luminous truth-vision in the mind
- देवाः (devāḥ)
- Literal: gods. Symbolic: inner powers/faculties (illumination, harmony, force, joy, etc.)
- सख्याय (sakhyāya)
- Literal: for friendship/comradeship. Symbolic: integration and consent of the parts of being under the leading light
- येमिरे (yemire)
- Literal: they bound/linked themselves. Symbolic: self-offering and alignment of faculties to the central illumined will
Praise of Indra’s ascent to svar and alliance with gods; recitable in stotra sequences emphasizing divine cooperation
Indra praise; suitable as a concluding verse after invocations to seal ‘allied powers’ in a rite
Stuti that affirms Indra’s luminous station and the concord of devas
Use after meditation to integrate insights—‘let all my parts consent to the light’.
vi-bhrāj from √bhrāj ‘shine’ (PIE *bʰreg- ‘shine, bright’ possible; cf. Slavic ‘breg’? uncertain); jyotis from √dyut ‘shine’ semantic field; rocaná from √ruc ‘shine’; divaḥ from dyu ‘sky, day’ (PIE *dyeu-); sakhya from sakhā ‘friend’; yemire from √yam ‘restrain, yoke, hold’ (PIE *yem- ‘hold’).
Svar/rocanam as plane of illumination, Divine collaboration (sakhyā) as integration of powers, Ascent/attainment motif
Harmony of devas under Indra implies restored ṛta in the inner cosmos.
Light-world (rocana) as the seat where truth is naturally evident.
Integration: the cosmos (and person) is maintained by alliances among powers around illumination.
Yogic cosmology of planes (bhuvanas): ascent to svah and reorganization of faculties.
sunrise/clear day (implied by jyotis and rocana)
Heaven = higher mind; light = awakened awareness; gods = functional energies of the psyche aligning with the central illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s shining ascent to the luminous heaven and the gods’ alliance with him. Innerly, when the leading power of victory attains the light-plane, the other faculties (devāḥ) consent and coordinate, forming an integrated divine functioning in the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- divaḥ from dyu reflects PIE *dyeu- (sky/day), one of the most stable IE sacral lexemes. √yam ‘bind/hold’ (yemire) corresponds to PIE *yem- ‘hold’, showing the inherited metaphor of ‘binding’ as alliance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi celebrates Indra’s attainment and frames it as a condition for harmonizing the gods. The implied boon is inner integration: when Indra leads the ascent, the other powers join in sakhyā rather than conflict.
Rest in the felt sense of light rising to the ‘luminous heaven’ above the mind; invite all inner faculties to align in friendship with that light.
sahasrāra (as ‘svah’ opening) and ājñā
Slow inhalation imagining ascent of light; brief still pause at the top; exhale letting scattered energies gather into one field (sakhyā).
Luminous wideness with integrated faculties.
After chanting, scan the being: mind, vital, body. Ask each to ‘enter sakhyā’—to consent to the leading light rather than pull in separate directions.
Not fully determinable without svara marks; keep even Anuṣṭubh rhythm and lift tone slightly on ‘svaḥ’.
Make ‘vibhrājan jyotiṣā’ bright and forward; give ‘svaḥ agacchaḥ’ a gentle ascending contour; soften into ‘sakhyāya yemire’ to convey harmony.
vibhrājan (clear ‘bhr’ cluster), jyotiṣā (long ā), svaḥ (final ḥ), agacchaḥ (double cch; final ḥ), rocanam (clear ‘c’), divaḥ (final ḥ), sakhyāya (khya cluster), yemire (soft ‘me’)
Luminous, smooth, integrating; avoid harsh attack.
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