Sukta 38
Rishi: Ṛgvedic provenance (AV 20 is a borrowing-book)
Devata: Indra
Chandas: Triṣṭubh/Jagatī-type praise-lineation (Ṛgvedic style; exact meter requires full verse-context).
AV 20.38 adalah Indra-stuti yang diambil dari bahan Ṛgveda, dimaksudkan untuk menghadirkan Indra ke dalam ritus, mendudukkan-Nya di atas barhis (rumput suci), dan memperoleh perkenan-Nya melalui pujian komunal yang dipertingkat. Dengan menonjolkan persembahan Soma, legitimasi para imam, serta pujian bersuara banyak (para penyanyi gāthā, para “pandai tempa” kidung, dan “Suara-suara”), himne ini berfungsi sebagai penguat kemakmuran dan kemenangan, menyelaraskan para pelaku yajña dengan daya kemenangan Indra.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
आ या॑हि सुषु॒मा हि त॒ इन्द्र॒ सोमं॒ पिबा॑ इ॒मम्। एदं ब॒र्हिः स॑दो॒ मम॑
Datanglah ke mari; sebab bagimu, wahai Indra, (tegukan) yang paling menggembirakan; minumlah Soma ini. Inilah barhis, tempat dudukku (yang kusiapkan bagimu).
Mantra 2
आ त्वा॑ ब्रह्म॒युजा॒ हरी॒ वह॑तामिन्द्र के॒शिना॑ । उप॒ ब्रह्मा॑णि नः शृणु
Biarlah dua kuda kuning kecokelatan, yang dipasangkan oleh brahman, membawamu kemari, wahai Indra yang berambut panjang. Dengarkanlah mantra-mantra suci kami.
Mantra 3
ब्र॒ह्माण॑स्त्वा व॒यं यु॒जा सो॑म॒पामि॑न्द्र सो॒मिनः॑ । सु॒ताव॑न्तो हवामहे
Kami, para brahman, mengikatkan (engkau) pada kuk; wahai Indra—para peminum Soma, pemilik Soma, yang berbekal perasan (soma)—kami memanggil dan menyerumu.
Mantra 4
इन्द्र॒मिद् गा॒थिनो॑ बृ॒हदिन्द्र॑म॒र्केभि॑र॒र्किणः॑ । इन्द्रं॒ वाणी॑रनूषत
Indra—ya, Indra—dipuja oleh para penyanyi gāthā, yang luhur; Indra dipuji oleh para perangkai himne dengan himne-himne mereka: Indra telah dilantunkan dengan semestinya oleh Suara-suara.
Mantra 5
इन्द्र॒ इद्धर्योः॒ सचा॒ संमि॑श्ल॒ आ व॑चो॒युजा॑ । इन्द्रो॑ व॒ज्री हि॑र॒ण्ययः॑
Sesungguhnya Indra, bersama sepasang kuda bay, terjalin rapat, datang ke sini—terpasang pada ujaran kami; Indra, pemegang vajra, berkilau keemasan.
Mantra 6
इन्द्रो॑ दी॒र्घाय॒ चक्ष॑स॒ आ सूर्यं॑ रोहयद् दि॒वि। वि गोभि॒रद्रि॑मैरयत्
Indra, demi penglihatan yang panjang bertahan, membuat Surya naik di langit; dan dengan Sapi-sapi ia membelah Batu-Karang itu.
Inside Sukta 38
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Direct āvāhana: Indra is summoned to “come here,” drink the gladdening Soma, and sit on the prepared barhis-seat.
- What it asks
That Indra accept the offering and the community’s authorized call, becoming present and favorable through Soma and praise.
- Where its power lies
The hymn asserts efficacy by stressing ritual qualification (pressed Soma, soma-possessing sacrificers, brahmanic ‘yoking’) and by multiplying praise-agencies (singers, hymn-makers, voices) to intensify compulsion and delight.
- How it closes
Concludes by consolidating Indra’s laudation—Indra alone is celebrated by all voices—implicitly sealing the request through completed stuti and shared acclamation.
Famous verses
ā yāhi … somaṃ pibā imam / idaṃ barhiḥ sado mama
brahmāṇas tvā vayaṃ yujā … sutāvanto havāmahe
indraṃ vāṇīr anūṣata
Kind of hymn
Paustika (Prosperity) / Saṃgrāmika (Martial support) within Indra-stuti
What it is for
Indra’s arrival and delighted participation in the Soma-rite, resulting in strengthened communal fortune, prestige, and victory over obstacles or opponents.
Who it is for
Yajamāna and officiating priests (brahmans/chanters) seeking prosperity, reinforcement of social success, and martial/competitive advantage.
Also used as
- Saṃgrāmika
- Indra-stuti
- Soma-invitational
- Yajña-āhvāna (ritual invitation)
The deity
Indra is the paradigmatic Vedic sovereign of might: the victorious Soma-drinker who answers strong praise, accepts the seat and offering, and turns communal ritual energy into worldly success.
Powers of the deity
- Drinks Soma and becomes invigorated (soma-pā)
- Grants victory in conflict and contests
- Bestows wealth, strength, and prosperity
- Responds to properly authorized priestly invocation
- Validates and empowers collective praise (stuti) as a force that compels divine presence
Why the deity is called
To invite Indra to the sacrifice, seat him on the barhis, have him drink the pressed Soma, and thereby secure exclusive favor that translates into prosperity and triumph for the community.
The seer
- Ṛgvedic r̥ṣiAngiras. Indra–Soma stuti used for paustika increase (strength, wealth, success) and saṃgrāmika support (victory, overcoming rivals) through invitational and laudatory mantra-technology
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 20.38 (borrowed RV-style hymn)
- AV 20 (general: RV-derived Indra/Soma praise corpus; precise r̥ṣi mapping requires full RV concordance)
Preparing for the rite
- Prepare a clean ritual space and lay out the barhis (sacrificial grass seat).
- Press/ready Soma (or, in later substitutions, a Soma-replacement drink) and set it as the central offering.
- Assemble chanters/reciters so praise is voiced as a collective act (many ‘voices’).
The rite
- Recite the invitational opening to call Indra and present the seat (barhis).
- Offer Soma while reciting the Soma-drinking and ‘pressed’ legitimacy lines, emphasizing that the rite is properly furnished (sutāvant).
- Sustain intensified praise—gāthā-singers, hymn-smiths, and ‘Voices’—to “bind” Indra’s attention and favor to the sacrificers.
What it needs
- Soma (pressed offering)
- Barhis (sacrificial grass seat)
When
During a Soma-offering context (or a prosperity/victory rite modeled on Soma-invitation), ideally in the morning/pressing-associated frame where Indra is classically invited to drink.
The main substance
Soma (pressed offering)
How it is prepared
Press and strain Soma according to Soma-rite procedure; present it as the invigorating draught while laying the barhis as Indra’s seat.
Frequently Asked Questions
To bring Indra to the rite, have him drink the pressed Soma, and secure his favor so the sacrificers gain strength, prosperity, and victory.
Barhis marks the prepared divine seat (presence), and Soma is the offering that delights and empowers Indra—together they make the invitation ritually complete.
It is Atharvavedic in compilation (Book 20) but largely Ṛgvedic in origin and style; it functions in AV as a powerful Indra-stuti for prosperity and martial support.
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