Rig Veda Sukta 5
Mandala 1Sukta 510 Mantras

Sukta 5

Sukta 1.5

Rishi

Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra (traditional attribution for RV 1.1–1.11; RV 1.5 commonly within this attribution)

Devata

Indra

Chandas

Gāyatrī (3 pādas of 8 syllables typical for this Indra hymn section)

RV 1.5 adalah undangan kepada Indra agar datang, duduk dalam kurban, dan meminum Soma yang baru diperas, sementara para sahabat menaikkan stoma (nyanyian pujian). Himne ini merayakan daya Indra yang seketika dan sepenuhnya matang—lahir demi Soma dan demi keunggulan tertinggi—dan ditutup dengan doa perlindungan: semoga kekuatan manusia yang memusuhi tidak mencelakai para pemuja, dan semoga Indra menghalau hantaman kebinasaan.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.5

Mantras

Mantra 1

आ त्वेता नि षीदतेन्द्रमभि प्र गायत । सखायः स्तोमवाहसः ॥

Marilah—duduklah di sini; nyanyikanlah menuju Indra. Wahai para sahabat, para pembawa stoma (pujian), hantarkanlah kidung itu.

Mantra 2

पुरूतमं पुरूणामीशानं वार्याणाम् । इन्द्रं सोमे सचा सुते ॥

Indra—yang paling berlimpah di antara yang banyak, penguasa atas anugerah-anugerah pilihan—kami memanggilnya agar menyertai Soma yang diperas (suta).

Mantra 3

स घा नो योग आ भुवत्स राये स पुरंध्याम् । गमद्वाजेभिरा स नः ॥

Semoga Ia sungguh menjadi bagi kami daya-pengikat (yoga) dalam penyatuan (kesadaran); semoga Ia menjadi bagi kami rāyí—kelimpahan rohani—dan puraṃdhi—kepenuhan kecerdasan yang benar. Semoga Ia datang kepada kami bersama vājāḥ, daya-daya kekuatan yang tercapai dan pertumbuhan yang menang.

Mantra 4

यस्य संस्थे न वृण्वते हरी समत्सु शत्रवः । तस्मा इन्द्राय गायत ॥

Nyanyikanlah bagi Indra itu: pada kedudukan teguh-Nya, bahkan dalam benturan pertempuran batin, kuasa-kuasa yang memusuhi tak mampu merenggut atau menahan dua kuda perkasa—dua energi kembar dari daya bercahaya yang mengusung kehendak jiwa ke depan.

Mantra 5

सुतपाव्ने सुता इमे शुचयो यन्ति वीतये । सोमासो दध्याशिरः ॥

Wahai Pemurni dari kenikmatan yang diperas, inilah Soma-Soma yang diperas—jernih dan bercahaya—bergerak maju menuju penerimaan-Mu; aliran-aliran Soma datang bercampur dadih, sebagai sari yang menyehatkan bagi persembahan batin.

Mantra 6

त्वं सुतस्य पीतये सद्यो वृद्धो अजायथाः । इन्द्र ज्यैष्ठ्याय सुक्रतो ॥

Engkau, demi meminum Soma yang diperas, lahir seketika dalam daya yang telah penuh dewasa, wahai Indra, demi meraih penguasaan tertinggi, wahai yang berkehendak cemerlang.

Mantra 7

आ त्वा विशन्त्वाशवः सोमास इन्द्र गिर्वणः । शं ते सन्तु प्रचेतसे ॥

Semoga energi-energi Soma yang cepat memasuki-Mu, wahai Indra, penguasa yang menjawab nyanyian pujian; semoga mereka menjadi bagimu daya damai dan kesejahteraan yang benar bagi kecerdasan yang terjaga.

Mantra 8

त्वां स्तोमा अवीवृधन्त्वामुक्था शतक्रतो । त्वां वर्धन्तु नो गिरः ॥

Wahai Indra, yang berdaya seratus dalam tindakan yang berbuah, stoma-stoma (himne pujian) kami telah membesarkan-Mu; uktha-uktha (ucapan ilham) telah membesarkan-Mu. Semoga kata-kata kebenaran kami yang beraneka makin menegakkan-Mu di dalam diri kami.

Mantra 9

अक्षितोतिः सनेदिमं वाजमिन्द्रः सहस्रिणम् । यस्मिन्विश्वानि पौंस्या ॥

Wahai Indra, yang daya pelindung-Nya tak lapuk, menangkanlah bagi kami kepenuhan daya ini—kaya dengan seribu tenaga—di dalamnya terhimpun segala kekuatan kejantanan.

Mantra 10

मा नो मर्ता अभि द्रुहन्तनूनामिन्द्र गिर्वणः । ईशानो यवया वधम् ॥

Janganlah dorongan-dorongan fana menyerang keberadaan kita yang berjasad dengan permusuhan. Wahai Indra, Penguasa kidung, dalam kuasa-Mu halaukanlah jauh pukulan kebinasaan.

Inside Sukta 5

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A direct call: companions are urged to sing forth to Indra and seat him in the rite (invitation and enthronement).

  2. Development

    Indra is praised as the one who comes for Soma and is ‘born full-grown’—his power is immediate, luminous, and oriented toward highest mastery.

  3. Climax

    The hymn’s central affirmation: Indra’s sovereignty and readiness for Soma are inseparable from his supreme strength and leadership (jyaiṣṭhya).

  4. Where it settles

    A closing safeguard: the worshippers ask that hostile mortal impulses not harm their embodied life, and that Indra, as lord of hymns, repel destruction.

The deity: Indra

  • In the VedaIndra is the gīrvāṇaḥ (“delighting in hymns”), the foremost hero who answers song with presence, drinks Soma, and strengthens the community through victorious power and protection. He is praised as masterful, swift to aid, and responsive to well-formed stoma and pressing of Soma.
  • Cosmic functionHe upholds ṛta by overcoming obstructive forces, releasing vitality and prosperity, and ensuring victory, rain, and well-being through his sovereign might.
  • Inner significanceIndra represents awakened force of will and courage—an inner sovereignty that is ‘born full-grown’ when the right energy (Soma/joy/ardor) is pressed and offered through disciplined speech and intention.

The seer

  • Madhucchandas VaiśvāmitraVaiśvāmitra (Viśvāmitra-gotra) · Traditionally regarded as the seer of the opening hymns of the Rig Veda (RV 1.1–1.11), shaping the early Vedic idiom of invitation (āvāhana), praise (stuti), and boon-seeking (āśis), especially in Indra-centered Gāyatrī hymns.

Famous verses

ni ṣīdata indram
Verse 1.5.1Sets the ritual frame: invitation (āvāhana), seating (niṣadana), and communal chant directed to Indra—showing how Indra is approached through stoma and fellowship.Read verse 1.5.1 →
sadyo vṛddho ajāyathāḥ
Verse 1.5.6Captures Indra’s distinctive Vedic motif: ‘born at once full-grown’ for Soma-drinking and for highest mastery—linking Soma, power, and kingship.Read verse 1.5.6 →
īśāno yavayā vadham
Verse 1.5.10The protective prayer concluding the sukta: asks Indra to prevent harm to the body and to drive away the stroke of destruction—practical, ethical, and spiritual closure.Read verse 1.5.10 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Soma-drinker (somapā)
  • Gīrvāṇaḥ (lover of hymns)
  • Īśāna (sovereign/master)
  • Vṛtra-slayer archetype (obstacle-breaker)
  • Protector of the sacrificer and community
  • Bestower of strength, victory, and abundance

Also by this seer

  • RV 1.1–1.11 (traditional attribution, including early Agni and Indra hymns)
  • Foundational exemplars of Gāyatrī-style praise and Soma-invocation poetry in early Mandala 1

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the ritual space and seat (āsana) for the deity; establish intention and purity.
  • Press Soma (or symbolically prepare the Soma offering) and ready the libation for Indra.
  • Invite Indra to ‘sit down here’ (ni ṣīdata) through Gāyatrī stomas sung by the companions (sakhāyaḥ).
  • Offer the Soma to Indra for drinking (pītaye), accompanied by praise of his immediate, full-grown power.
  • Conclude with a protective petition: may hostile mortal forces not injure our bodies; may Indra drive away the blow (vadha).

Offerings

  • Soma libation (pressed Soma)
  • Stoma/chant (hymns of praise)
  • Optional ancillary offerings: ghee in the fire, water for purification

Frequently Asked Questions

It invites Indra to come and sit in the sacrifice, praises his power, offers him Soma to drink, and asks him to protect the worshippers from harm.

In Vedic ritual Soma is the energizing offering; the hymn says Indra is born for Soma-drinking and becomes fully manifest in strength through it, so Soma and Indra’s power are linked.

It asks that hostile mortal forces not injure our embodied life, and that Indra, as sovereign and lover of hymns, drive far away the blow of destruction.

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