Rig Veda 1.80.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 80, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.80
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism)
प्रेह्यभीहि धृष्णुहि न ते वज्रो नि यंसते । इन्द्र नृम्णं हि ते शवो हनो वृत्रं जया अपोऽर्चन्ननु स्वराज्यम् ॥
préhy abhī́hi dhṛ́ṣṇuhi ná te vájro ní yaṃsate | índra nṛ́mṇaṃ hí te śávo hánō vṛtráṃ jáyā apó’rcan ánu sva-rā́jyam ||
Majulah, mendekatlah; terjanglah dengan berani—vajramu tak tertahan. Wahai Indra, kekuatan insan (nṛmṇa) dan daya (śavas) itu milikmu: hantam Vṛtra, menangkan perairan, sambil melantunkan terus menuju kedaulatan-diri (svarājya).
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix)Root प्र (उपसर्ग)
- इहि
- go!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root इ (गत्यर्थक धातु)
- अभि
- towards, againstIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- इहि
- go!Verbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root इ (गत्यर्थक धातु)
- धृष्णु
- O bold oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (इन्द्र-सम्बोधन)Role सम्बोधनRoot धृष्णु (प्रातिपदिक; धृष् ‘साहसे’ से)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातRoot हि (निपात)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न (निषेध)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम)
- वज्रः
- the thunderboltNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (क्रिया ‘नि-यंसते’ का)Root वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down, back; awayIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot नि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यंसते
- draws back, is held backVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root यंस् (यम्स्) ‘नियमन/प्रेरण’ (आत्मनेपद)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- नृम्णम्
- manly might, heroic powerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (अस्ति/भवति-भावे ‘ते’ इत्यस्य)Root नृम्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातRoot हि (निपात)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम)
- शवः
- strength, forceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विधेय (वाक्ये ‘ते … शवः’)Root शवस्/शव (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बल, शक्ति’)
- हनः
- slay!Verbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root हन् (हिंसागत्योः)
- वृत्रम्
- Vṛtra (the obstructor)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- जय
- conquer!Verbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root जि (जयति; ‘विजये’)
- अपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्चन्
- they praisedVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root अर्च् (पूजायाम्/स्तुतौ)
- अनु
- after, followingIndeclinableअव्ययRoot अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- स्वराज्यम्
- self-rule, sovereigntyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म/अधिकरण (अनु-भावे ‘अनु’ सह)Root स्वराज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (वेद-सन्धि-निरसन): प्रेह्य॒भी॑हि → प्र + इहि + अभि + इहि. अपोऽर्चन्ननु → अपः + अर्चन् + अनु (अः + अ → ‘ओऽ’). अन्यत्र ‘नि यंसते’ इति उपसर्ग-योगः
- ‘धृष्णुहि’ इत्यत्र ‘धृष्णु’ सम्बोधन + ‘हि’ निपातः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Advance, press on with daring; thy thunderbolt is not restrained. O Indra, thine is the manly strength and might: slay Vṛtra, win the waters, chanting onward into self-sovereignty.
Inner meaning
A direct call to the illumined mind-force to move forward in the inner battle. The seeker urges Indra to an uncompromising advance: do not allow the decisive discriminating power (vajra) to be held back by doubt, tamas, or compromise. ‘nṛmṇam’ (man-strength) is the soul’s courageous potency when aligned with light; ‘śavaḥ’ is the driving might. ‘Win the waters’ means recover the free flow of life-energy, inspiration, and deeper consciousness that has been blocked by the Coverer. The continual ‘arcann’ indicates that victory is sustained by the right vibration—affirmation, mantra, and truth-speech—until svarājya becomes stable.
Universal truth
Progress requires courageous forward movement; when illumination acts decisively, blocked energies are recovered and a lasting inner mastery becomes possible.
Themes
Exhortation to Indra, Vṛtra battle, Winning the waters, Sovereignty
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa (Gautama)
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.80.1, RV 1.80.2, RV 1.80.4
Family tradition
Gotama’s style here is imperative and yogic: the seer not only praises but commands the inner god-power to act, reflecting confidence in mantra as effective force.
Significance
This is a sādhanā-verse: it models the practitioner’s stance—bold invocation, refusal of inhibition, insistence on liberation of the waters, and continuity of the truth-chant until sovereignty is secured.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vajrin, vṛtrahan (implied), nṛmṇa-vān (possessor of man-strength, implied)
- Related deities
- Maruts, Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Warrior of light; breaker of obstruction; giver of rain/waters and wide space.
Inner power
Courageous illumined intelligence that acts; the executive power of the higher mind.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra stotra in Soma sacrifice; exhortatory praise before/within offering
प्रेह्य॒भी॑हि धृष्णु॒हि न ते॒ वज्रो॒ नि यं॑सते । इन्द्र॑ नृ॒म्णं हि ते॒ शवो॒ हनो॑ वृ॒त्रं जया॑ अ॒पोऽर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ॥
प्र । इ॒हि॒ । अ॒भि । इ॒हि॒ । धृ॒ष्णु॒हि । न । ते॒ । वज्रः॑ । नि । यं॒स॒ते॒ । इन्द्र॑ । नृ॒म्णम् । हि । ते॒ । शवः॑ । हनः॑ । वृ॒त्रम् । जयाः॑ । अ॒पः । अर्च॑न् । अनु॑ । स्व॒ऽराज्य॑म् ॥
pra | ihi | abhi | ihi | dhṛṣṇuhi | na | te | vajraḥ | ni | yaṃsate | indra | nṛmṇam | h i | te | śavaḥ | hanaḥ | vṛtram | jayāḥ | apaḥ | arcan | anu | sva-rājyam
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Commanding, martial, and propulsive; strong caesura supports imperatives.
Energizes the will; cuts through hesitation; stimulates a ‘marching’ inner rhythm.
- prehi / abhīhi / dhṛṣṇuhi
- Literal: go forth / advance / be daring. Symbolic: unbroken aspiration and courageous action of consciousness
- vajraḥ
- Literal: thunderbolt. Symbolic: decisive discernment; power to cut through ignorance
- ni yaṃsate
- Literal: is held back/restrained. Symbolic: psychological inhibition, doubt, inertia that limits action
- nṛmṇam
- Literal: manliness, heroic strength. Symbolic: soul-courage; effective capacity to act from truth
- śavaḥ
- Literal: might, force. Symbolic: dynamic energy of illumination
- apo (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: released life-force, inspiration, and deeper currents of consciousness
- jayā
- Literal: win, conquer. Symbolic: establishing possession of liberated energies for the divine work
Exhortatory Indra-śastra style: energizing the god for immediate victory and release of waters during Soma rite; also paradigmatic for inner battle invocations.
At climactic moments invoking Indra’s action against obstacles
Recitation with heightened force; reinforcing communal resolve and protective victory
Use before difficult conversations, disciplined work, or confronting addiction patterns—an inner ‘advance’ mantra.
(dhṛṣṇu) from √dhṛṣ ‘to dare, be bold’. (yaṃs) from √yam ‘to restrain, hold’ (PIE *yem-). (nṛmṇa) from nṛ ‘man’ (PIE *h₂ner-; cf. Greek anḗr) + abstract/strength sense → heroic force. √ji (jayāḥ) ‘to conquer’ (PIE *gʷeyh₃- ‘live’ is different; √ji is well-attested Indo-Iranian victory root). ap- ‘waters’ as above.
nṛmṇa as effective soul-force in action, unrestrained vajra as irresistible truth-force, liberation (apah) as release of consciousness
Indra’s forward movement restores ṛta by breaking the cover and releasing the right flow.
The ‘arcann’ (truth-chant) is satya in action—speech that participates in victory.
Winning the waters reopens the generative currents that sustain growth and renewal.
Aurobindonian psychology of the Vṛtra battle: illumination must become dynamic and executive, not merely contemplative.
Thunderbolt = cutting insight; waters = liberated prāṇa/emotion/inspiration; storm = transformative upheaval that clears the sky of mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The urged assault on Vṛtra to win the waters: the poet commands Indra to advance fearlessly, for the vajra cannot be restrained. Psychologically, the awakened heroic force is exhorted to break inhibition and conquer the obstructing cover, releasing the inner streams and establishing svarājya.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- nṛ (man) aligns with PIE *h₂ner- (Greek anḗr), embedded in nṛmṇa ‘man-strength’. √yam ‘restrain’ reflects PIE *yem- (cf. Latin iugum ‘yoke’ via related notions of binding). The imperative chain (go! advance! dare!) is a characteristic IE martial-poetic syntax.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely praise but commands—indicative of the Vedic intimacy where the deity is invoked as a power within reach of the rite and the will. The human voice galvanizes Indra’s action; Indra’s victory returns liberation (waters) and stable self-mastery (svarājya) to the sacrificer.
Apply decisive illumination to one concrete obstruction; embody courageous advance.
maṇipūra (force) and ājñā (command/clarity)
Standing or seated: inhale lifting the sternum (prehi/abhīhi), exhale with firm navel engagement on ‘hano vṛtram’; then soften into a steady breath sensing the ‘waters’ flow
Dynamic, fearless clarity; executive mind
Do not argue with the obstruction—strike cleanly. Pair mantra with one practical action immediately after chanting to anchor ‘vajra’ into life.
Tri-svara per recension; imperatives should be cleanly articulated; avoid dragging syllables in ‘prehi abhīhi dhṛṣṇuhi’.
Strike the imperatives with clear onset; place firm emphasis on ‘vajro’ and ‘hano vṛtram’; let ‘jayā apo’ open and brighten.
prehi: ‘e’ clear; do not add extra vowel after pr-, abhīhi: long ī; separate a-bhī-hi, dhṛṣṇuhi: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṣ; keep ‘ṇu’ nasal retroflex, apo’rcann: sandhi—apo arcann; keep ‘rc’ cluster crisp
Commanding, resonant, chest-supported; not shouted.
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