Rig Veda 2.12.8: Mandala 2, Sukta 12, Mantra 8
Sukta 2.12
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada of the Bhṛgu lineage
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यं क्रन्दसी संयती विह्वयेते परेऽवर उभया अमित्राः । समानं चिद्रथमातस्थिवांसा नाना हवेते स जनास इन्द्रः ॥
yaṃ krandasī saṃyatī vihvayete pare’vare ubhayā amitrāḥ | samānaṃ cid ratham ātasthivāṃsā nānā havete sa janāsa indraḥ ||
Dia yang diseru oleh dua kekuatan yang bergemuruh ketika bertempur—baik yang tinggi maupun yang rendah, keduanya musuh; bahkan ketika mereka menaiki kereta yang sama, mereka memanggilnya dengan nama yang berlainan: Dialah, wahai manusia, Indra.
Word by Word
- यम्
- whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (यम् = whom)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रन्दसी
- the two worlds (heaven and earth)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; द्विवचनRole कर्तृ (उभे ‘क्रन्दसी’ = the two worlds)Root क्रन्दस् (प्रातिपदिक; द्विवचन-प्रयोग) अथवा क्रन्दसी (स्त्री. द्विवचन-रूप)
- संयती
- contending, joined in conflictAdjective/Participleस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; द्विवचन (क्रन्दसी-विशेषण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot सम्-यम् (धातु) → संयत (कृदन्त) → संयती (स्त्री. प्रथमा/द्वितीया द्विवचन)
- विह्वयेते
- call upon / invokeVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; द्विवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रिया (कर्तृ = क्रन्दसी)Root वि-ह्वे (धातु; आह्वानार्थ)
- परे
- the farther (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (अमित्राः-विशेषण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot पर (प्रातिपदिक)
- अवर
- the nearer / lower (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (अमित्राः-विशेषण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot अवर (प्रातिपदिक)
- उभया
- both (sets)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (अमित्राः-विशेषण)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot उभय (प्रातिपदिक)
- अमित्राः
- enemiesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (हवेते)Root अमित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- समानम्
- the sameAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (रथम्-विशेषण)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot समान (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic)Role सम्बन्ध/निपातRoot चित् (अव्यय)
- रथम्
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (आतस्थिवांसः—what they mounted)Root रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- आतस्थिवांसः
- having mounted / standing uponParticipleपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; परोक्ष/परिपूर्ण (perfect participle, ‘having mounted/standing upon’)Role कर्तृ (अमित्राः)Root आ-स्था (धातु) → तस्थिवस् (कृदन्त; परिपूर्ण) → आतस्थिवांस्
- नाना
- variously, separatelyIndeclinableअव्यय (विविधार्थक)Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot नाना (अव्यय)
- हवेते
- call uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; द्विवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रिया (कर्तृ = क्रन्दसी)Root ह्वे (धातु; आह्वानार्थ)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (इन्द्रः)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- जनासः
- peoples, menNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बोधन/कर्तृ-सहचारी (appositional: ‘men/peoples’ identifying Indra as ‘leader of men’)Root जन (प्रातिपदिक) / जनास् (वैदिक बहुवचन-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNoun (Proper)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (मुख्य)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): यं | क्रन्दसी | संयती | विह्वयेते | परे | अवरः/अवर (पाठे ‘अवर’ इति) | उभया | अमित्राः | समानम् | चित् | रथम् | आतस्थिवांसः | नाना | हवेते | सः | जनासः | इन्द्रः । विशेषम्: ‘परेऽवर’ = परे + अवर (अकार-सन्धि; अवग्रह)
- ‘विह्वयेते/हवेते’ द्विवचन-आत्मनेपद (क्रन्दसी—द्विवचन-कर्तृ)
- ‘आतस्थिवांसः’ = आ-स्था धातोः परिपूर्ण-कृदन्त (perfect participle) बहुवचन प्रथमा, ‘अमित्राः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बन्धः
The meaning
Outer meaning
The two “roaring” sides in conflict—higher and lower—invoke Indra; even when both ride the same chariot, they call him differently. Indra is acknowledged by all peoples.
Inner meaning
In the human being, the higher aspiring nature and the lower resistant nature (both still “amitra”—not yet friends of the soul) pull upon the same life-instrument (the one chariot of body–life–mind). In their clash, both are forced to invoke the same Power of illumination—Indra, the divine Mind—yet each names and seeks him for different ends: the higher for truth and victory, the lower for egoic advantage. The mantra reveals that the one inner instrument can be commandeered by opposing movements; progress comes when Indra’s light becomes the conscious leader rather than a power used by both sides.
Universal truth
When inner opposites contend, the same higher intelligence is appealed to; discernment determines whether illumination serves liberation or reinforces desire. True victory is the unification of the instrument under the light of a higher mind.
Themes
Indra-invocation, inner conflict, victory-force, psychological symbolism
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu
- Other hymns
- RV 2.12, RV 2.13, RV 2.14, RV 2.15
Family tradition
Bhārgava seer-line emphasizing inner sacrifice (yajña) and victorious illumination through Indra.
Significance
Gṛtsamada’s Indra-hymns repeatedly identify the divine Mind as the decisive ally in the inner battle—turning conflict into a progressive conquest of obscurity and falsehood.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vajrin (wielder of the thunderbolt), maghavan (bountiful), vṛtrahan (slayer of the coverer), śatakratu (of a hundred powers/acts)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; releaser of the waters/light; establisher of victorious order in the worlds.
Inner power
The luminous, decisive intelligence that discerns truth from mixture, strengthens the will, and leads the seeker to inner victory.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotras within Soma-yajña sequences (general Indra praise)
यं क्रन्द॑सी संय॒ती वि॒ह्वये॑ते॒ परेऽव॑र उ॒भया॑ अ॒मित्रा॑: । स॒मा॒नं चि॒द्रथ॑मातस्थि॒वांसा॒ नाना॑ हवेते॒ स ज॑नास॒ इन्द्र॑: ॥
यम् । क्रन्द॑सी॒ इति॑ । सं॒य॒ती इति॑ स॒म्ऽय॒ती । वि॒ह्वये॑ते॒ इति॑ वि॒ऽह्वये॑ते । परे॑ । अव॑रे । उ॒भयाः॑ । अ॒मित्राः॑ । स॒मा॒नम् । चि॒त् । रथ॑म् । आ॒त॒स्थि॒ऽवांसा॑ । नाना॑ । ह॒वे॒ते॒ इति॑ । सः । ज॒ना॒सः॒ । इन्द्रः॑ ॥
yam | krandasī iti | saṃyatī itisam-yatī | vihvayeteitivi-hvayete | pare | avare | ubhayāḥ | amitrāḥ | samānam | cit | ratham | ātasthi-vāṃsā | nānā | haveteiti | saḥ | janāsaḥ | indraḥ
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4 padas of ~11 syllables each
Driving, martial cadence with strong caesurae suited to proclamation and contest.
Energizes resolve and mental clarity; supports a sense of inner rallying and decisive turning toward illumination.
- क्रन्दसी (krandasī)
- Literal: the two roaring/resounding (powers). Symbolic: the dual fields/forces of consciousness—higher aspiration and lower impulse—clashing within
- संयती (saṃyatī)
- Literal: in confrontation, yoked together. Symbolic: inner conflict where opposite movements are bound to the same life-process
- परेऽवरे (pare ’vare)
- Literal: higher and lower. Symbolic: higher mind/soul-ward tendency vs. lower vital/subconscient pull
- अमित्राः (amitrāḥ)
- Literal: non-friends, hostile. Symbolic: forces not yet harmonized with the psychic truth; adversarial impulses
- रथ (ratha)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: the human instrument (body–life–mind) carrying consciousness
- नाना (nānā)
- Literal: variously, differently. Symbolic: mixed motives; distorted interpretations of the same divine help
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: illumined mind-power that brings clarity, courage, and victorious right action
Indra-stotra used in Soma rites (e.g., in the general Indra praise sequences of the Soma-yajña such as Agniṣṭoma); also applicable as a victory-invocation in śastra/stotra contexts
When invoking Indra for victory and breaking obstacles; commonly in Soma-pressing contexts.
Recitation/chant as a stotra-śastra praise to draw down Indra’s force.
Use during moments of inner conflict or indecision: chant to unify the instrument under a higher discernment.
Key terms: (1) : from √krand ‘to cry, resound, roar’; dual suggests a paired cosmic/psychic polarity (often dyāvāpṛthivī, or higher/lower consciousness). (2) (sam-yatī): from sam- + √yā ‘go’ → ‘come together’; in battle-context ‘converging/contending’. (3) : vi- + √hū ‘call’ (middle) → ‘invoke urgently from different sides’; fits the idea of opposed powers appealing to the same sovereign force. (4) : a- + mitra ‘ally’; not merely ‘enemy’ but ‘non-harmonized force’—powers that resist the integrative order (ṛta). (5) : from √rath/√ṛ ‘to move, go’ (traditional etymologies vary); symbolically the moving vehicle of embodied will and action. (6) : ā- + √sthā (perfect participle) ‘having taken one’s stand upon’—images occupation of the same instrument by opposed claimants. Inner-sense justification: Indra as the power of illumined force is invoked both by the aspiring higher movements and by the resistant lower movements when pressure of conflict compels a call to the sovereign; the ‘same chariot’ indicates one human nature serving divergent impulsions until harmonized by Indra’s victory.
ṛta (harmonizing order emerging through conflict), inner battle of light vs. obstruction, integration of the human instrument (ratha as embodied agency)
Indra is invoked as the restoring power when forces deviate; the clash becomes a field for re-establishing r̥ta in the being.
One Light is sought by mixed motives; satya requires purification of intention.
Integration of divided powers through a higher governing consciousness.
Proto-Vedantic/Integral (Aurobindo): ascent from mixed nature to illumined mind and beyond.
Storm-clash = turbulence of mind-vital; chariot = embodied instrument; higher/lower = planes of consciousness in the seeker.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the cosmic/psychic battle in which opposed powers (upper and lower) contend within one field and yet both invoke the same sovereign champion. Indra stands as the decisive force that resolves the clash by breaking obstruction and restoring right order (ṛta) in the shared ‘chariot’ of human action.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √krand ‘roar/cry’ has Indo-European parallels in expressive sound-roots for loud noise/roaring (often compared typologically across IE). √hū ‘call’ aligns with widespread IE ‘invoke/call’ semantics (cf. Greek κλύω ‘hear’ is not a direct cognate but shows the same ritual-auditory field; exact cognation is debated). The prefixal system (sam-, vi-, ā-) is characteristically Indo-Iranian/IE, encoding spatial and aspectual nuance crucial for oral-poetic meaning.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer positions Indra not merely as an external war-god but as the inner sovereign force demanded by the very tension of human nature: even hostile movements are compelled to appeal to him. The reciprocity is implicit—humans recognize Indra’s lordship (‘sa janāsa indraḥ’) and, by that recognition and invocation, open the instrument (ratha) to his ordering power.
Witness the inner polarity (higher aspiration vs lower impulse) and invoke illumined discernment to govern the whole instrument.
ājñā (brow)
moderate nāḍī-śodhana before chanting; then steady equal inhalation/exhalation during recitation
From rajasic conflict toward sattvic clarity and unified will.
Before chanting, name the two competing motives in you; chant once slowly, then again with a firm intention: ‘Let the higher aim command the chariot.’ End with 1–2 minutes of silent listening for the ‘Indra-decision’—the clear, quiet directive.
Vedic svara with udatta on marked syllables; svarita falls after udatta; anudatta in unmarked low segments (follow śākhā-specific recitation).
Maintain clear lift on ‘’, ‘’, ‘’, ‘:’; avoid flattening the cadence in the refrain ‘ :’.
: crisp ‘kran-’ cluster, dental ‘d’, : nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘y’—light but audible, : short ‘a’, clear retroflex ‘ṭr’ not present—keep ‘tra’ dental, : articulate long compound with steady pace; avoid swallowing ‘sth’
Firm, resonant, forward-placed tone; end each pada with controlled release.
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