Rig Veda 6.75.2: Mandala 6, Sukta 75, Mantra 2
Sukta 6.75
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja
- Devata
- Bow / martial force
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
धन्वना गा धन्वनाजिं जयेम धन्वना तीव्राः समदो जयेम । धनुः शत्रोरपकामं कृणोति धन्वना सर्वाः प्रदिशो जयेम ॥
dhánvanā gā́ dhánvanājíṃ jayema dhánvanā tīvrā́ḥ samádo jayema | dhánuḥ śátror apakāmáṃ kṛṇoti dhánvanā sárvāḥ pradíśo jayema ||
Dengan busur semoga kami menaklukkan sapi-sapi (sinar-sinar cahaya); dengan busur semoga kami menaklukkan pertempuran; dengan busur semoga kami menaklukkan pertemuan-pertemuan yang dahsyat. Busur membuat kehendak musuh luruh; dengan busur semoga kami menaklukkan segala penjuru (segala medan gerak kesadaran).
Word by Word
- धन्वना
- with the bowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचन (करणे)Role KaraṇaRoot धन्वन्- (प्रातिपदिक) < धनुस् ‘bow’
- गा
- go! / proceed!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root गम् (धातु)
- धन्वना
- with the bowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धन्वन्-
- अजिम्
- the contest/battleNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अजि- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘race, contest, battle’
- जयेम
- may we winVerbविधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/आशीः); परस्मैपद; उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root जि (धातु) ‘to conquer’
- धन्वना
- with the bowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धन्वन्-
- तीव्राः
- fierceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचन (विशेषण)Role KartāRoot तीव्र- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘fierce, sharp’
- समदः
- battles/conflictsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole KartāRoot समद- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘battle, conflict’
- जयेम
- may we winVerbविधिलिङ्; परस्मैपद; उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root जि (धातु)
- धनुः
- the bowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole KartāRoot धनुस्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘bow’
- शत्रोः
- of the enemyNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनRole (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root शत्रु- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘enemy’
- अपकामम्
- frustrated (in his desire/aim)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (कर्म-विशेषण)Role KarmaRoot अपकाम- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘(one) whose desire is thwarted; frustrated in aim’
- कृणोति
- makesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root कृ (धातु) ‘to make, do’
- धन्वना
- with the bowNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धन्वन्-
- सर्वाः
- allAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचन (विशेषण)Role KarmaRoot सर्व- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘all’
- प्रदिशः
- directions/quartersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot प्रदिश्- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘direction, quarter’
- जयेम
- may we win/conquerVerbविधिलिङ्; परस्मैपद; उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root जि (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolution): धन्वना | गा | धन्वना | अजिम् | जयेम | धन्वना | तीव्राः | समदः | जयेम | धनुः | शत्रोः | अपकामम् | कृणोति | धन्वना | सर्वाः | प्रदिशः | जयेम । प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) धन्वना + अजिम् → धन्वनाजिम् (स्वर-सन्धि/अ-आगम; ‘अ’ + ‘अ’ संयोग, पदपाठे पृथक्)
- (2) धनु: शत्रोः → धनुः शत्रोः (विसर्ग-सन्धि; पदपाठे धनुः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
By the bow we win the cows, the battle, and fierce encounters. The bow breaks the enemy’s will; by the bow we win all directions.
Inner meaning
The dhanu (bow)—the concentrated, one-pointed force of will—wins the “cows” (go = rays of knowledge) and the field of inner battle (āji/samāda). When the will is made taut and true, it dissolves the opponent’s desire-force (śatruḥ apakāma), i.e., the cravings, doubts, inertia, and hostile suggestions that resist progress. “All directions” are all domains of consciousness and life-movement brought under the guidance of the soul’s aim.
Universal truth
Victory in life is primarily an inner alignment: when intention is gathered, disciplined, and aimed, knowledge increases, resistance loses its grip, and the whole being becomes a unified field of action.
Themes
victory, weapon symbolism, recovery of rays/cows, directional mastery
The seer
- Rishi
- Bharadvāja
- Lineage
- Bharadvāja-gotra
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 6.75.1, Rig Veda 6.75.3-6, Rig Veda 6.16, Rig Veda 6.47
Family tradition
Angirasa/Bharadvāja lineage noted for hymns of force, right action, and victorious illumination (often with Indra-Agni tones).
Significance
Bharadvāja’s vision frequently translates outer combat into an inner conquest: the recovery of light (go) and the breaking of obstruction through disciplined power (tapas) aligned to ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Dhanu (Bow) as empowered martial force
- Epithets
- jayin (victorious instrument), śatru-apakāma-kṛt (that makes the enemy’s desire fall away), pradiś-jit (conqueror of all directions)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind that wins the cows), Agni (leader of inner sacrifice; will in the being), Maruts (impulsions/energies that aid victory)
Cosmic role
A formed power (śakti) that concentrates and projects force to pierce coverings and secure the wideness (all directions) for the divine order.
Inner power
One-pointed will (ekāgratā) and tapas that aims thought, speech, and action toward truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective/warrior consecratory recitation; also used in contexts of overcoming hostility and securing victory.
धन्व॑ना॒ गा धन्व॑ना॒जिं ज॑येम॒ धन्व॑ना ती॒व्राः स॒मदो॑ जयेम । धनु॒: शत्रो॑रपका॒मं कृ॑णोति॒ धन्व॑ना॒ सर्वा॑: प्र॒दिशो॑ जयेम ॥
धन्व॑ना । गाः । धन्व॑ना । आ॒जिम् । ज॒ये॒म॒ । धन्व॑ना । ती॒व्राः । स॒ऽमदः॑ । ज॒ये॒म॒ । धनुः॑ । शत्रोः॑ । अ॒प॒ऽका॒मम् । कृ॒णो॒ति॒ । धन्व॑ना । सर्वाः॑ । प्र॒ऽदिशः॑ । ज॒ये॒म॒ ॥
dhanvanā | gāḥ | dhanvanā | ājim | jayema | dhanvanā | tīvrāḥ | sa-madaḥ | jayema | dhanuḥ | śatroḥ | apa-kāmam | kṛṇoti | dhanvanā | sarvāḥ | pra-diśaḥ | jayema
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (Triṣṭubh cadence)
Driving, martial, forward-thrusting; repeated dhanvanā creates mantraic insistence and gathering force.
Builds resolve and inner heat; supports a feeling of alignment and victorious momentum in the listener.
- धन्वना (dhanvanā)
- Literal: by/with the bow. Symbolic: by concentrated will and aimed force of consciousness
- गाः (gāḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light; illuminations; knowledges to be recovered
- आजिम् (ājiṃ)
- Literal: race/battle. Symbolic: the decisive inner struggle and forward movement
- तीव्राः समदः (tīvrāḥ samadaḥ)
- Literal: fierce encounters/contests. Symbolic: acute crises where lower nature resists transformation
- धनुः (dhanuḥ)
- Literal: the bow. Symbolic: the instrument of focused tapas (directed force)
- शत्रोः अपकामम् (śatror apakāmam)
- Literal: enemy’s will/desire falling away. Symbolic: collapse of adverse desire, fear, and obstruction in the psyche
- प्रदिशः (pradiśaḥ)
- Literal: directions/quarters. Symbolic: all planes and powers of the being; all fields of activity
Victory charm; recited for success in conflict; psychologically, for directed force that wins illumination and mastery in all quarters.
Before contest/battle; during protective rites; in some traditions as a kavaca-like invocation for strength.
Recitation while touching/visualizing weapon (outer) or invoking inner weapon of will (inner).
Use before difficult conversations, examinations, or addiction-breaking work: chant to gather will, then act from a calm, aimed intention.
(dhanu) ‘bow’ is an old IE weapon term (cf. Avestan danu- ‘river’ is different; but ‘dhanu’ is established Indo-Iranian for bow). (go) has multivalence: cow, ray, light; Vedic symbolism supports ‘illumination’. (kāma) ‘desire/will’ from √kam ‘to desire’—here enemy’s hostile intention.
recovery of Light (go) from opposition, mastery of the quarters (pradiś) as integrality of consciousness
Winning ‘all directions’ implies establishing ṛta across the whole being—thought, life, body—so movements serve the true aim.
The enemy’s apakāma falls when false desire is exposed by satya and replaced by true aspiration.
From conflict to wideness: force clears the coverings so the luminous plenitude (go) can manifest.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic psychology (Aurobindo/Kashyap style): inner war as evolution of consciousness.
Bow = focused will; directions = spread of consciousness; cows = illuminations recovered from obstruction.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘winning of the cows’ is re-cast through the bow: directed force recovers illuminations (go) and conquers the inner battlefields. The enemy’s kāma (hostile will) is nullified; the seeker gains all directions—total field-mastery.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The repeated instrumental dhánvanā is a formulaic device typical of archaic Indo-European poetry (anaphora for incantatory force). The directional vocabulary (diś) is part of an old spatial ordering system found across IE ritual language (quarters as totality).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi treats the bow as a divine-effective means: a concentrated will-instrument. The human asks to participate in that power (instrumental ‘by the bow’) to win illumination and integrality, not merely physical spoils.
Ekāgratā (one-pointedness) and ‘aiming’ the will toward the chosen dharma/sādhana goal.
maṇipūra (will/tejas)
Brisk-energetic nāsikā-breath awareness: inhale gather (draw the bow), exhale project (release) without strain.
Vīrya with steadiness—courage that is quiet, not agitated.
Before chanting, name the ‘enemy’ as a psychological pattern (fear, procrastination, craving). During repetition, feel the bow as the spine/resolve becoming straight and taut; after chanting, take one concrete step immediately.
Follow the pada text accents: repeated has svarita-marking; maintain Vedic udatta rise on accented syllables and controlled svarita fall where marked.
Keep the beat steady across each Triṣṭubh pāda; slightly emphasize the repeated as a ‘gathering’ refrain without over-stressing.
: cluster ‘dh-nv’—touch dental ‘n’ then glide to ‘v’ (dhan-va-nā)., : long ā with visarga-like breath release at end (gāḥ)., : ‘ā’ long; ‘jiṃ’ with anusvāra nasalization., : ‘pradiśaḥ’—retroflex ‘ṣ’ not present; it is ‘ś’ palatal., : ‘śa-troḥ’ with long ‘oḥ’ (visarga).
Firm, resonant chest-voice with clear consonants; avoid anger—aim for controlled power.
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