Rig Veda 1.4.8: Mandala 1, Sukta 4, Mantra 8
Sukta 1.4
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra, with Soma as the empowering draught implied
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अस्य पीत्वा शतक्रतो घनो वृत्राणामभवः । प्रावो वाजेषु वाजिनम् ॥
ásya pītvā śatakrato ghanó vṛtrā́ṇām abhavaḥ | prā́vo vā́jeṣu vā́jinam ||
このソーマ（Soma）の歓喜を飲みて、百策の主シャタクラト（Śatakratu）よ、汝は障碍する者どもを撃つ者となった。さらに諸々のヴァージャ（vāja：勝勢・勝利の力）の場において、豊饒を具する勝者を前へと押し進めた。
Word by Word
- अस्य
- of this (of it)Pronounपुं/नपुं (सामान्य-प्रयोग), षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्य (षष्ठी एकवचन)
- पीत्वा
- having drunkVerbक्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having drunk’Role क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वक्रिया) / हेतु-भावRoot पा (धातु) ‘पिबति’
- शतक्रतो
- O hundred-powered/ hundred-willed one (Indra)Noun (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot शतक्रतु (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)
- घनः
- a smiter/striker (crusher)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject complement to ‘अभवः’)Root घन (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृत्राणाम्
- of the Vṛtras/obstructorsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive with घनः: ‘smiter of…’)Root वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभवः
- you became / you wereVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, उत्तम? (न) मध्यम? (न) — प्रथमपुरुष?; रूप ‘अभवः’ = 2nd sg. (त्वम्) परस्मैपद, एकवचनRole क्रिया (मुख्य क्रिया)Root भू (धातु)
- प्र
- forth / fullyIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात; ‘forth, forward, fully’Role क्रियाविशेषण (उपसर्ग-भाव)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- आवः
- you helped / protectedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (मुख्य क्रिया)Root अव् (धातु) ‘रक्षणे/अवने’
- वाजेषु
- in the contests / in the prizes (of strength)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरण (locative: sphere/occasion)Root वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजिनम्
- the prize-winner / the racer (the vigorous one)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (object of ‘आवः’)Root वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अस्य | पीत्वा | शतक्रतो | घनः | वृत्राणाम् | अभवः | प्र | आवः | वाजेषु | वाजिनम् । सन्धि: (1) वृत्राणाम् + अभवः → वृत्राणा॑मभवः (म् + अ → म्-अ, संहितायां अवग्रहाभावः)
- (2) प्र + आवः → प्रावो॒ (उपसर्ग ‘प्र’ + ‘आवः’; संहितायां ‘आ’ दीर्घ/संयोग-प्रभावेन ‘प्रावः’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
After drinking this Soma, O Śatakratu, you became the smiter of the Vṛtras; you helped the vājín (winner/possessor of strength) in the vāja-contests.
Inner meaning
Soma here is divine Ananda poured into the mind. When Indra (illumined intelligence) ‘drinks’ that delight, he becomes ghanaḥ—solid, irresistible—against vṛtrāṇi, the coverers and resistances in the subconscient. Then he ‘brings forward’ (prāvo) the vājínam: the inner power that carries plenitude and victory in all strivings (vājeṣu). In Aurobindo’s line, vāja is not mere battle-prize but intensities of force and realization; the mantra describes how bliss empowers illumination to break obstruction and manifest effective capacity.
Universal truth
True victory over inner resistance comes when intelligence is fed by a deeper delight; joy is not a reward after conquest but a power that enables it.
Themes
Vṛtra-slaying (obstruction-breaking), Soma-empowerment, inner victory and emergence of force, aid in the attainment of vāja (plenitude of power)
The seer
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Lineage
- Vaiśvāmitra
- Other hymns
- RV 1.4.8 (this verse within RV 1.4), RV 1.32 (later classic Vṛtra-slaying theme, broadly connected)
Family tradition
This family’s Indra hymns repeatedly connect Soma (delight) with victory over Vṛtra—an inner alchemy of joy and power.
Significance
The seer articulates a key yogic law: delight strengthens the illumined mind to pierce subconscient obstruction and release effective energies.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (Śatakratu)
- Epithets
- Śatakratu, Vṛtrahan (implied), ghanaḥ (smiter)
- Related deities
- Soma, Bṛhaspati (breaker of the cave), Maruts (forces that accompany Indra)
Cosmic role
Breaker of the cosmic obstruction, releaser of the waters/lights/forces for the worlds.
Inner power
Illumined mind-force empowered by Ananda; the capacity to strike through habitual darkness and establish victorious energy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise during Soma yajña; celebrates the effect of Soma on Indra’s power.
अ॒स्य पी॒त्वा श॑तक्रतो घ॒नो वृ॒त्राणा॑मभवः । प्रावो॒ वाजे॑षु वा॒जिन॑म् ॥
अ॒स्य । पी॒त्वा । श॒त॒क्र॒तो॒ इति॑ शतऽक्रतो । घ॒नः । वृ॒त्राणा॑म् । अ॒भ॒वः॒ । प्र । आ॒वः॒ । वाजे॑षु । वा॒जिन॑म् ॥
asya | pītvā | śatakrato itiśata-krato | ghanaḥ | vṛtrāṇām | abhavaḥ | pra | āvaḥ | vājeṣu | vājinam
24
3 × 8
Strong declarative cadence; the middle pāda carries the impact (‘ghanaḥ vṛtrāṇām’).
Builds confidence and power; supports an inner ‘cutting through’ of resistance.
- asya
- Literal: of this. Symbolic: of this Soma-delight presently offered/experienced
- pītvā
- Literal: having drunk. Symbolic: having inwardly received and assimilated delight-force
- śatakrato
- Literal: of a hundred powers/works. Symbolic: the many-sided effective intelligence capable of multiple decisive actions
- ghanaḥ
- Literal: smiter, striker; also ‘compact/solid’. Symbolic: irresistible concentrated force of illumined mind
- vṛtrāṇām
- Literal: of the Vṛtras/obstructors. Symbolic: coverings of ignorance, inertia, and subconscient resistance
- prāvaḥ
- Literal: you furthered, brought forward, protected. Symbolic: you advanced into manifestation; you made active and victorious
- vājeṣu
- Literal: in vāja-contests/fields of winning. Symbolic: in all arenas of inner striving for force, mastery, and realization
- vājínam
- Literal: the winner/possessor of vāja; strong, victorious. Symbolic: the empowered part of the being that carries plenitude and victory
Soma-yajña context; Indra-invocation connected with Soma pressing (Abhiṣava) and praise to strengthen Indra for victory and the opening of the obstructed riches (inner and outer).
After/around Soma offering segments; can be used in personal practice when confronting inertia or fear.
Stuti describing the deity’s empowered action; affirmation of victory.
Use as a ‘breakthrough’ mantra during procrastination, doubt, or heavy moods—pair with brief silent concentration on the brow light.
Key terms: (1) pītvā: absolutive of √ ‘drink/imbibe’; in inner sense, assimilation of Soma = delight/immortalizing ecstasy that empowers the will. (2) śatakratu: śatá ‘hundred’ + krátu ‘power of effective will, formative intelligence’; Indra as many-acting force. (3) ghaná: ‘smasher’ closely tied to √ ‘smite’; expresses the breaking action against resistance. (4) vṛtrāṇām: gen. pl. of vṛtrá from √ ‘cover/obstruct’; psychologically, coverings that block the flow of light and force. (5) prāvaḥ: pra + √ (2nd sg. perfect/aorist-like) ‘you furthered/helped’; indicates a forward-driving aid. (6) vājeṣu/vājinam: vājá ‘strength, prize, plenitude of force’; vājín ‘possessing vāja’, nominative/accusative masc. sg.; symbolizes the energized victorious capacity emerging in the being.
Ṛta (right action/order expressed as the breaking of obstruction and forward movement), Soma as ānanda (delight) empowering effective will (kratu), victory of knowledge-force over ignorance-coverings
Vṛtra is anti-ṛta; Indra’s act restores right flow and right movement.
When delight is assimilated, truth-force becomes effective (śatakratu as many-effective).
Release and forward movement: energies once blocked become active in the worlds/being.
Psychological Vedism (Aurobindo/Kashyap): Vṛtra as inner obstruction; Soma as bliss-consciousness.
morning/noon Soma context
monsoon imagery (implicit in Vṛtra/waters)
Nectar of joy flooding the system; a thunderbolt insight that cracks the knot of resistance and releases free-flowing energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Vṛtra-mythologem: Indra, strengthened by Soma, becomes the ‘ghaná’ (smasher) of the obstructers (vṛtrā́ṇām). In the inner-psychological reading, Soma-delight intensifies kratu (effective will), enabling the divine power in us to break the coverings of ignorance and release the forward movement of victorious energy (vāja), i.e., the emergence of empowered capacity (vā́jin).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several lexemes align with inherited Indo-European patterns: √ ‘become’ (abhavaḥ) continues PIE *bʰuH- ‘to be, become’. √ ‘smite’ (in ghaná as ‘smasher’) corresponds to PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike/kill’ (cf. English ‘bane’ via Germanic developments; Slavic cognates of *gʷhen-). The obstructing ‘cover’ sense of √ in vṛtrá resonates with PIE *(s)wer-/*wel- type roots expressing turning/covering/enclosing across IE branches, supporting the semantic field ‘enclosure/obstruction’ that underlies the Vṛtra figure.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi’s speech acts as an evocation of Indra’s function within the sacrificer: by naming Indra as Śatakratu and recalling the Soma-drinking that makes him ghaná, the hymn establishes reciprocity—human aspiration offers Soma (delight/essence) and praise; the Devatā responds by breaking inner obstruction and ‘helping forward’ (prā́vaḥ) the vā́jin, the victorious force in the practitioner’s being, toward fulfillment in the vā́jas (fields of energized attainment).
Assimilate delight, then apply illumined will to pierce resistance (Vṛtra).
maṇipūra (force) + ājñā (illumination)
Inhale feeling ‘Soma’ as cool sweetness in the head/heart; exhale with firm resolve at ‘ghanaḥ’.
Dynamic concentration; breakthrough clarity.
Chant once slowly, then once with firmer tone; afterward identify one ‘Vṛtra’ habit and apply a single decisive action (śatakratu) backed by calm joy.
Maintain clear udatta lift on key names (śatakrato) and a decisive fall after ghanaḥ; keep pāda endings clean.
Give weight to ghanaḥ vṛtrāṇām—slightly stronger articulation; soften on prāvo to indicate ‘bringing forward’.
pītvā: long ī and ā; avoid ‘pitva’ shortening, śatakrato: articulate retroflex ṭ; keep ‘kr’ cluster clear, vṛtrāṇām: vṛ (vowel ṛ) and retroflex ṭr; nasal long ānām
Firm, resonant, courageous; not harsh—power held in clarity.
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