Rig Veda Sukta 26
Mandala 7Sukta 265 Mantras

Sukta 26

Sukta 7.26

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Devata

Indra (with Soma as essential medium)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable)

この短いヴァシシュタの讃歌は、ソーマが正しく搾られ、讃嘆の言(brahman/uktha)が正しく形づくられたときにのみインドラが応答するよう促し、儀礼の正確さと霊感に満ちた言葉とが合わさって神を「歓ばせる」と確言する。さらに、敵対する「前線」を打ち砕き、障害を取り除くインドラの常に新たにされる力を想起し、結びに、祭主たちへ千倍の力、勝利の富、そして永続する安寧と福祉を求める。

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.26

Mantras

Mantra 1

न सोम इन्द्रमसुतो ममाद नाब्रह्माणो मघवानं सुतासः । तस्मा उक्थं जनये यज्जुजोषन्नृवन्नवीयः शृणवद्यथा नः ॥

搾られぬソーマ(Soma)はインドラを歓ばせず、ブラフマン(brahman)なる成形の言葉なき灌奠は、施与者を満たさぬ。ゆえにわれは彼のためにウクタ(uktha)を生み出す。彼がそれを喜び受け、われらの新しき呼びかけを聞きたまえ――人の力に満ちたるものを。

Mantra 2

उक्थौक्थे सोम इन्द्रं ममाद नीथेनीथे मघवानं सुतासः । यदीं सबाधः पितरं न पुत्राः समानदक्षा अवसे हवन्ते ॥

讃歌また讃歌によりてソーマはインドラを歓ばせ、祭儀また祭儀によりて搾られた供物は施与者を喜ばす――彼らが身を寄せ合い、子らが父にすがるがごとく、同じ意志と力をもって、救いのために彼を呼ぶとき。

Mantra 3

चकार ता कृणवन्नूनमन्या यानि ब्रुवन्ति वेधसः सुतेषु । जनीरिव पतिरेकः समानो नि मामृजे पुर इन्द्रः सु सर्वाः ॥

彼はそれらをすでに成し遂げ、いまなお、搾られたソーマ(Soma)において霊感ある賢者たちが語る、ほかの業をも成し遂げる。妻たちの中のただ一人の夫のように、同一なる唯一の主、インドラ(Indra)は、囲い塞ぐすべての前面をぬぐい去り、打ち砕いた。

Mantra 4

एवा तमाहुरुत शृण्व इन्द्र एको विभक्ता तरणिर्मघानाम् । मिथस्तुर ऊतयो यस्य पूर्वीरस्मे भद्राणि सश्चत प्रियाणि ॥

人々はかく語り、われらもかく聞く――インドラ(Indra)、唯一者、分配者、豊饒を征する者。相抗する力を凌ぐその助け、古くして多きものが、われらに寄り添い、善きものと愛しきものとをもたらしますように。

Mantra 5

एवा वसिष्ठ इन्द्रमूतये नॄन्कृष्टीनां वृषभं सुते गृणाति । सहस्रिण उप नो माहि वाजान्यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥

かくしてヴァシシュタ(Vasiṣṭha)は、搾られたソーマ(Soma)において、われらの助けのためにインドラ(Indra)を讃える――諸民の牡牛を。千重の力の豊饒をわれらに近づけよ。さらに、安寧の祝福をもって、つねにわれらを守れ、汝らよ。

Inside Sukta 26

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A ritual-theological insistence: unpressed Soma and wordless libations do not satisfy Indra; the god responds to pressed Soma joined to well-fashioned brahman.

  2. Development

    The poet produces a ‘newer call’ and links present worship to what seers proclaim in the Soma-pressings, emphasizing Indra’s dependable responsiveness.

  3. Climax

    Indra’s singular lordship and power are highlighted as he ‘wipes away/breaks down’ all enclosing fronts—an image of decisive obstacle-removal and victory.

  4. Where it settles

    Vasiṣṭha seals the praise in pressed Soma and asks for thousandfold vāja and continuous safeguarding in states of well-being (svasti).

The deity: Indra

  • In the VedaIndra is praised as Maghavān (the bountiful giver), Vṛṣabha (bull-like power), and the singular lord who heeds the new call when Soma is pressed and the hymn is well-shaped. He is depicted as the breaker of forts/fronts (puraḥ), the remover of enclosing obstacles, and the one who grants vāja (victorious force, prize).
  • Cosmic functionChampion of dynamic order: he releases energies, shatters obstruction, and secures victory and abundance for those aligned with ṛta through sacrifice and truth-speaking.
  • Inner significanceThe awakened will and courageous clarity in the human being—strength that arises when vital energy (Soma) is refined and guided by disciplined, truthful speech (brahman), enabling inner obstacles to be broken.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha (Vasiṣṭha-gotra); chief seer of the Vasiṣṭha clan · A foremost Rigvedic ṛṣi associated with the Vasiṣṭha family hymns of Maṇḍala 7, celebrated for crafting potent brahman (formative sacred speech) and for royal-priestly guidance and protection through mantra.

Famous verses

न सोम इन्द्रमसुतो ममाद नाब्रह्माणो मघवानं सुतासः । तस्मा उक्थं जनये यज्जुजोषन्नृवन्नवीयः शृणवद्यथा नः ॥
Verse 7.26.1Programmatic statement of the sukta: Indra is gladdened by pressed Soma and by the properly formed praise-word; it frames the hymn as a deliberate ‘word-offering’ meant to be heard.Read verse 7.26.1 →
चकार ता कृणवन्नूनमन्या यानि ब्रुवन्ति वेधसः सुतेषु । जनीरिव पतिरेकः समानो नि मामृजे पुर इन्द्रः सु सर्वाः ॥
Verse 7.26.3Summarizes Indra’s timeless efficacy—what he did before he does again now—and presents the striking image of Indra breaking all ‘fronts/forts,’ expressing the hymn’s victory motif.Read verse 7.26.3 →
एवा वसिष्ठ इन्द्रमूतये नॄन्कृष्टीनां वृषभं सुते गृणाति । सहस्रिण उप नो माहि वाजान्यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
Verse 7.26.5Concluding signature and prayer: Vasiṣṭha’s explicit praise of Indra ‘in the pressed Soma,’ followed by the request for thousandfold strength and enduring svasti for the worshippers.Read verse 7.26.5 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Maghavān (generous bestower)
  • Vṛṣabha (bull-like might)
  • Fort/obstacle breaker (puraṃdara motif)
  • Listener to inspired praise (uktha/brahman)
  • Giver of vāja (victory-force, prize)
  • Protector granting svasti (well-being)

Also by this seer

  • Primary authorial association with many hymns of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 (Vasiṣṭha-maṇḍala), including major Indra and Varuṇa praises
  • Hymns to Varuṇa–Mitra and themes of ṛta (cosmic order) and moral restraint in Maṇḍala 7
  • Later Vedic-Itihāsa memory as a paradigmatic Brahmarṣi and counselor figure (e.g., Vasiṣṭha tradition in Dharma/Itihāsa literature)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the Soma (selection, cleansing) and press it (savana context)
  • Offer pressed Soma with accompanying oblations while reciting the hymn as uktha (formative praise) to delight Indra
  • Recall/declare Indra’s past and present deeds (stuti of his obstacle-breaking) to intensify the invocation
  • Conclude with petitions for vāja (victory-power), abundance, and ongoing svasti (well-being/protection) for the community

Offerings

  • Pressed Soma (suta/sute)
  • Ghee/oblations as part of the Soma rite (contextual)
  • The spoken hymn itself as brahman/uktha (the ‘word-offering’)

Frequently Asked Questions

Because in Vedic ritual Soma must be properly prepared and pressed; the hymn teaches that Indra responds to a correctly performed offering, not to an incomplete one.

Here “brahman” means the well-formed sacred utterance (hymn/uktha). The idea is that offering and praise must work together: the drink (Soma) and the word (mantra).

The poet asks Indra to bring “thousandfold” strength and prizes (vāja) and to protect the worshippers continually with svasti—states of safety and well-being.

Ask anything about Sukta 26 of the Rig Veda

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