Rig Veda 8.80.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 80, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.80
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यो नः शश्वत्पुराविथामृध्रो वाजसातये । स त्वं न इन्द्र मृळय ॥
yó naḥ śáśvat purā́vithāmṛ́dhro vā́jasātaye | sá tváṃ na indra mṛḷaya ||
汝は古より常に、誤りなくわれらを護り、力の豊穣と勝利の獲得のために導きたまう。今もその同じインドラとして、われらを憐れみ、回復の恩寵を示したまえ。
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सम्बन्धवाचकः—यः…सः) / विशेष्यःRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्धः (genitive of us) / अधिकार-सम्बन्धःRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शश्वत्
- always, continuallyIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role Adhikaraṇa (कालवाचक-विशेषणम्) / क्रियाविशेषणम्Root शश्वत् (अव्यय/निपात)
- पुरा
- formerly, beforeIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role Adhikaraṇa (कालवाचक) / क्रियाविशेषणम्Root पुरा (अव्यय)
- अविथ
- you helped / protectedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role मुख्यक्रियाRoot अव् (रक्षणे/अवने)
- अमृध्रः
- unfailing, not injuring, unerringAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (यः/सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā-विशेषणम्Root अमृध्र (प्रातिपदिक; न- + मृध्र ‘हानिकर/विघ्नकारी’)
- वाजसातये
- for the winning of the prize (strength/booty)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (उद्देश्य/हित) / प्रयोजनम्Root वाजसाति (प्रातिपदिक; वाज ‘प्राइज/बल’ + साति ‘प्राप्ति/विजय’)
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (यः…सः) / अन्वय-सूचकःRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सम्बोधन-समीपस्थः कर्ता) / ‘सः’ इत्यस्य समन्वयःRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- usPronounद्वितीया (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनम्Role Karma (मृळय इत्यस्य) / प्राप्तव्यःRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनम्Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृळय
- be gracious / show mercyVerbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role मुख्यक्रियाRoot मृळ् (सुखायने/अनुकम्पायाम्; ‘to be gracious, to show mercy’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यो | नः | शश्वत् | पुरा | अविथ | अमृध्रः | वाजसातये | सः | त्वम् | नः | इन्द्र | मृळय । 1) शश्व॑त्पु॒रावि॒थ = शश्वत् + पुरा + अविथ (त् + प् संयोग; पुरा + अविथ इत्यत्र ‘आ’ दीर्घः संहितायाम्)
- 2) मृळय: वैदिक-रूपम् (मृडय/मृळय) ‘अनुग्रहं कुरु’ इत्यर्थे
The meaning
Outer meaning
You who have always protected us from of old, unerring, for the winning of strength/plenty—be that same Indra now; show us mercy.
Inner meaning
The seeker recalls Indra’s continuous guardianship (śaśvat purā āvitha) and his unfailing guidance (amṛdhraḥ: not going astray). The aim is vājasātaye—not merely material gain but the winning of plenitudes of force, capacity, and right energies for the inner journey. The prayer is for continuity: may the same illumined power that helped before return now to restore and uplift.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is sustained by a faithful higher guidance; remembering past help strengthens trust and reopens the channel for present grace.
Themes
remembrance of past help, victory and plenitude, Indra’s unfailing protection
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.80.1
Family tradition
Continuity motif typical of Indra devotion: remembrance (smaraṇa) as a Vedic psychological power to reopen the flow of help.
Significance
Transforms memory into faith: previous divine interventions become proof of an enduring inner Guide, encouraging perseverance.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- amṛdhra (unerring), śatakratu (contextually linked from prior verse), protector (āvithar)
- Related deities
- Soma (strengthens Indra), Agni (initiates the sacrifice), Maruts (forces/energies that aid Indra)
Cosmic role
Indra secures the victory of the gods, protects the sacrificer, and grants vāja—effective power and plenitude.
Inner power
Guiding illumination that protects the journey and grants force for right action; the ‘unerring’ mind that does not mislead.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise/invocation for protection and vāja (strength)
यो न॒: शश्व॑त्पु॒रावि॒थामृ॑ध्रो॒ वाज॑सातये । स त्वं न॑ इन्द्र मृळय ॥
यः । नः॒ । शश्व॑त् । पु॒रा । आवि॑थ । अमृ॑ध्रः । वाज॑ऽसातये । सः । त्वम् । नः॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । मृ॒ळ॒य॒ ॥
yaḥ | naḥ | śaśvat | purā | āvitha | amṛdhraḥ | vāja-sātaye | saḥ | tvam | naḥ | indra | mṛḷaya
Two-line structure with relative clause ‘yo…’ then concluding identification ‘sa tvam…’—a classic Vedic syntactic rhythm.
Reassuring, covenant-like cadence; builds trust through recollection then petition.
Stabilizes faith and invokes protective strength; good for perseverance.
- शश्वत् (śaśvat)
- Literal: always, continually. Symbolic: the constant presence of higher guidance through stages of growth
- पुरा (purā)
- Literal: formerly, from of old. Symbolic: memory of previous victories/realizations as support for current faith
- आविथ (āvitha)
- Literal: you have protected/helped. Symbolic: active guardianship of the divine Mind over the evolving nature
- अमृध्रः (amṛdhraḥ)
- Literal: unerring, not negligent, not failing. Symbolic: infallible discernment and steady leadership of illumination
- वाजसातये (vājasātaye)
- Literal: for the winning of vāja (prize/strength). Symbolic: acquisition of true force—energy, capacity, effective power for right action
- मृळय (mṛḷaya)
- Literal: show mercy. Symbolic: restorative grace that heals and strengthens without harshness
Prayer for continued aid in contests and attainments (vāja); suitable in offerings seeking strength and success.
Before undertakings, contests, or inner struggles; in ritual, when calling Indra for victory and protection.
Recitation with offering; reaffirmation of Indra’s past and present aid.
Use when motivation flags: recall prior breakthroughs, then chant to reawaken the same guiding force.
āvith(a) from √av ‘protect’ (PIE *h₂ew- ‘to help/aid’ proposed). amṛdhra: mṛdh- ‘hostile/neglectful’ (Vedic semantic), a- privative. vāja-sātaye: vāja ‘strength, prize, plenitude’ (rooted in notions of vigor), sāti ‘winning’ from √san/√sā ‘to gain’.
continuity of grace across time (śaśvat, purā), vāja as spiritual force-fullness, faith-memory as a means of invocation
Indra’s protection keeps the journey aligned with r̥ta across time (śaśvat).
amṛdhraḥ indicates fidelity to truth—no deviation into false paths.
Evolution as repeated victories of light; the divine helper returns at each threshold.
Integral-Vedic psychology: vāja as inner force necessary for transformation and works.
morning/day (forward movement, action)
A renewing surge of energy and confidence, like a clear wind after heaviness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The enduring protector myth: Indra is the perennial helper from the ‘former times’ of the sacrifice and of the seeker’s journey. Mythically it recalls Indra’s constant championship; psychologically it is the memory of past descents of force that reopens the channel for present grace.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The relative-correlative construction (yó… sá tvám…) is a classic Indo-European syntactic pattern. √av ‘aid/protect’ has proposed IE connections in the semantic domain of help. The abstract purposive dative -taye (vāja-sātaye) is characteristic of early Indo-Aryan nominal syntax.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi invokes by precedent: Indra’s earlier protection is treated as a living covenant. The worshipper asks Indra to be ‘that same one’ now—continuity of divine action responding to sustained aspiration.
Remember a concrete moment of inner help or clarity; invoke Indra to bring the same unerring guidance now for present work.
Manipura (force) guided by Ajna (clarity)
Inhale on ‘yo naḥ śaśvat…’; exhale on ‘sa tvaṃ na indra mṛḷaya’—feel force descending into the belly-center.
Steady will with confident trust; readiness for right action.
Write one line: ‘Where did I feel guided before?’ Read it, then chant 8–16 times. End with one decisive next step chosen in quiet.
Not fully reconstructible without svara-marked text; keep the relative clause flowing, then make the final petition ‘sa tvaṃ… mṛḷaya’ distinctly resolved.
Slight rise through ‘yo… āvitha…’; settle with emphasis on ‘amṛdhraḥ’ and ‘vājasātaye’; conclude warmly on ‘mṛḷaya’.
āvitha: long ā; dental th, amṛdhraḥ: vocalic ṛ; cluster ‘dhr’ clear, vājasātaye: long ā; keep ‘sā’ long; avoid collapsing syllables, mṛḷaya: keep ṛ and ḷ distinct
Steady, encouraging, bright but not forceful.
16
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
