Rig Veda 7.21.8: Mandala 7, Sukta 21, Mantra 8
Sukta 7.21
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
कीरिश्चिद्धि त्वामवसे जुहावेशानमिन्द्र सौभगस्य भूरेः । अवो बभूथ शतमूते अस्मे अभिक्षत्तुस्त्वावतो वरूता ॥
kī́riś cid dhi tvām ávase juhā́veśā́nam indra sáubhagasya bhū́reḥ | ávo babhūtha śatamūte asmē abhikṣattús tvā́vato varūtā́ ||
ដ្បិតទោះបីជាអ្នកច្រៀងក៏ហៅអ្នកសម្រាប់ជំនួយដែរ នែឥន្ទ្រ ម្ចាស់ សម្រាប់សុភាពល្អដ៏សម្បូរ។ អ្នកបានក្លាយជាជំនួយរបស់យើងខ្ញុំ នែអ្នកដែលជួយរយដង ជាអ្នកការពារថែរក្សាដល់អ្នកដែលបើកទៅមុខក្រោមអំណាចរបស់អ្នក។
Word by Word
- की॒रिः
- the singer/poet (priest)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot कीरि- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्तुतिकार/गायक’)
- चित्
- even/indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRoot चित् (अव्यय; emphatic particle)
- हि
- for/indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRoot हि (अव्यय; causal/emphatic particle)
- त्वाम्
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवसे
- for help/protectionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot अवस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सहायता/रक्षा’)
- जु॒हाव
- has invoked/calledVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot हु (धातु)
- ईशानम्
- the lord/masterNoun (used as epithet) / Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (apposition to त्वाम्)Root ईशान- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्वामी/अधिपति’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सौभ॑गस्य
- of good fortune/prosperityNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole (genitive relation)Root सौभग्य/सौभग- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सौभाग्य/समृद्धि’)
- भूरेः
- of abundance; of the plentifulAdjective (substantivized) / Noun-like(भूरि-), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole (genitive relation)Root भूरि- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बहु/प्रचुर’)
- अवः
- help; protectionNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (here: object-like ‘help’)Role KarmaRoot अवस्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सहायता/रक्षा’)
- बभूथ
- you have become/beenVerbलिट् (परफेक्ट), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRoot भू (धातु)
- शतमूते
- O hundred-gifted (bounteous one)Adjective (epithet) / Vocativeपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot शतमूत- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शत-दान/शत-उपहार-युक्त’)
- अस्मे
- among us; in our casePronounसप्तमी (Vedic locative), बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिक्षत्तुः
- the overseer/protector; the ruling guardianNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition/epithet of Indra)Root अभि-क्षत्तृ- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अभिक्षत्ता/अधिरक्षक/अधिपति’)
- त्वावतः
- of one like you; of you (as possessor)Adjective (substantivized) / Genitiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole (genitive relation)Root त्वावत्- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘त्वद्-युक्त/त्वत्सदृश/त्वदाश्रित’)
- वरूता
- a shelter; protection; defenseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (predicate-noun with implied ‘is’)Root वरूत- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘आवरण/रक्षा/आश्रय’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-splitting): कीरिश्चिद्धि → कीरिः + चित् + हि
- जुहावेशा॑नम् → जुहाव + ईशानम् (final -v of जुहाव before initial vowel)
- इन्द्र॒ सौभ॑गस्य → इन्द्र + सौभगस्य (vocative + genitive phrase)
- भूरे॑: → भूरेः (visarga)
- अवो॑ बभूथ → अवः + बभूथ (o/ः alternation in saṃhitā)
- शतमूते अ॒स्मे → शतमूते + अस्मे
- अ॑भिक्ष॒त्तुस्त्वाव॑तो → अभिक्षत्तुः + त्वावतः (visarga before t-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Even the singer calls Indra for help, the lord, for abundant good fortune. Indra has become aid to us, O hundred-helped, a protecting guard to the forward-pressing one who is under your power.
Inner meaning
The kīri (singer/poet) is the expressive soul-voice that aspires through mantra. It calls Indra, the inner Master (īśāna), not for outer luck alone but for saubhaga—true felicity: harmony of being, right success, and luminous joy. Indra as śatamūti (hundred-aided/hundred-helping) signifies manifold supports of illumination in the struggle. He becomes varūtā, a protective enclosure, for the one who ‘presses forward’ (abhikṣattuḥ): the aspirant who advances in disciplined effort under the higher guidance, not under ego.
Universal truth
Sincere aspiration—voiced steadily—draws real help. Protection arises when effort is aligned to a higher guidance; then progress is safeguarded and felicity becomes a stable state, not a chance event.
Themes
prayer for help, felicity and abundance, divine protection, mastery
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 7.21, RV 7.33
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s line values mantra as living force: the poet’s call is an act of inner alignment that summons divine aid.
Significance
Emphasizes bhakti-as-aspiration joined with will: the singer’s call evokes Indra’s protective governance for forward progress.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- īśāna (master), śatamūti (hundred-helped/hundred-helping), bhūri-saubhaga-dātṛ (giver of abundant felicity—sense)
- Related deities
- Agni (mantra-fire that calls), Sarasvatī (inspiration/speech), Maruts (aiding forces)
Cosmic role
Protector and increaser of prosperity; champion who supports the sacrificer and secures victory.
Inner power
Protective illumination that guards the advancing will and stabilizes felicity as harmony.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invocation by the hotṛ/poet during Soma rite; also suitable as a protective stotra
की॒रिश्चि॒द्धि त्वामव॑से जु॒हावेशा॑नमिन्द्र॒ सौभ॑गस्य॒ भूरे॑: । अवो॑ बभूथ शतमूते अ॒स्मे अ॑भिक्ष॒त्तुस्त्वाव॑तो वरू॒ता ॥
की॒रिः । चि॒त् । हि । त्वाम् । अव॑से । जु॒हाव॑ । ईशा॑नम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । सौभ॑गस्य । भूरेः॑ । अवः॑ । ब॒भू॒थ॒ । श॒त॒म्ऽऊ॒ते॒ । अ॒स्मे इति॑ । अ॒भि॒ऽक्ष॒त्तुः । त्वाऽव॑तः । व॒रू॒ता ॥
kīriḥ | cit | hi | tvām | avase | juhāva | īśānam | indra | saubhagasya | bhūreḥ | avaḥ | babhūtha | śatam-ūte | asme iti | abhi-kṣattuḥ | tvāvataḥ | varūtā
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4 × 11
Supplicatory yet strong; balances invocation with assurance of protection.
Soothes anxiety while strengthening resolve; creates a felt ‘guard’ around the mind.
- कीरि (kīri)
- Literal: singer, poet. Symbolic: the soul’s expressive aspiration; mantra-consciousness
- अवस् (avas)
- Literal: help, protection. Symbolic: grace and effective support from higher intelligence
- ईशान (īśāna)
- Literal: lord, master. Symbolic: the inner ruler—guiding consciousness beyond ego
- सौभग्य (saubhaga)
- Literal: good fortune, felicity. Symbolic: harmonious well-being rooted in truth and joy
- शतमूते (śatamūte)
- Literal: hundred-helped / hundred-aided. Symbolic: manifold aids—many channels of support and illumination
- वरूता (varūtā)
- Literal: protecting guard, enclosure. Symbolic: psychic protection; boundary of truth around the sādhanā
- अभिक्षत्तुः (abhikṣattuḥ)
- Literal: one who presses forward. Symbolic: the advancing aspirant; persistent tapas without ego
Soma-yajña praise/invocation for Indra’s aid and protection to the sacrificer and the striving seeker (yajamāna/adhvaryu complex).
At moments of seeking aid and safe passage through the rite; in daily use before travel, exams, or difficult conversations (as inner ‘forward-pressing’).
Recitation with offering (water/flower/light) as a modern symbolic act of calling for avas.
A mantra for ‘help + protection’ when beginning a new phase; supports steady forward motion under guidance.
√hū 'call/invoke' (juhāva) marks the mantra as an act of effective speech. īśāna- relates to √īś 'to own, rule'—Indra as inner governor. saubhaga- (su+bhaga) 'good share' → felicity as right distribution of force and joy. varūtha- 'cover, shelter' from √vṛ 'to cover' (cf. varuṇa as 'encompasser'), here a psychological protection of the striving consciousness.
bhaga (right share; harmony of enjoyment), ava/varūtha (grace and protection as inner covering), īśitva (inner rulership)
Protection is for the one moving in right direction (abhikṣattuḥ under Indra’s power).
Felicity (saubhaga) is truth-aligned harmony, not mere chance.
Guarding and fostering: divine powers sustain the evolving being.
Bhakti + jñāna synthesis (Aurobindonian): aspiration calls down illumined force that protects and perfects.
A protective ‘atmosphere’ around consciousness; abundance as a flowering of inner harmony.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as īśāna (master) who becomes varūtha (protective shelter) for the advancing seeker: the mythic action is not combat but guardianship—Indra’s many helps (śatam-ūti) surrounding the one who strives toward attainment.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū 'be, become' (babhūtha) reflects PIE *bʰuH- 'become, grow' (cf. English be, Latin fuī via related formations). √vṛ 'cover' (varūtha) reflects PIE *wer- 'cover, enclose' (cf. Latin operire with different prefixal development; Germanic *war- 'guard' is often compared semantically).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as kīri (the articulating consciousness) who invokes Indra specifically for saubhaga (felicity). The exchange is: invocation and aspiration offered; aid and protective ordering returned, enabling the seeker’s forward pressure (abhi-kṣattu).
Invoke protective illumination before entering deeper practice or challenging life-action.
anāhata (protective grace)
Soft ujjāyī on a slow count; mentally place ‘avo babhūtha…varūtā’ as a protective wrap on exhale.
Sheltered concentration; gentle confidence.
Begin with a simple inward call (kīri): speak the intention aloud once. Then sit silently, feeling a boundary of light around the heart and brow; proceed with practice from within that enclosure.
Triṣṭubh with clear udātta on ‘índra’, ‘īśā́nam’, ‘saúbhagasya’, ‘śatamūte’, ‘varūtā́’.
Let the first pāda be an invocation (slightly rising), the last pāda settle into protection (gentle cadence).
juhāva: ‘ju-hā-va’ (long ā), īśānam: long ī, long ā, śatamūte: articulate ‘mū’ long ū, abhikṣattuḥ: ‘a-bhi-kṣat-tuḥ’ (kṣ cluster)
Warm, steady, prayerful; avoid aggressive emphasis.
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