Sukta 45
Rishi: Ṛgvedic provenance (borrowed into AV 20)
Devata: Indra (probable, by AV 20 Indra-stotra context; exact RV source would fix devatā)
Chandas: RV-style meter (likely Anuṣṭubh/short meter adaptation; AV 20 preserves RV prosody variably)
AV 20.45 ಒಂದು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಋಗ್ವೇದೀಯ ಶೈಲಿಯ ಇಂದ್ರ-ಸ್ತೋತ್ರ; ಅದನ್ನು ಅಥರ್ವವೇದದ ಲಿಟರ್ಗಿಕ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಕ್ಕೆ ಅಳವಡಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಉಚ್ಚರಿತ ಸ್ತುತಿ ‘ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡ’ (samatas) ಆಗಿ ಇಂದ್ರನ ಸಹಾಯವನ್ನು ಪರಿಣಾಮಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿ ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವುದೇ ಇದರ ಉದ್ದೇಶ. ದಾನಗಳ ಅಧಿಪತಿ ಮತ್ತು ವಿಜಯಶಕ್ತಿಯ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಇಂದ್ರನು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆ (ವಾಜ) ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಡುವವರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ನಿಲ್ಲಲಿ ಎಂದು ಇದು ಬೇಡುತ್ತದೆ; ಸಮೃದ್ಧಿ, ರಕ್ಷಣೆ, ಮತ್ತು ಸೂನೃತಾ—ಕೃಪಾಮಯ, ಸತ್ಯ, ಮಂಗಳಕರ ವಾಣಿ—ಎಂಬ ವರವನ್ನು ದಯಪಾಲಿಸಲಿ ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
अ॒यमु॑ ते॒ सम॑तसि क॒पोत॑ इव गर्भ॒धिम्। वच॒स्तच्चि॑न्न ओहसे
ಇದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ನಿನಗೆ ಯೋಗ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ—ಪಾರಿವಾಳವು ತನ್ನ ಗರ್ಭ-ನಿಧಿಯ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವಂತೆ; ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಣಿ ನಿನ್ನ ನೆರವಿಗಾಗಿ ಇದೆ.
Mantra 2
स्तो॒त्रं रा॑धानां पते॒ गिर्वा॑हो वीर॒ यस्य॑ ते । विभू॑तिरस्तु सू॒नृता॑
ಹೇ ದಾನಗಳ ಪತೇ, ಹೇ ಗೀರ್ವಾಹ ವೀರ, ನಿನಗೆ ಈ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರ. ನಿನ್ನ ವಿಭೂತಿ ಸಮೃದ್ಧವಾಗಿರಲಿ; ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಪಾಲಿಗೆ ಸೂನೃತ—ಕೃಪಾಮಯ, ಸತ್ಯವಾಣಿ—ಇರಲಿ.
Mantra 3
ऊ॒र्ध्वस्ति॑ष्ठा न ऊ॒तये॒ऽस्मिन् वाजे॑ शतक्रतो । सम॒न्येषु॑ ब्रवावहै
ಹೇ ಶತಕ್ರತು (ನೂರಾರು ಶಕ್ತಿಕರ್ಮಗಳವನೇ)! ನಮ್ಮ ಊತಿ (ರಕ್ಷೆ)ಗಾಗಿ ಎತ್ತರವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿರು; ಈ ವಾಜ (ವಿಜಯ-ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ) ಗಳಿಸುವ ಯತ್ನದಲ್ಲಿ. ಇತರರ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ, ಒಂದಾಗಿ ಸೇರಿ, ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ವಚನವನ್ನು ಉಚ್ಚರಿಸೋಣ.
Inside Sukta 45
How it unfolds
- How it opens
The hymn opens by declaring the present speech ‘meet for thee’—as naturally settled as a dove to its nest—framing the mantra as properly placed and therefore effective.
- What it asks
Indra is asked to accept the stotra as lord of gifts, to grant abundant might and prosperity, and to bestow sūnṛtā—gracious, truthful, auspicious speech for the community.
- Where its power lies
Efficacy is implied through the ‘fitness’ (samatas) of the utterance and the public, collective act of speaking ‘in concert’—right speech compelling divine response.
- How it closes
It culminates in a call for Indra to stand up for immediate succour in the present contest, ending with the resolve to speak together among others (sam anyeṣu bravāvahai).
Famous verses
kapota iva garbhadhim
rādhānāṃ pate … sūnṛtā
ūrdhvas tiṣṭhā na ūtaye
Kind of hymn
Paustika / Śānti (Aid-seeking stotra; AV 20 liturgical borrowing)
What it is for
Prosperity and patronage from Indra, victory/support in a competitive situation, and the establishment of sūnṛtā (gracious, truthful, socially effective speech) within the group.
Who it is for
Ritualists and householders seeking prosperity and social success; leaders or groups entering a contest/assembly who require divine backing and persuasive, harmonious speech.
Also used as
- Śāntika
- Saṃgrāmika (contest/victory context)
- Vāc-prayoga (speech-auspiciousness)
The deity
Indra here is the archetypal giver and champion—‘lord of gifts’ (rādhānāṃ pati) and ‘song-borne’ (girvāhas), who is moved by well-formed praise and empowers the community in competitive and public settings.
Powers of the deity
- Grants rādhāni (gifts, wealth, patronage)
- Raises the singer’s/party’s strength and public standing (vibhūti)
- Provides immediate succour and protection (ūti)
- Secures victory in contest (vāja) and over rivals
- Sanctions and stabilizes auspicious truthful speech (sūnṛtā)
Why the deity is called
To validate and empower the present utterance as a properly ‘settling’ hymn, to obtain prosperity and gifts, and to win Indra’s active support in a contest or communal undertaking through united proclamation.
The seer
- Ṛgvedic seer (exact r̥ṣi not fixed from AV 20.45 alone)Angiras. Stotra-prayoga specialists: victory-and-prosperity invocations to Indra, with emphasis on making speech efficacious (mantra-sāmarthya) and securing communal success in contests and assemblies.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 20 Indra-stotra corpus (multiple RV borrowings in Kanda 20; exact parallels depend on the RV source identification)
- Rigvedic Indra hymns of the gāthā/stotra type (general provenance)
Preparing for the rite
- Choose a clean, quiet place (home altar or assembly ground) and seat the reciter facing east or north.
- Perform simple ācamana and mental saṃkalpa for prosperity, victory in vāja (contest), and sūnṛtā for the group.
- If desired, prepare a small offering (water for sipping/sprinkling, or a simple oblation) consistent with local śrauta/smārta custom.
The rite
- Recite 20.45.1 to ‘fit’/settle the hymn as effective speech, contemplating the kapota simile as homing and sure placement of the prayer.
- Recite 20.45.2 as the central stotra to Indra as lord of gifts, explicitly asking for vibhūti (abundance of might) and sūnṛtā (auspicious truthful speech).
- Recite 20.45.3 while standing (or rising slightly) to embody ‘ūrdhva’ (upright/aloft), requesting Indra’s immediate succour in the present vāja, and conclude with a brief communal utterance or agreement (saha-vāc).
What it needs
- Clean water (for ācamana or light sprinkling)
- Optional simple offering (e.g., ghee oblation if within one’s ritual framework)
When
Before a public speaking occasion, negotiation, competition, or undertaking for gain; also suitable at dawn or prior to communal assemblies.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to seek Indra’s support for prosperity and success, especially before a contest, public effort, or assembly, and to secure sūnṛtā—speech that is truthful, gracious, and socially effective.
The dove image expresses ‘settling’ and sure placement: just as a dove returns to and rests in its proper home, the hymn’s words are presented as rightly placed for Indra, and therefore capable of bringing help.
No specific herb, amulet, or material is required by the verses themselves. It can be recited as a stotra with simple purity measures; optional water or a small offering may be added according to one’s tradition.
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