Rig Veda 2.13.12: Mandala 2, Sukta 13, Mantra 12
Sukta 2.13
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Vira (heroism)
अरमयः सरपसस्तराय कं तुर्वीतये च वय्याय च स्रुतिम् । नीचा सन्तमुदनयः परावृजं प्रान्धं श्रोणं श्रवयन्त्सास्युक्थ्यः ॥
áramayaḥ sárāpasas tárāya kám turvī́taye ca vayyā́ya ca srutím | nīcā́ sántam úd anayaḥ parā-vṛ́jaṃ prá ā́ndhaṃ śróṇaṃ śraváyann sá āsy ukthyáḥ ||
ತಾರಾ, ಕಂ, ತುರ್ವೀತಿ ಮತ್ತು ವಯ್ಯ ಇವರಿಗಾಗಿ ನೀನು ವೇಗಿಗಳನ್ನೂ (ರಥವಾಹಕರನ್ನೂ) ಸಿದ್ಧಪಡಿಸಿ, ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸಿದೆ. ಕೆಳಗೆ ಕುಸಿದವನನ್ನು ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಿದೆ; ಹಿಂದೆ ತಿರುಗಿದವನನ್ನು ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ತಂದೆ; ಅಂಧನಿಗೂ ಲಂಗಡನಿಗೂ ಕೇಳುವ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದೆ—ಅವನೇ ಸ್ತುತಿಯ ನಿಜವಾದ ವಿಷಯ (ಉಕ್ಥ್ಯ).
Word by Word
- अरम्
- duly, fittingly, sufficientlyIndeclinableअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)Root अरम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) / √अर् (गत्यर्थ) (निरुक्त-सम्बन्ध)
- अयः
- metal, ironNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (वैदिके रूपम्: अयः)Role KarmaRoot अयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सरपसः
- of the serpent/creeping one (serpent-like foe)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (वैदिक)Role Sambandha (genitive)Root सरपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तराय
- for the overcoming / for the crossing (i.e., for surpassing)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot तर (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनार्थ-विशेषण)
- कम्
- whom? / what?Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तुर्वीतये
- for impetuous advance / for swift onsetNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot तुर्वीति (प्रातिपदिक; नामधातु/भाववाचक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- वय्याय
- for pursuit/drive (impelling onward)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot वय्य (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- स्रुतिम्
- a course, track, pathNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot स्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
- नीचा
- down, downwardAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्: ‘downwards’)Role Karma (goal-direction) / AdverbialRoot नीच (प्रातिपदिक)
- सन्तम्
- being, existingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सत् (√अस् ‘to be’ का वर्तमान-कृदन्त; प्रातिपदिक)
- उदनयः
- you led up/out, you brought forthVerbलुङ् (अorist); परस्मैपद; 2 पुरुष; एकवचनRole Kartā (implied ‘त्वम्/इन्द्रः’) + Karma (object implied)Root उद्-√नी (धातु)
- परावृजम्
- turned away, driven offVerbकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (भूतकृदन्त-प्राय); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (विशेषणवत्)Role KarmaRoot परा-√वृज् (धातु; ‘to turn away/drive off’)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot प्र
- अन्धम्
- blindAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रोणम्
- lame, crippledAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot श्रोण (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रवयन्
- causing to hear, making (him) hearVerbणिच्-प्रत्ययान्त; वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (agent-participle)Root √श्रु (धातु) → श्रावय (णिच् causative) वर्तमान-कृदन्त
- सास्य
- having a mouth / having speechAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (qualifier)Root सास्य (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक, ‘with mouth/with speech’)
- उक्थ्यः
- praiseworthy with hymns / fit for the ukthaAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole Kartā (qualifier)Root उक्थ्य (प्रातिपदिक; उक्थ ‘hymn’ से)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठे ‘अर॑मय॒:’ इति संधि-समासवत् दृश्यते
- पदच्छेदे ‘अरम् | अयः’ (अव्यय + नपुंसक-नाम) इति ग्रहणम्। ‘श्र॒वय॒न्त्सास्यु॒क्थ्य॑:’ इत्यत्र अन्त्य-त् + स- आरम्भः → ‘श्रवयन् | सास्य | उक्थ्यः’ (त्-लोप/अनुस्वार-प्रवृत्ति वैदिक-लेखनभेदेन)। अन्यत्र ‘तराय कं’ इत्यादि पदसीमा-स्थाने संधि न्यूनः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
You readied the swift ones for Tārā, for Kaṃ, for Turvīti and for Vayya and set the course. The one low you led upward, the one turned away you brought forward; you made the blind and the lame to hear—he is worthy of the hymn.
Inner meaning
Indra prepares the ‘swift ones’ (sarapasaḥ) —energies of action and progress (aśva-like vital forces) for various seeker-powers (Tārā, Kaṃ, Turvīti, Vayya as symbolic names of capacities/aspirants). He establishes the path (sruti) —the right track of movement in yoga. He lifts what is sunk low (nīcā santam) —depressed consciousness, tamasic layers— and turns forward what has recoiled (parāvṛj) —parts that resist transformation. He makes the blind and lame ‘hear’: inner faculties that could not perceive truth (blind) or could not advance (lame) become receptive to the Word (śravaṇa), i.e., awakened to guidance and intuition.
Universal truth
Spiritual help is practical: it organizes energies, clarifies the path, uplifts depression, turns back resistance, and restores impaired faculties. Transformation includes making the incapable capable—opening perception and movement toward truth.
Themes
Restoration and healing, Guidance onto the path, Opening of hearing (śruti)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.13.6, Rig Veda 2.12.9, Rig Veda 2.15.6
Family tradition
The hymn’s closing movement often universalizes Indra’s acts: from battle victories to compassionate uplift and restoration of faculties—an integral transformation theme.
Significance
Gṛtsamada presents Indra as both warrior and healer-guide: he not only conquers but rehabilitates the fallen and restores capacities for hearing the truth.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- suprāvya (protector, echoed from prior verse context), purukṛt (many-doer, hymn theme), ukthya
- Related deities
- Aśvins (healing/restoration motif), Sarasvatī (hearing/word), Agni (inner leader)
Cosmic role
Guide of the path and organizer of forces; uplifter of the fallen; restorer of function.
Inner power
Transformative intelligence that prepares energies, sets right direction, and awakens perception and mobility in consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra stotra for guidance, success in undertakings, and restoration of strength
अर॑मय॒: सर॑पस॒स्तरा॑य॒ कं तु॒र्वीत॑ये च व॒य्या॑य च स्रु॒तिम् । नी॒चा सन्त॒मुद॑नयः परा॒वृजं॒ प्रान्धं श्रो॒णं श्र॒वय॒न्त्सास्यु॒क्थ्य॑: ॥
अर॑मयः । सर॑ऽअपसः । तरा॑य । कम् । तु॒र्वीत॑ये । च॒ । व॒य्या॑य । च॒ । स्रु॒तिम् । नी॒चा । सन्त॑म् । उत् । अ॒न॒यः॒ । प॒रा॒ऽवृज॑म् । प्र । अ॒न्धम् । श्रो॒णम् । श्र॒वय॑न् । सः । अ॒सि॒ । उ॒क्थ्यः॑ ॥
aramayaḥ | sara-apasaḥ | tarāya | kam | turvītaye | ca | vayyāya | ca | srutim | nīcā | santam | ut | anayaḥ | parāvṛjam | pra | andham | śroṇam | śravayan | saḥ | asi | ukthyaḥ
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4 × ~11
Dynamic first half (preparation and course-setting) followed by a lifting cadence (upward-leading)
Energizes and then uplifts; helpful for lethargy, discouragement, and lack of direction.
- सरपसः (sarapasaḥ)
- Literal: swift ones. Symbolic: Quick-moving energies; vital forces for effective action
- स्रुतिम् (srutim)
- Literal: course, track, path. Symbolic: Right path of progress; intuitive guidance and lawful movement
- नीचा सन्तम् (nīcā santam)
- Literal: one who is low/sunk. Symbolic: Depressed, tamasic consciousness; fallen parts of the being
- परावृजम् (parāvṛjam)
- Literal: turned away, recoiling. Symbolic: Resistance, avoidance, refusal to face transformation
- अन्धम् (andham)
- Literal: blind. Symbolic: Ignorant perception; inability to see truth/light
- श्रोणम् (śroṇam)
- Literal: lame. Symbolic: Incapacity to progress; weakened will or life-force
- श्रवयन् (śravayan)
- Literal: making hear. Symbolic: Awakening receptivity to inner word, intuition, teaching
- अरमयः (aramayaḥ)
- Literal: you made ready. Symbolic: Preparation and right arrangement of energies for the work
Indra as uplifter and restorer: used to invoke rectification of defects and establishment of right course (sruti) in rite and inner discipline
When setting out on a course (journey/undertaking) or seeking uplift from misfortune/weakness
Invocation and praise; symbolic ‘setting the path’ in intention before offerings
Chant when feeling stuck, depressed, or directionless; pair with a practical ‘course-setting’ (write next steps) after recitation.
aram from √ṛ ‘fit, proper’ or √ram ‘make ready/pleasing’ (context: ‘prepared’). sruti from √sru ‘to flow’ (PIE *sreu- ‘flow’, Eng. stream). andha ‘blind’. śroṇa ‘lame’ (physical metaphor for inner incapacity). śravay- causative of √śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear, fame’, cf. Gk. kléos).
Upliftment from lowness, Conversion of ignorance to receptivity (hearing), Rita as right course (sruti)
Setting the sruti is aligning movement with ṛta—right track rather than crooked wandering.
Making the blind/lame hear indicates restoration of receptivity to truth-guidance.
Evolutionary uplift: raising the low and turning forward the recoiled parts is creation-as-ascent.
Integral yoga reading: transformation includes the subconscient and impaired parts, not only the ‘good’ faculties.
Swift forces as vital energies; path as the nervous/psychic channel of progress; upward lift as ascent from tamas to light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The healer-uplifter mythologem: raising the low, turning the turned-away forward, and giving ‘hearing’ to the blind/lame. Inner sense: Indra restores faculties—receptivity to truth (hearing) and capacity for progress (walking)—and sets the being on the flowing right course (sruti).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sruti from √sru reflects PIE *sreu- ‘flow’, a common IE metaphor for ‘path/stream’. √śru ‘hear’ reflects PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear/fame’ (Gk. kléos), showing the archaic sacral importance of ‘hearing’ as receiving revelation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi appeals to Indra as the power that makes the human instrument capable: he prepares swift powers, establishes the course, and opens hearing. The hymn thus functions as a request for inner rehabilitation so the sacrificer can correctly receive and enact the divine impulsion.
Course-setting and uplift: invoke Indra to arrange energies, reveal the next right step, and awaken receptivity in dulled faculties.
mūlādhāra (lifting tamas) and ājñā (direction)
Brisk kapalabhāti (30 strokes) if appropriate, then slow exhale chanting; otherwise gentle ujjāyī for calming uplift
From heaviness and withdrawal to forward-flowing, receptive clarity
Identify one ‘low’ part (shame, fatigue) and one ‘turned away’ part (avoidance). On chanting, feel them lifted and turned forward; then sit and listen inwardly for the ‘hearing’—a subtle instruction for the next step.
RV accents; keep energetic rise in the first pādas describing preparation and path; soften slightly in the uplift/healing imagery while maintaining clarity.
Articulate proper sandhi: nīcā santam (do not merge into nīcāsantam indistinctly); keep clear word boundaries at pāda ends.
sarapasaḥ: keep short a’s; avoid ‘sarapas’., srutim: consonant cluster sr- clear, not ‘surutim’., parāvṛjam: rolled/clear ṛ; vṛ as vocalic r + r-coloring., śroṇaṃ: retroflex ṇ and long ō., śravayan: keep śr- cluster crisp.
Energizing at start, then compassionate and reassuring; clear nasalization where indicated
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