Rig Veda 3.42.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 42, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.42
- Rishi
- Gāthin Viśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तमिन्द्र मदमा गहि बर्हिःष्ठां ग्रावभिः सुतम् । कुविन्न्वस्य तृप्णवः ॥
tám índra mádam ā́ gahi bárhiṣṭhāṃ grā́vabhiḥ sutám | kúvin nv asyá tṛṣṇávaḥ ||
ಹೇ ಇಂದ್ರ, ಆ ಮದ (ಆನಂದೋನ್ಮಾದ)ದ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಬಾ; ಗ್ರಾವ (ಕಲ್ಲುಗಳು)ಗಳಿಂದ ಪಿಷಿತವಾದ, ಬರ್ಹಿಷ್ಠಾಂ—ಬರ್ಹಿಸಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿತ—ಸೋಮದ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಬಾ. ಇದರಿಂದ ನಿನ್ನ ತೃಷೆ ತೃಪ್ತಿಯಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗಿನ ಹುಡುಕಾಟ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣತೆಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೇ?
Word by Word
- तम्
- him / that onePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (आह्वानस्य/गमनस्य लक्ष्यः)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदम्
- to/for exhilaration, intoxication (soma-rapture)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (गमनस्य/आगमनस्य हेतु-लक्ष्यः; ‘मदं’ = ‘मदाय’ इत्यर्थे वैदिक-प्रयोगः)Root मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither, towards (here)Indeclinableउपसर्गः (गम्-धातोः सह)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- गहि
- come!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; (वैदिक-रूप) ‘गच्छ’Role क्रियाRoot गम्
- बर्हिष्ठाम्
- to the best/loftiest (barhis), to the most excellent sacred grass-seatAdjective (superlative) / Noun-epithetस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (बर्हिः ‘कुशासन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्/उपाधिः)Role कर्म (गमनस्य लक्ष्य-स्थानम्)Root बर्हिष् + -तम (श्रेष्ठार्थक-प्रत्यय)
- ग्रावभिः
- with the pressing-stonesNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole करणRoot ग्रावन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतम्
- the pressed (soma)Participle / Adjective used substantivelyपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (पान/आस्वादनस्य; सोमः)Root सु (धातु ‘to press’) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- कुवित्
- whether indeed? perhaps?Indeclinableप्रश्नार्थ/संशयार्थ निपातःRoot कु + वित् (निपात-समास; वैदिक)
- नु
- now, indeedIndeclinableअवधारण/अनुक्रम-निपातःRoot नु (निपात)
- अस्य
- of him / of this (one)Pronounपुं/नपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तृप्णवः
- satisfiers, those who satiate (him)Adjective (agentive) / Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्ये निहित-क्रियायाः ‘भवन्ति/सन्ति’)Root तृप् (धातु ‘to be satisfied’) → तृप्णु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, -nu-प्रत्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तम् इन्द्र मदम् आ गहि बर्हिष्ठाम् ग्रावभिः सुतम् । कुवित् नु अस्य तृप्णवः ॥ 1) तमि॑न्द्र = तम् + इन्द्र (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: म् + इ → मि; पदसंयोगे ‘तमिन्द्र’). 2) मद॒मा = मदम् + आ (म् + आ → मा; अनुस्वार/मकार-परिवर्तन). 3) बर्हि॒:ष्ठां = बर्हिष्ठाम् (विसर्ग-चिह्नः पदपाठ-परम्परानुसारः; संहितायां ‘बर्हिष्ठाम्’). 4) कु॒विन्न्व॑स्य = कुवित् + नु + अस्य (त् + नु → न्न्व्-समुच्चय/संहितारूप; ‘कुविन्न्वस्य’). स्वरचिह्नाः (उदात्त/स्वरित) संहितापाठानुसारं
- पदच्छेदे मूलरूपाः प्रदर्शिताः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is urged to come to that exhilaration (mada), to the Soma pressed by stones and placed on the barhis-seat; the poet asks whether Indra’s thirst will not be satisfied.
Inner meaning
The seeker calls the illumined Mind to the intensification of consciousness (mada) produced when the inner ‘stones’—disciplined pressures of practice—press out the Soma. Set upon barhis means the delight is offered on a stable, consecrated inner ground. ‘Thirst’ is Indra’s own divine hunger to manifest and conquer obstruction in the human—fulfilled when the offering is ripe and well-prepared.
Universal truth
Spiritual ecstasy is not vague emotion; it is a distilled force produced by sustained practice and offered on a stable inner foundation. Then the higher power finds its fulfillment in us.
Themes
Soma-pressing, Mada (ecstasy), Ritual seat (barhis), Invocation
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Kauśika lineage; traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.42.1, RV 3.42.3, RV 3.42.4
Family tradition
Invocatory hymns that combine tapas (pressing) and ananda (Soma) to call down Indra’s victorious illumination.
Significance
Shows the Vedic psychology of ‘pressing’ the Soma: inner effort yields a nectar that satisfies and empowers the illumined mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Soma-pā, Vṛṣan (bull/forceful), Hari-vān
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Grows by Soma, breaks the coverer, releases the waters/rays, establishes wideness.
Inner power
Dynamic clarity that enjoys and uses ecstasy as fuel for decisive transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering to Indra; reference to pressing by stones (grāvan)
तमि॑न्द्र॒ मद॒मा ग॑हि बर्हि॒:ष्ठां ग्राव॑भिः सु॒तम् । कु॒विन्न्व॑स्य तृ॒प्णव॑: ॥
तम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । मद॒म् । आ । ग॑हि ब॒र्हिः॒ऽस्थाम् । ग्राव॑ऽभिः । सु॒तम् । कु॒वित् । नु । अ॒स्य॒ । तृ॒ष्णवः॑ ॥
tam | indra | madam | ā | gahi barhiḥ-sthām | grāva-bhiḥ | sutam | kuvit | nu | asya | tṛṣṇavaḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Interrogative lift in the last pāda; strong pressing cadence in the middle.
Energizes and concentrates; ends with a questioning upward turn that intensifies aspiration.
- मदम् (madam)
- Literal: intoxication, exhilaration. Symbolic: heightened luminous ecstasy—energized clarity, not tamasic intoxication
- ग्रावभिः (grāvabhiḥ)
- Literal: with stones (pressing stones). Symbolic: firm disciplines/pressures that extract essence; concentrated tapas
- सुतम् (sutam)
- Literal: pressed. Symbolic: distilled Ananda/energy drawn from experience
- बर्हिःस्थाम् (barhiḥ-sthām)
- Literal: placed on the barhis. Symbolic: offered upon a prepared stable inner seat
- तृष्णवः (tṛṣṇavaḥ)
- Literal: thirsts, thirsting. Symbolic: the urge of the divine force to act and to be received; aspiration mirrored in the god
Soma pressing (grāvan) emphasis: invitation to Indra to come to madá; rhetorical question about satisfying divine thirst
During/after Soma pressing; invitatory to partake
Pressing Soma, placing offering, calling Indra to drink
Frame personal practice as ‘pressing stones’: disciplined repetition yields a refined joy offered to illumined intelligence.
máda from √mad ‘be exhilarated, rejoice’ (ecstatic power). grā́van ‘pressing stone’ (ritual). tṛṣṇā from √tṛṣ ‘thirst’ (PIE *ters- ‘dry’ semantic field). barhiṣṭha- is a superlative/locative adjective formation around barhis, indicating ‘on the barhis’/‘most barhis-seated’ (textual tradition varies in analysis).
transmutation: essence extracted (Soma) → ecstasy-force (mada), desire/thirst as motive power turned toward divine fulfillment
Rightly prepared offering on barhis indicates order and consecration—conditions for effective descent.
Mada as luminous force when aligned with truth, not sensory intoxication.
Transformation through pressure: essence extracted from the mixed nature to feed divine action.
Yoga of transformation (Integral): tapas produces Soma; Indra uses it to conquer inner limits.
Stones = concentrated effort; Soma = refined delight; barhis = stable receptivity; thirst = urge toward manifestation and fulfillment.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘thirst of the god’ satisfied by Soma: a mythic reciprocity where even the divine power is portrayed as having a seeking (tṛṣṇā) that is fulfilled by the rightly prepared ecstasy—psychologically, the higher force ‘feeds’ on purified delight to act in the human.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad (ecstatic joy) and √tṛṣ (thirst) encode a deep IE nexus of intoxication/ardor language. The instrumental grāvabhiḥ shows the archaic prominence of tools/means in ritual syntax, typical of early Indo-European poetic-ritual registers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi persuades Indra through a rhetorical question: the offering is so apt that it should satisfy even Indra’s ‘thirst’. The relationship is not servile; it is a confident claim of adequacy—our preparation meets the divine requirement.
Convert effort into nectar: feel disciplined practice extracting a calm ecstasy and offer it upward.
maṇipūra (tapasic pressure) rising to ājñā (illumined clarity)
Kapalabhati (light, 30–60 strokes) then quiet breathing; chant once per exhale for 9 rounds.
Energized stillness—bright, pressure-born joy.
1) Begin with steady posture (barhis). 2) Apply gentle tapas (attention returning again and again). 3) Notice the ‘pressed’ sweetness of collected energy; offer it to the higher mind and let it act.
Maintain clear udatta on key summons (ā gahi) and on madam; final interrogative (kuvit nu) often benefits from a slight lift while keeping Vedic accent rules per śākhā.
Segment clearly: tam | indra | madam | ā gahi | barhiḥ-sthām | grāva-bhiḥ | sutam | kuvit nu | asya | tṛṣṇavaḥ.
barhiḥ-sthām: articulate visarga before sth- lightly; keep long ā in -sthām, grāvabhiḥ: long ā; bh aspirated, kuvit: crisp ‘k’ and short ‘u’, tṛṣṇavaḥ: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṣṇ cluster cleanly
Firm and concentrated; slightly rising inquisitive color on the final pāda.
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