Rig Veda 1.53.2: Mandala 1, Sukta 53, Mantra 2
Sukta 1.53
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
दुरो अश्वस्य दुर इन्द्र गोरसि दुरो यवस्य वसुन इनस्पतिः । शिक्षानरः प्रदिवो अकामकर्शनः सखा सखिभ्यस्तमिदं गृणीमसि ॥
duró aśvásya durá índra góḥ asi duró yávasya vásuna ináspátiḥ | śikṣānáraḥ pradívo ákāma-karśanaḥ sakhā sákhibhyas tám idáṃ gṛṇīmasi ||
ഹേ ഇന്ദ്രാ, നീ അശ്വത്തിന്റെ വാതിലും പാതയും ആകുന്നു; നീ ഗാവിന്റെ വാതിലും ആകുന്നു; നീ യവത്തിന്റെ വാതിലും ആകുന്നു—വസുക്കളെ പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന അധിപൻ (ഇനസ്പതി). മനുഷ്യരെ ശിക്ഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നവനേ, പരമ ദ്യൗവിൽ നിന്നു വ്യാപിക്കുന്നവനേ, കാമരഹിതമായി (അകാമകർഷണ) ഞങ്ങളെ ആകർഷിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുവരുന്നവനേ—സഖാ, സഖികൾക്കായി ഞങ്ങൾ ഈ സ്തുതി പാടുന്നു.
Word by Word
- दुरः
- door; gateNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (वेदे प्रायः), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (द्वारम्/दुरः = ‘द्वार’)Role KarmaRoot दुर् (प्रातिपदिक) / द्वार (अर्थ)
- अश्वस्य
- of the horseNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive)Root अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुरः
- doorNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot दुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोरसि
- you are (the) door of the cowNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (गोः) + असि (क्रिया)Role Sambandha (Genitive) + Kartā (of ‘असि’)Root गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यम? (न), उत्तम? (न) — मध्यम? (न); द्वितीयपुरुष, एकवचनRole (Copula)Root अस् (धातु)
- दुरः
- doorNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot दुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यवस्य
- of barleyNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive)Root यव (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसुनः
- of wealth; of treasureNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वसोः/वसुनः वैदिक)Role Sambandha (Genitive)Root वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- इनस्पतिः
- lord of strength/wealth (epithet)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (of implied ‘असि’)Root इनस्-पति (प्रातिपदिक; इनस् ‘बल/समृद्धि/रस’ + पति)
- शिक्षानरः
- the instructing/disciplining man (i.e., Indra as trainer)Adjective/Participle (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समास: ‘शिक्षाणः नरः’)Role Kartā (apposition to Indra)Root शिक्ष् (धातु) → शिक्षाण (कृदन्त) + नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रदिवः
- of the fore-heaven; of the lofty skyNounपुं/नपुंसक (वेदे), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive)Root प्र + दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक ‘दिव्/द्यौ’)
- अकामकर्शनः
- who drags/pulls (foes) against their willAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (बहुव्रीहि: ‘अकामं कर्षति’)Role Kartā (apposition to Indra)Root कृष् (धातु ‘कर्षति’) + अ-काम (निषेध) (समास)
- सखा
- friendNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition)Root सखि/सखा (प्रातिपदिक)
- सखिभ्यः
- to the friendsNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी, बहुवचनRole Sampradāna (dative sense)Root सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- इदम्
- thisPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (object of ‘गृणीमसि’ as ‘this (hymn)’)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम)
- गृणीमसि
- we praise; we singVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम? (न); उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole (Verb; kartā = वयम् implied)Root गॄ/गृ (धातु; ‘to sing/praise’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (मुख्य): दुरः अश्वस्य | दुरः इन्द्र | गोः असि → गोरसि | दुरः यवस्य वसुनः इनस्पतिः | शिक्षाणरः (शिक्षाणः + नरः) | प्रदिवः | अकामकर्शनः | सखा सखिभ्यः | तम् इदम् → तमिदम् | गृणीमसि । वैदिक ‘दुरः’ = ‘द्वारम्’ (नपुंसक एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया रूप-प्रयोग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A praise of Indra as the “door/gate” (durah) to horses, cows, and barley—i.e., to power, wealth, and nourishment; he is the lord who impels treasure, a trainer of men, drawing them beyond desire, the friend of friends.
Inner meaning
Indra is the inner gatekeeper who opens the passages of the being: (1) aśva—released vital energy for right action; (2) go—rays of illumination/knowledge; (3) yava—increase and ripening of inner substance. As inas-pati (lord of driving impulse), he turns aspiration into effective force. As akāma-karśanaḥ, he draws the seeker away from desire-driven movement into a higher, freer dynamism descending from the “upper heaven” (pradivaḥ): the supramental/overmental ranges of luminous mind.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires a higher intelligence-force that can open the blocked channels of energy, knowledge, and growth, and redirect desire into aspiration. The ‘gate’ is not external permission but an inner alignment with a greater Light that converts impulse into conscious power.
Themes
Indra-as-opener, release-of-light (cows), inner-discipline, victory-over-desire, plenitude (vasu/rāyī/iṣa)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthin lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.53, RV 1.54, RV 3.1-3.60 (Viśvāmitra maṇḍala core)
Family tradition
Kṣatriya-seer who embodies the transformation of power into spiritual illumination; hymns often stress Indra as opener of the Light and helper in inner conquest.
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s vision frequently presents Indra as the decisive force that breaks obstructions and releases the ‘cows’ (illumining rays). His psychology is of heroic ascent: converting human struggle into a disciplined march toward the vast (bṛhat).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Maghavan (bountiful), Śacīvat (possessing effective power), Śakra (mighty), Purukṛt (doer of many works)
- Related deities
- Agni (will and priest of the inner sacrifice), Soma (bliss and inspiration), Bṛhaspati (word and spiritual force), Uṣas (dawn-illumination)
Cosmic role
Breaker of the Coverer; opener of the luminous worlds; establisher of free passage between heaven and earth for the flow of powers and riches.
Inner power
Illuminated Mind-Will: the decisive intelligence that opens the inner doors, organizes energies, and converts desire into upward striving.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-yajña contexts (praise to strengthen the Indra-force and invite ‘vasu’).
दु॒रो अश्व॑स्य दु॒र इ॑न्द्र॒ गोर॑सि दु॒रो यव॑स्य॒ वसु॑न इ॒नस्पति॑: । शि॒क्षा॒न॒रः प्र॒दिवो॒ अका॑मकर्शन॒: सखा॒ सखि॑भ्य॒स्तमि॒दं गृ॑णीमसि ॥
दु॒रः । अश्व॑स्य । दु॒रः । इ॒न्द्र॒ । गोः । अ॒सि॒ । दु॒रः । यव॑स्य । वसु॑नः । इ॒नः । पतिः॑ । शि॒क्षा॒ऽन॒रः । प्र॒ऽदिवः॑ । अका॑मऽकर्शनः । सखा॑ । सखि॑ऽभ्यः । तम् । इ॒दम् । गृ॒णी॒म॒सि॒ ॥
duraḥ | aśvasya | duraḥ | indra | goḥ | asi | duraḥ | yavasya | vasunaḥ | inaḥ | patiḥ | śikṣānaraḥ | pra-divaḥ | akāma-karśanaḥ | sakhā | sakhi-bhyaḥ | tam | idam | gṛṇīmasi
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Driving, martial-aspirational cadence with forward thrust suited to Indra’s dynamic action.
Energizes resolve; creates a sense of opening and advance—helpful for breaking inertia and summoning inner force.
- दुरः (durah)
- Literal: door, gate, passage. Symbolic: inner opening/threshold where consciousness passes from limitation to widened power
- अश्व (aśva)
- Literal: horse. Symbolic: vital energy, force of action, dynamic life-power to be rightly directed
- गो (go)
- Literal: cow. Symbolic: rays of light; illuminations of knowledge (not cattle)
- यव (yava)
- Literal: barley. Symbolic: nourishing increase; growth, ripening, inner plenty
- वसुनः (vasunaḥ)
- Literal: of treasure/wealth. Symbolic: essential riches of being—powers, faculties, realizations
- इनस् पति (inas patiḥ)
- Literal: lord of impulse/drive. Symbolic: master of effective will; the power that impels realization
- शिक्षानरः (śikṣānaraḥ)
- Literal: trainer/discipliner of men. Symbolic: inner educator shaping the human instruments
- प्रदिवः (pradivaḥ)
- Literal: from the higher heaven. Symbolic: descent from higher luminous planes of mind
- अकामकर्शनः (akāmakarśanaḥ)
- Literal: drawing away from desire. Symbolic: power that pulls consciousness beyond craving into pure aspiration
- सखा सखिभ्यः (sakhā sakhibhyaḥ)
- Literal: friend of friends. Symbolic: intimate helper of all allied inner powers (aspiration, faith, discernment)
Indra-stotra in Soma rites (general application within Soma-yajña praise cycles; used to invoke Indra’s opening of obstructions and bestowal of rāyī/iṣa).
During Indra praises in Soma pressing and offering sequences; also as general stuti in heroic undertakings.
Recitation/chant with offerings (soma/libation) symbolically ‘opening the gates’ for abundance.
Before meditation or demanding work: invoke clarity and force; set intention to open channels of energy, insight, and steady growth beyond desire.
Key terms: (1) duráḥ ‘door/gate’ (PIE *dʰwer- ‘door’; cf. Greek thýra, Eng. door) indicates an initiatory threshold—Indra as opener of blocked passages. (2) aśvá (√aś ‘to reach, move swiftly’) supports the inner sense of dynamic force rather than animal alone. (3) gó (RV polysemy: cow/light/ray) aligns with Indra’s mythic ‘release of the cows’ as recovery of hidden illumination. (4) yáva ‘grain’ extends to ‘increase, nourishment’—the growth of inner substance. (5) ináspátiḥ: ina ‘force/impulse’ + pati ‘lord’ → ‘lord of impelling power’, i.e., Indra as master of effective energization. (6) akāma-karśanaḥ: a-kāma ‘without/away from desire’ + karśana (√kṛṣ ‘draw’) → the force that draws the being out of desire-driven limitation toward freer truth-action.
Ṛta (right order) as the opened path/door for true action, Satya (truth) as recovered illumination (go), inner discipline/training (śikṣā) as formation of the human vessel
Indra as the power that restores right circulation—opening the ‘doors’ so ṛta can act in mind, life, and body.
The ‘go’ as satya’s rays—truth-illumination released by Indra.
Release and increase: opening passages so hidden riches emerge and grow (yava as ripening).
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic symbolism (Aurobindo/Kashyap line): gods as inner powers; sacrifice as inner transformation.
Nature-images map to inner processes: energy (aśva), illumination (go), growth (yava) become accessible when the mind-force (Indra) opens the thresholds of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the ‘opener of the gates’—the power that unbars the concealed riches: the Horse (dynamic force), the Cow (illumination), and Yava (nourishing increase). The mythic action is not theft or pastoralism but the opening of blocked passages in consciousness so that light and force can flow.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- duráḥ ‘door’ continues PIE *dʰwer- (door), a stable Indo-European poetic symbol for threshold-crossing. This supports a deep inherited motif: the god who ‘opens the doors’ to wealth/light. The polysemy of gó (cow/ray) also reflects archaic poetic diction where concrete nouns carry luminous/mental senses.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Indra as sakhā ‘friend’—a reciprocal alliance: the human offers conscious articulation (gṛṇīmasi) and disciplined receptivity (śikṣā), while Indra grants openings (duráḥ) and draws the being beyond desire (akāma-karśanaḥ). The exchange is inner: aspiration and right utterance evoke the divine force that clears the path.
Open the inner ‘doors’: invite Indra-force to clear blockages to energy, insight, and steady increase.
maṇipūra (will/force) and ājñā (illumined mind)
Moderate ujjāyī or 4-4-6 breathing while repeating key phrase ‘duro… asi’ to feel inner openings.
Active concentration moving into confident wideness (bṛhat) and desire-free dynamism.
Contemplate three gates: (1) action-force (aśva), (2) insight-rays (go), (3) growth (yava). Offer desire into the fire of aspiration; ask for akāma-karśana—pull beyond craving into clear purpose.
Use Vedic tri-svara contour (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; key lifts often on vocatives like ‘indra’.
Keep clear stress on ‘índra’ and maintain pāda breaks after each 11-syllable segment; avoid running ‘duro… dura…’ together—each ‘durah’ is a distinct emphatic marker.
(duraḥ): final visarga audible, not dropped, (aśvasya): ‘śv’ conjunct clean, not ‘shavasya’, (akāmakarśanaḥ): long ā in akāma; ‘rś’ articulated with retroflex ‘ṣ’? here it is ‘śanaḥ’ ending; keep ‘kar-śa-’ three beats, (sakhā): long ā, (gṛṇīmasi): vocalic ṛ in gṛ, not ‘gri’
Clear, resonant, heroic; slightly uplifted tone on invocations.
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