Rig Veda 10.86.23: Mandala 10, Sukta 86, Mantra 23
Sukta 10.86
- Rishi
- Traditionally: Indra-related dialogue hymn
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Adbhuta (wonder)
पर्शुर्ह नाम मानवी साकं ससूव विंशतिम् । भद्रं भल त्यस्या अभूद्यस्या उदरमामयद्विश्वस्मादिन्द्र उत्तरः ॥
parśúr ha nā́ma mānavī sā́kaṃ sasūva viṃśatím | bhadráṃ bhala tyásyā abhūd yásyā udáram ā́mayad víśvasmād índra úttaraḥ ||
മാനവിയായ പർശു സത്യമായും ഒരുമിച്ച് ഇരുപതിനെ പ്രസവിച്ചു. ഉദരം വ്യഥിതമായിരുന്ന അവൾക്കു ശുഭമംഗലം ലഭിച്ചു—ഇന്ദ്രൻ സർവ്വത്തിനുമപ്പുറം ഉയർന്ന് അവളെ സർവ്വവ്യാപകമായ അമർച്ചയിൽ നിന്ന് കടത്തിയതിനാൽ.
Word by Word
- पर्शुः
- Parśu (a man/person named Parśu)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot पर्शु- (प्रातिपदिक) < √पृश्/पर्श् (छेदने) (निरुक्त-सम्बन्ध)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपातःRoot हि (निपात)
- नाम
- by name, calledIndeclinableनिपातः (नाम-शब्दः ‘called’)Root नाम (निपात)
- मानवी
- a woman of Manu’s line; a human womanNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot मानवी- (प्रातिपदिक) < मनु- (मानव) + ई (स्त्री)
- साकम्
- together (with)Indeclinableअव्ययम्Root साकम् (अव्यय)
- ससूव
- she bore, gave birthVerbलिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √सू (प्रसवे)
- विंशतिम्
- twentyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot विंशति- (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- भद्रम्
- good, auspiciousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (अत्र: प्रथमा—विधेयविशेषणम्)Root भद्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- भल
- Bhala (a person named Bhala)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot भल- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘बल/भल’ इति वैदिक-रूप/नाम)
- तस्याः
- of herPronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- अभूत्
- became, wasVerbलुङ् (अorist/इम्पर्फेक्ट-प्राय), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √भू (सत्तायाम्)
- यस्याः
- whosePronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम)
- उदरम्
- belly, wombNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (अत्र: प्रथमा—कर्तृवत्)Role कर्तृRoot उदर- (प्रातिपदिक)
- आमयत्
- became diseased; painedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √अम्/√आम् (रोगे/पीडने) (वैदिक)
- विश्वस्मात्
- from everyone/everythingAdjective (used substantively)पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्Role अपादानRoot विश्व- (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot इन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत्तरः
- superior; higher; later (as predicate)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (विधेयविशेषणम्)Root उत्तर- (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: पर्शुः | हि | नाम | मानवी | साकम् | ससूव | विंशतिम् | भद्रम् | भल | तस्याः | अभूत् | यस्याः | उदरम् | आमयत् | विश्वस्मात् | इन्द्रः | उत्तरः || 1) पर्शु॑र्ह॒ → पर्शुः + हि (विसर्ग-लोप/र्-आदेशः वैदिके)
- 2) भल॒ त्यस्या॑ → भल + तस्याः (व्यञ्जन-सन्धिः; ल् + त् संयोगः)
- 3) उदर॒माम॑य॒द् → उदरम् + आमयत् (म् + आ → म्-परः स्वरारम्भः; पदान्त-व्यञ्जन-स्थैर्यम्)
- 4) विश्व॑स्मा॒दिन्द्र॒ → विश्वस्मात् + इन्द्रः (त् + इ → द्-आदेशः/जश्त्वम्; पदे ‘-दिन्द्र-’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A woman named Parśu (mānavī) bore twenty at once; good fortune came to her though her womb was afflicted; refrain: Indra rose beyond all.
Inner meaning
The ‘human woman’ is the embodied nature (mānavī) attempting to bring forth many formations at once—multiple powers, thoughts, works. The ‘afflicted womb’ (udaram āmayat) symbolizes a strained creative center: life-force burdened by limitation, pain, or incapacity. Indra’s rising beyond all indicates a higher illumination entering the generative nature, turning affliction into a sudden abundance—multiplicity harmonized by a higher mind. The verse encodes a law of sādhanā: when illumination governs, even obstructed creative force can deliver a plenitude of new capacities.
Universal truth
When higher consciousness descends into the embodied life, blocked creativity and suffering can be transformed into fruitful abundance and healing.
Themes
healing-and-fertility, Indra-victory, manifestation-of-powers, overcoming-obstruction
The seer
Significance
The anonymity fits the archetypal character: it reads as a symbolic exemplum of transformation—human nature healed and made fruitful by Indra’s higher power.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- uttaraḥ, bhadra-kṛt (implied giver of auspicious good), śatakratu (implied: power of many workings/forces)
- Related deities
- Aditi (wideness; mother of the gods), Sarasvatī (creative flow of inspiration), Agni (formative will)
Cosmic role
Bestows victorious force and luminous order that enables abundant manifestation.
Inner power
Illumined mind-force that heals the generative life-energy and releases multiple capacities.
In ritual
Where it is used
General protective/strengthening recitation; supportive to Indra-invocation contexts (victory over obstruction), rather than a narrowly fixed śrauta employment.
पर्शु॑र्ह॒ नाम॑ मान॒वी सा॒कं स॑सूव विंश॒तिम् । भ॒द्रं भ॑ल॒ त्यस्या॑ अभू॒द्यस्या॑ उ॒दर॒माम॑य॒द्विश्व॑स्मा॒दिन्द्र॒ उत्त॑रः ॥
पशुः॑ । ह॒ । नाम॑ । मा॒न॒वी । सा॒कम् । स॒सू॒व॒ । विं॒श॒तिम् । भ॒द्रम् । भ॒ल॒ । त्यस्यै॑ । अ॒भू॒त् । यस्याः॑ । उ॒दर॑म् । आम॑यत् । विश्व॑स्मात् । इन्द्रः॑ । उत्ऽत॑रः ॥
paśuḥ | ha | nāma | mānavī | sākam | sasūva | viṃśatim | bhadram | bhala | tyasyai | abhūt | yasyāḥ | udaram | āmayat | viśvasmāt | indraḥ | ut-taraḥ
4 pādas (late hymn structure; exact syllable count requires śākhā-specific scanning)
Narrative, proverbial; culminates in the stabilizing refrain.
Conveys reassurance: a shift from affliction to auspicious outcome under higher governance.
- मानवी (mānavī)
- Literal: human woman. Symbolic: embodied nature; the personal instrument of sādhanā
- साकं (sākaṃ)
- Literal: together, at once. Symbolic: simultaneous emergence of multiple powers/realizations
- विंशतिम् (viṃśatim)
- Literal: twenty. Symbolic: a plenitude/many formations (not numerology necessity; sign of abundance)
- उदरम् (udaram)
- Literal: womb/belly. Symbolic: creative center of life-force; generative capacity
- आमयत् (āmayat)
- Literal: was sick/afflicted. Symbolic: blocked vitality; pain in manifestation
- भद्रम् (bhadram)
- Literal: good, auspicious. Symbolic: benediction of right force; harmony in manifestation
- इन्द्र उत्तरः (indra uttaraḥ)
- Literal: Indra higher/beyond. Symbolic: illumination that carries nature beyond limitation
General protective/strengthening recitation; supportive to Indra-invocation contexts (victory over obstruction), rather than a narrowly fixed śrauta employment.
Could be employed in blessings for fertility/childbirth in later adaptive practice; not a fixed classical gṛhya citation.
Benediction/āśīrvāda; invoking Indra’s victorious help for safe, fruitful outcome.
Use as a healing-and-creativity mantra for those experiencing blocked creation (art, work, inner growth) or recovery—invoking higher illumination to ‘carry beyond’ limitation.
Key terms: Indra (traditionally from √ind/√id ‘to be strong, to drop/impel’, signifying the force that releases the withheld light); sasūva from √sū ‘to beget, bring forth’; udaram ‘womb/inner cavity’ (field of formation); āmayat from ā-√am/√may ‘to be ill, to be troubled’—inner imbalance; uttara ‘higher, further shore’ (movement beyond limitation). The verse is cast as a compressed mythic-psychological exemplum: the mortal matrix afflicted by disorder is made to bring forth a plenitude when the Indric force exceeds the total pressure of the ‘all’ (viśva).
Rita as restoration of right functioning in the embodied field, release from universal constraint into a higher order (uttara)
The ‘good’ (bhadram) is r̥ta restored in the generative process.
Indra’s higherness makes the outcome true and effective, not merely hoped for.
Transformation of manifestation: from sickly generation to abundant birth of forms.
Integral/psychological: descent of higher mind into life to heal and fructify.
Gestation = inner formation; affliction = obstruction; birth = emergence of realized powers.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A compressed ‘release/overcoming’ myth: the afflicted womb (inner formative field under disorder) is enabled to bring forth a full multiplicity when Indra becomes ‘uttara’—the surpassing power that rises beyond the total constraint (viśvasmāt). In inner terms: the Indric force breaks the global pressure of limitation so the human vessel can manifest its latent powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sū ‘beget’ aligns with PIE *suH-/*seuH- ‘to give birth’ (cf. ‘son’ in Indo-European kinship lexicon as related semantic field of begetting). uttara ‘further/higher’ continues the comparative notion ‘beyond’ (PIE *ud- ‘up/out’ is often invoked for ‘upward’ semantics across IE). Indra’s semantic field of force/release corresponds to the widespread IE storm/victory archetype (cognate patterning is mythic more than strictly lexical here).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The verse presents Indra as the decisive transcendent aid: the human condition (mānavī) does not self-cure the disturbed gestation; the Indric power ‘surpasses’ and thereby enables fruition. Reciprocity is implicit: by naming/affirming Indra’s superiority, the speaker aligns consciousness with that force, inviting its action as the supporter of right manifestation (bhadram/bhala).
Healing the ‘creative womb’—restore trust in manifestation under higher guidance.
Svādhiṣṭhāna (generativity)
Gentle diaphragmatic breathing; on inhale feel ‘udara’ soften, on exhale offer strain upward to Indra-uttara.
From constriction and pain to widened, fruitful calm.
Hold an intention of inner healing: ‘What in me is afflicted in its power to bring forth?’ Chant, then rest in a descending clarity that reorganizes the life-force without forcing outcomes.
Rigvedic three-tone as applicable; late-hymn transmission may vary—keep a steady narrative tone and a firm refrain cadence.
Give clarity to names and key nouns: ‘parśuḥ’, ‘mānavī’, ‘viṃśatim’, ‘udaram’, then resolve with weight on ‘indra uttaraḥ’.
(parśuḥ): retroflex ‘ṣ’ with visarga at end., (mānavī): long ‘ā’., (viṃśatim): nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘ś’., (āmayat): long ‘ā’; dental ‘t’ crisp.
Warm, consoling, blessing-like; refrain delivered with confident uplift.
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