Rig Veda 3.52.7: Mandala 3, Sukta 52, Mantra 7
Sukta 3.52
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
पूषण्वते ते चकृमा करम्भं हरिवते हर्यश्वाय धानाः । अपूपमद्धि सगणो मरुद्भिः सोमं पिब वृत्रहा शूर विद्वान् ॥
pūṣaṇváte te cakṛmā karambháṃ harívate háryaśvāya dhānā́ḥ | apū́pam addhi ságaṇo marúdbhíḥ sómaṃ piba vṛtra-hā śūra vidvā́n ||
പോഷണ്വതനായ നിനക്കായി ഞങ്ങൾ കരമ്പം ഒരുക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നു; ഹരിവത, ഹര്യശ്വ—ദീപ്തമായ അശ്വങ്ങളുടെ അധിപതിയേ—നിനക്കായി ധാന്യങ്ങളും സജ്ജമാക്കി. മരുദ്ഭിഃ സഗണഃ—മരുത്ഗണത്തോടൊപ്പം—അപൂപം (കേക്ക്) ഭുജിക്ക; ഹേ വൃത്രഹാ, ഹേ ശൂര, വിദ്വാൻ, സോമം പാനം ചെയ്യുക.
Word by Word
- पूषण्वते
- to/for the Pūṣan-possessing one (Pūṣan), i.e., to PūṣanAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot पूषण्वत् (पूषन् + -वत्)
- ते
- to youPronounचतुर्थी-एकवचन (enclitic)Role सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद्
- चकृमा
- we have madeVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट); उत्तम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृRoot कृ
- करम्भम्
- gruel/porridge (ritual food)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot करम्भ
- हरिवते
- to the one having tawny steeds (Indra)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot हरिवत् (हरि + -वत्)
- हर्यश्वाय
- to Har-yaśva, ‘he of tawny horses’ (Indra)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot हर्यश्व (हरि + अश्व)
- धानाः
- parched grainsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot धानाः (धाना)
- अपूपम्
- a cake (sacrificial bread)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अपूप
- अद्धि
- eat!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृRoot अद्
- सगणः
- together with the troopAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सगण (स + गण)
- मरुद्भिः
- with the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-बहुवचनRole करणRoot मरुत्
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम
- पिब
- drink!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole कर्तृRoot पा (पिबति)
- वृत्रहा
- Vṛtra-slayerNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (addressed as subject) / कर्तृRoot वृत्रहन् (वृत्र + हन्)
- शूर
- O heroNoun/Adjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot शूर
- विद्वान्
- knowing, wiseParticiple (adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (qualifier) / कर्तृRoot विद्वस् (PPP of √विद् ‘to know’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: पूषण्वते ते चकृमा करम्भम् | हरिवते हर्यश्वाय धानाः | अपूपम् अद्धि सगणः मरुद्भिः | सोमम् पिब वृत्रहा शूर विद्वान् || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) अपूपमद्धि = अपूपम् + अद्धि (म् + अ → म् अ, लेखन में संधि-लोप/संयोग)
- (2) मरुद्भिः: मरुत् + भिस् → मरुद्भिः (त् → द् before voiced bh)
- (3) वृत्रहा: वृत्रहन् का प्रथमा-एकवचन वैदिक रूप (नकार-लोप)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The worshippers prepare food-offerings—karambha (mixed nourishment), grains, and apūpa (cake)—for Indra, who comes with the Maruts; they invite him to eat and to drink Soma as Vṛtrahan, the heroic knower.
Inner meaning
The seeker offers to the Divine Mind (Indra) the prepared substances of sādhanā: disciplined energies (dhānāḥ), a harmonized inner mixture (karambha), and a formed, steady concentration (apūpa). With the Maruts (storm-powers of dynamic life-force) Indra is asked to consume these and drink Soma (bliss) so that the Vṛtra-covering (subconscient resistance) is broken. The verse is a psychology of offering: prepare, present, assimilate, then drink the bliss that empowers illumination to conquer obstruction.
Universal truth
Illumination grows when our energies are consciously prepared and offered; when the dynamic forces of life are yoked to higher intelligence, bliss becomes strength, and resistance gives way to a freer movement of truth.
Themes
Vṛtra-slaying, Maruts companionship, Soma-ritual, dynamic energies (horses)
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthin / Kauśika (Viśvāmitra tradition)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.52, RV 3.53, RV 3.62 (Gāyatrī attributed to Viśvāmitra tradition)
Family tradition
Royal seerhood turned into tapas-born brahmarṣi lineage; hymns often show a militant ascent from human limitation to wide illumination (Indra) and universal harmony (R̥ta).
Significance
Viśvāmitra’s voice repeatedly frames sacrifice as inner yoga: disciplined energies offered to the illumined Mind so that the coverings are broken and the wide Light is won.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Maruts)
- Epithets
- harivat, haryaśva, vṛtrahā, śūra, vidvān
- Related deities
- Maruts, Soma, Agni
Cosmic role
Bringer of the rain of light; opener of the Cow (rays) and the Waters (streams of consciousness); champion who establishes the free movement of R̥ta by defeating the coverer.
Inner power
Illuminative mind-force that organizes life-energies (Maruts) and converts bliss (Soma) into victorious strength against inner resistance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma offering with Marut association (Soma-yajña context)
पू॒ष॒ण्वते॑ ते चकृमा कर॒म्भं हरि॑वते॒ हर्य॑श्वाय धा॒नाः । अ॒पू॒पम॑द्धि॒ सग॑णो म॒रुद्भि॒: सोमं॑ पिब वृत्र॒हा शू॑र वि॒द्वान् ॥
पू॒ष॒ण्ऽवते॑ । ते॒ । च॒कृ॒म॒ । क॒र॒म्भम् । हरि॑ऽवते । हरि॑ऽअश्वाय । धा॒नाः । अ॒पू॒पम् । अ॒द्धि॒ । सऽग॑णः । म॒रुत्ऽभिः॑ । सोम॑म् । पि॒ब॒ । वृ॒त्र॒ऽहा । शू॒र॒ । वि॒द्वान् ॥
pūṣaṇ-vate | te | cakṛma | karambham | hari-vate | hari-aśvāya | dhānāḥ | apūpam | addhi | sa-gaṇaḥ | marut-bhiḥ | somam | piba | vṛtra-hā | śūra | vidvān
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Driving, martial, forward-thrusting cadence suited to invocation and victory-formulas.
Energizes will and confidence; supports a ‘breaking-through’ mood, especially when emphasizing vṛtrahā and śūra.
- pūṣaṇvate
- Literal: to the fostering one / full of nourishment. Symbolic: the sustaining Power that increases inner growth and right guidance of energies
- karambha
- Literal: a mixed gruel. Symbolic: harmonized inner formation—mixed but integrated disciplines and energies offered to the higher consciousness
- harivate
- Literal: possessing tawny (hari) steeds. Symbolic: Indra as master of luminous-vital forces that carry the mind upward
- haryaśvāya
- Literal: to him whose horses are bright/tawny. Symbolic: the divine intelligence moving by swift, clarified life-energies
- dhānāḥ
- Literal: grains. Symbolic: seeds of effort—collected powers, right works, and concentrated energies
- apūpa
- Literal: cake/formed bread. Symbolic: a shaped offering—stable concentration, coherent will-formation
- marudbhiḥ
- Literal: with the Maruts. Symbolic: with the dynamic life-powers (prāṇic forces) that accompany illumination
- soma
- Literal: Soma drink. Symbolic: divine Ananda/bliss that immortalizes and empowers consciousness
- vṛtrahā
- Literal: slayer of Vṛtra. Symbolic: the force that breaks the coverer—dispels subconscious inertia/ignorance
- śūra
- Literal: hero. Symbolic: the courageous power in us that dares the ascent
- vidvān
- Literal: knowing. Symbolic: gnosis-like discernment: the intelligence that knows the right path of victory
Soma offering with accompaniment of Maruts; invocation of Indra’s Vṛtra-slaying power energized by Soma
During Soma pressing/offerings and Indra invocations; also in sequences calling Indra with Maruts to partake.
Presentation of food-offerings (puroḍāśa/apūpa, grains) and invitation to drink Soma.
Before meditation or demanding work: ‘prepare the inner offering’ (breath, posture, intention), then invoke clear intelligence to lead the life-forces and dissolve resistance.
(pūṣaṇ-vat) from Pūṣan ‘nourisher’ + -vat ‘possessing’—an epithet transferred to Indra emphasizing fostering/leading. / (hari/haryaśva) relate to ‘tawny/bright’ horses symbolizing dynamic energies. (vṛtra) from √vṛ ‘to cover, obstruct’ → obstruction/constriction; vṛtra-han from √han ‘to strike/kill’. (marut) storm-gods: dynamic, impelling forces; psychologically, life-energies that accompany Indra’s action.
battle of light vs obstruction (vṛtra), soma as delight-force enabling divine action, collective powers (gaṇa) as integrated faculties
Indra’s Vṛtra-slaying restores the free course of the waters/lights—an image of R̥ta released from obstruction.
vidvān: the victorious mind acts by truth-knowledge, not impulse.
Release of the waters/lights from the coverer as a recurring creation-motif: consciousness re-created by opening the blocked streams.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic symbolism (as read by Sri Aurobindo): deities as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner transformation.
Food-offerings = prepared energies and formations; Maruts = prāṇic dynamisms; Soma = bliss; Vṛtra = subconscious blockage; Indra = illumined directive mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Explicit Vṛtra-slaying mythologem: Indra as vṛtra-hā, supported by Maruts, drinks Soma to release the pent-up powers. Psychologically, the delight-force (Soma) and dynamic life-energies (Maruts) empower the luminous mind-force (Indra) to break inner constriction.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘strike/kill’ is PIE *gʷhen- ‘slay’ (cf. Greek phénō ‘I slay’ in older formations; also English bane is different but the slay-root is widespread). √vṛ ‘cover’ relates to PIE *u̯er- ‘cover, enclose’ (broadly reflected). The horse imagery as divine vehicle is a shared archaic IE poetic trope.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi supplies prepared energies and asks Indra to ‘eat’ and ‘drink’—not as physical consumption but as divine assimilation that converts offerings into victorious action. By invoking Maruts, the rishi aligns multiple inner forces to cooperate with Indra’s conscious mastery (vidvān).
Offer the gathered energies of the day to the illumined mind; invoke a decisive breakthrough against a specific resistance-pattern.
maṇipūra (will/force) with support from ājñā (clarity)
Moderate kumbhaka after exhale (bahya) for steadiness; then slow inhale visualizing ‘Soma’ as cool bliss descending.
Dynamic stillness—calm center with strong forward-moving force.
1) Name your ‘Vṛtra’ (habit, fear, dullness). 2) ‘Prepare grains’—collect scattered energies via attention. 3) ‘Form the cake’—make one clear intention. 4) Invite Indra: let clear discernment lead. 5) Drink Soma: rest in a brief joy after each victory-step.
Vedic accents as in Saṃhitā: marked udātta on accented syllables (e.g., pūṣaṇvate, te, harivate, somam, vṛtrahā); svarita where sandhi produces falling tone; anudātta on unmarked syllables.
Let udātta carry a gentle lift; keep pāda-end cadence firm, especially on ‘vṛtrahā śūra vidvān’.
pūṣaṇvate: long ū, retroflex ṣ, karambham: clear ‘mbh’ cluster, haryaśvāya: ‘śv’ conjunct, long āya, apūpam addhi: double d in addhi (gemination feel), marudbhiḥ: ‘dbh’ cluster, final ḥ audible, vṛtrahā: retroflex ṛ; aspirated hā
Bright, commanding, with controlled force; avoid harshness—aim for ‘heroic clarity’.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
