Rig Veda 4.28.2: Mandala 4, Sukta 28, Mantra 2
Sukta 4.28
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Indra-Soma
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वा युजा नि खिदत्सूर्यस्येन्द्रश्चक्रं सहसा सद्य इन्दो । अधि ष्णुना बृहता वर्तमानं महो द्रुहो अप विश्वायु धायि ॥
tvā́ yujā́ ní khidat sū́ryasya índraś cakráṃ sáhasā sadyá índo | ádhi ṣṇúnā br̥hatā́ vártamānaṃ mahó drúho ápa viśvā́yu dhāyi ||
ഹേ ഇന്ദോ, നിന്നെ യുഗസഹചാരിയായി ചേർത്ത് ഇന്ദ്രൻ ബലത്തോടെ സൂര്യന്റെ ചക്രത്തെ താഴ്ത്തി. മഹത്തായ ശിഖരത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അവൻ സർവ്വജീവിതത്തിൽ നിന്നു മഹാദ്രോഹവും വൈരവും അകറ്റി—സത്യപ്രകാശം സമഗ്ര അസ്തിത്വത്തെ അധിപത്യമാക്കുവാൻ.
Word by Word
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- युजा
- with the yoked one / as a yoker, companionNoun (agent/companion sense)तृतीया, एकवचन (पुं.)Role करणRoot युज् (धातु) → युज्/युज्- (कृदन्त: युज् + क्तिन्/अच्; RV usage: ‘yujā’ instr.)
- नि
- down, forth (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- खिदत्
- he/it presses, harasses, afflictsVerbलट् (वर्त्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्र. एकवचनRoot खिद् (धातु)
- सूर्यस्य
- of the SunNounषष्ठी, एकवचन (पुं.)Role सम्बन्धRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounप्रथमा, एकवचन (पुं.)Role कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्रं
- wheel, discNounद्वितीया, एकवचन (नपुं.)Role कर्मRoot चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहसा
- with force, by mightNounतृतीया, एकवचन (नपुं.)Role करणRoot सहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सद्यः
- immediatelyIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRoot सद्यस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दो
- O Indu (Soma)Noun (vocative)सम्बोधन, एकवचन (पुं.)Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- ष्णुना
- with/through ‘ṣṇu’ (Vedic term; instrument/means)Nounतृतीया, एकवचन (पुं./नपुं. वैदिक)Role करणRoot ष्णु (प्रातिपदिक; RV form, instr. sg.)
- बृहता
- with the great, by the loftyAdjectiveतृतीया, एकवचन (पुं./नपुं.; agreeing with an implied instrument/means)Role करणRoot बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वर्तमानम्
- moving, turning, rollingParticiple (present middle)द्वितीया, एकवचन (नपुं./पुं.; agreeing with चक्रं or an implied object)Role कर्मRoot वृत् (धातु) → वर्तमान (वर्त् + शानच्, कृदन्त)
- महो
- of the great / from the greatAdjective (indeclinable-like Vedic gen./abl. sg. form)षष्ठी/पञ्चमी, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप)Role सम्बन्ध/अपादानRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्रुहः
- of hostility, of deceitNounषष्ठी, एकवचन (स्त्री./पुं. वैदिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot द्रुह् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘injury, hostile deceit’)
- अप
- away (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot अप (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- विश्वायुः
- having all life / of universal life-forceAdjective/Nounप्रथमा, एकवचन (पुं.)Role कर्तृRoot विश्व + आयु (समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- धायि
- was set/placed, was establishedVerbलुङ् (अorist, passive/ātmanepada Vedic), प्र. एकवचनRoot धा (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (principal): सूर्यस्येन्द्रः → सूर्यस्य इन्द्रः
- इन्द्रश्चक्रं → इन्द्रः चक्रं
- सद्य इन्दो → सद्यः इन्दो (visarga before vowel in saṃhitā)
- अधि ष्णुना (no further sandhi)
- महो द्रुहो → महः द्रुहः (RV often shows o for aḥ before voiced consonant)
- अप विश्वायुः → अप विश्वायुः. Note: ‘ष्णुना’ is a Vedic lexical form
- kept as a separate pada as transmitted
The meaning
Outer meaning
With Soma as yoked companion, Indra forcefully drove down the Sun’s wheel; moving on the Vast height, he cast away great deceits/hostilities from all-life.
Inner meaning
Soma’s Ananda joins Indra’s illumined mind to ‘press down’ the limiting rotation of ordinary mental light (the habitual sun-wheel of surface consciousness). From the bṛhat (the Vast—higher wideness of consciousness), the seer-force removes the great falsehoods (druhaḥ: deceits, hostile perversions) that occupy the whole life-field, allowing a truer governance of the being.
Universal truth
True illumination is not merely brighter surface thought; it is a shift into wideness that breaks the tyranny of habitual patterns and expels life-wide falsity.
Themes
higher illumination, overcoming falsehood, Indra-Soma power, Bṛhat station
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.18, RV 4.19, RV 4.24, RV 4.26
Family tradition
Mandala 4’s Vāmadeva current often moves from mythic action to inner yogic result: the ‘sun’ becomes a symbol of mental light that must be surpassed by the Vast.
Significance
The rishi’s emphasis is on overcoming the limitations of surface illumination and establishing a truer light from wideness (bṛhat).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra-Soma
- Epithets
- Indu (bright Soma), Sahasā (by force) [mode of Indra], Bṛhat-vartamāna (moving in the Vast) [descriptive]
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Bṛhaspati, Varuṇa
Cosmic role
Indra reforms the order of light by breaking limiting cycles; Soma supplies the delight and luminous essence enabling ascent into wideness.
Inner power
Transformative illumination: the power to dethrone habitual mental circuits and purify the life-field of deception.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma stotra/śastra atmosphere (general)
त्वा यु॒जा नि खि॑द॒त्सूर्य॒स्येन्द्र॑श्च॒क्रं सह॑सा स॒द्य इ॑न्दो । अधि॒ ष्णुना॑ बृह॒ता वर्त॑मानं म॒हो द्रु॒हो अप॑ वि॒श्वायु॑ धायि ॥
त्वा । यु॒जा । नि । खि॒द॒त् । सूर्य॑स्य । इन्द्रः॑ । च॒क्रम् । सह॑सा । स॒द्यः । इ॒न्दो॒ इति॑ । अधि॑ । स्नुना॑ । बृ॒ह॒ता । वर्त॑मानम् । म॒हः । द्रु॒हः । अप॑ । वि॒श्वऽआ॑यु । धा॒यि॒ ॥
tvā | yujā | ni | khidat | sūryasya | indraḥ | cakram | sahasā | sadyaḥ | indo iti | adhi | snunā | bṛhatā | vartamānam | mahaḥ | druhaḥ | apa | viśva-āyu | dhāyi
44
4 × ~11 syllables
Strong, descending strokes in the first half (ni khidat…), then widening, elevated movement (bṛhatā vartamānam).
Produces a felt ‘shift’: from forceful correction to expansive clarity; good for breaking mental loops.
- सूर्यस्य चक्रम् (sūryasya cakram)
- Literal: wheel of the sun. Symbolic: fixed circuit of ordinary understanding; repetitive mental rotation
- नि खिदत् (ni khidat)
- Literal: pressed down, drove down. Symbolic: subdues limiting formations; breaks compulsive recurrence
- इन्दो (indo)
- Literal: bright drop (Soma). Symbolic: luminous bliss that supports transformation
- बृहत्/बृहता (bṛhatā)
- Literal: the Vast. Symbolic: wide consciousness beyond ego-mind
- द्रुहः (druhaḥ)
- Literal: deceits, hostilities. Symbolic: forces of falsehood, perversion, inner betrayal of truth
- विश्वायु (viśvāyu)
- Literal: all-life. Symbolic: the total life-energy system of the being
Invokes Indra’s mastery over cyclic limitation and removal of druh; used to call for a higher illumination and protection against falsity during Soma rites and inner discipline.
Soma rites and Indra-Soma invocations; also apt for dawn/noon recitation when seeking clarity beyond habitual thought.
Praise/offerings to empower Indra’s victory and Soma’s uplift.
Mantra for interrupting compulsive rumination; recite before study/decision-making to invoke wide, truthful discernment.
cakra ‘wheel’ from √kṛ/√cak ‘turn’ (rotation/cycle); sūrya ‘sun’ as illumination; drúh ‘deceit/hostility’ from √druh ‘harm, be hostile, deceive’; viśva-āyu ‘all-life’ (āyu from √i ‘to go/live’ → life-span); dhāyi from √dhā ‘place, establish’ (passive/aorist).
transcendence of cyclic mind-light, removal of druh (falsehood/hostility), establishment in the Vast (Bṛhat)
Correction of the ‘sun-wheel’ signifies re-aligning light with ṛta rather than mechanical habit.
Satya here is a governing illumination that purifies ‘all-life’.
Ascent to the Vast as a higher poise from which life can be reordered.
Integral-Vedic: transformation of mind-life by higher wideness (bṛhat) supported by Ananda (Soma).
midday (implied by sun imagery; not explicit)
Sun-wheel = habitual cognition; summit/Vast = higher consciousness; pushing down = mastery over limiting patterns.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A cosmic-mastery motif: Indra, with Soma, subdues the Sun’s wheel and removes great druh from all-life. Innerly, it signifies mastery over repetitive mental illumination and the installation of a higher, vaster truth-light that expels systemic falsehood and hostility.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- cakra ‘wheel’ relates to PIE *kʷekʷlo- ‘wheel’ (cf. Gk. kýklos). √dhā ‘place’ is PIE *dʰeh₁- (cf. Gk. títhēmi). The imagery of cosmic cycles and their mastery is a shared IE poetic inheritance, here internalized as psychological transformation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi seeks not mere prosperity but a re-ordering of consciousness: Soma empowers Indra to act instantly and decisively, placing the being on the Vast summit and clearing druh. The Devata’s gift is a liberated, truer governance of the whole life (viśvāyu).
Step out of the ‘sun-wheel’ of habitual mind into the Vast; expel inner falsehood (self-deception) from the life-field.
Ājñā and Sahasrāra axis (wideness above mind)
Exhale-lengthening (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 6) to ‘press down’ agitation; then chant on an even breath.
From intense will to spacious, witness-like clarity.
Notice a repeating mental groove; on ‘ni khidat sūryasya cakram’ feel it being subdued; on ‘bṛhatā vartamānam’ rest above the mind; offer any ‘druh’ (inner compromise) into the mantra for cleansing.
Rigvedic accent pattern with clear udātta on key nouns (sūryasya, cakram, bṛhatā) as per tradition.
Articulate conjuncts: ‘indraś cakraṃ’; keep ‘viśvāyu’ as a single flowing unit.
(ni khidat): dental ‘d’ at end, not retroflex, (cakram): ‘kr’ cluster clean, (sadyaḥ): final visarga audible, (bṛhatā): vocalic ‘ṛ’ crisp, (druhaḥ): ‘h’ light, not dropped
Firm in first half, then broaden and soften on ‘bṛhatā vartamānam’.
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