Rig Veda 6.72.3: Mandala 6, Sukta 72, Mantra 3
Sukta 6.72
इन्द्रासोमावहिमपः परिष्ठां हथो वृत्रमनु वां द्यौरमन्यत । प्रार्णांस्यैरयतं नदीनामा समुद्राणि पप्रथुः पुरूणि ॥
indrā́somāv áhim apáḥ pariṣṭhā́ṃ hátho vṛtrám ánu vāṃ dyáur amanyata | prá arṇā́ṃsy airayataṃ nadī́nām ā́ samudrā́ṇi paprathuḥ purū́ṇi ||
ഹേ ഇന്ദ്ര–സോമാ! ജലങ്ങളെ വളഞ്ഞുവെച്ച് തടഞ്ഞിരുന്ന അഹി (വൃത്ര)യെ നിങ്ങൾ വധിച്ചു; ദ്യൗവും നിങ്ങളുടെ കർമ്മത്തെ അംഗീകരിച്ചു. നിങ്ങൾ നദികളുടെ പ്രളയധാരകളെ ചലിപ്പിച്ചു; അനേകം സമുദ്രങ്ങളെ വ്യാപിപ്പിച്ച് നിറച്ചു.
Central to Soma liturgy and Indraic victory sequences; recited for breaking obstruction and releasing the 'waters' (in rite and in inner practice).
obstruction vs release, flow of consciousness (āpah), cosmic assent (dyauḥ amanyata)
Release of waters restores the right circulation of forces—ṛta as dynamic order.
Heaven’s acknowledgment implies the act aligns with truth-law, not mere force.
Cosmic creation as a repeated liberation: waters/light are eternally ‘found’ by defeating concealment.
Yoga of transformation: breaking subconscient knots to allow higher forces to circulate (proto-integral yoga reading).
rainy/monsoon symbolism (implicit in waters)
Serpent = coiled blockage; waters = released consciousness-energy; rivers = directed inner currents; seas = widened being; heaven = higher witness/confirmation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Vṛtra/Serpent-slaying and release of the waters. Psychologically, the 'waters' are blocked movements of consciousness and inspiration held in the subconscient; Indra-Soma break the enclosure so the streams can run toward vastness (samudra), i.e., toward plenitude of being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The dragon/serpent + waters myth is a pan-Indo-European narrative complex. The verb √han 'smite' and the obstruction noun vṛtra- (coverer) encode the inherited heroic formula: slaying the blocker to release life-giving waters (cf. cognate mythic patterns in Iranian and other IE traditions).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- By recounting the gods’ decisive liberation of the waters, the rishi anchors a present request: the same force and delight must break his inner confinements. The mention that 'heaven assented' implies the action is in harmony with Ṛta, assuring the seeker that liberation is legitimate and supported by the higher mind.
Break the inner ‘coil’ of resistance and invite a free flow of inspiration and delight.
svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/flow)
4-7-8 gentle breathing or long exhale to soften resistance; then a few fuller inhales to ‘release the waters’
breakthrough into flowing wideness
Identify one knot (fear, doubt, inertia). On chanting ‘hatho vṛtram’, feel a decisive inner cut; on ‘prārṇāṃsy airayataṃ’, allow emotions/energy to move without suppression; end by resting in a wide, oceanic awareness (samudra-bhāva).
Observe Vedic accents; keep the action verbs (‘hatho’, ‘airayataṃ’, ‘paprathuḥ’) articulated with clear stress consistent with triṣṭubh lift-fall.
Strong emphasis on ‘ahiṃ…hatho vṛtram’; then let the tone ‘flow’ more legato through the waters/rivers imagery.
ahiṃ (nasal ṃ), pariṣṭhām (ṣṭh cluster), hatho (clear th), vṛtram (ṛ vowel), airayataṃ (ai diphthong), samudrāṇi (long ā), paprathuḥ (prath cluster, final ḥ audible)
powerful at the strike, then flowing and expansive
7
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