Rig Veda 8.51.6: Mandala 8, Sukta 51, Mantra 6
Sukta 8.51
- Rishi
- Kanva tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī/Tr̥ṣṭubh probable
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यस्मै त्वं वसो दानाय शिक्षसि स रायस्पोषमश्नुते । तं त्वा वयं मघवन्निन्द्र गिर्वणः सुतावन्तो हवामहे ॥
yásmai tváṃ vaso dānā́ya śíkṣasi sá rāyás póṣam aśnute | táṃ tvā vayáṃ maghavann indra girvaṇaḥ sutā́vanto havāmahe ||
ഹേ വസോ (ധനാധിപ), നീ ആരെ ദാനത്തിനായി ശിക്ഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നുവോ, അവൻ റായസ്-പോഷം—സമൃദ്ധിയുടെ വർധന—പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ മഘവൻ ഇന്ദ്ര, ഗിർവണ (സ്തുതിപ്രിയ), സോമസുതാവന്തർ ആയ ഞങ്ങൾ നിനയെ യജ്ഞത്തിലേക്ക് ആഹ്വാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
Word by Word
- यस्मै
- to whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगतः), चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → यस्-
- त्वम्
- thouPronounप्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वसो
- O good one / O wealthy oneNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दानाय
- for giving, for a giftNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचनRole प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदानRoot दान (प्रातिपदिक; √दा ‘to give’ से भाव)
- शिक्षसि
- thou teachest / thou bestowestVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √शिक्ष् (शिक्षँ) ‘to train, to instruct; (RV) to bestow/teach’
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स-
- रायः
- of wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (RV), षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root राय्/रायि (प्रातिपदिक) ‘wealth’
- पोषम्
- increase, prosperityNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पोष (प्रातिपदिक) ‘increase, prosperity’
- अश्नुते
- attainsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √अश् (अश्नुते) ‘to attain, reach, obtain’
- तम्
- himPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (हवामहे इत्यस्य)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- theePronounद्वितीया एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक रूप)Role कर्म (हवामहे इत्यस्य)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वयम्
- wePronounप्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful oneNoun/Adjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘bountiful’ (इन्द्रस्य विशेषण)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper, vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- गिर्वणः
- O thou who delightest in hymnsAdjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (RV रूप: -ः < -स्)Role सम्बोधनRoot गिर्वणस् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘praise-delighting / praised by hymns’
- सुतावन्तः
- having the soma pressedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (वयम् इत्यस्य विशेषण)Root सुतावन्त् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘having soma pressed/ready’ (सुत + वन्त्)
- हवामहे
- we invokeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √ह्वा (ह्वयति/हवते) ‘to call, invoke’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यस्मै | त्वम् | वसो | दानाय | शिक्षसि | सः | रायः | पोषम् | अश्नुते || तम् | त्वा | वयम् | मघवन् | इन्द्र | गिर्वणः | सुतावन्तः | हवामहे || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) रायस् + पोषम् → रायस्पोषम् (विसर्ग-लोपः, स् + प् संयोगः). (2) त्वा वयम् इत्यत्र संधिः न कृतः (पदपाठानुसारं पृथक्). (3) मघवन् + इन्द्र इत्यत्र नासिक्य-समास/संबोधन-क्रमः, बाह्यसन्धिः न आवश्यकः. स्वरचिह्नाः (उदात्त/स्वरित/अनुदात्त) संहितापाठे यथास्थानं
- पदच्छेदे सामान्यतः न दर्शिताः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whom you, O Wealth-Lord, instruct for giving, he attains the increase of riches. You, bounteous Indra, lover of song, we—pressers of Soma—call to our offering.
Inner meaning
Indra ‘trains’ (śikṣasi) the being for dāna—right circulation of force. In the inner yoga, giving is not loss but alignment: when ego-clutching relaxes, the energies increase (rāyas poṣa). ‘Sutāvantaḥ’ are those who have pressed Soma—i.e., distilled delight/ānanda from experience and offer it upward; that offering magnetizes Indra’s luminous power. ‘Girvaṇaḥ’ (delighting in chants) indicates that inspired speech and aspiration are the meeting-point where illumination descends.
Universal truth
When we are educated by the higher intelligence into generosity and right offering, life’s energies grow; delight offered upward returns as strength and guidance.
Themes
Soma-ritual, divine giving, inner training, increase of plenitude
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition (probable for RV 8.51); individual seer uncertain
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.51 (hymn context)
Family tradition
Kāṇvas frequently emphasize reciprocity: offering (soma/aspiration) evokes descent of power; giving increases the flow of riches.
Significance
Frames spiritual progress as a training into self-offering; abundance is a consequence of right circulation of consciousness-force.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vasu (wealth-lord), Maghavan, Girvaṇa, Vṛtrahan (implied as remover of holding-back)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Distributor and increaser of powers; responds to Soma offering; strengthens the sacrificer.
Inner power
Illumined force that disciplines the will into generosity and multiplies energy through right exchange.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña: Indra invited as soma-drinker and giver of increase
यस्मै॒ त्वं व॑सो दा॒नाय॒ शिक्ष॑सि॒ स रा॒यस्पोष॑मश्नुते । तं त्वा॑ व॒यं म॑घवन्निन्द्र गिर्वणः सु॒ताव॑न्तो हवामहे ॥
यस्मै॑ । त्वम् । व॒सो॒ इति॑ । दा॒नाय॑ । शिक्ष॑सि । सः । रा॒यः । पोष॑म् । अ॒श्नु॒ते॒ । तम् । त्वा॒ । व॒यम् । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । गि॒र्व॒णः॒ । सु॒तऽव॑न्तः । ह॒वा॒म॒हे॒ ॥
yasmai | tvam | vaso iti | dānāya | śikṣasi | saḥ | rāyaḥ | poṣam | aśnute | tam | tvā | vayam | magha-van | indra | girvaṇaḥ | suta-vantaḥ | havāmahe
44
4 × ~11 (approx.)
Instructional and rhythmic; supports the idea of ‘training’ and ‘increase’.
Encourages an active, offering-oriented posture; energizes the sense of reciprocity with the divine.
- वसो (vaso)
- Literal: O wealthy one. Symbolic: lord of inner riches; the power that holds and distributes essential energies
- दानाय (dānāya)
- Literal: for giving. Symbolic: right self-offering; free flow of force without ego-hoarding
- शिक्षसि (śikṣasi)
- Literal: you teach/train. Symbolic: divine discipline shaping character and will
- रायः पोषम् (rāyaḥ poṣam)
- Literal: increase of wealth. Symbolic: growth of inner plenitude—strength, capacity, harmony
- मघवन् (maghavan)
- Literal: bounteous. Symbolic: the generous divine power that multiplies what is offered rightly
- गिर्वणः (girvaṇaḥ)
- Literal: delighting in hymns. Symbolic: responds to true aspiration and inspired speech
- सुतावन्तः (sutāvantaḥ)
- Literal: having pressed Soma. Symbolic: those who have extracted inner delight and offer it as fuel for illumination
Soma pressing context (sutāvantaḥ); Indra-call during Soma sacrifice.
At Soma pressing/offerings (savana) when inviting Indra to partake and bestow rāyaḥ poṣa.
Offer Soma; chant stotra; inner act: offer delight and ego-energies upward.
Practice ‘inner dāna’: dedicate the day’s work and its fruits; chant to convert possessiveness into flow.
śíkṣasi from √śikṣ ‘to learn/teach, train’: implies inner discipline enabling right giving/receiving. póṣa from √puṣ ‘to thrive, prosper’: growth, increase of substance. rayí ‘wealth’ from √rā ‘to give’ (semantic: that which is given/flowing abundance). girvaṇas (epithet of Indra) tied to gír ‘song’ + √van ‘to like, win’: ‘he who delights in song’.
inner discipline (śikṣ) as condition for plenitude, growth of being (poṣa), right exchange between human aspiration and divine influx
Right giving is right movement—energies circulate according to Ṛta and therefore increase rather than stagnate.
Increase (poṣa) through sacrifice: manifestation grows by conscious exchange between human and divine planes.
Karma-yoga-like principle in Vedic form: offering purifies and multiplies force.
Soma pressing is the distillation of sweetness from life; its offering feeds the inner sun of Indra’s illumination, which then grows the ‘harvest’ of energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Initiation into abundance: Indra as the power who ‘trains’ the human vessel for right giving/receiving, resulting in poṣa (increase) of rayi (plenitude).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √puṣ ‘thrive’ relates to PIE *pews- ‘to prosper, flourish’ (broadly reflected in prosperity semantics across IE). √rā ‘give’ expresses the archaic economy of gift/exchange central to IE ritual poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi positions the community as sutāvantaḥ (prepared with the offering) and asks Indra to reciprocate; Indra’s gift is conditioned by inner preparedness—he ‘teaches’ capacity, then grants growth.
Offer delight and effort upward; invite Indra’s illumined strength to reorganize motives into generosity.
anāhata (heart)
Exhale-lengthening (e.g., inhale 4, exhale 8) while feeling ‘release’/giving on exhale; chant softly on the long exhale.
Active devotion with inner strength (bhakti + śakti).
Choose one attachment to ‘give back’ inwardly (need for credit, control). Chant, then act once from generosity without self-display.
Ṛgvedic accents as per śākhā; exact svara marks not supplied in the prompt.
Emphasize ‘dānāya śikṣasi’ (teaching for giving) and ‘rāyas poṣam’ (increase) with clear consonants and steady pitch.
śikṣasi: retroflex ‘ṣ’ and ‘kṣ’ cluster clean, aśnute: keep ‘śn’ conjunct distinct, maghavann: double ‘n’ lightly, girvaṇaḥ: ‘rv’ conjunct, final visarga audible before pause, sutāvanto: long ‘ā’ held
Full, offering-like, slightly resonant in the chest.
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