Rig Veda 8.78.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 78, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.78
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
नकीं वृधीक इन्द्र ते न सुषा न सुदा उत । नान्यस्त्वच्छूर वाघतः ॥
nakī́ṃ vṛdhīká índra te ná suṣā́ ná sudā́ utá | nā́nyas tvác chūra vā́ghataḥ ||
ഹേ ഇന്ദ്രാ, ആരും നിന്നെ വർദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുവാൻ കഴിയില്ല—സുഷാ (നല്ല സോമപീഡകർ) അല്ല, സുദാ (നല്ല ദാതാക്കൾ) പോലും അല്ല; ഹേ ശൂരാ, പരിശ്രമിക്കുന്ന ഗായകനു നിന്നൊഴികെ മറ്റാരുമില്ല.
Word by Word
- नकीम्
- no one, noneIndeclinableअव्यय (निषेध/अनिर्दिष्ट-कर्ता ‘कोऽपि नहीं’)Root नकिम् (नकिः-प्रातिपदिक; न + किम्)
- वृधीकः
- one who increases/strengthens; increaserNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (निषेधित/तुलनात्मक कर्ता) अथवा विशेष्य (नकीम् के साथ ‘कोई भी…’)Root वृधीक (प्रातिपदिक; वृध् ‘वर्धने’ से)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) अथवा दत्तिव-एकवचन रूप ‘ते’ (वेदे द्व्यर्थक); अत्र प्रसङ्गतः षष्ठी ‘तव’Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न
- सुषा
- well-disposed/beneficent (Vedic epithet)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अव्यक्त-विशेष्य; ‘कोई (स्त्री/वस्तु)’)Role Kartā (निषेधित) / विशेषणRoot सु-षा (प्रातिपदिक; सु + √शा/षा ‘शासने/शयने’ इत्यादि; वेदिक विशेषण)
- न
- norIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न
- सुदा
- good-giver, generousAdjective/Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अव्यक्त-विशेष्य) अथवा विशेषणRole Kartā (निषेधित) / विशेषणRoot सु-दा (प्रातिपदिक; सु + √दा ‘दाने’)
- उत
- and also, moreoverIndeclinableसमुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे अव्ययRoot उत
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध-अव्ययRoot न
- अन्यः
- another, anyone elsePronoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (निषेधित)Root अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वत्
- than you, from youPronounपञ्चमी, एकवचन (अपादान/तुलना)Role Apādāna (तुलनात्मक ‘त्वत्तः’)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शूर
- O heroNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाघतः
- the singer/chanter, worshipperNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (निषेधित/तुलनात्मक) अथवा सम्बन्धित कर्ताRoot वाघत् (प्रातिपदिक; √वाघ्/वह्? वेदिक ‘स्तुतिकर्ता/याजक’)
Sandhi Notes
- मन्त्रपाठ में ‘नान्यस्त्वच्छूर’ = ‘न + अन्यः + त्वत् + शूर’ (दीर्घ-सन्धि: न + अन्यः → नान्यः; विसर्ग-लोप/संयोग: अन्यः + त्वत् → अन्यस्त्वत्; ततः ‘त्वत् + शूर’ संयोग)
- शेष पद प्रायः पदपाठानुसार असन्धित/स्वतंत्र हैं।
The meaning
Outer meaning
No one can increase Indra—neither good pressers of Soma nor good givers; there is no other than you, O hero, for the praising singer.
Inner meaning
Indra, the illumined Mind, is not enhanced by external transactions—neither by mechanical ‘pressing’ nor by social generosity. The growth of Indra in us is not by outer merit but by inner alignment and sincerity. For the vāghat (striving singer/aspirant), there is no substitute: only the awakened luminous intelligence can lead through the battle with obscurity.
Universal truth
The highest power in us is not bought by externals; the decisive aid comes from the inner divine faculty itself—there is no replacement for awakened illumination.
Themes
exclusive-devotion, sovereignty, praise-poet
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.78.2, Rig Veda 8.78.5, Rig Veda 8.78.6
Significance
A corrective verse: it shifts reliance from external supports to the irreplaceable inner deity—illumined intelligence as the true leader.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- śūra (hero)
- Related deities
- Soma (inner delight that supports illumination), Agni (aspiration that calls Indra)
Cosmic role
Sovereign power of victory and illumination; independent, un-outmatched.
Inner power
Autonomous light of the awakened mind that cannot be ‘manufactured’ by outer means; it must be invoked and embodied.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in Soma context (stotra)
नकीं॑ वृधी॒क इ॑न्द्र ते॒ न सु॒षा न सु॒दा उ॒त । नान्यस्त्वच्छू॑र वा॒घत॑: ॥
नकी॑म् । वृ॒धी॒कः । इ॒न्द्र॒ । ते॒ । न । सु॒ऽसाः । न । सु॒ऽदाः । उ॒त । न । अ॒न्यः । त्वत् । शू॒र॒ । वा॒घतः॑ ॥
nakīm | vṛdhīkaḥ | indra | te | na | su-sāḥ | na | su-dāḥ | uta | na | anyaḥ | tvat | śūra | vāghataḥ
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4 × ~8
Negation-driven emphasis (nakīm…na…na…); strong rhetorical firmness.
Cuts through superstition and dependence; instills inner sincerity and courage.
- vṛdhīkaḥ
- Literal: one who increases/makes grow (or ‘increaser’). Symbolic: the principle of growth/expansion; here: Indra’s sovereignty beyond external augmentation
- su-sāḥ
- Literal: good pressers (of Soma). Symbolic: mere technique/ritual performance without inner transformation
- su-dāḥ
- Literal: good givers. Symbolic: outer charity/transactions mistaken for inner realization
- śūra
- Literal: hero. Symbolic: courageous luminous power that leads the inner battle
- vāghataḥ
- Literal: praiser, singer, sacrificer. Symbolic: the aspirant who offers effort, speech, and will in the inner sacrifice
Confessional praise in Soma hymnody: asserts Indra’s unmatched sovereignty; strengthens faith (śraddhā) in the central power addressed by the sacrifice.
During affirmations of Indra’s supremacy and aid to the sacrificer
Stuti emphasizing Indra’s unmatched power
Use when tempted to substitute ‘spiritual optics’ for practice: recite to return to inner truth and direct reliance on illumination.
vṛdhīká from √vṛdh ‘increase’ emphasizes that Indra is self-existent in power (not augmented by human action). suṣā/sudā are su-compounds encoding ‘well-’ performance: pressing (soma extraction) and giving (distribution). vāghat is a technical term for a praising singer; its function supports the psychological reading: aspiration articulated as mantra-voice.
divine autonomy (self-increasing power), exclusive refuge (no other than the deity)
Ṛta is served by genuine inner offering, not by mere performance; Indra stands for the true executive power of Ṛta in the mind.
Truth-power is self-existent; it is not increased by appearances.
Hierarchy of powers: the illumined mind is a principal cosmic force, not a product of human action.
Psychological Veda / integral interpretation: ritual terms point to inner processes.
Pressing→extracting inner delight/essence; giving→outer exchange; song→mantric aspiration that truly calls the power.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s unsurpassable sovereignty: he is not ‘made greater’ by external agents; rather, he is the singular support of the aspirant’s voiced striving.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘give’ is PIE *deh₃- ‘give’ (Greek didōmi, Latin dō). √vṛdh corresponds to PIE *werdh- ‘grow’. These inherited roots underlie a common IE religious grammar: giving and growth, but here redirected to assert the god’s independence.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi acknowledges that ritual skill (pressing/giving) does not ‘increase’ the deity; instead, the deity is the ground enabling the singer’s aspiration—shifting agency from human technique to divine power.
Drop reliance on externals; invoke the inner Indra as the sole decisive aid in moments of confusion.
ājñā
4–4–6 breathing (inhale–hold–exhale) for steadiness; recite on exhale
Firm, upright clarity; refusal of self-deception.
When practice feels performative, pause and ask: ‘Where is the living light?’ Chant once, then sit until a sincere aspiration reappears.
Svara not provided; chant with decisive stress on ‘nakīm’ and clean pauses after each negation.
nakīṃ vṛdhīka indra te | na suṣā na sudā uta | nānyas tvac chūra vāghataḥ
nakīm: long ī nasalized lightly before m, vṛdhīka: vocalic ṛ; dhī (long ī), tvac: cluster ‘tv’ clean, not ‘tav’
Firm, martial clarity; avoid softness that blunts the negations.
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