Rig Veda 9.23.7: Mandala 9, Sukta 23, Mantra 7
Sukta 9.23
- Devata
- Indra empowered by Soma
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
अस्य पीत्वा मदानामिन्द्रो वृत्राण्यप्रति । जघान जघनच्च नु ॥
asyá pītvā́ madā́nām índro vṛtrā́ṇy apratí | jaghā́na jaghánac ca nú ||
ഈ മദ-ആനന്ദങ്ങളെ പാനം ചെയ്തിട്ട് ഇന്ദ്രൻ പ്രതിരോധിക്കുന്ന വൃത്രങ്ങളെ അപ്രതിഹതമായി സംഹരിച്ചു; അവൻ അവരെ സംഹരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു, ഇന്നും അവൻ തുടർച്ചയായി സംഹരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
- अस्य
- of this (Soma)Pronounपुं/नपुं, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्य
- पीत्वा
- having drunkVerbक्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्यय; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having drunk)Role क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वकर्म)Root पा (धातु) ‘to drink’
- मदानाम्
- of the intoxications / exhilarationsNounपुं, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive; of the exhilarations)Root मद (प्रातिपदिक) ‘intoxication, exhilaration’
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNoun (proper)पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृत्राणि
- the Vṛtras / obstaclesNounनपुं, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक) ‘obstructor, Vṛtra; obstacles’
- अप्रति
- irresistibly / without oppositionIndeclinableअव्यय; निपात (क्रियाविशेषण)Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot अ- + प्रति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) ‘not against; irresistible’
- जघान
- slewVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: इन्द्रः; कर्म: वृत्राणि)Root हन् (धातु) ‘to strike, slay’ (परस्मैपद) → जघान
- जघनत्
- he slewVerbलङ् (अनद्यतन भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (पुनरुक्ति-बलार्थ)Root हन् (धातु) ‘to strike, slay’ → जघनत्
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक अव्ययRole समुच्चयRoot च (निपात)
- नु
- now / indeedIndeclinableअव्यय; वर्तमान/निश्चय/अनुक्रम-प्रदर्शकRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot नु (निपात)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (resolved): अस्य | पीत्वा | मदानाम् | इन्द्रः | वृत्राणि | अप्रति | जघान | जघनत् | च | नु । 1) ‘मदानामिन्द्रो’ = ‘मदानाम् इन्द्रः’ (म् + इ → मि; अनुस्वार-लोप/परिवर्तन)
- 2) ‘वृत्राण्यप्रति’ = ‘वृत्राणि अप्रति’ (इ + अ → य्-अ; यण्-सन्धि)
- 3) ‘जघनच्च’ = ‘जघनत् च’ (त् + च → च्च; व्यञ्जन-सन्धि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, having drunk these ecstasies, struck the Vṛtras that resist; he has struck them and continues striking even now.
Inner meaning
When the illumined mind (Indra) drinks the purified delight-intoxications (madāḥ of Soma), it gains irresistible force to break the ‘coverers’ (vṛtra)—the subconscious resistances, inertia, obscurity, and habitual negations. The victory is not a one-time event: illumination repeatedly smites recurring formations as they arise.
Universal truth
Sustained spiritual joy empowers the mind of light to overcome recurring resistance; liberation is iterative—each ascent requires a fresh breaking of coverings.
Themes
Vṛtra-slaying, Soma empowerment, invictory, ongoing conquest
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 1.32 (Indra slays Vṛtra), RV 9.23 (context)
Family tradition
Indra-Soma victory verses embedded in Soma Pavamāna sequences; emphasis on the psychological battle against coverings.
Significance
The seer states a law of inner progress: delight is not escape but fuel for the mind’s battle against obscurity; victory must be renewed.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (empowered by Soma)
- Epithets
- vṛtrahan (slayer of Vṛtra) (implied), aprati (irresistible)
- Related deities
- Soma, Maruts, Agni
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstruction, releaser of the waters/cows (light and flow), establisher of wideness.
Inner power
Illuminative force that pierces and dismantles subconscious resistance when charged with Ananda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña: invocation of Indra’s victory after Soma drinking
अ॒स्य पी॒त्वा मदा॑ना॒मिन्द्रो॑ वृ॒त्राण्य॑प्र॒ति । ज॒घान॑ ज॒घन॑च्च॒ नु ॥
अ॒स्य । पी॒त्वा । मदा॑नाम् । इन्द्रः॑ । वृ॒त्राणि॑ । अ॒प्र॒ति । ज॒घान॑ । ज॒घन॑त् । च॒ । नु ॥
asya | pītvā | madānām | indraḥ | vṛtrāṇi | aprati | jaghāna | jaghanat | ca | nu
Likely Triṣṭubh (probable; many Indra-victory statements occur in triṣṭubh)
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4 × ~11 syllables (probable Triṣṭubh)
Forceful, удар-like cadence; suited to ‘smiting’ action
Energizes will and courage; evokes decisive inner cutting-through of resistance.
- pītvā
- Literal: having drunk. Symbolic: Having inwardly assimilated delight as substance of consciousness
- madānām
- Literal: of the intoxications/ecstasies. Symbolic: Waves of Ananda that intensify power and widen consciousness
- indraḥ
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: Illumined mind, lord of luminous intelligence and victorious force
- vṛtrāṇi
- Literal: Vṛtras/obstructors. Symbolic: Coverings: subconscious resistance, darkness, inertia, limiting habits
- aprati
- Literal: irresistible, without opponent. Symbolic: Unopposable force of truth-illumination when supported by Ananda
- jaghāna ... jaghanat ca nu
- Literal: he smote; he smites even now. Symbolic: Continuous conquest: repeated breakthroughs in sadhana
Recited in Soma rites to affirm Indra’s renewed power through Soma; ritually, the drink strengthens the deity; psychologically, delight strengthens the will-to-victory against inner resistance.
During Soma offering to Indra; also as a victory-affirmation in the pressing sequence
Chanted to strengthen Indra’s force in the rite and affirm the breaking of obstacles
Use when facing relapse into old patterns; chant to invoke repeated breakthrough—‘even now he smites’—as a practical mantra for persistence.
pītvā: absolutive of √pā ‘to drink’ (ingest/receive). madā́nām: gen. pl. of madá ‘exhilaration’ (< √mad). vṛtrā́ṇi: from vṛtrá ‘obstructor/coverer’ (< √vṛ ‘to cover, obstruct, enclose’). apratí: a- ‘not’ + pratí ‘against, in return’ → ‘without opposition’. jaghā́na/jaghánat: from √han ‘to strike, slay’; reduplicated perfect jaghāna expresses accomplished victory; jaghanat (injunctive/aoristic-present nuance in Vedic) conveys iterative/ongoing smiting.
battle of light vs. obstruction (knowledge vs. ignorance), ṛta as victorious right action overcoming disorder, renewal of force through ānanda (madá)
Vṛtra is anti-ṛta (covering and stagnation); Indra restores flow and order.
Aprati indicates the inevitability of truth-force once delight and illumination unite.
Release of blocked currents: creation progresses by breaking coverings and freeing the waters of consciousness.
Yoga of transformation: repeated conquest of the subconscient (Aurobindonian emphasis).
Soma = Ananda; drinking = assimilation; Vṛtra = subconscious knot; smiting = decisive illumination and will-force releasing blocked energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Vṛtra-slaying: Soma’s ecstasy empowers Indra to break the coverers. Inner sense: when delight is purified and taken in, the illumined mind-force repeatedly shatters psychological blockages that withhold the flow of knowledge and power.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘to strike/kill’ continues PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike, slay’ (cf. Greek phénō ‘slay’ via related developments; Avestan jan- ‘strike’). √vṛ ‘cover’ aligns with PIE *wer- ‘to cover/enclose’ (cf. English ‘over’, ‘wrap’ via Germanic/Italic reflexes).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer presents a functional reciprocity: the offering of Soma is not barter but a transformation—by allowing Soma’s ‘madas’ to enter consciousness, the Indra-power in the practitioner becomes capable of decisive and repeated victories over obstruction.
Invoke Indra in the head-space (ājnā/crown vicinity) to strike the ‘covering’ thought-patterns; feel Soma-delight as the fuel.
Ājñā (illumined mind) supported by Anāhata (Ananda)
Kapalabhati-light (if suitable) or firm rhythmic exhale to ‘strike’ the obstruction; then settle into calm breath
Dynamic clarity; victorious wideness after breakthrough
Identify one ‘Vṛtra’ (a repeating resistance). Chant 7 or 11 times, then sit and watch for the precise moment the mind tries to re-cover; apply a quiet decisive ‘No’ and reopen to delight.
Not recoverable from supplied text alone; consult svara-pāṭha for exact udatta/anudatta/svarita.
Punch the action verbs: asya pītvā madānām | indro vṛtrāṇy aprati | jaghāna jaghanac ca nu || (keep ‘jaghāna’ emphatic).
vṛtrāṇi: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṭr cluster, aprati: ‘pr’ crisp, short a, jaghāna: gh voiced aspirate; long ā, nu: short, clipped at end
Firm, martial clarity; avoid shouting—use resonant chest support
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