Rig Veda 5.36.2: Mandala 5, Sukta 36, Mantra 2
Sukta 5.36
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagati
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ ते हनू हरिवः शूर शिप्रे रुहत्सोमो न पर्वतस्य पृष्ठे । अनु त्वा राजन्नर्वतो न हिन्वन्गीर्भिर्मदेम पुरुहूत विश्वे ॥
ā́ te hanū́ harivaḥ śūra śípre rúhat sómo ná párvatasya pṛṣṭhé | ánu tvā rā́jan árvato ná hinván gī́rbhir madema puruhūta víśve ||
हे हरिवः शूर, हे शिप्रे! पर्वताच्या पाठीवर जसा सोम चढतो तसा तो तुझ्या जबड्यांवर आरूढ होवो. हे राजन्, जसे अश्वांना हाकले जाते तसे तुझ्या मागोमाग चालत, हे पुरुहूत, आम्ही सर्व स्तुतिगीतांनी मदित होऊन आनंदित होवो.
Word by Word
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableupasarga/avyayaRoot आ (upasarga) / ā (avyaya)
- ते
- to youPronoundative singular (2nd person)Role SampradānaRoot त्वद् (sarvanāma)
- हनू
- (your) two jawsNounnominative dual (f.)Role KartāRoot हनु- (prātipadika)
- हरिवः
- O possessor of bay steedsNoun (epithet)vocative singular (m.)Role SambodhanaRoot हरिवस्- (prātipadika)
- शूर
- O heroNoun/Adjective (epithet)vocative singular (m.)Role SambodhanaRoot शूर- (prātipadika)
- शिप्रे
- in/at (your) two cheeks/jawsNounlocative dual (n.)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot शिप्र- (prātipadika)
- रुहत्
- mounting, rising uponVerb (participle)present active participle, nominative singular (m.)Role KartāRoot रुह् (धातु)
- सोमः
- Soma (drink)Nounnominative singular (m.)Role KartāRoot सोम- (prātipadika)
- न
- like, asIndeclinablecomparative particleRoot न (avyaya)
- पर्वतस्य
- of the mountainNoungenitive singular (m.)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot पर्वत- (prātipadika)
- पृष्ठे
- on the back/ridgeNounlocative singular (n.)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot पृष्ठ- (prātipadika)
- अनु
- after, alongIndeclinablepreverb/indeclinableRoot अनु (upasarga/avyaya)
- त्वा
- youPronounaccusative singular (2nd person)Role KarmaRoot त्वद् (sarvanāma)
- राजन्
- O kingNounvocative singular (m.)Role SambodhanaRoot राजन्- (prātipadika)
- अर्वतः
- from the steed (horse)Nounablative singular (m./n.)Role ApādānaRoot अर्वत्- (prātipadika)
- न
- like, asIndeclinablecomparative particleRoot न (avyaya)
- हिन्वन्
- impelling, urging onVerb (participle)present active participle, nominative singular (m.)Role KartāRoot हिन्व् (धातु)
- गीर्भिः
- with songs/hymnsNouninstrumental plural (f.)Role KaraṇaRoot गीर्- (prātipadika)
- मदेम
- may we rejoice/be exhilaratedVerboptative, 1st person plural, parasmaipadaRole KartāRoot मद् (धातु)
- पुरुहूत
- O much-invoked oneNoun (epithet)vocative singular (m.)Role SambodhanaRoot पुरुहूत- (prātipadika)
- विश्वे
- all (of them), all men/peopleAdjective (used substantively)nominative plural (m.)Role KartāRoot विश्व- (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolutions: (1) आ ते = ā + te (no change)
- (2) शिप्रे रुहत् = śipre + ruhat (external sandhi none)
- (3) रुहत्सोमः = ruhat + somaḥ (t + s → ts)
- (4) पर्वतस्य पृष्ठे (no change)
- (5) त्वा राजन् = tvā + rājan (no change)
- (6) राज॒न्नर्व॑तः = rājan + arvataḥ (n + a → nn a, written as -न्न-)
- (7) हि॒न्वन्गी॒र्भिः = hinvan + gīrbhiḥ (n + g → ṅg, written -न्ग-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma is offered to Indra—may it rise to his jaws; following the King as driven horses, all the singers rejoice through hymns, invoking Indra into awakening ecstasy.
Inner meaning
The Soma (delight of consciousness) is made to “mount” into Indra’s jaws—i.e., the illumined Mind’s power of reception and assimilation. When the inner kingly Mind is set in motion, the life-forces (horses) are urged to follow its lead; then the soul’s inspired speech (gīraḥ) becomes a vehicle of collective uplift, and the whole being enters madhu/mada (ecstatic clarity) that awakens Indra’s effective force against obscurity.
Universal truth
When delight and aspiration are consciously offered, the higher intelligence is nourished; then the energies of action align behind it, and inspired speech becomes a means of collective transformation.
Themes
Soma ascent, Communal praise, Indra as king and much-invoked
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri Ātreya (traditional attribution for RV 5.36)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.36, RV 5.37, RV 5.40, RV 5.41
Family tradition
Atri lineage in Maṇḍala 5, noted for hymns of inner aspiration, illumination, and the right ordering of energies through Indra-Agni powers.
Significance
Atri’s vision frequently turns the sacrifice inward: the offering is the seeker’s consciousness; the gods are powers of realization; the hymn is a force that compels ascent and right action.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- harivaḥ, śūra, rājan, puruhūta
- Related deities
- Soma, Maruts, Agni
Cosmic role
Breaker of the obstructions, opener of the luminous plenitudes; lord of the dynamic heaven-mind that releases the waters/cows (lights).
Inner power
Illuminative intelligence with victorious force—receiving Soma (delight) and converting it into effective will and conquering clarity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-offering to Indra (Indra-Soma praise within Soma liturgy)
आ ते॒ हनू॑ हरिवः शूर॒ शिप्रे॒ रुह॒त्सोमो॒ न पर्व॑तस्य पृ॒ष्ठे । अनु॑ त्वा राज॒न्नर्व॑तो॒ न हि॒न्वन्गी॒र्भिर्म॑देम पुरुहूत॒ विश्वे॑ ॥
आ । ते॒ । हनू॒ इति॑ । ह॒रि॒ऽवः॒ । शू॒र॒ । शिप्रे॒ इति॑ । रुह॑त् । सोमः॑ । न । पर्व॑तस्य । पृ॒ष्ठे । अनु॑ । त्वा॒ । रा॒ज॒न् । अर्व॑तः । न । हि॒न्वन् । गीः॒ऽभिः । म॒दे॒म॒ । पु॒रु॒ऽहू॒त॒ । विश्वे॑ ॥
ā | te | hanūiti | hari-vaḥ | śūra | śipreiti | ruhat | somaḥ | na | parvatasya | pṛṣṭhe | anu | tvā | rājan | arvataḥ | na | hinvan | gīḥ-bhiḥ | madema | puru-hūta | viśve
48
4 pādas of ~12 syllables each
Longer, flowing stride suited to movement, pursuit, and uplift.
Creates a sense of onward surge—good for ‘following’ (anu) Indra: the listener feels drawn into a procession of energies behind a leading light.
- हनू (hanū)
- Literal: jaws. Symbolic: powers of reception/assimilation of the illumined mind
- हरिवः (harivaḥ)
- Literal: lord of the tawny/bay steeds. Symbolic: master of dynamic life-energies harnessed to illumination
- सोम (soma)
- Literal: Soma-juice. Symbolic: divine delight/bliss that empowers consciousness
- पर्वतस्य पृष्ठे (parvatasya pṛṣṭhe)
- Literal: on the ridge/back of a mountain. Symbolic: on the summit-plane of consciousness; ascent to higher level
- अर्वत: (arvataḥ)
- Literal: steeds. Symbolic: vital powers/impulses driven to follow the higher lead
- गीर्भिः (gīrbhiḥ)
- Literal: with songs/utterances. Symbolic: mantric speech—formative inspired word
- मदेम (madema)
- Literal: may we rejoice/be intoxicated. Symbolic: ecstatic wideness/clarity born of Soma in the mind
- पुरुहूत (puruhūta)
- Literal: much-invoked. Symbolic: ever-accessible luminous Power responding to repeated aspiration
Soma-drinking invitation and communal stotra; encourages madhu/mada (ecstatic force) in Soma pressing
During Soma pressing/offerings where Indra is invoked to drink and empower the rite.
Libation/pressing with recitation; inviting Indra to partake and to increase force and victory.
Use as a pre-meditation invocation: offer one’s joy/energy upward, then align breath and intention behind the ‘inner king’ (clear discernment).
√ruh ‘ascend’ (PIE *h₁reudʰ-? debated); √mad ‘be exhilarated’ (IE poetic intoxication motif); gīr (f. ‘song’, √gṛ ‘sing/praise’); hari (tawny, luminous; also Indra’s horses). Symbolic justification: ‘jaws’ and ‘mounting Soma’ indicate assimilation of delight into power; mountain ridge imagery suggests ascent of Soma into the higher instrument for Indra’s action.
Gīr (mantric speech) as power, Mada as divine ecstasy (Ananda energizing will), Ascent (ruh) into higher consciousness
‘Following’ Indra mirrors aligning the lower motions to the right-ordered higher guidance.
Inspired speech (gīraḥ) as truth-forming power that calls down effective illumination.
Ascent to the summit-plane (parvata) where delight and light join to release power.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo): gods as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner evolution.
Mountain = higher plane; Soma = bliss-substance; horses = life-energies made to follow illumined mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma mounting to Indra’s mouth and the ensuing ‘mada’: the mythic intoxication that empowers Indra is presented as an ascent to the ‘mountain ridge’—psychologically, delight rises to the higher level and becomes assimilated as force.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The pairing of ‘fame/poetry + exhilaration’ is a hallmark of IE poetics; √mad and the culture of inspired song (gīr) correspond to cognate Indo-Iranian ritual-poetic patterns. The similes (ná …) are typical inherited formulaic style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The singers ‘follow’ Indra with gīr as one urges steeds: their speech is both accompaniment and propulsion, while Indra’s receptivity (drinking Soma) completes the circuit—utterance offers, god assimilates, and shared joy arises.
Offer inner delight and aspiration to the illumined mind; let clarity lead action.
ājñā (illumined mind) with support from anāhata (joy/Soma as sweetness).
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana 6–6 or 6–3–6 while mentally ‘lifting Soma’ upward on inhalation.
Uplifted, forward-moving concentration with luminous joy (sattvic-energetic).
Begin with a felt offering (gratitude/joy), then visualize a summit of light; let decisions/actions ‘follow’ that summit-guidance for the day.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita per Rigvedic accent; consult śākha-specific notation for exact pitch on each pada.
Keep udatta as the primary lift; svarita as a glide/fall; avoid flattening the cadence in Jagatī—maintain the long stride across 12-syllable pādas.
हनू: aspirate lightly; long ū sustained, हरिवः: clear ‘vaḥ’ visarga as soft echo before pause, शिप्रे: retroflex ‘ṣ’ and crisp ‘pre’, पर्वतस्य पृष्ठे: conjunct ‘pṛṣṭhe’ with clear ṛ and ṣṭh cluster, पुरुहूत: keep ‘hū’ long
Bright, forward, energized; end each pāda with controlled release.
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