Rig Veda 1.133.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 133, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.133
- Rishi
- Gautama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
अवासां मघवञ्जहि शर्धो यातुमतीनाम् । वैलस्थानके अर्मके महावैलस्थे अर्मके ॥
ávā́sāṃ maghavan jahi śárdho yātumátīnām | vaila-sthānáke armáke mahā́-vailasthe armáke ||
Wahai Maghavan (Indra), hantarlah dan jauhkanlah daripada kami gerombolan padat kuasa yātu—bentukan kehendak yang memesong—sama ada ia bersembunyi di rekahan yang dekat atau di belahan yang lebih besar; jangan biarkan sebarang tempat persembunyian kegelapan tinggal.
Word by Word
- अवा
- down; away; offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (क्रियाविशेषण)Root अव (उपसर्ग) / अवस् (अव्यय)
- आसाम्
- of these (of them)Pronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (gen. pl.)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्मद्/इदम्-श्रृंखला (Vedic: आसाम् = एषाम्)
- मघवन्
- O bountiful one (Indra)Noun (epithet)सम्बोधन एकवचन (voc. sg.), पुंलिङ्गRole सम्बोधनRoot मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र-विशेषण) < मघ (धन/दान) + वन्
- जहि
- slay; strike downVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ) मध्यमपुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot हन् (धातु)
- शर्धः
- host; troop; bandNounप्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्गRole कर्म (object of ‘जहि’)Root शर्धस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यातु
- let it go; let it departVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ) प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु)
- मतीनाम्
- of the counsels/plots (of the devisers)Nounषष्ठी बहुवचन (gen. pl.), स्त्रीलिङ्गRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root मती (प्रातिपदिक) < मन् (धातु) ‘to think’ → मति ‘thought, counsel’
- वैलस्थानके
- in/at the Vailasthāna-place (Vailastha region/seat)Adjective/Nounसप्तमी एकवचन, पुं/नपुं (पद-प्रयोगे अधिष्ठानवाचक)Role अधिकरणRoot वैलस्थानक (प्रातिपदिक; स्थान-सम्बद्ध विशेषण/नाम) < वैलस्थ + आनक/क (स्थानीय/सम्बद्ध)
- अर्मके
- in/at the aramaka (a place/abode)Nounसप्तमी एकवचन, पुं/नपुंRole अधिकरणRoot अर्मक (प्रातिपदिक; स्थान/आश्रयवाचक) संभवतः ‘छोटा/नीच स्थान; आश्रय’
- महावैलस्थे
- in/at great VailasthaAdjective/Nounसप्तमी एकवचन, पुं/नपुंRole अधिकरणRoot महावैलस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) = महा + वैलस्थ
- अर्मके
- in/at the aramaka (place/abode)Nounसप्तमी एकवचन, पुं/नपुंRole अधिकरणRoot अर्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-निरसन): अवा | आसाम् | मघवन् | जहि | शर्धः | यातु | मतीनाम् | वैलस्थानके | अर्मके | महावैलस्थे | अर्मके । 1) अवा + आसाम् → अवा॑सां (स्वर-संयोग सहित). 2) शर्धः (नपुंसक) ‘जहि’ के कर्मरूपे प्रायः द्वितीया-एकवचनार्थे (प्रथमा/द्वितीया-समरूप) ग्रहणीयम्। 3) वैलस्थानके/महावैलस्थे/अर्मके—सप्तमी-एकवचन, स्थानवाचक अधिकरण
- ये पद RV में प्रायः दस्यु/शत्रु-निवास-निर्देश के रूप में आते हैं।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Bountiful Indra, strike down the host of sorceresses who possess dark powers, whether they hide in small fissures or in the great clefts of the ruins.
Inner meaning
O Lord of Divine Mind (Indra), destroy the formations of perverted will and falsehood (Yatus) that lodge in the hidden crevices of the subconscious or in the uncultivated, ruined parts of the vital nature.
Universal truth
The Divine Mind must illuminate and clear the subconscious depths where dark impulses hide to prevent spiritual regression.
Themes
Apotropaic protection, Indra as slayer of obstructive powers, Psychological purification (clearing hidden recesses)
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-invocation in Soma rites (general Indra-stotras; protective/apotropaic use against rakṣas/yātu in the Soma-sacrifice atmosphere)
अवा॑सां मघवञ्जहि॒ शर्धो॑ यातु॒मती॑नाम् । वै॒ल॒स्था॒न॒के अ॑र्म॒के म॒हावै॑लस्थे अर्म॒के ॥
अव॑ । आ॒सा॒म् । म॒घ॒ऽव॒न् । ज॒हि॒ । शर्धः॑ । या॒तु॒ऽमती॑नाम् । वै॒ल॒ऽस्था॒न॒के । अ॒र्भ॒के । म॒हाऽवै॑लस्थे । अ॒र्भ॒के ॥
ava | āsām | magha-van | jahi | śardhaḥ | yātu-matīnām | vaila-sthānake | arbhake | mahāvailasthe | arbhake
Indra-invocation in Soma rites (general Indra-stotras; protective/apotropaic use against rakṣas/yātu in the Soma-sacrifice atmosphere)
jahi: imperative 2sg of √han ‘to strike/kill’ (PIE *gʷhen- ‘to slay’). śárdhaḥ: ‘troop, host’ from √śṛdh/śardh ‘to press together, be compact/strong’, indicating organized cohesion of the adversary. yātu-mátī-: possessive -mat ‘having’; yātu ‘sorcery, perverting motion’ (often of rakṣas/hostile beings), thus ‘those who carry yātu as their power’. maghá-van: ‘possessing magha’ (gift, bounty, plenitude), Indra as distributor of force/abundance. The locatives vaila-sthānake / mahā-vailasthe suggest ‘stations’ (sthāna) where obstruction “sits”; interpreted psychologically as habitual grooves (saṃskāra-like recesses) in the nature.
R̥ta as right ordering through removal of perversion, inner battle of Light vs. hostile formations (rakṣas/yātu)
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Indra’s expulsion/slaying of hostile occult powers (yātu/rakṣas), framed not as a single dragon-slaying episode but as a cleansing raid into the enemy’s ‘seats’ (sthāna) and ‘clefts’ (armaka). Psychologically, it is the divine Force breaking entrenched patterns of perversion hiding in minor and major recesses of the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The core command jahi (√han) continues PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike, kill’ (cf. Avestan jan-, Greek -phonos in semantic field of killing). The compact-host noun śárdhaḥ aligns with an Indo-European tendency to name enemy collectivities as ‘pressed-together’ masses; the imperative + genitive construction (jahi śardhaḥ yātumatīnām) is a typical archaic formula: ‘smite the host of X’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer addresses Indra as Maghavan, invoking the reciprocity: the human calls the divine Giver of plenitude to act as warrior-protector. The requested ‘gift’ is not material but the restoration of right inner order—Indra’s bounty becomes the abundance of clear force and safeguarded consciousness after the removal of hostile formations.
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