Rig Veda Sukta 175
Mandala 1Sukta 1756 Mantras

Sukta 175

Sukta 1.175

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha (traditional attribution for RV 1.175 in the Vasiṣṭha-associated cluster)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable for RV 1.175; confirm per padya count in critical edition)

Himne Triṣṭubh enam rangkap enam ini menyeru Indra yang diperkasa oleh Soma, memuji gelora kegirangan (mada) yang menjadikannya juara “pemenang seribu”, serta memohon agar baginda memperbaharui kuasa kemenangan bagi para pemuja. Ia mengingatkan penyelamatan mitos Indra—mengembalikan Matahari/cahaya, menewaskan Śuṣṇa, dan menolong Kútsa—agar daya penentu yang sama memecahkan halangan masa kini dan menganugerahkan kekuatan, perolehan, serta kurnia yang segera.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.175

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • IndraSoma-empowered Indra

    Indra is celebrated as the mighty wielder of vajra, friend of the singers, and the heroic drinker of Soma whose exhilaration drives him to victories that restore light and order.

Mantras

Mantra 1

मत्स्यपायि ते महः पात्रस्येव हरिवो मत्सरो मदः । वृषा ते वृष्ण इन्दुर्वाजी सहस्रसातमः ॥

Wahai Indra yang bertunggangan kuda-kuda keemasan, kegirangan agung itu telah Kauteguk, seperti dari bejana yang melimpah. Bagi-Mu, Sang Banteng, perahan ini—Indu/Soma yang kuat dan menang—menjadi daya yang memenangi seribu, dorongan Soma yang melipatgandakan kekuatan bagi penaklukan batin.

Mantra 2

आ नस्ते गन्तु मत्सरो वृषा मदो वरेण्यः । सहावाँ इन्द्र सानसिः पृतनाषाळमर्त्यः ॥

Semoga kepada kami datang ekstasi-Mu yang menggetarkan—kegirangan banteng, layak dipilih. Wahai Indra, yang kuat dalam usaha, peraih kurnia, pematah pertempuran musuh, Kuasa yang tidak mati: masukilah medan kami dan teguhkan kemenangan jiwa.

Mantra 3

त्वं हि शूरः सनिता चोदयो मनुषो रथम् । सहावान्दस्युमव्रतमोषः पात्रं न शोचिषा ॥

Kerana Engkaulah wira—pemenang—yang menggerakkan maju kereta manusia. Perkasa dalam kekuatan-Mu, Engkau membakar habis Dasyu yang tanpa-tata (avratá), seperti bejana oleh nyala api—menyucikan sarana agar perjalanan jiwa dapat maju.

Mantra 4

मुषाय सूर्यं कवे चक्रमीशान ओजसा । वह शुष्णाय वधं कुत्सं वातस्याश्वैः ॥

Wahai kavi (resi), rampaslah kembali Surya; genggamlah cakra dengan kekuasaan dan kekuatanmu. Bawalah hentaman bagi Śuṣṇa; angkutlah Kútsa dengan kuda-kuda Vāta—biarlah tenaga ilahi yang pantas memulihkan cahaya yang hilang dan menimpa si penimbun sinar.

Mantra 5

शुष्मिन्तमो हि ते मदो द्युम्निन्तम उत क्रतुः । वृत्रघ्ना वरिवोविदा मंसीष्ठा अश्वसातमः ॥

Kerana madamu paling sarat dengan daya, dan kratu-mu (kehendak/ketetapan suci) paling sarat dengan cahaya. Wahai pembunuh Vṛtra, penemu jalan yang luas, jadilah dalam diri kami pemikir terbaik dan pemenang tenaga terbaik—agar keluasan yang benar itu diperoleh.

Mantra 6

यथा पूर्वेभ्यो जरितृभ्य इन्द्र मय इवापो न तृष्यते बभूथ । तामनु त्वा निविदं जोहवीमि विद्यामेषं वृजनं जीरदानुम् ॥

Seperti kepada para penyanyi terdahulu, wahai Indra—bagai air yang menyegar yang tidak mengecewakan dahaga—demikianlah Engkau telah menjadi. Maka dengan nivid (rumusan suci) ini aku menyeru-Mu; semoga kami mengetahui dan memperoleh dorongan serta medan kemenangan, dan Engkau, sang pemberi yang pantas dalam kurnia.

Inside Sukta 175

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Indra’s exhilaration is proclaimed: Soma is drunk like a brimming vessel, generating bull-like, victory-multiplying force.

  2. Development

    The hymn turns from praise to petition, recalling Indra’s lordly deeds—restoring the Sun/light and mobilizing swift powers against the hoarder of illumination.

  3. Climax

    The urgent command to act: seize back the Sun, strike Śuṣṇa, and carry Kútsa with Vāta’s steeds—mythic victory becomes a present invocation of decisive intervention.

  4. Where it settles

    The poet aligns with earlier singers and closes with a formal call (ni-vid), praying for enduring refreshment, victorious scope, and Indra’s swift generosity.

The deity: Indra

  • Cosmic functionChampion of ṛta in the battlefield of heaven and earth: he releases blocked powers (waters/light), overcomes hoarding demons, and secures abundance and safe passage for the people.
  • Inner significanceThe awakened force of courageous will and luminous intelligence—Soma as uplifted inspiration—breaking inner inertia, fear, and obstruction to recover clarity (the ‘Sun’) and win the ‘field’ of right action.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (Āṅgirasa-related seer-family in later tradition); associated with the Vasiṣṭha maṇḍala (RV 7) though RV 1.175 is traditionally linked to the Vasiṣṭha-associated cluster in some anukramaṇī streams. · One of the most revered Vedic seers: paradigmatic brahmarṣi, master of inspired speech (brahman), closely connected with royal consecration themes and the Indra–Varuṇa theological horizon in RV 7.

Famous verses

sahasrasātamaḥ
Verse 1.175.1Sets the hymn’s core theology: Soma-exhilaration (mada) as the energizing sacramental force that makes Indra ‘thousand-winning’ and irresistibly victorious.Read verse 1.175.1 →
मुषाय सूर्यं कवे चक्रमीशान ओजसा । वह शुष्णाय वधं कुत्सं वातस्याश्वैः ॥
Verse 1.175.4A concentrated mythic petition: Indra restores the Sun/light, seizes the wheel, and strikes Śuṣṇa while aiding Kútsa—an emblem of recovering lost illumination and defeating obstruction.Read verse 1.175.4 →
maya ivāpo na tṛṣyate
Verse 1.175.6Concluding ni-vid-like appeal linking present worship to ancestral precedent; asks for unfailing refreshment, iṣ (impulsion), vṛjana (victorious field), and Indra as swift giver.Read verse 1.175.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Soma-drinker (madin) whose power increases through pressing
  • Vṛṣan (Bull-like strength) and sahasrasātama (thousand-winning)
  • Restorer of light (recoverer of the Sun)
  • Slayer of obstructers (e.g., Śuṣṇa)
  • Swift helper of allies (e.g., Kútsa)
  • Lordly mastery (īśāna) and overwhelming ojas (force)

Also by this seer

  • Large portion of Rigveda Maṇḍala 7 traditionally attributed to Vasiṣṭha and his family of seers
  • Hymns to Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra–Varuṇa, Agni, and the Maruts in the Vasiṣṭha corpus (notably RV 7.x)
  • Later Vedic-Itihāsa tradition remembers Vasiṣṭha as a royal priest (purohita) and lawgiver figure (Dharmaśāstra/Smṛti attribution is later and not Rigvedic)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the altar/fire and establish a focused intention for strength, victory, and clarity (light).
  • Press Soma (or offer a Soma substitute where appropriate) while reciting/intoning the Triṣṭubh verses as praise and invitation.
  • Offer libations to Indra with the refrain-like emphasis on Soma’s exhilaration and Indra’s ‘thousand-winning’ power.
  • Recite the mythic petitions: recovery of the Sun/light, striking the obstructer (Śuṣṇa), and aid to the ally (Kútsa) as symbolic requests for present help.
  • Conclude with the ni-vid style call (formal invitatory) asking for iṣ (impulsion/nourishing power), vṛjana (victorious field/arena), and swift gifts.
  • Seal with a final oblation and silent dedication of the gained force to righteous action (ṛta).

Offerings

  • Soma juice (primary, where Soma ritual is performed)
  • Ghee (ājya) oblations
  • Optional: milk/curd mixture and grains as supportive offerings in domestic adaptations

Frequently Asked Questions

It praises Indra strengthened by Soma and asks him to bring the same victorious power into the present—removing obstacles, restoring clarity (light), and granting strength and gains.

These are mythic images for Indra’s role as restorer of lost light and destroyer of hoarding forces. In practice, they symbolize recovering insight and defeating whatever blocks progress.

It can be recited as an Indra-invocation before demanding work or during a fire offering, with a clear intention for courage, victory over inner/outer obstacles, and right action.

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