Rig Veda 1.29.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 29, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.29
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
पताति कुण्डृणाच्या दूरं वातो वनादधि । आ तू न इन्द्र शंसय गोष्वश्वेषु शुभ्रिषु सहस्रेषु तुवीमघ ॥
pátāti kuṇḍṛṇā́cyā dūráṃ vā́to vánād ádhi | ā́ tú na indra śaṃsaya góṣv áśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ||
Jauh ia terbang—seperti angin menyapu dari rimba—daya si penyihir yang bengkok; kemudian datanglah, Indra, dan jadikan sanjungan kami yang benar berkesan—di antara lembu dan kuda, dalam sinar yang gemilang, dalam kelimpahan seribu-lipat, wahai yang berlimpah anugerah.
Word by Word
- पतति
- flies, falls, rushesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्र. 3, एकवचनRoot पत् (पतति)
- कुण्डृणाच्या
- from (the mare/one called) KuṇḍṛṇācāNoun (proper/epithet)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot कुण्डृणाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- दूरम्
- far, to a distanceAdverbial (acc. used adverbially)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Root दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
- वातः
- the windNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot वात (प्रातिपदिक)
- वनात्
- from the wood/forestNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot वन (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- over, upon, from (in construction)Indeclinable (preverb/preposition)उपसर्ग/निपात (अव्यय)Root अधि
- आ
- hither, towards; (intensifier)Indeclinable (preverb/particle)उपसर्ग/निपात (अव्यय)Root आ
- तू
- indeed, now, thenIndeclinable (particle)निपात (अव्यय)Root तु/तू (निपात)
- नः
- of us, ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole Sampradāna (हितार्थे) / सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- शंसय
- proclaim, make (it) renowned; praiseVerb (causative/denominative usage in Vedic)लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), म. 2, एकवचनRoot शंस् (शंसति/शंसयति)
- गोषु
- among cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्वेषु
- among horsesNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- शुभ्रिषु
- among the bright/gleaming (ones)Adjective (used substantively)(सामान्यतः पुं/नपुं), सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot शुभ्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्रेषु
- among thousandsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- तुवीमघ
- O bountiful one of great giftsNoun/Adjective (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot तुवीमघ (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्रस्य विशेषण)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: पतति | कुण्डृणाच्या | दूरम् | वातः | वनात् | अधि || आ | तू | नः | इन्द्र | शंसय | गोषु | अश्वेषु | शुभ्रिषु | सहस्रेषु | तुवीमघ || Sandhi: (1) वनादधि = वनात् + अधि (त् + अ → द् + अ; Vedic external sandhi). (2) आ तू = आ + तू (no change). (3) गोष्वश्वेषु = गोषु + अश्वेषु (उ + अ → व् + अ; ‘ष्व’ junction). Accents retained as in Saṃhitā
- pada-forms given without accent marks
The meaning
Outer meaning
The power of the crooked enchantress flies far away like wind from the forest; then Indra is asked to come and make the praise effective in cows and horses, in shining thousandfold riches.
Inner meaning
The ‘crooked enchantress’ signifies deceptive, twisting forces of illusion (māyā-like suggestion) that disturb the mind and lure the will off the straight path. When Indra’s illumination rises, these formations scatter and flee ‘far away’ like wind-driven shadows. Then the seer asks for the positive establishment: the effective Word manifesting as rays of knowledge (go) and energized capacities (aśva) in abundant luminous plenitude.
Universal truth
When clarity enters, illusion cannot stand; it disperses. But liberation is completed by a constructive descent—truth becoming effective power, not merely the absence of confusion.
Themes
banishing hostile powers, Indra-protection, purification by movement
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Other hymns
- RV 1.29, RV 1.30, RV 7.23, RV 7.24
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha hymns often portray the battle between straight truth (ṛju) and crooked falsehood (kuṭila), resolved by Indra’s victorious light.
Significance
The seer’s psychology recognizes the subtlety of illusion: not only brute resistance, but crooked suggestion; the mantra emphasizes dispersal and then establishment of luminous plenitude.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Tuvīmagha, Vṛtrahan, Maghavan (bountiful)
- Related deities
- Soma, Bṛhaspati, Agni
Cosmic role
Drives away darkness and hostile powers; releases and multiplies the luminous riches.
Inner power
Straightening force of illumination that unmasks deception and stabilizes right discernment and right energy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in Soma contexts; also apotropaic (warding) use in recitation
पता॑ति कुण्डृ॒णाच्या॑ दू॒रं वातो॒ वना॒दधि॑ । आ तू न॑ इन्द्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥
पता॑ति । कु॒ण्डृ॒णाच्या॑ । दू॒रम् । वातः॑ । वना॑त् । अधि॑ । आ । तु । नः॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । शं॒स॒य॒ । गोषु॑ । अश्वे॑षु । शु॒भ्रिषु॑ । स॒हस्रे॑षु । तु॒वी॒ऽम॒घ॒ ॥
patāti | kuṇḍṛṇācyā | dūram | vātaḥ | vanāt | adhi | ā | tu | naḥ | indra | śaṃsaya | goṣu | aśveṣu | śubhriṣu | sahasreṣu | tuvī-magha
48
4 × ~12 syllables
Swift, airy movement in the first half (wind-like), followed by the stable refrain.
A felt ‘sweeping away’ of confusion, then a grounding in luminous invocation.
- kuṇḍṛṇācī
- Literal: crooked woman/enchantress (name/epithet). Symbolic: Force of illusion and perversion; twisting suggestion that deranges right perception
- patāti dūram
- Literal: flies far away. Symbolic: Dispersal of hostile formations when confronted by higher light
- vātaḥ vanāt adhi
- Literal: wind from the forest. Symbolic: Restless prāṇa/mind currents arising from the ‘wild’ subconscient; dispersive movement of obscurity
- śaṃsaya
- Literal: make praise effective. Symbolic: Confirm the truth-word in experience; empower aspiration
- goṣu / aśveṣu
- Literal: cows / horses. Symbolic: Rays of illumination / vital forces of action
Expulsion of hostile influences (rakṣas/witchcraft motif) within Indra refrain in Soma rite
When seeking removal of hostile influences and confirmation of the sacrifice’s fruit.
Stotra with refrain; symbolic expulsion of negativity.
As a pre-meditation clearing: visualize deceptive thoughts flying away; then affirm clarity and energized steadiness.
√pat 'fly/fall' (PIE *pet- 'fly', cf. Greek pétomai). vāta from √vā 'blow' (PIE *h₂weh₁- 'blow', cf. Latin ventus). kuṇḍṛṇācī is a rare lexeme; the phonetic shape suggests 'crooked/contorted' (kuṇḍ-) + agentive feminine—treated in tradition as a hostile bewitching power.
expulsion of perverting forces, cleansing movement (wind as purifier), subconscient wilderness (vana) as source of distortions
Crooked forces violate ṛta; Indra restores straightness and order.
True acclaim (śaṃsa) becomes satya when it effects inner transformation.
From the ‘forest’ of the subconscient to the open field of luminous plenitude.
Psychological symbolism aligned with Aurobindo/Kashyap.
Wind = restless prāṇic movement; forest = untamed subconscient storehouse; their ‘sweeping’ indicates dispersion of obscurity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The banishment of a bewitching/perverting power to a far distance, driven like chaff by wind. Mythically, Indra’s presence makes hostile magic lose hold; psychologically, false formations from the 'forest' of the subconscient are swept away.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- patāti from √pat aligns with PIE *pet- 'fly'. vātaḥ aligns with the IE wind lexicon (cf. ventus). The simile 'like wind from the forest' is an archaic IE poetic device: a natural force models a psychic-cosmic action.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi relies on Indra as protector of the sacrificial consciousness: when Indra is invoked, hostile perversions cannot remain near; their departure prepares the field for the descent of luminous gifts.
Detecting and expelling ‘crooked’ inner suggestions; returning to straight intention (ṛju-bhāva).
ājñā
On ‘patāti…dūram’ use a long exhale imagining dispersal; on the refrain, quiet nasal breathing with steady attention at the brow-center.
From scattered, suggestible mind to clear, steady illumination.
When a deceptive thought arises (‘this is impossible’, ‘delay’, ‘compromise’), label it kuṇḍṛṇācī; exhale it ‘far away’, then repeat the refrain as a truth-affirmation of luminous capacities.
Observe udatta rises on key words; keep svarita falls clean (exact accents per śākhā).
Let ‘patāti’ feel like a quick lift; ‘dūraṃ’ slightly lengthened; refrain steady and bright on ‘śubhriṣu sahasreṣu’.
kuṇḍṛṇācyā: retroflex ṇ, and ‘cyā’ as ‘chyā’ cluster, vāto: long ā in vā-, vanād adhi: clear sandhi, do not swallow ‘d’
Light, sweeping in first pāda; clear, affirming in refrain.
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