Rig Veda 1.83.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 83, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.83
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
बर्हिर्वा यत्स्वपत्याय वृज्यतेऽर्को वा श्लोकमाघोषते दिवि । ग्रावा यत्र वदति कारुरुक्थ्यस्तस्येदिन्द्रो अभिपित्वेषु रण्यति ॥
barhír vā yát svapatyā́ya vṛ́jyate 'rkó vā ślókаm āghóṣate diví | grā́vā yátra vádati kā́rur ukthyàḥ tásyed índro abhipitvéṣu raṇyati ||
Di mana barhis (alas suci) dihamparkan demi kelahiran zuriat yang sejati; atau di mana nyanyian pujian dibuat bergema di langit; di mana batu pemeras (grāvan) seakan berkata-kata dan penyanyi yang terilham melagukan uktha—di situlah Indra benar-benar bersukacita dalam pemenuhan yang dekat dan mesra.
Word by Word
- बर्हिः
- the sacrificial grass (barhis)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot बर्हिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- or / indeedIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा (अव्यय)
- यत्
- which / whenPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वपत्याय
- for good lordship / for one’s own masteryNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot स्वपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृज्यते
- is prepared / is arrangedVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि/मध्यभावे प्रयोगःRoot वृज् (धातु; ‘to clear, prepare, arrange’)
- अर्कः
- the hymn/chant (arká)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- or / indeedIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा (अव्यय)
- श्लोकम्
- a verse, praiseNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot श्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
- आघोषते
- sounds forth / resoundsVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot आ-घुष् (धातु; ‘to sound forth, proclaim’)
- दिवि
- in heaven / in the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ग्रावा
- the pressing-stone (for Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (वैदिकः प्रथमा एकवचन ‘ग्रावा’)Role KartāRoot ग्रावन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot यत्र (अव्यय)
- वदति
- speaks / soundsVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot वद् (धातु; ‘to speak, sound’)
- कारुः
- the singer/poetNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot कारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्थ्यः
- fit for the uktha; uktha-singerAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (कारोः विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot उक्थ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्य
- of that / of himPronounपुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी; एकवचनRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिश्चय/एव-अर्थक निपातRoot इत् (अव्यय/निपात)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिपित्वेषु
- at the drinkings/feasts (Soma-drinkings)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अभि-पित्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘drinking/feast’, esp. Soma-drinkings)
- रण्यति
- rejoices / takes delightVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot रन्/रण् (धातु; ‘to rejoice, delight’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (वैदिक-सन्धि-निरसनम्): बर्हिः वा | यत् स्वपत्याय वृज्यते | अर्कः वा श्लोकम् आघोषते दिवि | ग्रावा यत्र वदति कारुः उक्थ्यः | तस्य इत् इन्द्रः अभिपित्वेषु रण्यति || 1) वृज्यतेऽर्को = वृज्यते + अर्कः (अ + अ → अ; अवग्रह)
- 2) कारुरुक्थ्यः = कारुः + उक्थ्यः (विसर्गः + उ → रु; वैदिक-रुत्व)
- 3) तस्येदिन्द्रो = तस्य + इत् + इन्द्रः (इत् → इद्; द् + इ → दि; संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Where the barhis (sacred seat/grass) is spread for good offspring, or where the chant resounds in heaven; where the pressing stone speaks and the inspired singer recites the hymn—there Indra delights among the close companions/households.
Inner meaning
The verse maps the true inner yajña: when the ‘barhis’—the prepared foundation of consciousness—is spread for ‘svapatya’ (true progeny: right births of thoughts, powers, and realizations), and when the mantra-vibration (arka/śloka) is made to resound in the higher mind (‘divi’). The ‘grāvā’ (pressing stone) becomes the steady pressure of practice that expresses Soma (bliss/nectar) from experience; the kāru (inspired poet) is the intuitive faculty shaping revelation into speech. Wherever these conditions are present—prepared ground, elevated vibration, steady pressure, inspired utterance—Indra (illumined mind-force) takes joy in the intimacies of the being and confirms the realizations.
Universal truth
A higher power responds where there is preparation, right vibration, sustained practice, and sincere inspired expression. The divine does not merely descend by chance; it delights where the inner conditions are made fit.
Themes
Soma pressing, Mantric resonance, Preparedness and receptivity, Indra’s joy in the offering
The seer
- Rishi
- Gotama Rāhūgaṇa
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 1.83, RV 1.84
Family tradition
Gautama’s Indra hymns frequently pivot from outer rite to inner conditions—preparation, word, pressure, and the descent of power.
Significance
The seer teaches the psychology of invocation: Indra’s presence is not arbitrary but depends on the completeness of the inner sacrificial arrangement.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maghavan (bountiful), sahasrin (of a thousand powers, implied by abundance)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Enjoyer and confirmer of the sacrifice; brings victorious illumination and strength where the rite (inner/outer) is rightly formed.
Inner power
The delighting assent of the illumined mind-force that stabilizes true births (svapatya) and turns practice into realized power.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and Indra invocation; reference to barhis, chant, and grāvā indicates Soma-yajña setting.
ब॒र्हिर्वा॒ यत्स्व॑प॒त्याय॑ वृ॒ज्यते॒ऽर्को वा॒ श्लोक॑मा॒घोष॑ते दि॒वि । ग्रावा॒ यत्र॒ वद॑ति का॒रुरु॒क्थ्य१॒॑स्तस्येदिन्द्रो॑ अभिपि॒त्वेषु॑ रण्यति ॥
ब॒र्हिः । वा॒ । यत् । सु॒ऽअ॒प॒त्याय॑ । वृ॒ज्यते॑ । अ॒र्कः । वा॒ । श्लोक॑म् । आ॒ऽघोष॑ते । दि॒वि । ग्रावा॑ । यत्र॑ । वद॑ति । का॒रुः । उ॒क्थ्यः॑ । तस्य॑ । इत् । इन्द्रः॑ । अ॒भि॒ऽपि॒त्वेषु॑ । र॒ण्य॒ति॒ ॥
barhiḥ | vā | yat | su-apatyāya | vṛjyate | arkaḥ | vā | ślokam | āghoṣate | divi | grāvā | yatra | vadati | kāruḥ | ukthyaḥ | tasya | it | indraḥ | abhi-pitveṣu | raṇyati
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Balanced and descriptive; alternating clauses create a ‘where…where…there’ litany.
Induces a sense of sacred space being prepared; culminates in a felt ‘arrival’ of Indra’s delight.
- बर्हिः (barhiḥ)
- Literal: sacrificial grass/seat. Symbolic: prepared basis of consciousness; receptive inner field
- स्वपत्याय (svapatyāya)
- Literal: for good offspring/progeny. Symbolic: right births in consciousness—true thoughts, powers, and works
- वृज्यते (vṛjyate)
- Literal: is spread/laid out. Symbolic: systematic preparation and purification
- अर्कः (arkaḥ)
- Literal: hymn/chant; also ‘ray’. Symbolic: mantric light-force; luminous word
- श्लोकम् (ślokam)
- Literal: verse/chant. Symbolic: rhythmic formulation that carries consciousness upward
- दिवि (divi)
- Literal: in heaven/sky. Symbolic: in the higher mind, wide luminous consciousness
- ग्रावा (grāvā)
- Literal: pressing stone. Symbolic: steady pressure of sādhanā; concentration that expresses Soma
- कावुरुक्थ्यः (kārur ukthyaḥ)
- Literal: inspired singer who utters the hymn. Symbolic: intuitive-poetic faculty articulating inner truth
- अभिपित्वेषु (abhipitveṣu)
- Literal: among close companions/households. Symbolic: in the intimate parts of the being; inward chambers where realizations must settle
- रण्यति (raṇyati)
- Literal: rejoices/delights. Symbolic: the divine assent—joyful confirmation of right inner work
Explicit Soma-rite imagery: barhis spreading, chant resounding, grāvan (pressing-stone), uktha—appropriate for Soma pressing sessions and Indra-invocation segments
During Soma rites when preparing the seat and chanting; also in Indra śastra contexts.
Spreading barhis, chanting arka/śloka, pressing Soma; inviting Indra to rejoice and bestow.
A checklist-mantra for meditation: prepare the seat/body, elevate the mantra-vibration, apply steady practice, and speak/think from inspiration—then rest for the ‘Indra’ response (clarity, strength).
Key terms: (1) barhis: ritual seat; semantically ‘spread foundation’; psychologically the prepared consciousness. (2) su-apatya: su ‘good/right’ + apatya ‘offspring’ (from √ap ‘reach/obtain’ in later derivations; in Vedic, ‘issue’ as produced formation); inner ‘right becomings’. (3) ā-√ghuṣ (āghoṣate): ‘sound forth’ (resonant proclamation). (4) grāvan: pressing-stone; its ‘speaking’ is poetic personification—outer: sound in pressing; inner: the will’s pressure releasing soma-rasa. (5) √raṇ (raṇyati): ‘rejoice/delight’, often used for gods enjoying the soma/hymn; indicates reciprocity—divine joy as sign of effective contact.
Descent into prepared field (barhis as receptacle), Right progeny (su-apatya) as inner formation, Divine delight as confirmation of contact
Right order is explicit: correct preparation and right word create the lawful condition for descent.
‘svapatya’ as true progeny = satya-born formations in consciousness.
Birth of powers through sacrifice; descent of divine joy into the intimate life-world.
Yoga of works and mantra: transformation through prepared field + vibration + tapas.
Seat/grass = stable posture and receptive mind; sky = higher mind; stone = disciplined pressure; chant = vibration that links levels of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘god’s arrival and delight where the rite is rightly formed’: when the seat is spread, the chant resounds, and the pressing-stone ‘speaks’, Indra rejoices in abhipitvas—intimate attainments. Mythically it is hospitality to the god; inwardly it is the condition for the descent of Indraic force into the prepared consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vad ‘speak’ (vadati) aligns with PIE *wed-/*wod- ‘speak’ (broadly; compare English ‘word’ via *werdʰ- is different, but Indo-European ‘speech’ roots cluster). √raṇ ‘rejoice’ is Indo-Iranian; while PIE cognation is uncertain, the inherited poetic function—gods ‘rejoice’ in offering—matches Indo-European hymn diction (divine pleasure as efficacy marker).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi defines the precise inner-ritual conditions that make Indra present: prepared foundation (barhis), luminous utterance (arka/śloka), and concentrated pressure (grāvan). The relationship is technical and reciprocal: the human shapes the field and sound; Indra responds by delighting and thus empowering the intimate fulfillments (abhipitva) of the sacrificer.
Create the inner ‘barhis’: steady posture and receptive heart; raise the mantra into ‘divi’ (higher mind); apply ‘grāvā’—gentle, continuous concentration; let inspired speech/intent arise.
Viśuddha (mantra/arka) and Ājñā (divi/higher mind)
Japa synchronized with exhale; brief silent pause after each pāda to ‘hear’ the inner resonance.
Collected, elevated, and intimate; readiness for a descent of clarity.
Before chanting, physically arrange your seat (barhis). Chant with attention to resonance in the head-space (divi). After chanting, sit 2–3 minutes in silence: notice where Indra ‘delights’—a spontaneous clarity or strength in a specific inner chamber.
Follow Vedic accent marks; keep the anaphoric ‘yatra…’ clauses evenly weighted; allow a slight lift on udātta syllables to mirror ‘resounding in heaven’.
Mark pāda boundaries clearly: first two clauses (barhiḥ/arkaḥ) then the yatra-clause (grāvā) then the conclusion (tasyed indro…).
Consonant clusters: āghoṣate articulate gh clearly, grāvā with long ā; avoid ‘grav-a’ shortening, ukthyaḥ keep kthy cluster crisp, raṇyati with retroflex ṇ
Resonant, inward, and steady—like laying a foundation stone by stone.
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