Rig Veda 10.29.1: Mandala 10, Sukta 29, Mantra 1
Sukta 10.29
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
वने न वा यो न्यधायि चाकञ्छुचिर्वां स्तोमो भुरणावजीगः । यस्येदिन्द्रः पुरुदिनेषु होता नृणां नर्यो नृतमः क्षपावान् ॥
vané ná vā́ yó nyàdhāyi cākáñ śúcir vāṃ stómō bhuraṇāv ajīgah | yásyed índraḥ purudíneṣu hótā nṛṇā́ṃ náryo nṛtámaḥ kṣapā́vān ||
Seolah-olah di rimba, sebuah pujian yang suci dan penuh rindu telah diletakkan untuk kamu berdua; ia menggerakkan yang perkasa supaya bangkit bergerak. Baginya Indra, sepanjang banyak hari, menjadi Hotṛ pemanggil bagi manusia—yang gagah dayanya, paling menang, penguasa malam-malam; ia menyeru Cahaya merentas hamparan kelam.
Word by Word
- वने
- in the wood/forestNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot वन (प्रातिपदिक) / वन-
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक अव्ययRoot वा (निपात)
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नि
- down, in; (prefix)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियायोगे)Root नि (उपसर्ग)
- अधायि
- was placed/establishedVerbलुङ् (अorist), कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद-प्रयोग; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole कर्म (कर्मणि-प्रयोगे कर्तृ-भावः अप्रकटः)Root धा (धातु) + नि
- चाकन्
- has pleased / has delightedVerbपरस्मैपद; परोक्ष/परफेक्ट-रूप (Vedic perfect); प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot कन्/कण् (धातु; ‘कनति/कणति’ = to be pleased/satisfied; Vedic)
- शुचिः
- bright, pureAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (स्तोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाम्
- you two / of you twoPronounद्वितीया/षष्ठी द्विवचन (Vedic enclitic)Role सम्प्रदान (स्तुत्य-देवतयोः प्रति)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- स्तोमः
- hymn of praiseNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot स्तोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- भुरणौ
- the two impetuous/strong onesNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया द्विवचनRole सम्प्रदान/कर्म (स्तुत्यौ देवौ)Root भुरण (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भुरण’ = impetuous/strong; epithet)
- अजीगः
- I sang/praisedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot गै/गी (धातु; ‘गायति/गैति’ = to sing/praise) with आ- (Vedic intensive/augmental aorist form)
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपात (एव/खलु-अर्थे)Root इत् (निपात; emphatic)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरुदिनेṣu
- on many daysNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचनRole अधिकारणRoot पुरुदिन (प्रातिपदिक; पुरु- + दिन)
- होता
- Hotṛ-priest / invokerNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नृणाम्
- of menNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नर्यः
- manly, heroicAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root नर्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘manly, belonging to men’)
- नृतमः
- most manly / best of menAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root नृतम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of नृ/नर- ‘most manly/best of men’)
- क्षपावान्
- possessing nights; night-watching/active through nightsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्ता (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root क्षपा-वन् (प्रातिपदिक; क्षपा ‘night’ + वन् ‘possessing’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): वने | न | वा | यः | नि | अधायि | चाकन् | शुचिः | वाम् | स्तोमः | भुरणौ | अजीगः || यस्य | इत् | इन्द्रः | पुरुदिनेṣu | होता | नृणाम् | नर्यः | नृतमः | क्षपावान् || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) यो न्यधायि → यः + नि + अधायि (विसर्ग-लोपः, न्-आगमः)
- (2) चाकञ्छुचिः → चाकन् + शुचिः (न् + श् → ञ्छ्)
- (3) शुचिर्वां → शुचिः + वाम् (विसर्गस्य रुत्व/रेफः)
- (4) यस्येदिन्द्रः → यस्य + इत् + इन्द्रः (द् + इ → दि; संहितायाम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A pure eager hymn is set down for you two as if in a forest; it stirs the strong ones to motion. For the one who has it, Indra becomes through many days the hotṛ of men—manly, most victorious, master of the nights.
Inner meaning
The ‘forest’ (vana) is the tangled field of the outer nature where the seeker feels surrounded by obscurity and multiplicity. Yet a śuci stoma—purified aspiration—can be ‘placed’ (ny-adhāyi) there as a fixed inner practice. That mantra stirs the powerful energies (bhuraṇau: the strong movers) into right movement. When the hymn is sustained ‘through many days’, Indra (illumined mind) becomes the inner Hotṛ—the invoking priest within—calling the gods (higher powers) into the human system, conquering the ‘nights’ (kṣapāḥ: periods of obscurity, subconscient cover).
Universal truth
Even in the wild growth of life, a purified and persistent aspiration can be established. Sustained practice turns illumination into an inner priesthood that calls light through recurring darkness.
Themes
Indra-invocation, light vs darkness, speech as power
The seer
Significance
The seer speaks from the psychology of sustained sādhanā: mantra established in the ‘forest’ of nature, persistence over many days, and Indra as the inner Hotṛ who governs the nights—an explicit inner-ritual metaphor.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (dual address implied by vām)
- Epithets
- narya (manly power), nṛtama (most victorious/dancer of victory, implied by hymn context), kṣapāvān (lord/master of the nights), hotṛ (invoker within)
- Related deities
- Agni (as first priest; Indra as warrior-mind), Uṣas (as dawn that Indra brings), Soma (as delight that empowers Indra)
Cosmic role
Indra releases the Light, breaks the cover, and leads the victorious advance of consciousness.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence that can invoke higher forces repeatedly until the nature is transformed; courage that moves energies out of inertia.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra context; general invocation within soma-related or daily recitations
वने॒ न वा॒ यो न्य॑धायि चा॒कञ्छुचि॑र्वां॒ स्तोमो॑ भुरणावजीगः । यस्येदिन्द्र॑: पुरु॒दिने॑षु॒ होता॑ नृ॒णां नर्यो॒ नृत॑मः क्ष॒पावा॑न् ॥
वने॑ । न । वा॒ । यः । नि । अ॒धा॒यि॒ । चा॒कन् । शुचिः॑ । वा॒म् । स्तोमः॑ । भु॒र॒णौ॒ । अ॒जी॒ग॒रिति॑ । यस्य॑ । इत् । इन्द्रः॑ । पु॒रु॒ऽदिने॑षु । होता॑ । नृ॒णाम् । नर्यः॑ । नृऽत॑मः । क्ष॒पाऽवा॑न् ॥
vane | na | vā | yaḥ | ni | adhāyi | cākan | śuciḥ | vām | stomaḥ | bhuraṇau | ajīgariti | yasya | it | indraḥ | puru-dineṣu | hotā | nṛṇām | naryaḥ | nṛ-tamaḥ | kṣapāvān
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4×~11 syllables
Energetic, stirring cadence; suited to ‘ajīgaḥ’—setting strong forces in motion.
Creates activation from within calm clarity; evokes the sense of a path cut through a dense inner forest.
- वने (vane)
- Literal: in the forest. Symbolic: the unmastered outer nature; the subconscient tangle
- शुचिः (śuciḥ)
- Literal: pure, bright. Symbolic: purified aspiration and clarity of intention
- स्तोमः (stomaḥ)
- Literal: hymn of praise. Symbolic: structured inner affirmation/mantric formation
- नि अधायि (ny adhāyi)
- Literal: has been set/placed down. Symbolic: established as a stable practice in the being
- भुरणौ (bhuraṇau)
- Literal: the strong ones (movers). Symbolic: powerful life-forces/energies to be directed upward
- इन्द्रः (indraḥ)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind, illuminator and breaker of cover
- होता (hotā)
- Literal: invoking priest. Symbolic: inner calling power that summons higher consciousness
- पुरुदिनेषु (purudineṣu)
- Literal: through many days. Symbolic: persistence across cycles of effort
- क्षपावान् (kṣapāvān)
- Literal: possessing the nights. Symbolic: mastery over obscurity and recurrent darkness
Indra praise in Soma setting is common; exact viniyoga uncertain without Anukramaṇī data.
Recited to rouse Indra’s force and establish the hymn as a support for repeated offerings
Praise/invocation to bring Indra as inner hotṛ and breaker of obstruction
For long-term practice: use as a ‘persistence mantra’ during phases of dullness or recurring darkness (night-moods).
ni-√dhā ‘to place down’ frames the hymn as a deliberate installation in consciousness. śuci ‘bright/pure’ indicates clarified speech-force. hotā from √hu ‘invoke/sacrifice’ is the inner will that calls higher powers. kṣapā ‘night’ marks obscurity; kṣapāvān indicates mastery across dark intervals—endurance in sādhanā.
perseverance across 'many days', invocation (hotṛ) as inner calling, Indra as conqueror of darkness
The stoma ‘stirs the strong ones’ into ṛta—right directed movement rather than chaotic force.
Śuci stoma implies truth-purity: aspiration without distortion.
Light’s emergence within the ‘forest’ mirrors the Vedic creation-motif: order carved out of obscurity by Word and Power.
Yoga of the Word (mantra) aligned with illumined mind (Indra).
night-to-dawn transition implied
Forest = subconscious complexity; Nights = obscurity/ignorance; the hymn = a clear flame-like formation in the wilderness of mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as Hotṛ across many days: the warrior-lord becomes the invoking power that repeatedly calls the Light through recurring nights. The forest-image suggests the untamed inner nature where the hymn is ‘installed’ to rouse the twin powers and open a path.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- hotā from √hu relates to the IE sacrificial/invocation complex (cf. Avestan zaotar ‘priest’ as functional parallel though different root; the office is archaic). The fame of formulaic superlatives (nṛtama-) reflects old IE poetic intensification patterns.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer installs a śuci stoma as an operative force; Indra reciprocates not merely with gifts but by taking up the role of inner invoker for the human collectivity, sustaining the work through repeated cycles of obscurity.
Establish a ‘pure hymn’ as a stable inner formation in the midst of life’s complexity; invite Indra as the inner invoking intelligence.
Ājñā (illumined mind) with support from Maṇipūra (dynamic movement)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) for 7 cycles; chant on exhale to ‘set down’ the stoma.
From scattered nature to concentrated clarity; then energized uplift.
Chant once envisioning the ‘forest’ as your current life-field. On ‘śuciḥ stomo’ feel a clear bright line in the mind. On ‘Indraḥ… hotā’ feel an inner priest calling light each day, especially when ‘night’ returns.
Vedic svara required; not recoverable precisely from plain text. Keep udātta lift on indraḥ and hotā in recitation style.
Mark pāda pauses cleanly; emphasize śúciḥ and índraḥ; keep enclitics (vāṃ, iva) light.
cākañ: nasalization at end; avoid adding vowel, bhuraṇau: roll the ṇ; keep diphthong au clear, kṣapāvān: kṣ cluster crisp; long ā in -vān
Clear and bright; slightly awakening tone, as if calling through darkness.
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