Rig Veda 2.33.8: Mandala 2, Sukta 33, Mantra 8
Sukta 2.33
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Rudra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
प्र बभ्रवे वृषभाय श्वितीचे महो महीं सुष्टुतिमीरयामि । नमस्या कल्मलीकिनं नमोभिर्गृणीमसि त्वेषं रुद्रस्य नाम ॥
prá babhráve vṛṣabhā́ya śvitīcé máho mahī́m suṣṭutím īrayāmi | namasyā́ kalmalīkínaṃ námobhir gṛṇī́masi tvéṣaṃ rudrásya nā́ma ||
Kepada Sang Banteng perang keemasan, yang gemilang, aku melagukan madah yang besar dan perkasa—pujian yang tersusun sempurna. Dengan salam sembah kami tunduk kepada penghapus kekotoran batin; dengan hormat kami menyebut Nama Rudra yang dahsyat.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- बभ्रवे
- to the tawny one (Rudra)Noun/Adjectivemasculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot बभ्रु (prātipadika)
- वृषभाय
- to the bull (strong one)Nounmasculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot वृषभ (prātipadika)
- श्वितीचे
- to the bright/white(-shining) oneNoun/Adjectivemasculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot श्वितीच (prātipadika)
- महो
- greatly, mightilyAdjectiveneuter nominative/accusative singular (used adverbially/intensively)Root महत् (prātipadika)
- महीम्
- great (praise), mighty (one)Noun/Adjectivefeminine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot मही (prātipadika)
- सुष्टुतिम्
- good praise, well-formed hymnNounfeminine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot सु- + स्तुति (prātipadika)
- ईरयामि
- I utter / I set forthVerbpresent indicative, 1st person singular, parasmaipadaRole KartāRoot ईर् (धातु; causative sense ‘set in motion/utter’)
- नमस्या
- homages, reverencesNounneuter nominative/accusative plural (Vedic form; ‘acts of homage’)Role KarmaRoot नमस् (prātipadika)
- कल्मलीकिनम्
- the remover/warder-off of blemish and evil (epithet of Rudra)Noun/Adjectivemasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot कल्मलीकिन् (prātipadika)
- नमोभिः
- with homagesNounneuter instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot नमस् (prātipadika)
- गृणीमसि
- we praiseVerbpresent indicative, 1st person plural, parasmaipadaRole KartāRoot गृ (धातु ‘sing, praise’)
- त्वेषम्
- fierce, blazingAdjectivemasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot त्वेष (prātipadika)
- रुद्रस्य
- of RudraNounmasculine genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot रुद्र (prātipadika)
- नाम
- nameNounneuter accusative singularRole KarmaRoot नामन् (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- External sandhi is minimal in this mantra. प्रमुखम्: (1) सु- + स्तुति → सुष्टुति (upasarga-prefix compounding). (2) नमस् + भिस् → नमोभिः (visarga before voiced bh becomes o; Vedic sandhi). Other words are already in pada-like form
- accents (udātta/svarita) are not represented in the resolved padapāṭha segmentation here beyond the given saṃhitā marks
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet proclaims a great hymn to the tawny bull, the brilliant one. With salutations he bows to the remover of defilement and proclaims the fierce name of Rudra.
Inner meaning
Praise (suṣṭuti) is not flattery but a deliberate formation of consciousness that calls down the deity’s power. Rudra is ‘tawny’ and ‘brilliant’ as a luminous force in the vital and mental skies. ‘Kalmalīkina’ points to inner stain—confusion, crookedness, guilt, inertia—that blocks the higher movement; Rudra is invoked as the purifier who uproots this defilement. Proclaiming the ‘fierce Name’ is invoking the vibrational potency (nāma-śakti) of Rudra that can shatter resistances and restore sincerity.
Universal truth
True praise is an act of alignment: when speech becomes transparent and reverent, it can summon a purifying power that removes inner pollution and restores integrity.
Themes
praise and invocation, purification, fierce divine name
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhārgava
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.33.1-11
Family tradition
Bhārgava mantra-craft emphasizing effective stuti (praise) as a means to call down powers.
Significance
This verse highlights the mantric method: well-shaped praise + namas (right humility) allows Rudra’s fierce name to act as purifier of inner stain.
The deity
- Devata
- Rudra
- Epithets
- babhru (tawny), śvitīca (brilliant), vṛṣabha (bull-power), kalmalīkina (stain-remover), tveṣa (fierce)
- Related deities
- Agni (purifier through fire), Soma (purifier through bliss), Varuṇa (moral/inner law and cleansing of sin)
Cosmic role
Purifying lord whose luminous force cleanses the worlds; responds to true stuti and namas by acting decisively against disorder.
Inner power
Nāma-śakti of transformation: fierce vibration that cuts through inner falsity and restores straightness and clarity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Stotra within Rudra propitiation; used to praise and appease while invoking purification.
प्र ब॒भ्रवे॑ वृष॒भाय॑ श्विती॒चे म॒हो म॒हीं सु॑ष्टु॒तिमी॑रयामि । न॒म॒स्या क॑ल्मली॒किनं॒ नमो॑भिर्गृणी॒मसि॑ त्वे॒षं रु॒द्रस्य॒ नाम॑ ॥
प्र । ब॒भ्रवे॑ । वृ॒ष॒भाय॑ । श्वि॒ती॒चे । म॒हः । म॒हीम् । सु॒ऽस्तु॒तिम् । ई॒र॒या॒मि॒ । न॒म॒स्य । क॒ल्म॒ली॒किन॑म् । नमः॑ऽभिः । गृ॒णी॒मसि॑ । त्वे॒षम् । रु॒द्रस्य॑ । नाम॑ ॥
pra | babhrave | vṛṣabhāya | śvitīce | mahaḥ | mahīm | su-stutim | īrayāmi | namasya | kalmalīkinam | namaḥ-bhiḥ | gṛṇīmasi | tveṣam | rudrasya | nāma
44
4×11
Elevated and proclamatory; strong opening ‘pra…’ sets a forward surge; reverential cadence in the second half.
Builds devotional power and courage; the sound-feel of ‘tveṣaṃ… nāma’ can trigger a sense of cleansing intensity.
- बभ्रु (babhru)
- Literal: tawny, brownish-red. Symbolic: fiery-luminous force acting in the vital nature; transformative radiance
- वृषभ (vṛṣabha)
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: mighty impulsion of divine will-force
- श्वितीच (śvitīca)
- Literal: bright, shining. Symbolic: illumined energy; clarity within force
- सुस्तुतिम् (suṣṭutim)
- Literal: well-formed praise. Symbolic: mantric formulation that shapes consciousness and opens receptivity
- नमस्य/नमोभिः (namasya/namobhiḥ)
- Literal: salutation(s). Symbolic: surrender, humility of ego; right attitude for receiving force
- कल्मलीकिनम् (kalmalīkinam)
- Literal: remover of defilement/stain. Symbolic: purifier of inner impurity—falsehood, guilt, inertia, distorted desire
- त्वेषम् (tveṣam)
- Literal: fierce, impetuous. Symbolic: decisive force that breaks coverings
- नाम (nāma)
- Literal: name. Symbolic: vibrational power; invoked presence through sound
Stotra-like praise used to invoke Rudra’s purifying force while maintaining reverent appeasement; applicable in Soma rites and protective recitations.
At the start of a Rudra section in a rite; also when seeking removal of inner/outer ‘stain’ or misfortune.
Recitation with namas gestures; offerings and circumambulation in some later ritual adaptations.
Use as a purification mantra before japa/meditation; especially effective when practicing truthfulness and inner straightness.
īrayāmi: causative/present from √īr ‘to set in motion, raise’—hymn as force. kalmala: ‘stain, defilement, error’; kalmalīkin: agentive/possessive ‘one who deals with kalmala’ (purifier). nāman: in Vedic, not label but power-signature; ‘tveṣa nāma’ indicates the invoked potency of Rudra’s aspect.
purification of kalmala (inner obscurity), mantra as effective power (nāma), alignment through namas (ego-bending)
‘Suṣṭuti’ and ‘namas’ are alignments with ṛta in speech and attitude; Rudra’s force then restores order in the being.
Removal of kalmala is removal of inner falsehood and distortion, allowing satya-consciousness to act.
Speech as creative power: stuti as a formative vibration that calls forth deity-force.
Mantra-yoga/Integral-Vedānta: nāma and stuti as effective spiritual technologies.
Light and tawny fire correspond to cleansing tapas; bull corresponds to irresistible will; brilliance corresponds to awakened clarity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Name’ as power: proclaiming Rudra’s fierce nāman is itself an act of invoking and shaping the deity’s presence. The mythic action is not narrative but efficacious speech that calls the purifier who removes kalmala.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- nā́ma reflects PIE *h₁nōmn̥ ‘name’ (Lat. nōmen, Gk. ónoma), preserving the archaic sacral idea that naming is power. √nam ‘bend’ has wide IE parallels in gestures of reverence; the bodily metaphor encodes psychological submission.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers a ‘su-stuti’ as a shaped force and simultaneously performs namas—balancing invocation of fierceness (tveṣa) with humility, so Rudra’s intensity becomes purificatory rather than harmful.
Purification through reverent invocation of the Name: let the sound carry force into stained/knotted parts of the psyche.
Maṇipūra (tapas/purification) and Viśuddha (mantric speech)
Chant on a steady exhale; brief kumbhaka after each pāda to ‘let the name work’ in silence.
Energized devotion leading to cleansed clarity.
Before chanting, identify one ‘kalmala’ (habitual distortion) and offer it; chant with upright spine; after ‘tveṣaṃ… nāma’ sit 1–2 minutes in silent receptivity.
Triṣṭubh; emphasize udātta rise on ‘pra’ and deity epithets; keep ‘namobhir gṛṇīmasi’ smooth and reverent.
Do not over-punch ‘tveṣam’; keep it intense but clean; pause lightly after each pāda for resonance.
śvitīce: ś (palatal) distinct from ṣ, suṣṭutim: ṣṭ cluster—articulate retroflex ṣ then ṭ, kalmalīkinaṃ: long ī; keep ‘km’ transition clear, tveṣaṃ: retroflex ṣ; anusvāra before pause
bright, steady, devotional; slightly intensified on ‘tveṣaṃ’.
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