Rig Veda Sukta 36
Mandala 2Sukta 366 Mantras

Sukta 36

Sukta 2.36

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha (traditional attribution for RV 2.36 within the Vasiṣṭha family corpus of Maṇḍala 2)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh (probable for RV 2.36; requires metrical verification against pada counts)

RV 2.36 membingkai suatu undangan Soma-yajña: Indra (serta dewa-dewa diraja yang berkaitan) didesak agar datang, mengambil tempat duduk, dan meminum Soma bermadu yang dibahagikan melalui jawatan-jawatan kependetaan. Himne ini menggabungkan citra pemerasan yang hidup—lembu/sinar dan air yang “diperas” oleh batu-batu—dengan petunjuk ritual yang tepat (Hotṛ, Āgnīdhra, Praśāstṛ), lalu menampilkan korban sebagai saluran yang teratur yang membangunkan para dewa dan melepaskan kekuatan, penguasaan, serta perintah yang benar.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 2.36

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • IndraMantras 1, 5with Soma-offering emphasis, ritual roles Hotṛ etc. foreground the Soma-yajña frame

    Indra is praised as the foremost lord of might who responds to the Soma-pressing, comes swiftly to the call, and drinks the oblation sealed by svāhā/vaṣaṭ through the Hotṛ’s speech.

  • TvashtriMantra 3Tvaṣṭṛ (explicit), within a Soma-invitation context

Mantras

Mantra 1

तुभ्यं हिन्वानो वसिष्ट गा अपोऽधुक्षन्त्सीमविभिरद्रिभिर्नरः । पिबेन्द्र स्वाहा प्रहुतं वषट्कृतं होत्रादा सोमं प्रथमो य ईशिषे ॥

Untuk-Mu, wahai Indra, gerak ilham menggerakkan; Sinar-sinar bercahaya (lembu-lembu) dan Air-Airan diperah untuk-Mu oleh daya-daya pendakian, oleh batu-batu pemeras, oleh para lelaki yang berusaha. Minumlah, wahai Indra, Soma yang dipersembahkan dengan svāhā, dicurahkan dan dimeteraikan dengan vaṣaṭ; daripada sabda Hotṛ ambillah Soma—Engkau yang pertama memerintahinya.

Mantra 2

यज्ञैः सम्मिश्लाः पृषतीभिॠष्टिभिर्यामञ्छुभ्रासो अञ्जिषु प्रिया उत । आसद्या बर्हिर्भरतस्य सूनवः पोत्रादा सोमं पिबता दिवो नरः ॥

Bercampur dengan yajña, cemerlang dalam perjalanan, dikasihi dalam abah-abah yang berkilau, bersenjata lembing kehendak yang berkesan—datanglah dan duduklah di atas barhis yang suci, wahai putera-putera Bharata. Minumlah Soma daripada persembahan Potṛ, wahai wira-wira dunia yang bercahaya.

Mantra 3

अमेव नः सुहवा आ हि गन्तन नि बर्हिषि सदतना रणिष्टन । अथा मन्दस्व जुजुषाणो अन्धसस्त्वष्टर्देवेभिर्जनिभिः सुमद्गणः ॥

Datanglah kepada kami, seolah-olah ke rumah sendiri, wahai kuasa-kuasa yang mudah diseru; duduklah di atas barhis dan bersukarialah. Kemudian bergembiralah, menerima sari perahan; wahai Tvaṣṭṛ, bersama kelahiran-kelahiran ilahi, suatu himpunan fikiran yang baik—bentuklah dalam diri kami rupa yang benar.

Mantra 4

आ वक्षि देवाँ इह विप्र यक्षि चोशन्होतर्नि षदा योनिषु त्रिषु । प्रति वीहि प्रस्थितं सोम्यं मधु पिबाग्नीध्रात्तव भागस्य तृप्णुहि ॥

Wahai resi yang bercahaya, bawalah para dewa ke sini; lakukan yajña dengan kerinduan, wahai Hotṛ, dan duduklah pada tiga yoni (tiga tempat duduk perwujudan). Sambutlah yang telah dihidangkan—madu Soma yang manis; minumlah daripada bahagian Āgnīdhra, dan kenyanglah dengan bahagianmu.

Mantra 5

एष स्य ते तन्वो नृम्णवर्धनः सह ओजः प्रदिवि बाह्वोर्हितः । तुभ्यं सुतो मघवन्तुभ्यमाभृतस्त्वमस्य ब्राह्मणादा तृपत्पिब ॥

Ini untukmu, wahai Indra: penambah keperkasaan pada tubuhmu—kekuatan dan daya yang diletakkan pada lenganmu di langit yang tertinggi. Untukmu ia diperah, wahai yang pemurah; untukmu ia dibawa: minumlah hingga penuh daripada brahman ini (ucapan ilham), dan kenyanglah.

Mantra 6

जुषेथां यज्ञं बोधतं हवस्य मे सत्तो होता निविदः पूर्व्या अनु । अच्छा राजाना नम एत्यावृतं प्रशास्त्रादा पिबतं सोम्यं मधु ॥

Bergembiralah dalam yajña; sedarlah akan seruanku. Sang Hotṛ, duduk, mengikuti panggilan purba (nivid). Kepada kamu berdua, wahai Raja-raja, datanglah sembah, berpaling menuju kamu; daripada sabda Praśāstṛ minumlah madu Soma yang manis.

Inside Sukta 36

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    The hymn opens with dynamic preparation: Soma is pressed and ‘milked’ for Indra, and the god is urged to drink the offering validated by ritual acclamation.

  2. Development

    Attention moves from mythic-sacral imagery (cows/waters, pressing stones, striving men) to explicit liturgical choreography—invitation, seating, and reception—through named priestly functions.

  3. Climax

    The pivotal moment is the formal arrival and enthronement in the ‘three seats’ and the immediate command to drink the prepared honeyed Soma as the deity’s rightful portion.

  4. Where it settles

    The hymn concludes by urging the royal divinities to take delight, awaken to the summons, and drink by the authoritative priestly word, sealing participation and satisfaction in the rite.

The deity: Indra

  • In the VedaHe is approached as the first in mastery (prathamo ya īśiṣe), the one who takes initiative and command when rightly invoked.
  • Cosmic functionHe embodies victorious force that breaks obstruction, releases the life-giving waters/cows (light and abundance), and safeguards the community by empowering right action through the sacrificial exchange.
  • Inner significanceIndra signifies awakened will and courageous clarity—the inner capacity to overcome inertia and obstruction, to ‘release the waters’ of energy and insight when the mind is properly concentrated (Soma) and guided by disciplined speech (mantra).

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha gotra (Vasiṣṭha family corpus of Maṇḍala 2) · One of the foremost ṛṣis of the Rig Veda, celebrated as a paradigmatic seer-priest (brahman/Hotṛ voice) whose hymns integrate spiritual insight with exact sacrificial practice; later tradition strongly associates him with royal counsel and the preservation of sacred order (ṛta).

Famous verses

prathamo ya īśiṣe
Verse 2.36.1Programmatic verse that compresses the whole Soma logic: pressing/milking imagery, priestly mediation (Hotṛ), and Indra’s primacy in mastery; it sets the hymn’s ritual and theological center.Read verse 2.36.1 →
yoniṣu triṣu
Verse 2.36.4Highlights the operational ritual frame: calling the gods, seating in the ‘three wombs/seats,’ and specifying Soma as ‘honey’ with reference to the Āgnīdhra’s portion—rarely so explicit in priestly mechanics.Read verse 2.36.4 →
जुषेथां यज्ञं बोधतं हवस्य मे सत्तो होता निविदः पूर्व्या अनु । अच्छा राजाना नम एत्यावृतं प्रशास्त्रादा पिबतं सोम्यं मधु ॥
Verse 2.36.6Concluding invitation that emphasizes awakening to the call and drinking ‘from the Praśāstṛ’s word,’ reinforcing that correct speech and office-based order complete the sacrificial exchange.Read verse 2.36.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Might and victory (vīrya)
  • Swift response to invocation
  • Soma-loving and sacrifice-confirming
  • Releaser of waters/light (symbolic abundance)
  • Lordly command and initiative (īśiṣe)
  • Protector of order through strength

Also by this seer

  • Large portion of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 traditionally attributed to Vasiṣṭha and his lineage
  • Multiple hymns in Rig Veda Maṇḍala 2 attributed to the Vasiṣṭha family
  • Vasiṣṭha is a prominent figure across Itihāsa-Purāṇa traditions as a royal preceptor and sage

The rite, step by step

  • Soma is pressed with adri-stones; the ‘milking’ imagery (cows/waters) marks the extraction and purification of the drink.
  • Hotṛ recites the inviting/empowering mantra; oblation is offered with svāhā and sealed with vaṣaṭ (formal confirmation).
  • The officiant calls the gods to come and ‘sit in the three seats’ (yoniṣu triṣu), establishing divine presence in the ritual space.
  • Portioned Soma is presented: the deity is invited to receive what is set forth (prasthita) and drink the honeyed Soma (somyaṃ madhu).
  • Priestly distribution is signaled: drinking ‘from the Āgnīdhra’s portion’ and later ‘from the Praśāstṛ’s word,’ highlighting ordered liturgical roles.
  • Closing invitation: the ‘two kings’ are urged to delight in the sacrifice and awaken to the call, completing the circuit of offering → reception → satisfaction.

Offerings

  • Pressed Soma (somyaṃ madhu)
  • Invocatory formulas (svāhā, vaṣaṭ) accompanying the offering
  • Ancillary oblations customary to Soma rites (e.g., ghee/clarified butter in the broader rite context)

Frequently Asked Questions

It is primarily an invitation hymn within the Soma sacrifice, urging Indra (and associated royal divinities) to come, take their seat, and drink the prepared Soma portion.

Because the Soma-yajña is a coordinated rite: each priest has a defined role, and the hymn marks that the offering and the deity’s reception are validated through these offices and their authorized speech.

It describes Soma as a sweet, exhilarating sacred drink—both a literal pressed offering and a symbol of concentrated vitality and inspiration that empowers Indra and the rite itself.

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