Rig Veda 4.25.5: Mandala 4, Sukta 25, Mantra 5
Sukta 4.25
न तं जिनन्ति बहवो न दभ्रा उर्वस्मा अदितिः शर्म यंसत् । प्रियः सुकृत्प्रिय इन्द्रे मनायुः प्रियः सुप्रावीः प्रियो अस्य सोमी ॥
ná táṃ jinanti bahávo ná dabh्रā urv ásmā áditiḥ śárma yaṃsat | priyáḥ su-kṛ́t priyá índre manāyúḥ priyáḥ supra-avī́ḥ priyó asya somī́ ||
Ramai tidak mampu menewaskannya, dan yang sedikit pun tidak; kerana Aditi mengurniakan kepadanya damai yang luas. Terkasihlah dia—pelaku kebajikan; terkasih bagi Indra dalam niat dan dorongan hatinya; terkasih sebagai yang bernaung dengan perlindungan yang kuat; terkasih baginya pembawa Soma itu.
Soma offering and praise; protective formula for the sacrificer aligned with Indra
Aditi (infinity, freedom from division), Ṛta through su-kṛt (right doing), victory over hostile forces (inner conquest)
Sukṛt implies works in accord with ṛta; such alignment naturally draws Indra’s friendship.
Wideness supports truth by removing the distortions of fear and constriction.
From bound limitation to infinite field (Aditi) where the soul stands unconquered.
Integral yoga orientation: wideness + right works + delight → stable victory over resistance.
unspecified
unspecified
Sky/vastness = expanded consciousness; Soma = sustaining joy; ‘many/few’ = varying intensities of inner resistance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The inviolability of the ṛta-aligned hero: once Aditi (Infinity) grants ‘wide śarman’, hostile multiplicities (many/few—outer and inner adversaries) cannot conquer. Mythically, it echoes the protected one under divine law whom the Dasyu-like forces cannot bind.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- nár-/manas vocabulary belongs to old IE anthropological lexicon; √ji ‘conquer’ continues PIE *gʷeyh₃-/*gʷih₃-? (cognacy debated), but the semantic field of victory is strongly inherited. The repetitive priyáḥ is a Vedic stylistic device (anaphora) typical of Indo-European praise poetry.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The human becomes ‘priya’ (accepted) by embodying su-kṛt (right formation of action) and manāyú (thought-will). Indra’s favor is not arbitrary: it is attracted by harmony of consciousness, while Aditi supplies the wideness that sustains this harmony against pressure.
Enter wideness: feel space around and within; affirm alignment to good (sukṛt) and offer mind-impulse (manāyu) to illumined guidance (Indra).
Anāhata (peace/wideness) with Sahasrāra (infinite Aditi).
Open-awareness breathing: inhale feeling expansion in all directions, exhale releasing constriction; 12 cycles, then repeat ‘uru… śarma’ inwardly.
From threatened contraction → stable wideness → affectionate trust in the divine working.
When resistance arises, do not fight in narrowness. Expand first (Aditi), return to right action (sukṛt), then invoke Indra’s clear decision; let joy (Soma) be carried as a steady support.
Tri-svara; the repeated ‘priyaḥ’ benefits from consistent accenting—keep each occurrence clear and evenly weighted, following svara marks.
Let ‘uru… aditiḥ śarma yaṃsat’ broaden in tone; keep ‘na taṃ jinanti’ firm and clipped for strength.
jinanti: soft ‘j’, dental ‘n’, dabhrāḥ: aspirated ‘bh’, long āḥ, aditiḥ: short i; final visarga light, yaṃsat: nasal ‘ṃ’ before s; ‘sat’ crisp, sukṛt: retroflex ṛ, suprāvīḥ: long ā; vīḥ with long ī and visarga, somī: long ī
Calm, deep, reassuring; avoid aggression—strength through wideness.
5
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