Rig Veda 7.23.2: Mandala 7, Sukta 23, Mantra 2
Sukta 7.23
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Vira (heroism)
अयामि घोष इन्द्र देवजामिरिरज्यन्त यच्छुरुधो विवाचि । नहि स्वमायुश्चिकिते जनेषु तानीदंहांस्यति पर्ष्यस्मान् ॥
ayā́mi ghóṣa indra devájāmir irajyánta yác churúdho vivā́ci | náhi svám ā́yuś cikité jáneṣu tā́nīd aṃhā́ṃsy áti parṣy asmā́n ||
Kulepaskan seruan ini, wahai Indra, kerabat para dewa, ketika belenggu-belenggu yang memusuhi berkata terpisah dan mengelirukan. Kerana di kalangan manusia tiada siapa benar-benar mengenal batas umurnya sendiri; maka bawalah kami melampaui penyempitan dan kesilapan ini.
Word by Word
- अयामि
- I go / I come (forth)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (अहं, अव्यक्त)Root या (धातु) / अयम् (प्रातिपदिक) → अयामि (क्रियापद)
- घोषः
- the shout, acclaim, soundNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (वाक्ये ‘घोषः’ = विषयः)Root घोष (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole (सम्बोधन) संबोधितःRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवजामिः
- of divine kin / akin to the godsAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (घोषः इति विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन)Role Kartā (घोषस्य विशेषणम्)Root देव-जामि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
- इरज्यन्त
- they strove / were eagerVerbलङ्/लिट्-प्राय (वैदिक), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (प्रयोगः: ‘they strove/they were eager’)Role KartāRoot इरज्य (धातु; ‘to be eager/zealous, to strive’)
- यत्
- which/thatPronoun/Relativeनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (यत् = ‘which/that’ as object) अथवा अव्ययवत् ‘when/that’ (वैदिक)Role Karma (सन्दर्भे)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शुरुधः
- hindrances, obstructionsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot शुरुध् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘obstacle, hindrance’)
- विवाचि
- apart, in separation / distinctlyIndeclinable (adverbial) / Kṛdantaअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम्Role (क्रियाविशेषण)Root वि-वच् (धातु) → विवाचि (कृदन्त/अव्ययीभाव-प्राय)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न (निपात)
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableअवधारण/हेतुRoot हि (निपात)
- स्वम्
- one’s ownPronoun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (आयुः इति विशेषणम्)Role Karma (विशेषणरूपेण)Root स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आयुः
- life, lifespanNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- चिकिते
- he knows / is awareVerbपरिपूर्ण/परस्मैपद-प्राय (वैदिक), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (परफेक्ट/लिट्-रूप) ‘he knows/has noticed’Role KartāRoot चित्/चिकित् (धातु; ‘to perceive/understand, be aware’)
- जनेषु
- among people, among menNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- तानि
- thosePronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableअवधारणRoot इत् (निपात; वैदिक ‘just/indeed’)
- अंहांसि
- sins, distresses, harmsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अति
- over, beyondIndeclinable (preverb/adverb)उपसर्गः (पर्षि इत्यस्य सह) / क्रियाविशेषणम्Root अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पर्षि
- carry across, saveVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (त्वम् = इन्द्र)Root पॄ/पृ (धातु; ‘to carry across, save’)
- अस्मान्
- usPronounत्रिलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठ-समाधान (मुख्य): देवजामिरिरज्यन्त → देवजामिः + इरज्यन्त (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: ः + इ → र्-प्रवेश/रेफ-प्रयोगः वैदिकपाठे)
- तानीदंहांसि → तानि + इत् + अंहांसि (इत्-निपातः संहितायाम् ‘ईद्/ईदं’ इव दृश्यते)
- यच्छुरुधो → यत् + शुरुधः (त् + श् → च्छ्)
- पर्ष्यस्मान् → पर्षि + अस्मान् (इ + अ → य्-आगमः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The poet sends forth a cry to Indra, kin of the gods, when hostile restraints create division and confusion. Since no one among men knows his lifespan, Indra is asked to carry them beyond sins and constrictions.
Inner meaning
The ‘cry’ (ghoṣa) is the soul’s call when inner obstacles (śurudhaḥ) break unity and create scattered voices (vivāci)—the divided mind. Because the embodied ego cannot truly measure its course (āyuḥ), it errs and falls into aṃhas (narrowness, anxiety, fault). Indra is invoked to bear the seeker beyond these constrictions into a freer, illumined movement.
Universal truth
In times of inner confusion and divided impulses, a sincere call to higher discernment can carry one beyond error and anxiety into clarity and right direction.
Themes
Protection, Overcoming obstacles, Ignorance vs. knowledge, Crossing beyond
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Maitrāvaruṇa)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.19, RV 7.20, RV 7.24, RV 7.25
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭha’s hymns frequently address crises—outer and inner—by restoring unity through ṛta and invoking victorious illumination.
Significance
Here the seer speaks as a guide in psychological difficulty: when consciousness is fragmented, the remedy is the upward call and the descent of Indra’s discriminating power.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- devajāmi, pārṣa (ferrier across), vṛtrahan, maghavan
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (law/ṛta), Mitra (harmony), Agni (will), Sarasvatī (inspired flow)
Cosmic role
Breaks the bonds that divide and obstruct; leads the human journey beyond peril into the wide truth.
Inner power
Integrating illumination: gathers scattered mental voices into a single clear will; grants protection from the ‘narrowness’ of error.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-prayer for protection and overcoming obstacles within Soma or general stotra contexts
अया॑मि॒ घोष॑ इन्द्र दे॒वजा॑मिरिर॒ज्यन्त॒ यच्छु॒रुधो॒ विवा॑चि । न॒हि स्वमायु॑श्चिकि॒ते जने॑षु॒ तानीदंहां॒स्यति॑ पर्ष्य॒स्मान् ॥
अया॑मि । घोषः॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । दे॒वऽजा॑मिः । इ॒र॒ज्यन्त॑ । यत् । शु॒रुधः॑ । विऽवा॑चि । न॒हि । स्वम् । आयुः॑ । चि॒कि॒ते । जने॑षु । तानि॑ । इत् । अंहां॑सि । अति॑ । प॒र्षि॒ । अ॒स्मान् ॥
ayāmi | ghoṣaḥ | indra | deva-jāmiḥ | irajyanta | yat | śurudhaḥ | vi-vāci | nahi | svam | āyuḥ | cikite | janeṣu | tāni | it | aṃhāṃsi | ati | parṣi | asmān
44
4 × ~11
Urgent and petitionary; strong mid-line turns emphasize ‘confusion → rescue’.
Stabilizes scattered attention; evokes a feeling of being carried through difficulty.
- घोष (ghoṣa)
- Literal: cry, shout. Symbolic: aspirational call that mobilizes higher help
- देवजामि (devajāmi)
- Literal: kin to the gods. Symbolic: Indra as power native to the divine consciousness; awakens the same kinship in us
- शुरुधः (śurudhaḥ)
- Literal: hostile restraints/obstructions. Symbolic: subconscient resistances that bind, depress, or confuse the will
- विवाचि (vivāci)
- Literal: speaking apart, discordant. Symbolic: divided mind; conflicting thoughts that fracture concentration
- आयुः (āyuḥ)
- Literal: life-span. Symbolic: the true measure of one’s evolutionary movement
- अंहांसि (aṃhāṃsi)
- Literal: sins, distresses, straits. Symbolic: narrowness, error, anxiety born of ignorance
- अति पर्षि (ati parṣi)
- Literal: carry across, ferry beyond. Symbolic: transcendence of limiting formations into wideness
Supplication for overcoming aṃhas during Soma rite; also apt as a protective prayer in transitional moments of the ritual (when obstacles are ritually acknowledged).
When seeking victory over opponents/obstacles; also as an expiatory-protective appeal
Recitation with offering; emphasis on ‘ati parṣi’ as salvific crossing
Use during anxiety, indecision, or mental fragmentation; chant before sleep or at transitions to ask for safe passage through confusion.
from √yam 'stretch/extend' indicates the extension of voice/aspiration. (often 'enemies/obstacles') is read as restraining formations; vivāci (vi-√vac) is divisive utterance—psychologically the fragmentation of thought. √cit in emphasizes clear discernment. is 'narrowness, distress'—inner constriction; √pṛ/√par 'cross over' frames liberation as a passage.
Aṃhas (constriction) vs. crossing beyond (ati-parṣi), Human ignorance of true measure (limited self-knowledge), Divisive speech as disorder (vi-vāc)
Discord (vivāci) is a falling from ṛta; Indra restores right order by illumination.
Truth is the ‘farther shore’ beyond error; reached by higher discernment.
Evolutionary journey as a crossing from limitation to wideness.
Aurobindo’s psychological reading of Vṛtra/obstruction and the ‘crossing’ motif (pāra).
The ‘hostile restraints’ are felt as tightness in mind/breath; the ‘crossing’ is release into spacious awareness and coherent intention.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The saving crossing beyond aṃhas: Indra is invoked to carry the sacrificer over constriction. Mythically it is rescue from hostile powers; psychologically it is liberation from narrowing formations and fragmented thought.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yam 'stretch' relates to PIE *yem- 'hold, rein, stretch' (cf. Sanskrit yama 'restraint'). √wekw/√wekʷ? is not needed; √vac (PIE *wekʷ- 'speak' cf. Latin vox, English 'voice'). √cit (PIE *ḱei̯t- 'notice' is debated; but Indo-Iranian shows a stable cognitive root). √per 'cross' (ati-parṣi) aligns with PIE *per- 'through, across' (English 'per-', 'fare' via different developments).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers a voiced, extended call (ghoṣa) precisely when obstruction and divisive speech arise; Indra’s reciprocal role is salvific: to bear the human beyond constriction, compensating for the human inability to discern the true measure of life-force.
Unify the ‘scattered voices’: listen for the single true intention beneath mental noise; invoke Indra to integrate.
anāhata (for coherence) or ājñā (for discernment)
Extended exhale (inhale 4, exhale 8) to dissolve ‘restraints’; silently repeat ati parṣi
From agitation to collected clarity
Chant once; name the main confusion without analysis; chant again; sit 3 minutes in stillness, letting one clear next step arise.
Maintain clear udātta on indra and key verbs (ayāmi, parṣi); let vivāci be slightly stressed to mark discord.
Keep pāda 2 crisp; do not rush the negation ‘nahi’; emphasize ati parṣi at the close.
: ayāmi (long ā), : deva-jāmi (jā long), : śurudho (śu-ru-dho, not śru-), : vi-vā-ci (long ā), : aṃhāṃsi (anusvāra ‘ṃ’)
Supplicatory but steady; end with uplift on ‘asmān’.
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