Rig Veda Sukta 83
Mandala 7Sukta 8310 Mantras

Sukta 83

Sukta 7.83

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Himne ini menyeru Indra–Varuṇa sebagai kuasa yang bersatu bagi kemenangan dan tertib yang benar, sambil memuji pertolongan mereka kepada Sudās dan kaum Tṛtsu dalam pertempuran termasyhur menentang Sepuluh Raja. Ia mengingat bagaimana mereka memecahkan halangan seperti Vṛtra dan penentangan Dāsa, lalu mengubah kemenangan sejarah itu menjadi doa untuk kemakmuran batin dan lahir, cahaya yang dipandu kebenaran, serta kedamaian yang luas.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.83

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • Indra-VarunaIndra-Varuṇa (dual)

    Indra is the breaker of obstructions and winner of waters, while Varuṇa is the upholder of ṛta who binds disorder; together they appear as complementary sovereign powers who secure victory without abandoning truth.

Mantras

Mantra 1

युवां नरा पश्यमानास आप्यं प्राचा गव्यन्तः पृथुपर्शवो ययुः । दासा च वृत्रा हतमार्याणि च सुदासमिन्द्रावरुणावसावतम् ॥

Wahai dua yang perkasa, wahai Indra–Varuṇa, melihat perairan yang benar dan menghidupkan, kamu berdua mara ke hadapan, para pencari sinar (gavyant), berpinggang lebar dalam kekuatan. Kamu menewaskan halangan Dāsa dan selubung Vṛtra; dan dengan daya kamu mengurniakan pertolongan kepada Sudās, si pemberi yang baik, serta pertumbuhan Ārya dalam diri kami.

Mantra 2

यत्रा नरः समयन्ते कृतध्वजो यस्मिन्नाजा भवति किं चन प्रियम् । यत्रा भयन्ते भुवना स्वर्दृशस्तत्रा न इन्द्रावरुणाधि वोचतम् ॥

Di mana, wahai para pahlawan, para pejuang berhimpun dengan panji-panji ditegakkan, di mana pertembungan tidak menjadi kesukaan sesiapa pun; di mana bahkan alam-alam yang memandang langit pun gementar—di sanalah, wahai Indra dan Varuṇa, ucapkanlah dari atas kami: tegakkan dalam kesedaran kami sabda penuntun yang meneguhkan dan mengarah.

Mantra 3

सं भूम्या अन्ता ध्वसिरा अदृक्षतेन्द्रावरुणा दिवि घोष आरुहत् । अस्थुर्जनानामुप मामरातयोऽर्वागवसा हवनश्रुता गतम् ॥

Hujung-hujung bumi seakan bergoncang bersama; wahai Indra–Varuṇa, deru itu naik ke langit. Dari kalangan manusia, kekuatan-kekuatan yang memusuhi bangkit melawan aku; datanglah kepada kami dari dekat dengan pertolongan kamu—wahai yang mendengar seruan—bawalah perlindungan yang memulihkan landasan batin.

Mantra 4

इन्द्रावरुणा वधनाभिरप्रति भेदं वन्वन्ता प्र सुदासमावतम् । ब्रह्माण्येषां शृणुतं हवीमनि सत्या तृत्सूनामभवत्पुरोहितिः ॥

Wahai Indra dan Varuṇa, dengan kuasa pembinasa kamu memecahkan tentangan yang tiada tertahan; kamu menghulurkan bantuanmu kepada Sudās. Dengarkanlah mantra-mantra mereka dalam perarakan persembahan; purohita yang benar pun ditegakkan bagi kaum Tṛtsu, memimpin mereka di hadapan perjalanan.

Mantra 5

इन्द्रावरुणावभ्या तपन्ति माघान्यर्यो वनुषामरातयः । युवं हि वस्व उभयस्य राजथोऽध स्मा नोऽवतं पार्ये दिवि ॥

Wahai Indra dan Varuṇa, kuasa-kuasa yang memusuhi dan tidak memberi menghanguskan kelimpahan kami dan pertumbuhan mulia kami. Kerana kamulah raja bagi kekayaan pada kedua-dua sisi—di dalam dan di luar; maka peliharalah kami di langit yang lebih jauh, pada darjat tinggi tempat kekayaan sejati dipelihara.

Mantra 6

युवां हवन्त उभयास आजिष्विन्द्रं च वस्वो वरुणं च सातये । यत्र राजभिर्दशभिर्निबाधितं प्र सुदासमावतं तृत्सुभिः सह ॥

Kedua-dua pihak menyeru kamu dalam pertempuran—Indra dan Varuṇa, wahai tuan-tuan kekayaan sejati—demi kemenangan. Di mana Sudās dihimpit oleh sepuluh raja, di situlah kamu mengangkatnya ke hadapan bersama kaum Tṛtsu; kamu membangkitkan daya-jiwa di tengah tekanan.

Mantra 7

दश राजानः समिता अयज्यवः सुदासमिन्द्रावरुणा न युयुधुः । सत्या नृणामद्मसदामुपस्तुतिर्देवा एषामभवन्देवहूतिषु ॥

Sepuluh raja, berhimpun bersama, tanpa yajña, tidak mampu benar-benar menandingi Sudās apabila Indra dan Varuṇa berdiri di sisinya. Sanjungan yang benar daripada manusia yang duduk di rumah kediaman menjadi berkesan; para dewa hadir bagi mereka dalam seruan-seruan ilahi.

Mantra 8

दाशराज्ञे परियत्ताय विश्वतः सुदास इन्द्रावरुणावशिक्षतम् । श्वित्यञ्चो यत्र नमसा कपर्दिनो धिया धीवन्तो असपन्त तृत्सवः ॥

Dalam serangan yang mengepung dari segala arah oleh Sepuluh Raja, kamu berdua, Indra dan Varuṇa, melatih serta menguatkan Sudās. Di tempat Tṛtsu yang menekan (perahan soma) dengan cahaya, berambut simpul, tunduk dengan namas dan—kaya dalam dhī (wawasan)—maju; di situlah disiplin batin menjadi kuasa.

Mantra 9

वृत्राण्यन्यः समिथेषु जिघ्नते व्रतान्यन्यो अभि रक्षते सदा । हवामहे वां वृषणा सुवृक्तिभिरस्मे इन्द्रावरुणा शर्म यच्छतम् ॥

Seorang daripada kamu menumbangkan selubung-selubung Vṛtra dalam pertempuran; seorang lagi sentiasa memelihara vrāta—hukum-hukum abadi bagi tertib yang benar. Kami menyeru kamu berdua, wahai yang perkasa, dengan kata-kata yang tersusun indah; kurniakan kepada kami, Indra-Varuṇa, śarman—damai dan perlindungan.

Mantra 10

अस्मे इन्द्रो वरुणो मित्रो अर्यमा द्युम्नं यच्छन्तु महि शर्म सप्रथः । अवध्रं ज्योतिरदितेॠतावृधो देवस्य श्लोकं सवितुर्मनामहे ॥

Moga dalam diri kami Indra dan Varuṇa, Mitra dan Aryaman menegakkan kemuliaan yang bercahaya, ketenteraman agung yang meliputi segala penjuru. Kami merenungi Cahaya Aditi yang tidak gugur, yang bertambah oleh pertumbuhan Ṛta (Kebenaran kosmik); kami menyimpan dalam hati sabda ilhamiah Savitṛ yang ilahi.

Inside Sukta 83

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Indra–Varuṇa are praised as strong, forward-moving powers who perceive and restore the ‘right waters’ and strike down obstructing forces.

  2. Development

    The hymn links cosmic victory (over Vṛtra-like coverings) with historical remembrance: their decisive aid to Sudās and the Tṛtsus amid intense pressure and rivalry.

  3. Climax

    The turning point is the rescue and ‘bringing forward’ of Sudās when hemmed in by the Ten Kings—victory granted by the dual gods in the heart of constraint.

  4. Where it settles

    It widens into a universal benediction: Indra–Varuṇa with Mitra and Aryaman grant luminous plenitude and vast peace, while Aditi’s unfallen light and Savitṛ’s inspired utterance are contemplated.

The deity: Indra–Varuṇa

  • In the VedaThe hymn portrays them as protectors in battle, patrons of wealth, and restorers of the right “waters” and luminous plenitude for the people.
  • Cosmic functionThey jointly maintain the world by combining force (Indra’s overcoming of Vṛtra/constraint) with law (Varuṇa’s guardianship of ṛta), ensuring the release of life-sustaining powers—waters, light, and prosperity—into the human realm.
  • Inner significanceIndra–Varuṇa symbolize the harmonized psyche: decisive will that conquers inertia and fear (Indra) guided by conscience, truth, and self-restraint (Varuṇa). Their help to Sudās becomes an inner model for raising the soul-force under pressure—victory aligned with ethical order.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (Tṛtsu/Paurukutsya royal association in Mandala 7) · Foremost among the Rigvedic seers of Mandala 7, famed for hymns that unite spiritual insight with royal-ritual purpose, and for celebrating Sudās and the Tṛtsus in the Daśarājña tradition.

Famous verses

युवां नरा पश्यमानास आप्यं प्राचा गव्यन्तः पृथुपर्शवो ययुः । दासा च वृत्रा हतमार्याणि च सुदासमिन्द्रावरुणावसावतम् ॥
Verse 7.83.1Sets the hymn’s tone: the dual gods as seekers/revealers of the life-giving waters and destroyers of Dāsa and Vṛtra-like obstructions, explicitly naming their support of Sudās and Aryan increase.Read verse 7.83.1 →
युवां हवन्त उभयास आजिष्विन्द्रं च वस्वो वरुणं च सातये । यत्र राजभिर्दशभिर्निबाधितं प्र सुदासमावतं तृत्सुभिः सह ॥
Verse 7.83.6Core historical-ritual moment: both sides call them in battle, yet they ‘bring forward’ Sudās when pressed by the Ten Kings—central to the Daśarājña memory and the hymn’s protective purpose.Read verse 7.83.6 →
avadhraṃ jyotir aditeḥ
Verse 7.83.10Concluding benediction that expands beyond battle to inner light and peace, invoking Mitra–Aryaman, Aditi’s ‘unfallen light,’ and Savitṛ’s inspired word—showing the hymn’s spiritual horizon.Read verse 7.83.10 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Complementarity of power and law
  • Victory in conflict with protection of ṛta
  • Release of waters/light (removal of coverings)
  • Guardianship of community prosperity and right growth
  • Aid to Sudās and the Tṛtsus in crisis

Also by this seer

  • Majority authorship of Rigveda Mandala 7
  • Hymns to Varuṇa emphasizing ṛta (cosmic order) and moral truth (e.g., RV 7.86–7.89)
  • Indra hymns connected to Tṛtsu victories and protection of the community (several sūktas in RV 7)
  • Widely remembered in later tradition as a paradigmatic brahmarṣi and priestly counselor to kings

The rite, step by step

  • Ācamana and saṅkalpa: state the intention—victory aligned with truth, protection of the community, and removal of obstacles
  • Agni kindling (or mental fire): establish the offering-field and invite the deities
  • Invoke Indra–Varuṇa with praise recalling their deeds (breaking Vṛtra, aiding Sudās)
  • Main offering with mantra recitation (Triṣṭubh cadence), focusing on protection in battle/struggle and right increase
  • Concluding prayer expanding to Mitra–Aryaman, Aditi, and Savitṛ for wide peace, unfallen light, and inspired speech
  • Śānti and distribution: dedicate merit to the community; end with a quiet contemplation of ‘unfallen light’ (avadhraṃ jyotiḥ)

Offerings

  • Soma (where applicable in Soma-yajña context)
  • Ghṛta (ghee) into Agni
  • Puroḍāśa (rice cake) or simple oblations as per household rite
  • Water libation and symbolic offering of ‘rays’/cows (prosperity) in prayer

Frequently Asked Questions

It praises Indra–Varuṇa as powers of victory and right order, remembering how they helped Sudās and the Tṛtsus in the conflict with the Ten Kings, and it ends with a prayer for light, prosperity, and peace.

Indra represents conquering force that breaks obstacles, while Varuṇa represents ṛta—truth and lawful order. Together they signify victory that is guided by righteousness, not mere aggression.

Beyond history, the battle can be read as an inner struggle: Indra–Varuṇa help the seeker overcome constriction and confusion while staying aligned with truth, leading to ‘unfallen light’ and a broad peace.

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