Rig Veda 8.92.30: Mandala 8, Sukta 92, Mantra 30
Sukta 8.92
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
मो षु ब्रह्मेव तन्द्रयुर्भुवो वाजानां पते । मत्स्वा सुतस्य गोमतः ॥
mó ṣú brahméva tandrayúr bhuvo vājānāṃ pate | mátsvā sutásya gómataḥ ||
Janganlah, seperti fikiran brahmana yang mengantuk, menjadi lemah; wahai tuan segala kelimpahan, bersukacitalah—teruja oleh Soma yang diperah, kaya dengan sinar (lembu-lembu cahaya).
Word by Word
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive/negative particle)Root मा (निषेध) / mā́
- षु
- indeed; justIndeclinableनिपात; बलार्थ/त्वरार्थ (emphatic particle)Root षु (निपात) / ṣú
- ब्रह्म
- sacred formulation; hymn; prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (nom./acc. sg.)Role कर्म (उपमान/उपमेय-रूपेण) / predicate-accusative senseRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) / bráhman-
- इव
- like; asIndeclinableउपमार्थक अव्ययRoot इव (उपमा-निपात) / iva
- तन्द्रयुः
- the sluggish one; the drowsy/indolent personAdjective (used substantively) / Noun-likeपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधन-प्राय/विधेय-कर्तृ) / subjectRoot तन्द्रयु- (प्रातिपदिक) / tandrayú-
- भुवः
- be; becomeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ) मध्यमपुरुष एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Vedic injunctive/imperative nuance)Root भू (धातु) / bhū
- वाजानाम्
- of prizes; of strengths; of winningsNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root वाज- (प्रातिपदिक) / vā́ja-
- पते
- O lord; O masterNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot पति- (प्रातिपदिक) / páti-
- मत्स्व
- rejoice; be exhilaratedVerbलोट् मध्यमपुरुष एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Vedic: ‘rejoice/be exhilarated’)Root मद् (धातु) / mad
- सुतस्य
- of the pressed (Soma)Noun (Kṛdanta) / Adjectiveपुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the pressed [Soma]’)Root सुत- (कृदन्त; √सु ‘to press’) / sutá-
- गोमतः
- rich in cows; possessing cattleAdjective (used substantively)पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी एकवचन (abl./gen. sg. possible in -tas; here genitive sense with सुतस्य)Role सम्बन्ध (qualifying genitive)Root गोमत् (प्रातिपदिक) / gomát-
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: मो षु ब्रह्मेव तन्द्रयुर्भुवो वाजानां पते । मत्स्वा सुतस्य गोमतः ॥ पद-विच्छेद: मा | षु | ब्रह्म | इव | तन्द्रयुः | भुवः | वाजानाम् | पते | मत्स्व | सुतस्य | गोमतः | Sandhi: (1) ब्रह्म + इव → ब्रह्मेव (अ + इ → ए). (2) तन्द्रयुः + भुवः → तन्द्रयुर्भुवः (विसर्ग-रेफ: ः + भ → र्भ). (3) मत्स्वा in संहिता corresponds to पद ‘मत्स्व’
- the long ā reflects Vedic sandhi/prosodic lengthening before following word in recitation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Do not become slack like a drowsy priest; O lord of prizes, be exhilarated by the pressed Soma rich in cows (wealth).
Inner meaning
A sharp admonition against inner dullness: even the ‘brahmā’ (the formulating priestly mind) can become tandrayu (drowsy), losing fire and precision. The mantra urges Indra—the lord of plenitudes (vājānām pati)—to take delight (matsva) in the pressed Soma that is gomat (rich in ‘cows’), i.e., rich in rays of knowledge. Psychologically: do not let the guiding intelligence lapse into inertia; feed it with distilled delight and luminous perceptions so it becomes intoxicated with truth and acts powerfully.
Universal truth
Spiritual life fails more often by drowsy compromise than by open conflict. Keep the higher intelligence awake by nourishing it with joy and light; then strength and accomplishment follow naturally.
Themes
Soma-invitation, anti-torpor, illumined wealth
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.92 (closing movement toward energizing Indra)
Significance
The seer diagnoses a subtle obstacle—spiritual drowsiness—and prescribes Soma-rich illumination as the remedy. This is classic Aurobindonian: tamas must be rejected; ānanda and light must feed the will.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vājānām pati, Indra
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Giver of powers and victories; energized by Soma to break obstruction and release light.
Inner power
Dynamic illumination—clarity that is also force; capacity to reject inertia and act from delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering exhortation to Indra (general)
मो षु ब्र॒ह्मेव॑ तन्द्र॒युर्भुवो॑ वाजानां पते । मत्स्वा॑ सु॒तस्य॒ गोम॑तः ॥
मो इति॑ । सु । ब्र॒ह्माऽइ॑व । त॒न्द्र॒युः । भुवः॑ । वा॒जा॒ना॒म् । प॒ते॒ । मत्स्व॑ । सु॒तस्य॑ । गोऽम॑तः ॥
mo iti | su | brahmāiva | tandrayuḥ | bhuvaḥ | vājānām | pate | matsva | sutasya | go--mataḥ
44
4 × ~11
Brisk, corrective, energizing; imperative verbs create a wake-up удар.
Counters lethargy; stimulates alertness and forward drive, especially in the second half (‘matsvā…’).
- mā (mo)
- Literal: do not. Symbolic: a conscious refusal of tamas/inertia
- brahmāiva
- Literal: like a brahmā (priest). Symbolic: the mind that formulates, judges, and orders the inner sacrifice
- tandrayuḥ
- Literal: drowsy, sluggish. Symbolic: tamas invading the mental will; loss of vigilance
- vājānām pate
- Literal: lord of vāja (prizes/strengths). Symbolic: master of plenitudes—energies, capacities, victorious results
- matsva
- Literal: be exhilarated, rejoice (intoxicated). Symbolic: let the illumined power be filled with bliss-force, becoming dynamically effective
- sutasya
- Literal: of the pressed (Soma). Symbolic: of distilled essence prepared by practice
- gomataḥ
- Literal: rich in cows. Symbolic: rich in rays of light/knowledge (go) that feed illumination
Direct Soma invitation: urging Indra not to delay but to ‘matsva’ at the Soma; in ritual, this accompanies pressing/offerings; inwardly, it calls the divine force to intensify joy and power.
At moments of urging the deity to partake actively; also as a spur against ritual slackness.
Recitation with offering of Soma; energizing call.
Anti-tamas practice: chant when sleepy, procrastinating, or mentally foggy; pair with a brief energizing breath and a clear intention.
< √ ‘to be glad, intoxicated’ (Soma-exhilaration as uplift of consciousness). from ‘drowsiness’ (cf. √/ ‘be sluggish’). from √/ ‘strength, drive, plenitude; prize’—interpretable as ‘fullness of victorious force’. : go ‘cow’ from √/? (lexeme go-) symbolically ‘ray/light, luminous wealth’; - possessive ‘having’.
avoidance of tamas (torpor) in spiritual work, vāja as plenitude of force
Drowsiness disrupts ṛta of the inner sacrifice; Soma rich in go restores right movement.
Gomat Soma symbolizes truth-filled delight, not pleasure that dulls.
Release of cows (rays) through energized Indra—illumination as a cosmic act.
Vedic yoga psychology: tamas vs tapas; delight as power.
Pre-dawn / early morning (suggested by anti-drowsiness tone, not explicit)
Sleep/drowsiness = tamasic veil; Soma = bliss-essence; cows = rays of knowledge that brighten the mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s Soma-drinking as empowerment: mythically, the god must be stirred to drink and then act; psychologically, the luminous delight (Soma) rouses the indriya/indra-force to overcome inertia.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ ‘rejoice/intoxicate’ has IE parallels in semantic fields of exhilaration/ardor; √ ‘become’ reflects PIE *bʰuH- ‘be, grow’. The formula ‘lord of vāja’ echoes IE heroic diction around victory-prize/force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi admonishes and invites: he offers Soma (inner delight) and demands responsive dynamism; the relationship is practical—divine power is called to active participation, not distant worship.
Reject tamas; kindle alert joy; invite decisive luminous action.
Maṇipūra (will-fire) supported by Ājñā (clarity); also wakefulness in Sahasrāra-oriented aspiration via Soma delight.
Kapalabhāti (light, if suitable) or 10 brisk exhales; then slow inhale and chant once with steadiness.
Alert, energized, clear.
When inertia arises, do not negotiate. Say ‘mo ṣu…’ as a firm inner refusal. Then recall a pure, quiet joy (Soma) and a clear perception (go-ray). Let that combination drive one concrete action immediately.
Requires śākhā accent data; imperatives should be clearly articulated with proper udātta placements as per saṃhitā marks.
Deliver ‘mo ṣu’ as a crisp command; slight pause after ‘tandrayuḥ’; lift energy on ‘matsvā’ and brighten on ‘gomataḥ’.
mo ṣu: ṣ retroflex; keep ‘ṣu’ short and sharp, brahmeva: conjunct hm clear; e long-ish, tandrayuḥ: ndra cluster; yuḥ with visarga lightly, vājānām: long ā; j as palatal, matsva: ts cluster clean, gomataḥ: go long o; final ḥ light
Bright, forceful, awakening; end with a luminous openness on ‘gomataḥ’.
12
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
