Rig Veda 8.93.28: Mandala 8, Sukta 93, Mantra 28
Sukta 8.93
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
भद्रम्भद्रं न आ भरेषमूर्जं शतक्रतो । यदिन्द्र मृळयासि नः ॥
bhadrám-bhadraṁ na ā́ bhareṣám ūrjáṁ śatakrato | yád indra mṛḷáyāsi naḥ ||
Bawalah kepada kami, sentiasa baharu, yang baik—kebaikan dalam kepenuhannya—bawalah daya-keinginan dan kekuatan yang menyokong, wahai Śatakratu, jika Engkau mengasihani kami, wahai Indra.
Word by Word
- भ॒द्रम्
- auspicious good (a boon)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्म (आ-√भृ ‘to bring’ का वस्तु)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- भ॒द्रम्
- auspicious good (again; ‘good, good’)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्म (पूर्वपद के साथ पुनरुक्ति—‘very auspicious’)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us / for usPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (enclitic)Role सम्बन्ध (अस्माकम्—‘for us/our’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither; unto (preverb ‘ā-’)Indeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (आ-)Role क्रियाविशेषण (गत्यर्थ-प्रवृत्तिः: ‘hither/unto’)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- भरेषम्
- may I bring / let me bringVerbलोट् (विधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ्-प्रायः वैदिके), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्; ‘आ-√भृ’Role क्रिया (कर्तृ—अहम्; कर्म—भद्रम्)Root √भृ (भरणे)
- ऊर्जम्
- strength; nourishment; vigorNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (आ-√भृ का द्वितीयं वस्तु)Root ऊर्ज्/ऊर्जा (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)
- शतक्रतो
- O hundred-powered/ hundred-willed one (Indra)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root शत-क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)
- यदि
- ifIndeclinableशर्त/यदर्थक-अव्ययम्Role सम्बन्ध (शर्त-निर्देशः)Root यदि (निपात)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (deity name)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृळयासि
- you show mercy; you are graciousVerbलट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रिया (कर्तृ—त्वम् इन्द्रः; कर्म—नः)Root √मृळ्/√मृड् (सुखयति/अनुकम्पायाम्; वैदिक ‘mṛḷ’)
- नः
- usPronounद्वितीया बहुवचन (enclitic)Role कर्म (मृळयासि—‘be gracious to us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: भद्रम् | भद्रम् | नः | आ | भरेषम् | ऊर्जम् | शतक्रतो | यदि | इन्द्र | मृळयासि | नः || 1) ‘भद्रम्भद्रम्’ = भद्रम् + भद्रम् (म् + भ → म्भ)
- 2) ‘भरेषमूर्जम्’ = भरेषम् + ऊर्जम् (म् + ऊ → म् ऊ; संहितायां दीर्घस्वरारम्भः)
- 3) ‘यदि॑न्द्र’ = यदि + इन्द्र (इ + इ → इ; संधौ ‘यदीन्द्र’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Bring to us good upon good; bring desire-force (iṣa) and sustaining strength (ūrj), O hundred-powered, if you are gracious to us, Indra.
Inner meaning
‘Bhadraṃ-bhadram’ is the repeated influx of auspicious right conditions—harmonious movements in mind, life, and body. Iṣa is the upward-pressing impulsion and effective desire-force purified into aspiration; ūrj is stable strength and nourishment (ojas) that sustains the ascent. These come when Indra’s grace (mṛḻayāsi) softens resistance and aligns the nature with victorious illumination.
Universal truth
True well-being is not mere comfort; it is the repeated establishment of harmony plus the energies of aspiration and endurance—gifts of illumination when the being is receptive to grace.
Themes
Boon request, Vital strength, Auspiciousness
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.93.27 (request for grace to singers)
Family tradition
A concluding boon-request typical of Indra sequences: harmony (bhadra), aspiration (iṣa), and sustaining strength (ūrj).
Significance
Defines a balanced yogic triad of results: rightness, forward impulsion, and stable nourishment—fruits of Indra’s illumined governance rather than ego-demand.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Śatakratu
- Related deities
- Pūṣan (nourishment/protection), Savitṛ (impulsion), Agni
Cosmic role
Giver of victorious force and well-being; establishes auspicious order by conquering inner obstruction.
Inner power
Illumined power that grants both the drive (iṣa) and the stability (ūrj) needed for the path.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra boon-request at Soma ritual conclusion/transition
भ॒द्रम्भ॑द्रं न॒ आ भ॒रेष॒मूर्जं॑ शतक्रतो । यदि॑न्द्र मृ॒ळया॑सि नः ॥
भ॒द्रम्ऽभ॑द्रम् । नः॒ । आ । भ॒र॒ । इष॑म् । ऊर्ज॑म् । श॒त॒क्र॒तो॒ इति॑ शतऽक्रतो । यत् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । मृ॒ळया॑सि । नः॒ ॥
bhadram-bhadram | naḥ | ā | bhara | iṣam | ūrjam | śatakrato itiśata-krato | yat | indra | mṛḷayāsi | naḥ
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4×11 (approx.)
Blessing-like, with a repeated ‘bhadram’ producing a mantra of reassurance and renewal.
Soothes and strengthens simultaneously; evokes a steady optimism and grounded force.
- bhadram-bhadram
- Literal: good, good again; ever-new good. Symbolic: renewed rightness and harmony; auspicious formations of consciousness
- iṣam
- Literal: impulse, refreshment, desire-force. Symbolic: purified aspiration and effective push toward the goal
- ūrjam
- Literal: strength, sap, nourishment. Symbolic: ojas—sustaining energy that stabilizes transformation
- śatakrato
- Literal: hundred-powered. Symbolic: divine capacity to act in many ways to support progress
- mṛḻayāsi
- Literal: you are gracious/merciful. Symbolic: the descent of protective kindness that removes harsh resistance and allows growth
Boons-request within Soma praise: ζητούμενα are iṣ and ūrj—impulsion and sustaining strength—framed as the fruit of Indra’s grace (mṛḷ).
After praises, when asking for concrete benefits (inner and outer)
Recite to request auspiciousness, impetus, and strength as Indra’s grace
Daily protective prayer: ask for renewed goodness, clean aspiration, and stamina—especially during recovery, study, or sustained sadhana.
bhadra ‘fortunate, auspicious’ from √bhad ‘be good/fortunate’ (Vedic adjective of harmony); bhar(a) from √bhṛ ‘bear, bring’ (PIE *bʰer-); iṣ from √iṣ ‘seek, impel, refresh’ (impulsion/desire-force); ūrj from √ūrj/√urj ‘be strong, invigorate’ (nourishing power); mṛḷayāsi from √mṛḍ ‘be gracious, make easy’.
grace (mṛḍ) as easing of resistance in the being, increase (bhadram-bhadram) as progressive harmony under ṛta
Bhadra indicates formations aligned with Ṛta—right rhythms in life and mind.
Grace supports truth-growing; what is ‘good’ is what conforms to the soul’s truth, not desire’s preference.
Sustenance of the evolving being: creation is maintained by ūrj and guided by illumined force.
Vedic ethics of auspiciousness (bhadra) as harmony with truth-order; yogic psychology of iṣa/ūrj as energies of progress.
Iṣa = upward sap/impulsion in the plant of being; ūrj = deep nutritive strength; bhadra = healthy balance of the inner ecology.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘bestowal of auspicious increase’: Indra’s graciousness results in repeated bhadra and the gifts of iṣ and ūrj. Inner sense: when the victorious light is favorable, the life-nature receives right impulsion and stable nourishment for the ascent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhṛ ‘bear/bring’ is a clear PIE inheritance (*bʰer-; cf. Greek pherō, Latin ferō). The paired abstract gifts (iṣ, ūrj) show the Vedic tendency to encode psychological energies as concrete ‘substances’ to be ‘brought’—an archaic Indo-European poetic grammar of power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi petitions for inner goods (iṣ, ūrj) rather than externals; Indra’s role is the enabling grace that converts aspiration into sustained force and auspicious growth.
Receive renewed harmony; cultivate aspiration and stamina under illumined guidance.
svādhiṣṭhāna/maṇipūra (energy and drive) with anāhata (harmonizing bhadra)
Slow-meditative breathing (6-6) while repeating ‘bhadram bhadram’; then a fuller inhale sensing ‘iṣa’, and a grounded exhale sensing ‘ūrj’.
Restful strength; sattwic well-being.
Chant as a blessing over the day. After chanting, name (silently) one ‘bhadra’ quality to embody (clarity, kindness, discipline), then feel iṣa as aspiration and ūrj as endurance supporting it.
Keep the repetition ‘bhadram-bhadram’ with even, steady accent; lift slightly on ‘iṣam ūrjam’; soften on ‘mṛḻayāsi’. Exact svara requires accented recension.
Let ‘bhadram-bhadram’ be symmetrical; avoid rushing; make ‘yad indra mṛḻayāsi naḥ’ a gentle conditional close.
bhadram: aspirate bh; keep short a, iṣam: retroflex ṣ; short i, ūrjam: long ū; cluster rj clear (ūr-jam)
warm, blessing-like, steady
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