Rig Veda 10.113.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 113, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.113
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तमस्य विष्णुर्महिमानमोजसांशुं दधन्वान्मधुनो वि रप्शते । देवेभिरिन्द्रो मघवा सयावभिर्वृत्रं जघन्वाँ अभवद्वरेण्यः ॥
tám asya víṣṇur mahimā́nam ójasāṃśúṃ dadhanvā́n mádhuno ví rapśate | devébhir índro maghávā sayā́vabhir vṛtráṃ jaghánvāṃ abhavad váreṇyaḥ ||
ତାହାର ମହିମାକୁ ବିଷ୍ଣୁ ଓଜସ୍ରେ ଅଂଶୁ (କିରଣ) ଧାରଣ କରି, ମଧୁମୟ ଆନନ୍ଦର ବିସ୍ତାର ଭାବେ ପ୍ରସାର କରେ। ଦେବମାନଙ୍କୁ ସହଚର କରି, ମଘବା ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର ବୃତ୍ରକୁ ବଧ କରି, ବରେଣ୍ୟ—ବାଛିବାଯୋଗ୍ୟ, କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ପାଇଁ ବାଛାଯୋଗ୍ୟ—ହେଲା।
Word by Word
- तमस्य
- of darkness / of the dark (one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन (gen. sg.)Role सम्बन्ध (genitival relation)Root तम (प्रातिपदिक)
- विष्णुः
- ViṣṇuNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
- महिमानम्
- greatness, majestyNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot महिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ओजसाम्
- of strengths / of powersNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन (gen. pl.)Role सम्बन्धRoot ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अंशुम्
- ray; Soma-stalk (beam-like)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अंशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधन्वान्
- bearing, holdingVerb (Participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विष्णुः के विशेषणरूपेण)Root धा (धातु) → दधत्/दधन्वान् (कृदन्त, परस्मैपदी)
- मधुनः
- of honey/sweetness; of SomaNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन (gen. sg.)Role सम्बन्धRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- रप्शते
- moves/works forth; flashes forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विष्णुः)Root रप्श् (धातु; ‘to be active/flash, move swiftly’—Vedic)
- देवेभिः
- with the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचनRole सह/करण (association/instrumental)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मघवा
- the bountiful oneNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Vedic nom. sg. of -van stem)Role कर्तृ (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सयावभिः
- with his companions/helpersNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचनRole सह/करणRoot सयाव (प्रातिपदिक; Vedic ‘helpers/companions’, often of Maruts/associates)
- वृत्रम्
- Vṛtra (the obstructor)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- जघन्वान्
- having slainVerb (Participle)कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Root हन् (धातु) → जघन्वान् (कृदन्त; perfect-resultative/agentive participle, Vedic)
- अभवत्
- becameVerbलङ् (अनद्यतन भूत/इम्परफेक्ट); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचनRole कर्तृ (इन्द्रः)Root भू (धातु)
- वरेण्यः
- worthy to be chosen/desiredAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण (इन्द्रः)Root वरेण्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √वृ ‘to choose’)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved padapāṭha-style segmentation: तमस्य | विष्णुः | महिमानम् | ओजसाम् | अंशुम् | दधन्वान् | मधुनः | वि | रप्शते || देवेभिः | इन्द्रः | मघवा | सयावभिः | वृत्रम् | जघन्वान् | अभवत् | वरेण्यः । प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) दधन्वान् + मधुनः → दधन्वान्मधुनः (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि)
- (2) वि + रप्शते remains separate as upasarga + verb
- (3) देवेभिः + इन्द्रः → देवेभिरिन्द्रो (विसर्ग/रुत्व)
- (4) सयावभिः + वृत्रम् → सयावभिर्वृत्रम् (विसर्ग/रुत्व)
- (5) जघन्वान् + अभवत् → जघन्वाँऽअभवत् (नासिक्य/अवग्रह; पाठे जघन्वाँ अ भवत्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Vishnu, by strength, bears a ray and spreads the greatness of honeyed delight; Indra, with the gods as comrades, having slain Vritra, becomes the most choice-worthy for the work.
Inner meaning
The all-pervading Consciousness (Viṣṇu) supports the concentrated ray of awakened insight (aṃśu) and expands the largeness of inner sweetness (madhu = ānanda). Then the illumined Mind-Power (Indra), aided by the harmonizing and executive divine faculties (“the gods”), breaks the Coverer (Vṛtra)—the knot of subconscient obstruction—and becomes the rightly chosen leader for the inner sacrifice (effective spiritual action).
Universal truth
When the pervading awareness upholds a single clear ray of aspiration, delight naturally widens; supported by allied virtues and powers, the illumined intelligence can overcome inner resistance and becomes fit to govern life and works.
Themes
Vṛtra-slaying, Indra-Vishnu cooperation, expansion and victory
The seer
Significance
The anonymity suits the hymn’s universal psychology: the ‘seer’ is the awakened faculty in any sādhaka where Viṣṇu’s wideness supports the ray and Indra’s illumination conquers resistance.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Viṣṇu as co-operating power)
- Epithets
- Maghavā (bountiful), Vṛtrahan (implicit: slayer of Vṛtra), Vareṇya (choice-worthy)
- Related deities
- Viṣṇu, Viśve Devāḥ (the gods, as allied powers)
Cosmic role
Champion of the gods who releases the waters/light and establishes a larger order after breaking the obstruction.
Inner power
Decisive luminous intelligence and will-force that organizes the inner powers into victory over inertia and darkness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotras within Soma-yajña settings (general Indra victory/release theme)
तम॑स्य॒ विष्णु॑र्महि॒मान॒मोज॑सां॒शुं द॑ध॒न्वान्मधु॑नो॒ वि र॑प्शते । दे॒वेभि॒रिन्द्रो॑ म॒घवा॑ स॒याव॑भिर्वृ॒त्रं ज॑घ॒न्वाँ अ॑भव॒द्वरे॑ण्यः ॥
तम् । अ॒स्य॒ । विष्णुः॑ । म॒हि॒मान॑म् । ओज॑सा । अं॒शुम् । द॒ध॒न्वान् । मधु॑नः । वि । र॒प्श॒ते॒ । दे॒वेभिः॑ । इन्द्रः॑ । म॒घऽवा॑ । स॒याव॑ऽभिः । वृ॒त्रम् । ज॒घ॒न्वान् । अ॒भ॒व॒त् । वरे॑ण्यः ॥
tam | asya | viṣṇuḥ | mahimānam | ojasā | aṃśum | dadhanvān | madhunaḥ | vi | rapśate | devebhiḥ | indraḥ | magha-vā | sayāva-bhiḥ | vṛtram | jaghanvān | abhavat | vareṇyaḥ
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, martial yet expansive cadence suited to heroic overcoming and widening.
Builds inner momentum (utsāha) while opening a sense of vastness; effective for ‘breaking through’ meditation.
- viṣṇuḥ
- Literal: Vishnu, the all-pervader. Symbolic: Wide, pervading consciousness that measures/extends the worlds within
- aṃśu
- Literal: ray, soma-stalk, beam. Symbolic: Concentrated ray of intuition/aspiration; a luminous thread of consciousness
- ojasā
- Literal: by strength, vigor. Symbolic: Spiritual force (inner energy) that sustains the ascent
- madhu
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: Ānanda—honeyed delight of the soul
- mahimānam
- Literal: greatness, vastness. Symbolic: Expansion into wideness (bṛhat) of consciousness
- indraḥ maghavā
- Literal: Indra the bountiful. Symbolic: Illumined mind that pours down plenitudes (light, strength, joy)
- vṛtram
- Literal: Vritra, the coverer. Symbolic: Obstruction of the subconscient; the force that holds back the waters (energies/knowledges)
- vareṇyaḥ
- Literal: choice-worthy. Symbolic: Fit instrument/leader for the Work (yajña as inner offering)
Indra-Vishnu complex in Soma rites; used to affirm the cooperative powers behind Vṛtra-slaying (inner obstruction-breaking).
During Indra praises associated with strength, victory, and release motifs
Stuti/śastra praising Indra; inner analogue: offering aspiration and receiving light-delight
Use as a mantra of ‘breakthrough’: before challenging work or when stuck in tamas—invoke wideness (Viṣṇu) and decisive clarity (Indra).
viṣṇu associated with √viṣ/√viś ‘pervade’ in later tradition; RV emphasises the ‘wide’ (uru) stride—expansion as a divine act. aṃśu ‘ray’ ties Soma to light-thread. vṛtra from √vṛ ‘cover’ → ‘the coverer’ (obstruction). √han ‘slay’ (PIE *gʷhen-; cf. Eng. ‘bane’ is different; clearer: Gk. phénō ‘slay’ is debated; but IE *gʷhen- is standard reconstruction). The verse couples Vishnu’s expansive greatness with Indra’s victory: expansion of consciousness supports the breakthrough against obstruction.
expansion of consciousness (Vishnu), collective divine action (devebhiḥ sayāvabhiḥ), release of delight/light (madhu/aṃśu)
Indra’s victory restores ṛta by removing the cover that blocks the free flow of the waters (truth-energies).
Truth becomes effective when the ray is upheld and delight expands—knowledge and joy are joined.
Expansion of the worlds (wideness) after the obstruction is broken; delight as a creative power.
Proto-Vedāntic/Vedantic reading (Aurobindo-Kashyap): consciousness-force and delight as fundamentals.
Ray = focused insight; honey = sweetness of realized consciousness; Vṛtra/darkness = psychological obstruction holding back inner streams.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cooperative victory: Vishnu expands the field (mahiman) of honeyed Soma-ray; Indra, with the gods, slays Vṛtra. Mythically, expansion of consciousness (Vishnu) and force of breakthrough (Indra) jointly establish the reign of light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu < PIE *médʰu is a strong IE inheritance. vṛtra as ‘coverer’ reflects a widespread IE metaphor of obstruction as covering/veiling. √han ‘slay’ aligns with PIE *gʷhen- ‘strike/kill’ (widely reflected across IE branches).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames Indra as ‘vareṇya’—worthy of being chosen—because his action restores the conditions for sacrifice and inner progress. Vishnu’s role suggests that the rishi seeks not brute force alone but force supported by widening consciousness.
Unite wideness (Viṣṇu) with decisive illumination (Indra): hold one clear ‘ray’ of intention and let delight expand around it.
Ājñā (ray/illumination) with support of Anāhata (madhu/inner sweetness)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana 6–6, then silent retention with the sense of a single upward ray
From scattered mind to wide, bright, confident poise.
Begin by feeling space around thoughts (Viṣṇu). Then select one luminous intention (aṃśu). Offer it repeatedly; when resistance arises, call Indra inwardly to ‘strike’ confusion—return to the ray and sweetness.
Not fully reconstructible from the provided text; chant in a neutral Vedic recitation style with clear udātta lifts on marked accents and softened anudātta elsewhere.
Sustain the accented syllables (udātta mark ) slightly higher; allow svarita to glide down where contextually implied; keep pāda breaks clean at | and ||.
viṣṇuḥ: retroflex ṣ, audible visarga ḥ, aṃśuṃ: anusvāra before ś; keep ‘śu’ clear, madhuno: dental d, short u, vṛtraṃ: vocalic ṛ; crisp tr, jaghanvān: aspirate gh; nasalization per Vedic sandhi
Bright, steady, forward-leaning (heroic) with a widening resonance on mahimānam/madhu.
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