Rig Veda 1.169.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 169, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.169
- Rishi
- Agastya Maitrāvaruṇi
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वं तू न इन्द्र तं रयिं दा ओजिष्ठया दक्षिणयेव रातिम् । स्तुतश्च यास्ते चकनन्त वायोः स्तनं न मध्वः पीपयन्त वाजैः ॥
tváṃ tū́ na indra táṃ rayíṃ dā ójiṣṭhayā dákṣiṇayéva rātím | stutáś ca yā́s te cákananta vāyóḥ stánaṃ ná mádhvaḥ pīpayanta vā́jaiḥ ||
Ty, o Indro, daj nam to bogactwo istnienia przez twoje najpotężniejsze prawo-dawanie, jak daje się Dakṣiṇā. A ci, którzy cię chwalą i w tobie rozkoszują, sprawiają, że miód pierś Vāyu pęcznieje vāja, obfitościami siły, aby oddech życia stał się obfity i słodki dla dzieła.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तु
- but/indeedIndeclinableअव्ययRoot तु (निपात)
- नः
- of us/ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- तम्
- thatPronounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- रयिम्
- wealth, bountyNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दाः
- giveVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot दा (दाने)
- ओजिष्ठया
- with the strongest (power)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot ओजिष्ठ (ओजस्-तमत्/इष्ठ-प्रत्यय, प्रातिपदिक)
- दक्षिणया
- with a gift/fee (dakṣiṇā)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like/asIndeclinableअव्ययRoot इव (निपात)
- रातिम्
- a gift, bestowalNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot राति (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दान/उपहार’)
- स्तुतः
- praisedParticiple (past passive)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (वाक्यांश-विशेषण)Root स्तु (स्तुतौ) → स्तुत (कृदन्त, क्त)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- याः
- which (f.)Pronoun (relative)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चकनन्त
- they were pleased / they desiredVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट; वेदिक प्रयोग), परस्मैपद, तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot कन्/कण् (कान्तौ/तुष्टौ; वेदिक ‘चकन’ = ‘प्रसन्न/इच्छन्त’)
- वायोः
- of VāyuNoun (deity)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तनम्
- udder/breastNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot स्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableअव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- मध्वः
- of sweetness/honeyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: मध्वः)Role सम्बन्धRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पीपयन्त
- they filled/caused to swellVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट (वेदिक), परस्मैपद, तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot पा/पि (पाने/प्रीणने; वेदिक ‘पीपय’ = कारण/इच्छार्थ ‘to make swell, fill, refresh’)
- वाजैः
- with prizes/strengths (vājá-s)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole करणRoot वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): त्वम् | तु | नः | इन्द्र | तम् | रयिम् | दाः | ओजिष्ठया | दक्षिणया | इव | रातिम् || स्तुतः | च | याः | ते | चकनन्त | वायोः | स्तनम् | न | मध्वः | पीपयन्त | वाजैः || प्रमुख-सन्धि: (1) ‘त्वं तू’ = त्वम् + तु (अनुस्वार/हलन्त-लोप) (2) ‘इन्द्र तं’ = इन्द्र + तम् (विसर्ग/अन्त्य-व्यञ्जन संधि नहीं; पदान्त ‘अ’ + ‘त’ सरल संयोग) (3) ‘दा ओजि…’ = दाः + ओजिष्ठया (पदपाठ में दाः; संहिता में दीर्घ/स्वर-संधि का आभास) (4) ‘दक्षिणयेव’ = दक्षिणया + इव (आ + इ → ए) (5) ‘स्तुतश्च’ = स्तुतः + च (विसर्ग → श्) (6) ‘यास्ते’ = याः + ते (विसर्ग-लोप/संधि; संहिता में दीर्घता) (7) ‘मध्वः’ वेदिक षष्ठी एकवचन (मधु-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, give us that wealth by your strongest right-giving, like a Dakṣiṇā gift. Those who praise you and delight in you make swell the honeyed breast of Vāyu with plenitudes of force.
Inner meaning
The ‘wealth’ (rayi) is richness of being—light, strength, and fulfilled capacity. Indra’s ojiṣṭhā dakṣiṇā is the most potent right-distribution: the higher Mind gives rightly, in right measure, to the aspiring nature. When the being praises (stutaḥ) and takes joy in the divine (cakananta), the life-breath power (Vāyu) becomes abundant and sweet—its ‘honeyed breast’ (stanaṃ madhvaḥ) swelling with vāja (effective energies). Thus prāṇa is transformed from restless craving into a nourishing flow for works of the soul.
Universal truth
Right giving from above comes when aspiration and joy are sincere; then breath and life-force become sweet, abundant instruments of conscious action.
Themes
Boon-request, Vital force (Vāyu) nourishment, Sweetness (madhu) of life-energy, Spiritual wealth (rayi)
The seer
- Rishi
- Agastya Maitrāvaruṇi
- Lineage
- Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇa lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.165, RV 1.166, RV 1.167, RV 1.168, RV 1.170
Family tradition
Agastya’s approach is pragmatic: receive right gifts (dakṣiṇā) from the illumined mind and convert life-breath into a sweet, forceful support for action.
Significance
Shows the inner economy of grace: right-giving above, joyful receptivity below, and prāṇa empowered for the work.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (with Vāyu allied)
- Epithets
- ojiṣṭha (most puissant), dakṣiṇa-dātṛ (right-giver, implied)
- Related deities
- Vāyu, Maruts, Agni
Cosmic role
Indra bestows victorious riches; Vāyu carries and amplifies the life-force that supports the sacrifice.
Inner power
Indra: illumined potency and right distribution; Vāyu: purified prāṇa that becomes sweet and abundant.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise for boons and dakṣiṇā-like giving in Soma context; Vāyu frequently paired with Soma offerings in ritual sequences (allied motif).
त्वं तू न॑ इन्द्र॒ तं र॒यिं दा॒ ओजि॑ष्ठया॒ दक्षि॑णयेव रा॒तिम् । स्तुत॑श्च॒ यास्ते॑ च॒कन॑न्त वा॒योः स्तनं॒ न मध्व॑: पीपयन्त॒ वाजै॑: ॥
त्वम् । तु । नः॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । तम् । र॒यिम् । दाः॒ । ओजि॑ष्ठया । दक्षि॑णयाऽइव । रा॒तिम् । स्तुतः॑ । च॒ । याः । ते॒ । च॒कन॑न्त । वा॒योः । स्तन॑म् । न । मध्वः॑ । पी॒प॒य॒न्त॒ । वाजैः॑ ॥
tvam | tu | naḥ | indra | tam | rayim | dāḥ | ojiṣṭhayā | dakṣiṇayāiva | rātim | stutaḥ | ca | yāḥ | te | cakananta | vāyoḥ | stanam | na | madhvaḥ | pīpayanta | vājaiḥ
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Generous, giving cadence; a swelling movement in the second half matching ‘breast swelling’.
Invokes receptivity and fullness; supports breath-awareness and a sense of sweet strength.
- र॒यिम् (rayim)
- Literal: wealth, riches. Symbolic: richness of consciousness and capacity (light-force, harmony, effective power)
- ओजि॑ष्ठया (ojiṣṭhayā)
- Literal: by the most powerful. Symbolic: supreme potency of illumined will/mind
- दक्षि॑णया (dakṣiṇayā)
- Literal: right-gift; Dakṣiṇā fee. Symbolic: right distribution from the divine; grace that is also ‘right order’
- रा॒तिम् (rātim)
- Literal: gift, giving. Symbolic: descent/communication of power into the nature
- स्तुतः (stutaḥ)
- Literal: praised. Symbolic: aspiration and affirmation that opens the channels
- चकनन्त (cakananta)
- Literal: they delight, are pleased. Symbolic: psychic joy that makes reception possible
- वा॒योः (vāyoḥ)
- Literal: of Vāyu (Wind). Symbolic: life-breath, prāṇic force as carrier of energies
- स्तनम् मध्वः (stanaṃ madhvaḥ)
- Literal: breast of honey. Symbolic: nourishing sweetness of purified prāṇa
- वाजैः (vājaiḥ)
- Literal: with vāja: strength/prize/plenitude. Symbolic: effective force-powers for works and realization
Petition for rayi and empowerment of prāṇa (Vāyu) within Soma context; aligns with offering logic of dakṣiṇā and praise.
When seeking prosperity/strength and a supportive life-breath for the rite.
Recitation with offering and dakṣiṇā distribution; celebrating divine giving.
Chant to regulate prāṇa and invite ‘right giving’—clarity on what to accept, what to refuse, what to do next.
rayi (richness: not gold but fullness); ojas (vital strength); dakṣiṇā (right-giving power, sacrificial reciprocity); √kan (to be pleased/delight: relationship of assent between human and deity); vāyu (wind/life-breath: inner prāṇa-force); madhu (sweetness: delight-essence); vāja (from √vaj ‘to be strong’: plenitude of force/food/victory energy). The image ‘breast of Vāyu’ indicates the nourishing source of prāṇic force becoming sweet and abundant through praise and force.
rayi as plenitude of being, vāja as strength-fullness, reciprocity of praise (stuti) and gift (rāti/dakṣiṇā)
Dakṣiṇā symbolizes right measure and right exchange between human effort and divine response.
Right-giving supports truthful action rather than egoic acquisition.
Nourishment and increase: the swelling of prāṇa as a creative support for works.
Vedic psychology of prāṇa and delight (madhu) as instruments of realization.
Breath becomes a sweet nourishing carrier of force when aligned with illumination and joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s gift of rayi and the nourishing breast of Vāyu: divine giving makes life-force abundant and sweet. Innerly, the hymn teaches that praise aligned with right-giving (dakṣiṇā) increases prāṇa’s capacity (Vāyu’s ‘breast’) through vāja—plenitudes of strength.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dā ‘to give’ is PIE *deh₃- ‘to give’ (cf. Gk δίδωμι, Lat dōnum). madhu ‘honey’ is PIE *médʰu (cf. Eng. mead, Gk μέθυ). These inherited terms preserve an archaic Indo-European linkage of giving and honeyed nourishment as a metaphor for divine grace.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames Indra’s giving as dakṣiṇā-like: a right exchange grounded in r̥ta. The human side—praise and delight (cakánanta)—does not flatter but actively ‘swells’ the life-force with vāja, creating a mutual increase: divine rayi descends, and human energy becomes a fitter vessel.
Receive ‘right gifts’ from above; sweeten and strengthen prāṇa for conscious work.
anāhata (devotional joy) and viśuddha (mantra/breath)
Ujjāyī 5–10 minutes; feel breath as ‘madhu’; then chant once per exhale.
Receptive calm with sweet vitality.
Begin with gratitude; ask for the one right capacity needed now (rayi); chant softly; notice breath becoming smoother and more nourishing; then act from that settled prāṇa.
Keep a gentle rise on invocations (‘indra’) and a soft settling on the ‘madhu’ imagery; preserve svarita falls to evoke sweetness.
Do not over-stress consonant clusters in ‘ojiṣṭhayā’; let the line flow to mirror giving and swelling.
ojiṣṭhayā (ṣṭh cluster clear), dakṣiṇayeva (retroflex ṣ, long e in -eva), vāyoḥ (long ā), stanaṃ na madhvaḥ (anusvāra on -naṃ), pīpayanta (long ī), vājaiḥ (long ā, visarga lightly)
Warm, rounded, nourishing tone.
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