Rig Veda 1.175.6: Mandala 1, Sukta 175, Mantra 6
Sukta 1.175
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यथा पूर्वेभ्यो जरितृभ्य इन्द्र मय इवापो न तृष्यते बभूथ । तामनु त्वा निविदं जोहवीमि विद्यामेषं वृजनं जीरदानुम् ॥
yáthā pū́rvebhyo jaritṛ́bhya indra máya iva ā́po ná tṛ́ṣyate babhū́tha | tā́m ánu tvā ni-vídaṃ johavīmi vidyā́meṣáṃ vṛ́janaṃ jīrá-dānum ||
Jaki byłeś dla dawnych śpiewaków, o Indro, jak orzeźwiające wody, które nie zawodzą pragnienia, tak wzywam cię z tą świętą formułą. Obymy poznać i otrzymać impuls oraz zwycięskie pole, i ciebie, dawcę, który jest szybki w obdarzaniu.
Word by Word
- यथा
- as, just asIndeclinableसम्बन्ध/उपमानार्थ अव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot यथा (avyaya)
- पूर्वेभ्यः
- from/than the former onesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे (सामान्यतः), पञ्चमी/चतुर्थी बहुवचनम्Role ApādānaRoot पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- जरितृभ्यः
- to/for the praisers (bards)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot जरितृ (प्रातिपदिक; √जर्/√गॄ ‘to sing/praise’ से ‘स्तोतृ’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मयः
- delight, refreshment, benefitNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot मयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, as it wereIndeclinableउपमार्थ अव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot इव (avyaya)
- आपः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थ अव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot न (avyaya)
- तृष्यते
- thirstsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √तृष् (तृष्)
- बभूथ
- you have become; you wereVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √भू
- ताम्
- that (her/it)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम)
- अनु
- after, followingIndeclinableअनुगमनार्थ अव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अनु (avyaya/उपसर्ग)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम)
- निविदम्
- invocation-formula; liturgical summonsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot निविद् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘निविद्’ = स्तुतिवाक्य/आह्वान-रूपा निविद्)
- जोहवीमि
- I repeatedly call/invokeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; (वेदिक) पुनरुक्त/आवृत्त्यर्थे ‘जोहव-’ (intensive/frequentative) आधारःRole KriyāRoot √ह्वे (ह्वा/ह्वे ‘to call’)
- विद्याम
- may we know/findVerbविधिलिङ्/आशीर्लिङ् (वेदिक इच्छार्थ/प्रार्थनार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot √विद् (विद् ‘to know/find’)
- एषम्
- thisPronoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot एष (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृजनम्
- enclosure; community/host; (often) battle/strifeNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वृजन (प्रातिपदिक)
- जीरदानुम्
- having swift-flowing waters; (epithet) rich in flowing streamsAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (एषं वृजनं… विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot जीरदानु (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय/बहुव्रीहि: ‘जीर’ + ‘दानु’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यथा | पूर्वेभ्यः | जरितृभ्यः | इन्द्र | मयः | इव | आपः | न | तृष्यते | बभूथ | ताम् | अनु | त्वा | निविदम् | जोहवीमि | विद्याम | एषम् | वृजनम् | जीरदानुम् || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) इव + आपः → इवापः (स्वर-सन्धि/अवग्रह-लोप)
- (2) ताम् + अनु → तामनु (अनुस्वार/नासिक्य-सन्धि)
- (3) त्वा + निविदम् → त्वा निविदम् (पदसीमा पर सन्धि नहीं; संहिता-पाठ में संयोग)
- (4) निविदम् + जोहवीमि → निविदं जोहवीमि (अन्त्य -म् का परे ज्- के पूर्व अनुस्वार)
- (5) विद्याम + एषम् → विद्यामेषम् (अन्त्य -म् + ए-)
The meaning
Outer meaning
As Indra was to the ancient praise-singers—like refreshing waters that never fail the thirsty—so the poet calls him with a fixed sacred formulation (nivid). May the sacrificers know/attain the impulsion (iṣ) and the victorious field (vṛjana), and Indra the swift giver.
Inner meaning
The seeker recalls the perennial help of Indra (illumined Mind) to earlier inner workers. Indra is experienced as an unfailing stream of clarity and force that quenches the soul’s thirst for truth. With a concentrated, well-shaped invocation (nivid = precise inner formulation), the aspirant calls the illumined Mind to descend into the being, so that the will-force (iṣ) becomes straight and effective and the ‘field of battle’ (vṛjana) of the mixed nature turns into a victorious arena where obscurity is overcome. Indra as jīradānu (swift-bestowing) is the rapid response of higher intelligence when the call is exact and sincere.
Universal truth
When aspiration is articulated with clarity and sincerity, higher intelligence responds like living water—steadily renewing strength and direction. True victory is inner: transforming the confused field of nature into a conscious, illumined action.
Themes
Ancestral continuity, Invocation formula (nivid), Refreshment/Ananda as sustaining flow, Seeking victory in the arena (vṛjana)
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Mānava/Vasiṣṭha lineage in later tradition)
- Other hymns
- RV 1.175, RV 1.176, RV 7.1, RV 7.2, RV 7.18
Family tradition
Vasiṣṭhas are associated with steady ‘brahman’—the power of the word that establishes harmony (ṛta) and effective inner offering.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s voice is marked by calm authority and precision of invocation: the mantra as a ‘right-formed call’ that compels descent of light and force into embodied life.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Maghavan (bountiful), Vṛtrahan (slayer of the Coverer), Jīradānu (swift-giver)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Maruts, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Releases the waters and the cows (light) by breaking obstruction; establishes expansive clarity and victorious order.
Inner power
Decisive illumination, courageous intelligence, and victorious will that turns aspiration into effective action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-yajña sequences; nivid-style invocation in praise/recitation contexts
यथा॒ पूर्वे॑भ्यो जरि॒तृभ्य॑ इन्द्र॒ मय॑ इ॒वापो॒ न तृष्य॑ते ब॒भूथ॑ । तामनु॑ त्वा नि॒विदं॑ जोहवीमि वि॒द्यामे॒षं वृ॒जनं॑ जी॒रदा॑नुम् ॥
यथा॑ । पूर्वे॑भ्यः । ज॒रि॒तृऽभ्यः॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । मयः॑ऽइव । आपः॑ । न । तृष्य॑ते । ब॒भूथ॑ । ताम् । अनु॑ । त्वा॒ । नि॒ऽविद॑म् । जो॒ह॒वी॒मि॒ । वि॒द्याम॑ । इ॒षम् । वृ॒जन॑म् । जी॒रऽदा॑नुम् ॥
yathā | pūrvebhyaḥ | jaritṛ-bhyaḥ | indra | mayaḥ-iva | āpaḥ | na | tṛṣyate | babhūtha | tām | anu | tvā | ni-vidam | johavīmi | vidyāma | iṣam | vṛjanam | jīra-dānum
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Forward-driving, martial yet spacious cadence; suited to invocation and victory-movement.
Builds resolve and clarity; the rhythm ‘pushes’ the mind upward and outward, supporting a sense of conquering advance.
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra, lord of the Maruts, wielder of the thunderbolt. Symbolic: Illumined/divine Mind; power of clear discernment that conquers inner darkness
- मयः (mayaḥ)
- Literal: refreshment, delight, blissful ease. Symbolic: Rejuvenating delight of illumination; easing of the soul’s thirst through truth-force
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: Streams of consciousness, flowing inspirations, purifying currents of truth
- तृष्यते (tṛṣyate)
- Literal: to thirst. Symbolic: Existential craving of the psyche for truth, light, and right force
- निविद् (nivid)
- Literal: set formula of invocation. Symbolic: Exact inner articulation/mantric clarity that aligns speech-mind with the higher Power
- इषम् (iṣam)
- Literal: impulsion, desired force, refreshment. Symbolic: Directed will-force for right action; inspired initiative
- वृजनम् (vṛjanam)
- Literal: open space, field; often ‘battlefield’. Symbolic: The mixed field of human nature where forces contend; arena for inner victory
- जीरदानु (jīradānu)
- Literal: swift-giving, quick in bestowal. Symbolic: Rapid descent/response of the illumined mind when the channel is open
Explicit mention of nivid suggests formal invitatory usage in Soma ritual sequences; also functions as closing appeal linking present rite with ancestral precedent
During Soma pressing and offering cycles, especially in Indra-directed praise to invite force and victory
Recitation/chant to call Indra; mental alignment of the sacrificer with the god’s victorious power
Use as a mantra of ‘unfailing help’: recite before decisive work or during fatigue to invoke clear mind and swift assistance.
mayaḥ ‘delight/refreshment’ (from √may ‘to rejoice, gladden’) paired with āpaḥ ‘waters’ forms a psychological equation: the divine gives a sustaining flow of joy. johavīmi is intensive/frequentative from √hū ‘to call’, emphasizing persistent invocation. nivid is a technical liturgical term (invitatory recitation) but inner sense: a fixed formulation aligning the seeker with ancestral realizations. √vid means both ‘know’ and (in Vedic usage) ‘find/obtain’, allowing a double sense: knowledge-attainment. iṣ from √iṣ ‘to impel, invigorate’—the energizing push of the sacrifice within. vṛjana as arena/field of contest: the inner battleground where r̥ta must prevail. jīra-dānu ‘swift-giving’: the god’s prompt bestowal when the channel is ready.
Transmission of realization (pūrve jaritṛ), Knowledge as attainment (√vid), Iṣ (impulsion) supporting r̥ta in the field of action
Indra’s ‘victory’ is the restoration of ṛta in the contested field of nature—truth establishing right movement.
Unfailing waters symbolize truth that does not run dry when the channel (nivid/aspiration) is true.
Release of waters/light as ongoing creation: illumination renews life and action.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-Vedic (Aurobindonian): gods as powers of consciousness and transformation.
Waters = flowing inspirations and purifications; thirst = soul’s longing; field = the embodied life where inner forces contend and victory must be won.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Indra as unfailing waters for the singers’ mythic trope: the god repeatedly proves himself as sustaining refreshment to the ancestral seers. Inner-shell: the divine force answers aspiration (thirst) with a continuous flow of joy/energy enabling victory in the inner arena.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The thirst/waters satisfaction metaphor is an old IE poetic pattern for desire and fulfilment. √vid ‘know’ carrying an older sense ‘find/obtain’ reflects archaic semantic layering common across IE languages (knowledge as ‘finding’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi claims lineage with the ‘former singers’ and invokes Indra through nivid, aligning present aspiration with proven precedent; the exchange is: formulated call + offering → Indra’s swift giving of iṣ (impulsion) and success in the vṛjana (arena of works).
Invoke the illumined Mind to become ‘unfailing waters’ of clarity in the mental and vital nature; align speech-thought with exact aspiration (nivid).
ājñā (brow)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–12 rounds, then chant on a steady exhale
From restless seeking to quiet, decisive clarity and forward-moving will.
Before chanting, formulate one clear inner request (truth, right impulsion, victory over a specific obstruction). Chant slowly 3–9 times, pausing after each for a silent ‘listening’ for Indra’s response as insight or decisive energy.
Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; maintain udātta peaks on invocatory words (indra, nivid, iṣam).
Keep udātta syllables bright and slightly raised; svarita as a gentle fall; avoid flattening compounds like jīradānum.
indra: clear dental ‘d’ + rolled/light ‘r’, āpaḥ: long ā; final ḥ lightly aspirated, tṛṣyate: vocalic ṛ; ‘ṣy’ cluster kept crisp, nividam: short i in ni-, dental d, vṛjanam: vocalic ṛ; soft ‘j’, jīradānum: long ī; retroflex ḍ in dānu if your tradition marks it (often dental d in recitation—follow your source)
Steady, confident, resonant in the chest with a clear head-tone on udātta rises.
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