Rig Veda 1.5.4: Mandala 1, Sukta 5, Mantra 4
Sukta 1.5
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
यस्य संस्थे न वृण्वते हरी समत्सु शत्रवः । तस्मा इन्द्राय गायत ॥
yásya saṃsthé na vṛṇvate hárī samátsu śátravāḥ | táσμαi índrāya gāyata ||
Śpiewajcie dla tego Indry, w którego pewnej stacji wrogie moce, nawet w zderzeniu wewnętrznych bitew, nie mogą pochwycić ani powstrzymać dwóch potężnych rumaków, tych błyszczących sił, które niosą wolę duszy naprzód.
Word by Word
- यस्य
- whosePronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- संस्थे
- in the encounter/stand (battle-position)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकारणRoot संस्था (प्रातिपदिक; सं-√स्था)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिपात (निषेध)Root न
- वृण्वते
- they chooseVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √वृ (वृणोति ‘choose, prefer’)
- हरी
- the two bay horsesNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; द्विवचनRole कर्मRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- समत्सु
- in battlesNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; बहुवचनRole अधिकारणRoot समत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘battle’)
- शत्रवः
- enemiesNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
- तस्मै
- to himPronounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्राय
- to IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- गायत
- sing (you all)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; मध्यम; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √गै (गायति ‘sing’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (resolved): यस्य | संस्थे | न | वृण्वते | हरी | समत्सु | शत्रवः | तस्मै | इन्द्राय | गायत । विशेष: ‘तस्मा॒ इन्द्रा॑य’ इति संहितायां ‘तस्मै’ + ‘इन्द्राय’ (ए/इ संधि) — पदपाठे तस्मै इन्द्राय।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Sing to Indra whose two steeds cannot be seized by enemies in battles, in his firm station.
Inner meaning
When the illumined Mind is established in a firm inner poise (saṃstha), hostile forces—confusion, doubt, inertia, desire—cannot capture the two ‘harī’: the twin dynamic energies that carry the soul’s will forward (often read as force of thought and force of life, or illumination and effective power). In inner battles (samatsu), stability of Indra’s seat prevents the energies from being diverted or bound.
Universal truth
Spiritual victory depends on stable inner station. When consciousness is founded in clarity, the active energies remain free and rightly directed despite conflict.
Themes
Indra-victory, inner battle (light vs. darkness), invocation/praise as spiritual technology, unassailable divine foundation
The seer
- Rishi
- Madhucchandas Vaiśvāmitra
- Lineage
- Vaiśvāmitra
- Other hymns
- RV 1.5.1, RV 1.5.3, RV 1.10
Family tradition
Vaiśvāmitra hymns often portray the inner path as a battle for light; Indra’s steeds are central symbols of victorious movement.
Significance
The seer emphasizes that the divine powers must be ‘secured’ by a stable station in consciousness; otherwise energies are captured by hostile habits.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vṛtrahan, Śatakratu, Sahasrabāhu (later epithet; many-armed power, conceptually aligned)
- Related deities
- Maruts (storm-powers/energies), Agni, Soma
Cosmic role
Protector of divine energies in the battle for light; ensures the powers of progress are not obstructed.
Inner power
Steady illumined command that keeps energies free from distortion; resilience in conflict.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in Soma liturgy; protective/victory emphasis
यस्य॑ सं॒स्थे न वृ॒ण्वते॒ हरी॑ स॒मत्सु॒ शत्र॑वः । तस्मा॒ इन्द्रा॑य गायत ॥
यस्य॑ । स॒म्ऽस्थे । न । वृ॒ण्वते॑ । हरी॒ इति॑ । स॒मत्ऽसु॑ । शत्र॑वः । तस्मै॑ । इन्द्रा॑य । गा॒य॒त॒ ॥
yasya | sam-sthe | na | vṛṇvate | harī iti | samat-su | śatravaḥ | tasmai | indrāya | gāyata
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3×8
Martial clarity; the cadence feels like a protective enclosure around the key image (harī).
Elicits courage and steadiness; supports the feeling of being guarded in inner conflict.
- saṃsthe (संस्थे)
- Literal: in the firm standing/place. Symbolic: stable poise of consciousness; establishment of higher mind
- harī (हरी)
- Literal: the two tawny steeds of Indra. Symbolic: twin energies that bear the being forward—illumined force and effective life-force under right guidance
- samatsu (समत्सु)
- Literal: in battles, conflicts. Symbolic: inner struggles against habitual nature and subconscient resistance
- śatravaḥ (शत्रवः)
- Literal: enemies. Symbolic: hostile movements: doubt, tamas, desire, fear, fragmentation
- na vṛṇvate (न वृण्वते)
- Literal: do not seize, do not take hold. Symbolic: cannot appropriate or bind the energies when guarded by stable illumination
Indra-invocation in Soma-related contexts (general: Indra-stotras in Soma yajña; practically used as a praise-verse to strengthen Indra’s presence for victory and increase of force).
During Indra stotras when seeking victory over obstacles; can be used as a protective chant in transitions or challenges.
Stuti (praise) highlighting Indra’s invincibility and safeguarding of powers.
Chant before demanding tasks or when facing inner turbulence; use as ‘psychic protection’—reclaiming energies from distraction.
Key terms: (1) saṃsthé: from prefix sam- ‘together, complete’ + √sthā ‘to stand, establish’; indicates a gathered, stable poise—psychologically the settled seat of will/illumined force. (2) vṛṇvate: from √vṛ ‘to choose, take, select’; middle voice suggests appropriation for oneself—hostile forces cannot ‘take over’ Indra’s powers. (3) hárī: dual of hari- ‘tawny, golden’; Indra’s two horses; symbolically paired energies that draw the chariot of victorious consciousness. (4) samátsu: from sam- + (prob.) √mad/√mat in the sense of ‘encounter, contest’ (traditional gloss: ‘battle’); denotes repeated confrontations where the hostile cannot prevail. (5) śátru: ‘enemy’ (possibly from √śad/śat ‘to injure, overpower’ in later analysis); in inner sense, formations opposing ṛta (right order).
Ṛta (right order as the stable station of truth-force), victory of light/knowledge over obstruction, stability/poise (sthiti) as basis of effective action
Indra’s ‘firm station’ is ṛta established in the mind—right law that hostile forces cannot breach.
Truth-power is invulnerable when seated; energies remain aligned to truth, not captured by falsehood.
Securing the instruments of progress (energies) against the forces of obstruction.
Psychological Veda: battle as inner transformation; horses as vital/mental forces.
Horses = dynamic energies; battle = friction of transformation; firm station = stable awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The invincibility of Indra in the ‘battle’ (samatsu): hostile powers cannot seize his hárī (the twin steeds). Mythically, Indra’s chariot-team remains unconquerable in combat; psychologically, the obstructing forces cannot appropriate the paired dynamic energies (life-force and thought-force, or will-force and illumination) once they are established in Indra’s firm station (saṃstha), i.e., in the settled poise of ṛta-driven consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sthā in saṃsthé reflects PIE *steh₂- ‘to stand’ (cf. Lat. stāre, Gk. histēmi). √vṛ in vṛṇvate aligns with PIE *wel-/*wer- type roots involving ‘choose/turn’ in Indo-Iranian developments (Skt vṛṇīte ‘chooses’). śátru ‘enemy’ has clear Indo-Iranian parallels (Av. xšaθra- is different semantically, but the ‘hostile/opponent’ lexeme set is common); more robust is the inherited battle-poetics: locative plural in -su (samátsu) is an old Indo-Iranian locative marker (cf. Vedic -su, Avestan -hu/-šu in certain formations).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as a leader of consciousness directing the collective (gāyata, 2pl) to align with Indra. The reciprocity is implicit: by offering the hymn (mantric praise), the human vessel stabilizes in Indra’s ‘station’ (saṃstha)—and Indra, in return, secures the soul’s energies (hárī) from hostile seizure during inner conflicts. This is the Vedic exchange: speech-as-offering evokes divine force-as-protection and victorious expansion.
Stabilize awareness (saṃstha) so energies are not hijacked by reactive patterns.
mūlādhāra (stability) supporting ājñā (command)
Exhale-lengthening (inhale 4, exhale 8) while feeling the ‘firm station’; then chant once with steady tone.
Steady, protected, courageous.
When agitation arises, first establish the witness-seat; then invoke Indra and visualize the two energies (harī) harnessed and moving straight toward the goal, untouched by distractions.
Gāyatrī; keep a firm, even pitch; emphasize key words ‘harī’, ‘samatsu’, ‘indrāya’.
Avoid over-percussing consonants; let the rhythm carry the martial feel. Maintain clear visarga in śatravaḥ.
yasya: ‘y’ clear; short a, saṃsthe: anusvāra before s; ‘stha’ conjunct, vṛṇvate: retroflex ṛ; ‘ṇv’ conjunct, harī: long ī at end, samatsu: dental t; keep ‘ts’ clean, tasmai indrāya: diphthong ai; long ā in indrāya
Steady, forceful, protective; like a battle-chant with restraint.
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