Rig Veda 2.41.11: Mandala 2, Sukta 41, Mantra 11
Sukta 2.41
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
इन्द्रश्च मृळयाति नो न नः पश्चादघं नशत् । भद्रं भवाति नः पुरः ॥
índraś ca mṛḷáyāti no ná naḥ paścā́d agháṃ naśat | bhadráṃ bhavāti naḥ púraḥ ||
Niech Indra również będzie dla nas łaskawy; niech żadne zło nie dosięgnie nas z tyłu, niech to, co pomyślne, stanie się naszym przewodnikiem z przodu.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक अव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- मृळयाति
- is gracious (shows mercy)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: इन्द्रः; कर्म: नः)Root मृळ्/मृड् (धातु; ‘to be gracious, to show mercy’)
- नः
- to us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ = ‘our/to us’); अत्र कर्मवत् प्रयोगे दत्तिवत् ‘to us’Role सम्प्रदान (अनुग्रहस्य)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot न (निषेध)
- नः
- us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध/सम्प्रदान (सन्दर्भानुसार)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- पश्चात्
- afterwards; from behindIndeclinableकाल/देशवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरण (काल/देश)Root पश्चात् (अव्यय; ‘behind/after’)
- अघम्
- evil; sin; harmNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- नशत्
- may it not reach/assailVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्-सदृश प्रयोग), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: अघम्)Root नश् (धातु; ‘to reach, attain, come upon’)
- भद्रम्
- good; auspiciousnessNoun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वाक्ये कर्तृवत्)Role कर्तृRoot भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- भवाति
- becomes; isVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रिया (कर्तृ: भद्रम्)Root भू (धातु)
- नः
- for us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- पुरः
- in front; aheadIndeclinableदेशवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरण (देश)Root पुरस् (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्; ‘in front’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्रः च मृळयाति नः | न नः पश्चात् अघम् नशत् | भद्रम् भवाति नः पुरः || 1) इन्द्र॑श्च → इन्द्रः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ḥ + c)
- 2) नो॒ → नः (एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनामरूप)
- 3) प॒श्चाद॒घं → पश्चात् + अघम् (त् + अ- आरम्भे संहितायां ‘द’/संयोग-रूप; पदे ‘पश्चात् अघम्’)
- 4) न॑शत्: धातु नश्, आज्ञार्थे प्रथमपुरुष-एकवचन (प्रार्थना/निषेध ‘न … नशत्’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Indra be gracious to us; let no evil reach us from behind; may what is auspicious be before us.
Inner meaning
Indra’s grace is sought as a continuous protective illumination. The ‘behind’ signifies past formations—old habits, samskaric residues, and subconscious returns (aghám) that can overtake the seeker. The mantra asks that these not catch us, and that bhadram—the auspicious forward-leading power of truth—go before, guiding the next step of the journey.
Universal truth
Spiritual safety requires both cleansing of the past and right guidance for the future: do not be seized by old patterns; move forward led by the auspicious truth.
Themes
Benediction, Protection from evil, Guidance by the auspicious
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 2.41.10, Rig Veda 2.41.1-9
Family tradition
Bhārgava hymns often combine victory with benediction; after the heroic casting away of fear, the seer asks for sustained grace and right-leading auspiciousness.
Significance
A compact prayer for integral protection: mercy (grace), non-regression (no evil from behind), and right leadership (auspicious in front).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- gracious (mṛḷayātṛ), protector, leader of the illumined mind
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Bestower of victory and protection; upholder of the divine order through luminous strength.
Inner power
A compassionate but powerful illumination that both guards and leads—preventing relapse into old darkness and setting the forward direction.
In ritual
Where it is used
Protective benediction within Indra sequences; used to avert misfortune and ensure auspicious progress
इन्द्र॑श्च मृ॒ळया॑ति नो॒ न न॑: प॒श्चाद॒घं न॑शत् । भ॒द्रं भ॑वाति नः पु॒रः ॥
इन्द्रः॑ । च॒ । मृ॒ळया॑ति । नः॒ । न । नः॒ । प॒श्चात् । अ॒घम् । न॒श॒त् । भ॒द्रम् । भ॒वा॒ति॒ । नः॒ । पु॒रः ॥
indraḥ | ca | mṛḷayāti | naḥ | na | naḥ | paścāt | agham | naśat | bhadram | bhavāti | naḥ | puraḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables each
Benedictive and directional; the ‘behind/front’ polarity creates a clear spatial guidance in sound.
Creates a sense of being guided forward and sealed behind; stabilizes the mind in safe progression.
- मृळयाति (mṛḷayāti)
- Literal: is gracious, shows mercy. Symbolic: a softening beneficence of the higher mind that heals and protects
- पश्चात् (paścāt)
- Literal: from behind. Symbolic: the past, the subconscient trail, regressive pulls
- अघम् (agham)
- Literal: evil, harm, sin/misfortune. Symbolic: distortion-force; wrong movement that brings suffering; obscuring residue
- भद्रम् (bhadram)
- Literal: auspicious good. Symbolic: the forward-leading truth-force; right formation guiding action
- पुरः (puraḥ)
- Literal: in front, before. Symbolic: the leading edge of consciousness—future movement guided by light
Protective benediction; suitable for concluding invocations in Soma rites and for general śānti-like framing
At conclusions of praise segments or before undertaking a rite/journey; also suited to daily protective recitation
Recited as a protective prayer; may accompany offerings or be used as a closing śānti-like seal
Daily morning chant: ‘no regression, right leadership’. Useful after meditation to carry the state into action and prevent habitual fallback.
mṛḷayāti: √mṛḍ/mṛḷ 'to be gracious, pity'—softening of harsh forces; inwardly the divine will becomes benign support rather than mere battle-force. agha: 'harm/evil' often denotes the movement that leads away from ṛta. puraḥ/paścāt: spatial terms used as temporal-psychological mapping: what is ahead (future movement) vs what trails (past formations).
Auspiciousness (bhadra) as leading principle, Karmic inertia/past formations (paścāt) as potential harm
Bhadram ‘in front’ is the ṛta-path; agham ‘behind’ is the pull of anṛta (disorder) from past formations.
Auspicious good is not mere luck but alignment with truth.
Sustained evolution: preventing relapse while opening the next step under divine guidance.
Yoga of transformation: guarding against subconscient return while establishing a forward truth-lead.
Behind/front maps to subconscious/past vs. conscious leading edge/future intention; auspiciousness is the light that precedes action.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as protector and leader: not only slayer of obstacles but also the gracious guide who keeps evil from approaching. Psychologically, it asks that past inertia not strike from behind and that the forward movement be led by bhadra—an auspicious truth-aligned force.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū 'become' is from PIE *bʰuH- (English be). Spatial metaphors puraḥ/paścāt reflect a common IE poetic technique: mapping time and causality onto front/back orientation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer seeks a softened, benevolent Indra—strength governed by grace—so that protection is not merely reactive but establishes an auspicious leading presence shaping the path ahead.
Seal the past; invoke a luminous leading intention.
Anāhata (grace) with grounding in Mūlādhāra (security against regression)
Slow exhale-focused breathing; chant each pāda on a single exhale if possible, pausing briefly to feel ‘behind sealed’ and ‘front illumined’.
Protected serenity with forward orientation.
Visualize a gentle light behind you dissolving old traces; then a brighter, steady light in front as the next right step. Let Indra’s ‘graceful strength’ be both shield and guide.
Triṣṭubh with gentle udatta on ‘indraḥ’ and ‘bhadram’; soften on ‘mṛḷayāti’ to convey grace.
Let ‘paścāt’ and ‘puraḥ’ be spatially distinct—slight pause before each to mark direction.
: ‘mṛ-ḷa-yā-ti’ (ḷ and yā clear), : ‘paścāt’ (śc cluster crisp), : ‘a-ghaṃ’ (aspirated gh; anusvāra), : ‘bha-vā-ti’ (long ā)
Calm, blessing-like, steady resonance.
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