Rig Veda 3.35.8: Mandala 3, Sukta 35, Mantra 8
Sukta 3.35
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
इमं नरः पर्वतास्तुभ्यमापः समिन्द्र गोभिर्मधुमन्तमक्रन् । तस्यागत्या सुमना ऋष्व पाहि प्रजानन्विद्वान्पथ्या अनु स्वाः ॥
imáṁ nárāḥ párvatās túbhyam ā́paḥ sám indra góbhir mádhu-mantam akran | tásyā́gatya su-mánā ṛ́ṣva pāhi prajā́nann vidvā́n pathyā́ḥ ánu svā́ḥ ||
Tę Somę mocni, góry i wody razem przygotowały dla ciebie, o Indro, miodną dzięki promieniom krowom. Przybywając do niej z radosnym umysłem, pij, o wzniosły; wiedząc, podążaj właściwymi ścieżkami, które są twoje.
Word by Word
- इमम्
- this (him/it)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नरः
- menNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- पर्वताः
- mountainsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
- तुभ्यम्
- to youPronounचतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आपः
- watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot आप्/अप् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जल’)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root सम् (उपसर्ग)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोभिः
- with cows; with kineNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुमन्तम्
- honeyed, sweetAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मधुमन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अक्रन्
- they madeVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot कृ (धातु)
- तस्य
- of him/thatPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- आगत्या
- having comeGerundक्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययRoot आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत्य (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
- सुमनाः
- kind-minded, graciousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सु-मनस् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि)
- ऋष्व
- loftily; mightilyAdjective (used adverbially)अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (अविकारी)Root ऋष्व (प्रातिपदिक/विशेषण)
- पाहि
- protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 2 पुरुष, एकवचनRoot पा (धातु ‘रक्षणे’)
- प्रजानन्
- knowing, discerningParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot प्र + ज्ञा (धातु) → प्रजानन् (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
- विद्वान्
- wise, knowingParticipleकृत् (विद्वस्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot विद् (धातु) → विद्वस् (कृत्-प्रातिपदिक)
- पथ्याः
- paths; path-ways (fit for travel)Adjective/Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot पथ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनु
- along, followingIndeclinableअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थ)Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- स्वाः
- own (ones)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): इमं | नरः | पर्वताः | तुभ्यम् | आपः | सम् | इन्द्र | गोभिः | मधुमन्तम् | अक्रन् || तस्य | आगत्या | सुमनाः | ऋष्व | पाहि | प्रजानन् | विद्वान् | पथ्याः | अनु | स्वाः || मुख्य सन्धयः: (1) नरः + पर्वताः → नरः पर्वताः (विसर्गः यथावत्, छन्दोविरामे) (2) तुभ्यम् + आपः → तुभ्यमापः (म् + आ- आरम्भे संयोगः) (3) सम् + इन्द्र → समिन्द्र (म् + इ → मि) (4) गोभिः + मधुमन्तम् → गोभिर्मधुमन्तम् (विसर्ग-रेफः) (5) तस्य + आगत्या → तस्यागत्या (अ + आ संधिः) (6) विद्वान् + पथ्याः → विद्वान्पथ्याः (न् + प्) (7) पथ्याः + अनु → पथ्याः अनु (पदविराम) (8) अनु + स्वाः → अनुस्वाः (उ + स् संयोगः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The strong ones—the mountains and the waters—have made this Soma for Indra, honeyed with the cows/rays. Coming to it with a glad mind, Indra should drink; knowing, he should follow his own right paths.
Inner meaning
“Mountains” are the firm heights of consciousness where Soma is formed—stable luminous levels that hold the pressure of tapas. “Waters” are the flowing currents of being (clarified feelings, life-energies) that carry delight. Together they prepare the Soma—meaning the higher steadiness and the purified flow collaborate to produce spiritual sweetness. “Honeyed with cows” (gobhiḥ madhumantam) indicates that the delight is mixed with rays of knowledge; Ananda becomes luminous, not merely emotional. Indra, the knowing power, is asked to drink and then to move by “his own paths” (pathyā anu svāḥ): the inherent right courses of truth-force in us, not borrowed tracks of convention.
Universal truth
True delight is born from the union of inner steadiness and purified flow, and it becomes transformative when illumined by knowledge; the awakened intelligence then guides life along authentic right paths.
Themes
Cosmic preparation of Soma, R̥ta-paths, Knowledge-light symbolism, Soma-ritual
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 3.33, Rig Veda 3.34, Rig Veda 3.35, Rig Veda 3.36
Family tradition
Vision of ascent (mountains) and descent (waters) unified in the yajña; emphasizes knowledge-lit delight as the fuel for Indra’s right action.
Significance
A hallmark of Viśvāmitra’s yoga: the collaboration of stable heights and flowing energies to produce Soma, then the insistence on walking one’s own true path under illumination.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Ṛṣva (lofty), Vidvān (knowing), Prajānan (discerning)
- Related deities
- Soma, Go (rays of knowledge), Āpaḥ (waters)
Cosmic role
Receives Soma strengthened by rays; then leads the movement along ṛta, establishing right action and victory.
Inner power
Discerning intelligence that drinks luminous delight and chooses authentic right courses in life.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma praise describing its preparation; invitation to drink and act in accord with ṛta
इ॒मं नर॒: पर्व॑ता॒स्तुभ्य॒माप॒: समि॑न्द्र॒ गोभि॒र्मधु॑मन्तमक्रन् । तस्या॒गत्या॑ सु॒मना॑ ऋष्व पाहि प्रजा॒नन्वि॒द्वान्प॒थ्या॒३॒॑ अनु॒ स्वाः ॥
इ॒मम् । नरः॑ । पर्व॑ताः । तुभ्य॑म् । आपः॑ । सम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । गोभिः॑ । मधु॑ऽमन्तम् । अ॒क्र॒न् । तस्य॑ । आ॒ऽगत्य॑ । सु॒ऽमनाः॑ । ऋ॒ष्व॒ । पा॒हि॒ । प्र॒ऽजा॒नन् । वि॒द्वान् । प॒थ्याः॑ । अनु॑ । स्वाः ॥
imam | naraḥ | parvatāḥ | tubhyam | āpaḥ | sam | indra | gobhiḥ | madhu-mantam | akran | tasya | āgatya | su-manāḥ | ṛṣva | pāhi | pra-jānan | vidvān | pathyāḥ | anu | svāḥ
44
4 x ~11
Expansive and scenic in the first half (cosmic making of Soma), directive in the second (drink, know, follow paths).
Opens imagination to vast inner landscapes, then focuses will toward right movement.
- पर्वताः (parvatāḥ)
- Literal: mountains. Symbolic: fixed heights of consciousness; stable planes that hold tapas and clarity
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: currents of life and feeling, purified and flowing
- गोभिः (gobhiḥ)
- Literal: with cows. Symbolic: with rays of light/knowledge (go as illumination)
- मधुमन्तम् (madhumantam)
- Literal: honeyed, sweet. Symbolic: Ananda made rich and attractive by luminous knowledge
- ऋष्व (ṛṣva)
- Literal: lofty, tall. Symbolic: elevated consciousness capable of wide vision
- प्रजानन् विद्वान् (prajānan vidvān)
- Literal: knowing, understanding. Symbolic: illumined discernment acting as guide
- पथ्याः अनु स्वाः (pathyā anu svāḥ)
- Literal: the right paths that are your own. Symbolic: intrinsic law of truth in one’s being; authentic movement in ṛta
Soma praised as compounded by cosmic agencies (waters/mountains) and ‘rays’; invitation to drink and to move by right paths—aligning the rite with r̥ta.
During Soma offerings, especially when extolling Soma’s origin and sweetness.
Eulogy of Soma’s making; urging Indra’s drinking and guidance.
A mantra for decision-making: invoke ‘vidvān pathyā anu svāḥ’ before choices to align with one’s deepest truth.
(parvata- ‘mountain’; from parvan ‘joint/peak/segment’). (āpas ‘waters’; PIE *h₂ep- ‘water’ cf. Latin aqua). (go- ‘cow’ also ‘ray/light’ in RV; from PIE *gʷou- ‘cow’, with RV semantic extension to ‘radiance’ by the ‘giver’/‘shining’ association in poetic diction). (madhu ‘honey/sweet’; PIE *médʰu, cf. English mead). (pathyá- ‘of the path/right path’; patha- from PIE *pent(h)- ‘path’, cf. English path).
R̥ta as path (pathyāḥ), synthesis of stability (mountain) and flow (waters), knowledge as light (go)
Explicit: ‘pathyā’ implies the tracks of ṛta; Indra as knower follows and establishes them.
Go-rays honey the Soma: truth-light sweetens and purifies delight.
Soma is ‘made’ by the cooperation of heights (parvata) and flows (āpaḥ): a cosmological image of how consciousness produces Ananda.
Integral/psychological: cosmic images map to inner topography—higher mind (mountain) and life-flow (waters) generating luminous bliss.
Mountains = stable higher mind; waters = purified vital-emotional flow; honey = sweetness of Ananda; cows = rays of knowledge.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘cosmic fabrication of Soma’ mythologem: mountains and waters together make the honeyed Soma with the go (rays). Inwardly, stable heights and flowing energies cooperate to produce delight suffused with illumination; Indra is asked to drink and then lead along the true paths of order.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- āpas ‘waters’ reflects PIE *h₂ep- (cf. Latin aqua). madhu is PIE *médʰu (mead). patha- aligns with PIE *pent(h)- ‘path’. These archaic inheritances support the RV’s place in Indo-European poetic tradition.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames the offering as not merely human-made but cosmically sanctioned—prepared by foundational (mountain) and flowing (waters) powers and made luminous by go (rays). Indra is invoked as the conscious knower who can correctly ‘follow’ and enforce the divine paths (r̥ta) in the aspirant’s movement.
Unite steadiness (mountain) and flow (waters) to generate a honeyed luminous joy; then listen for the ‘own right path’ from within.
sahasrāra/upper head (mountain heights) + svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/flow) integrated through ājñā (knowing)
Alternate-nostril (nāḍī-śodhana) for 5–7 rounds to balance steadiness and flow; then silent sitting with sweetness in the palate/heart (madhu).
Wide, sweet, discerning.
Visualize a bright mountain above the head and a clear river through the spine. Let a golden sweetness form where they meet in the heart. End by inwardly asking: ‘What is my pathyā—my right next step?’ and wait for a quiet, non-impulsive clarity.
Let udatta brighten on ‘parvatās’, ‘āpaḥ’, ‘gobhiḥ’, ‘madhumantam’, ‘vidvān’, ‘pathyā’; keep the final directive pādas firm and clear.
First two pādas expansive and pictorial; last two more clipped and instructive, emphasizing ‘pāhi’ and ‘anu svāḥ’.
(gobhiḥ): ‘go’ long o; bh aspirated, (madhumantam): dh aspirated; ‘mantam’ clear, (ṛṣva): vocalic ṛ; ṣ retroflex, (prajānan): ‘jā’ long ā, (pathyāḥ): th aspirated; yā long ā
Bright, expansive, then quietly authoritative.
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