Rig Veda 8.98.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 98, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.98
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh or a short meter
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अभि हि सत्य सोमपा उभे बभूथ रोदसी । इन्द्रासि सुन्वतो वृधः पतिर्दिवः ॥
abhí hí satyá somapā ubhé babhū́tha ródasī | indrā́si sunvató vṛdháḥ pátir diváḥ ||
Albowiem zaprawdę, o prawdziwy pijący Somę, stałeś się panem obu światów, Nieba i Ziemi. O Indro, jesteś tym, który pomnaża tego, kto wyciska Somę, panem świetlistych wyżyn.
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (गत्यर्थे/अभिमुख्ये)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (अवधारण/हेतौ/खल्वर्थे)Root हि (निपात)
- सत्य
- true, truthfulAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (अव्ययवत् विशेषणरूपेण; संबोधनार्थे अपि व्याख्येयम्)Root सत्य (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + य)
- सोमपाः
- Soma-drinker (Indra)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (विसर्गः पदान्ते)Role Kartā (सम्बोधन/उद्देश्य-रूपेण)Root सोमपा (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + पा ‘पिबति’)
- उभे
- bothPronoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया द्विवचनम्Role KarmaRoot उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- बभूथ
- you have become / you have beenVerbलिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Root भू (धातु)
- रोदसी
- the two worlds (heaven and earth)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया द्विवचनम्Role Karma (उभे रोदसी = both worlds: heaven and earth)Root रोदसी (प्रातिपदिक; द्वन्द्व/द्विवचन-शब्दः ‘द्यावापृथिव्यौ’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्गे संबोधन एकवचनम्Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Root अस् (धातु)
- सुन्वतः
- of the Soma-presser (the one who presses)Participle (verbal adjective)पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (सुन्वत्-शब्दः)Role Sampradāna/Adhikaraṇa (यस्य/यत्र—‘of the presser’)Root सु (धातु ‘सुनोति’ = सोमं सुत्यति) → सुन्वत् (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
- वृधः
- the increaser, the strong/growing oneNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (ऋकारान्त; ‘वृधः’)Role Kartā/विशेषण (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्: ‘वर्धकः/वर्धमानः’)Root वृध् (धातु) → वृध्/वृध (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित ‘वर्धक/वर्धमान’)
- पतिः
- lord, masterNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role Kartā (सम्बन्ध-निर्देशकः)Root पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- of heaven, of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (दिव्-शब्दः)Role Apādāna/सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः: ‘of heaven’)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अभि | हि | सत्य | सोमपाः | उभे | बभूथ | रोदसी | इन्द्र | असि | सुन्वतः | वृधः | पतिः | दिवः । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) ‘सोमपा उभे’ इत्यत्र पदान्त-अकारः + उ-कारादिः → ‘सोमपा उभे’ (सहितपाठे दीर्घ/यण्-आदेशः न; पदपाठे ‘सोमपाः’ विसर्गयुक्तः)। (2) ‘इन्द्रासि’ = ‘इन्द्र’ + ‘असि’ (अ + अ → आ)। (3) ‘पतिः दिवः’ इत्यत्र विसर्गः परे दकारे सामान्यतः ‘पतिर् दिवः’ (रेफादेशः) इति संहितायाम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, true Soma-drinker, has mastery over both Heaven and Earth; he increases the one who presses Soma and is lord of heaven.
Inner meaning
The illumined Mind drinks Soma—delight of consciousness—and thereby becomes ‘true’ (satya) in action. Mastery over ‘both worlds’ means governance over the higher luminous mind (heaven) and the embodied field (earth): the union of insight and life. He increases the ‘presser’—the seeker who extracts essence (Soma) from experience through aspiration, discipline, and offering—making the inner sacrifice fruitful.
Universal truth
When delight (Soma) is received into intelligence, consciousness gains integrated mastery of inner heights and outer life; sincere practice that ‘presses out’ essence from experience is strengthened by this illumined power.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Indra-sovereignty, Truth-consciousness, Heaven-and-Earth (Rodasi)
The seer
Significance
The seer’s emphasis is on Indra’s truth (satya) and Soma-relation: illumination must be fed by delight to rule both inner height and outer embodiment. The mantra is pedagogic for sādhanā: ‘press Soma’ and Indra increases you.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- satya (true), somapāḥ (Soma-drinker), vṛdhaḥ (increaser), patiḥ divaḥ (lord of heaven)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Mediator of Soma’s power into the mental realm; establishes dominion of light over both realms of existence.
Inner power
Truth-illumination nourished by ānanda; capacity to integrate spiritual insight with practical life-force.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña praise of Indra as somapā
अ॒भि हि स॑त्य सोमपा उ॒भे ब॒भूथ॒ रोद॑सी । इन्द्रासि॑ सुन्व॒तो वृ॒धः पति॑र्दि॒वः ॥
अ॒भि । हि । स॒त्य॒ । सो॒म॒ऽपाः॒ । उ॒भे इति॑ । ब॒भूथ॑ । रोद॑सी॒ इति॑ । इन्द्र॑ । असि॑ । सु॒न्व॒तः । वृ॒धः । पतिः॑ । दि॒वः ॥
abhi | hi | satya | soma-pāḥ | ubhe iti | babhūtha | rodasī iti | indra | asi | sunvataḥ | vṛdhaḥ | patiḥ | divaḥ
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4 × ~8 syllables (Vedic flexibility)
Balanced, declarative; suited to stating Indra’s accomplished mastery.
Creates a feeling of truthful alignment and integration; steadies the mind with a ‘both worlds’ wholeness.
- सत्य (satya)
- Literal: true. Symbolic: truth-aligned consciousness; exactness of inner perception
- सोमपाः (somapāḥ)
- Literal: Soma-drinker. Symbolic: one who receives divine delight and immortalizing joy into the mind
- रोदसी (rodasī)
- Literal: the two worlds, Heaven and Earth. Symbolic: higher mind-plane and embodied nature; spirit and life integrated
- सुन्वतः (sunvataḥ)
- Literal: of the Soma-presser. Symbolic: the practitioner extracting the essence through tapas, aspiration, and offering
- वृधः (vṛdhaḥ)
- Literal: increaser, enhancer. Symbolic: power that enlarges capacity, faith, and luminous force
- पतिः दिवः (patiḥ divaḥ)
- Literal: lord of heaven. Symbolic: sovereignty over luminous consciousness
Soma-yajña context (general): praise of Indra as Soma-drinker and increaser of the Soma-presser; suitable to Indra-invocations in Soma pressing rites (e.g., Agniṣṭoma sequences).
At Soma pressing/offerings; in stotra sequences to Indra.
Recitation accompanying Soma offering; affirmation of Indra’s lordship and boon of increase to the sacrificer.
Use before work or study to unite clarity (heaven) and grounded action (earth), and to deepen joy as fuel for illumination.
Key terms: satyá (from sat ‘being, truth’ < √as ‘to be’), denotes truth-being aligned with ṛta; somapāḥ (soma + pā ‘drinker’ < √pā ‘to drink, protect’—here ‘drink/receive’ the soma-delight); rodasī dual (heaven-and-earth pair; from √rud/rod ‘to shine/firmament’ in Vedic usage as the two world-frames); vṛdháḥ (from √vṛdh ‘to grow, increase’); pati (from √pā ‘to protect’ → pati ‘lord/protector’); diváḥ (gen. of dyú/ div ‘sky, shining’ < PIE *dyeu- ‘bright sky’).
Satya (Truth), Ṛta (implied order expressed through satya), growth/augmentation (vṛdh)
Indra’s mastery over both worlds implies r̥ta’s governance from above into embodied order.
Explicit: satya—illumination must be truth-bearing, not merely forceful.
Bridging and harmonizing the two planes; descent of delight into mind to rule life.
Integral psychology: Soma as ānanda-substance; worlds as consciousness-gradations.
Soma = delight-essence; Heaven/Earth = higher mind and embodied nature; pressing = extracting meaning and joy from experience.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s universal lordship over the ‘two worlds’ (rodasī). The mythic gesture is not a battle scene but the enthronement/establishment of Indra’s mastery as the Truth-empowered Soma-drinker, enabling the sacrificer’s (sunvat) growth.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- diváḥ ‘of heaven’ continues PIE *dyeu- ‘bright sky’ (cf. Latin Iūpiter < *dyeu-pəter, Greek Zeus). satyá from sat ‘being’ (< √as ‘be’) parallels the Indo-European ‘is/being’ root (*h₁es-). The semantic pairing of ‘shining heaven’ with sovereignty is a common PIE poetic inheritance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- A reciprocity of inner offering and inner increase: the human ‘Soma-presser’ expresses the delight-essence (soma) through aspiration and discipline; Indra, receiving it, becomes the active lord in the being—mastering mind-and-body (rodasī) and fostering the seeker’s growth (vṛdh) toward the luminous plane (div).
Receive delight consciously; let joy clarify thought and govern action.
anāhata (heart) linking to ājñā (brow)
inhale ‘draw Soma’ (cool, bright), exhale ‘spread to both worlds’; 6–8 cycles before chanting
Integrated calm: luminous mind supported by heart-joy.
Chant while feeling a nectar-like sweetness rise to the brow, then descend to the chest and body; affirm mastery as harmony, not control.
Follow Saṃhitā accents: maintain udatta on marked syllables (e.g.,, ); keep baseline anudatta elsewhere; allow natural svarita fall after udatta.
Let ‘satya’ and ‘somapāḥ’ carry the lift; soften on ‘rodasī’ to convey breadth.
‘rodasī’: clear long ī at end., ‘sunvataḥ’: articulate nv cluster lightly, avoid inserting a vowel., Keep ‘Indrāsi’ as indrāsi (long ā) with clean sandhi.
Warm, steady, slightly inward (to evoke Soma-joy).
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