Rig Veda 3.46.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 46, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.46
महाँ असि महिष वृष्ण्येभिर्धनस्पृदुग्र सहमानो अन्यान् । एको विश्वस्य भुवनस्य राजा स योधया च क्षयया च जनान् ॥
mahā́m̐ asi mahiṣa vṛ́ṣṇyebhir dhana-spṛ́d ugra sáhamāno anyā́n | éko víśvasya bhúvanasya rājā́ sá yódhayā ca kṣáyayā ca jánān ||
Grande és tu, ó Poderoso, com tuas forças viris — terrível, conquistador de riquezas, subjugando os outros. Tu só és rei de todo o devir; podes impelir os homens à batalha e também firmá-los em morada segura.
Soma hymn: request for victory (battle) and stable establishment (kṣaya) under Indra’s rule
Single sovereignty over becoming (eka rājā), Dynamic tapas (battle) and stable order (dwelling), Rayi/dhana as plenitude of being
Indra as king governs becoming according to right order—directing conflict only to restore harmony.
Settlement (kṣaya) symbolizes abiding in truth rather than temporary excitement.
From conflict to formation: the cosmos advances by struggle and then consolidation into stable worlds.
Yoga of transformation (inner battle + establishment), aligned with Aurobindo’s ‘conquest and integration’.
Battle = inner tapas against resistance; dwelling = stabilized consciousness-state, a ‘home’ in truth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as sole king who both wages the battle and establishes the realm. The mythic pattern is ‘conquest → settlement’: the divine force first drives the struggle against obstruction (yodhayā), then founds a stable habitation of consciousness (kṣayayā).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājā ‘king’ continues the IE kingship root *h₃reǵ- (cf. rex). The causative formations (yodhayā, kṣayayā) display Indo-Aryan morphological productivity, while the underlying verbs √yudh and √kṣi correspond to inherited action domains: combat and dwelling/settlement.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asks for a complete inner governance: not only ecstatic victory but also ordered permanence. Indra is invoked as the power that can compel the human energies to fight ignorance and then to inhabit securely the attained light—victory made stable in life.
Balance ‘warrior mode’ and ‘dwelling mode’: engage obstacles, then establish calm order.
anāhata (harmonizing governance after conflict)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 while repeating mentally: ‘yodhayā… kṣayayā…’ to integrate force and peace.
Integrated leadership—courage with composure.
After chanting, write two lists: (1) one battle to fight today (clear action), (2) one stability to build (routine, boundary, or rest).
Likely triṣṭubh accenting; exact svara not determinable without marked text.
Stress ‘एको’ and ‘राजा’ with regal firmness; articulate the contrast clearly at ‘योधया च क्षयया च’.
: retroflex ṣ, : ‘vṛṣ-ṇye-bhiḥ’ with palatal ‘nye’, : final ‘t’ crisp, : ‘kṣa-ya-yā’ with conjunct kṣ
Commanding but even; let the final clause sound like a settled decree.
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