Rig Veda 5.33.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 33, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.33
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
पुरू यत्त इन्द्र सन्त्युक्था गवे चकर्थोर्वरासु युध्यन् । ततक्षे सूर्याय चिदोकसि स्वे वृषा समत्सु दासस्य नाम चित् ॥
purū́ yát ta indra sánty ukthā́ gáve cakártho urvárāsu yúdhyān | tatákṣe sū́ryāya cid ókasi své vṛ́ṣā samátsu dāsásya nā́ma cit ||
Muitos são para ti, ó Indra, os hinos; pois abriste espaço às Forças da Luz, às vacas, mesmo lutando nos amplos campos. Talhaste um lugar até para o Sol em sua própria morada; como Touro nos embates fazes cair até o nome do Tenebroso.
Word by Word
- पुरू
- many, numerousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन (अव्ययवत् ‘बहु’ अर्थे)Role विशेषण (उक्थाः इत्यस्य)Root पुरु- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचक ‘that/which’)Role सम्बन्ध/अन्वय (यत्…तत्)Root यद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (उक्थानाम्)Root त्वद्- (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सन्ति
- areVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- उक्थाः
- hymns, praisesNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विषय (सन्ति इत्यस्य)Root उक्थ- (प्रातिपदिक)
- गवे
- for the cow/cattleNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचन (दत्त्यर्थे)Role सम्प्रदानRoot गो- (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableRole समुच्चयRoot च (निपात)
- ककर्थ
- you have done/madeVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श), द्वितीयपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot कृ (धातु)
- उर्वरासु
- in the fertile fieldsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot उर्वरा- (प्रातिपदिक)
- युध्यन्
- fightingVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (ककर्थ इत्यस्य कर्ता—इन्द्रः)Root युध् (धातु)
- ततक्षे
- he fashioned/hewedVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (आत्मनेपद-रूपम् RV-प्रयोगे)Role क्रियाRoot तक्ष् (धातु)
- सूर्याय
- for the SunNounपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot सूर्य- (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- even, indeedIndeclinableRole अवधारण/अपि-अर्थRoot चित् (निपात)
- ओकसि
- in the dwelling, in the houseNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot ओकस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वे
- in his/your ownAdjective/Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचन (ओकसि इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role विशेषण (अधिकरणे)Root स्व- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषा
- the bull (mighty one)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वृषन्/वृषा- (प्रातिपदिक)
- समत्सु
- in battlesNounपुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot समत्सु- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘सम्+अत्सु/मत्सु’ युद्धेषु)
- दासस्य
- of the Dāsa (foe)Nounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot दास- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नाम
- nameNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (ततक्षे इत्यस्य)Root नामन्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableRole अवधारण/अपि-अर्थRoot चित् (निपात)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविग्रह): पुरू यत् ते इन्द्र सन्ति उक्थाः । गवे च ककर्थ उर्वरासु युध्यन् । ततक्षे सूर्याय चित् ओकसि स्वे । वृषा समत्सु दासस्य नाम चित् ॥ 1) यत्ते = यत् + ते। 2) सन्त्युक्था = सन्ति + उक्थाः (इ→य् संधि; RV लेखन ‘सन्त्य्’)। 3) चकर्थोर्वरासु = च + ककर्थ + उर्वरासु (उ-आदि शब्दे पूर्वपदस्य ओ-प्रयोगः: ककर्थ + उर्वरासु → ककर्थोर्वरासु)। 4) युध्यन् इति शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः, ‘ककर्थ’ क्रियायाः कर्तरि विशेषणम्। 5) चिदोकसि = चित् + ओकसि (त् + ओ → द् ओ; लिखितरूपे ‘चिद्’)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Many are Indra’s hymns; he made space for the cows while battling in wide fields, carved a place for the Sun in his own home, and in conflicts makes even the name of the Dāsa fall away.
Inner meaning
In the wide field of consciousness (urvarāsu), Indra battles the resisting powers and releases the rays of knowledge (go). He establishes the Sun (sūrya)—the supramental illumination or truth-light—in its rightful seat within our own being (okas). The ‘name of the Dāsa’ (dark habit-formation, subconscient claim) is erased: the identity of obscurity loses its hold when truth-light is installed.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is not mere struggle; it is the liberation of knowledge and the enthronement of truth-light in the soul’s home, dissolving the very identity of ignorance.
Themes
finding-the-cows, establishing-the-sun, victory-over-darkness, speech-and-formation
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya
- Other hymns
- RV 5.33, RV 5.40 (Atri and the Sun theme), RV 5.44
Family tradition
Atri’s Indra hymns often celebrate the release of cows (light) and the establishment of the sun (truth) as inner realizations.
Significance
Atri links victory to illumination: battle is justified by the liberation of knowledge and the restoration of the sun of truth in the soul’s house.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Vṛṣā (bull), Maghavan
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Breaker of the cover, opener of luminous spaces, establisher of the sun-path and wide worlds.
Inner power
Force of illumination that not only frees insights (cows) but stabilizes truth-consciousness (sun) in the inner home.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in Soma context; also recited as celebration after successful rite/victory symbolism.
पु॒रू यत्त॑ इन्द्र॒ सन्त्यु॒क्था गवे॑ च॒कर्थो॒र्वरा॑सु॒ युध्य॑न् । त॒त॒क्षे सूर्या॑य चि॒दोक॑सि॒ स्वे वृषा॑ स॒मत्सु॑ दा॒सस्य॒ नाम॑ चित् ॥
पु॒रु । यत् । ते॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । सन्ति॑ । उ॒क्था । गवे॑ । च॒कर्थ॑ । उ॒र्वरा॑सु । युध्य॑न् । त॒त॒क्षे । सूर्या॑य । चि॒त् । ओक॑सि । स्वे । वृषा॑ । स॒मत्ऽसु॑ । दा॒सस्य॑ । नाम॑ । चि॒त् ॥
puru | yat | te | indra | santi | ukthā | gave | cakartha | urvarāsu | yudhyan | tatakṣe | sūryāya | cit | okasi | sve | vṛṣā | samat-su | dāsasya | nāma | cit
44
4×11 (approx.)
Expansive and declarative; ‘wide-field’ resonance with strong concluding falls.
Gives a sense of opening space and installing light; confidence that darkness can lose even its name.
- उक्था (ukthā)
- Literal: hymns of praise. Symbolic: formulated truth-thought that calls down power
- गवे (gave)
- Literal: for the cow/cows. Symbolic: for the rays of light/knowledge seeking release
- उर्वरासु (urvarāsu)
- Literal: in the wide fields. Symbolic: the broad life-plane / extended inner field where forces clash
- युध्यन् (yudhyan)
- Literal: fighting. Symbolic: inner battle with resistance, inertia, and falsehood
- ततक्षे (tatakṣe)
- Literal: hewed/carved out. Symbolic: shaped a stable formation in consciousness—made an enduring seat
- सूर्याय (sūryāya)
- Literal: for the Sun. Symbolic: for the truth-illumination, the seeing consciousness
- ओकसि स्वे (okasi sve)
- Literal: in his own home. Symbolic: in the inmost being; the rightful inner dwelling of light
- दासस्य नाम (dāsasya nāma)
- Literal: the name of the Dāsa. Symbolic: the label/identity of the dark force; its claim to be ‘who we are’
Praise of Indra’s victories: release of light (cows) and establishment of solar truth in the ‘home’—used to strengthen the sacrificer’s victorious aspiration
After/around offerings to Indra when affirming results: release of light, establishment of sun-order.
Recitation with offerings (oblations) to Indra to secure widening and illumination.
Use as an affirmation after breakthroughs: when clarity returns, when old identities/habits drop away.
go ‘cow’ from PIE *gʷōus; in RV symbolic usage often ‘ray/illumination’ because go is linked with light and dawn imagery and with recovery/release motifs. √takṣ ‘fashion, hew’ (tatakṣe) cognate with ‘text’ (via PIE *teks- ‘weave/build’), indicating formation of a stable seat for the sun (truth-light) in consciousness. dāsa: hostile/dark force; ‘name’ as a fixed limiting identity that Indra makes to ‘fall’ in samat (clash).
release of knowledge/light (go), formation of truth-seat (okas of Sūrya), overcoming dark formations (dāsa-nāma)
Making ‘room’ for cows and sun is restoring ṛta in the inner worlds.
Sūrya in his own home signifies truth seated in the inmost being.
From conflict emerges ordered light: the cosmos (and psyche) is carved into stable luminous forms.
Integral yoga reading: liberation (release of rays) + transformation (sun established within).
dawn-to-day transition (implied by sun establishment)
Cows = illuminations; fields = life-consciousness; sun = truth-vision; battle = tapas against subconscient resistance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A composite mythologem: (1) ‘making room for the cows’—release of light/knowledge from obstruction; (2) ‘fashioning a seat for the Sun’—installation of truth-consciousness in its rightful dwelling; (3) ‘defeating the Dāsa-name’—dissolving dark fixed identities in the clash.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- go (cow) continues PIE *gʷōus; √takṣ (tatakṣe) continues PIE *teks- ‘build/weave’ (cf. Latin texere). These inherited roots support the archaic Indo-European poetic complex of ‘building/forming’ order and ‘recovering cattle/light’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s ukthas are many because Indra’s acts continually open the field for illumination. The hymn mirrors the act: as Indra ‘fashions’ a place for Sūrya, the rishi fashions speech that makes the inner dwelling fit for truth.
Visualize a ‘wide field’ within; call Indra to release hidden lights and seat the inner sun (truth) in the heart-home.
anahata (inner home) / ajna (sun of vision)
Slow inhalation imagining widening space; exhale imagining rays (cows) streaming out; brief stillness feeling the sun seated within.
Expansive clarity; stable illumination.
After chanting 3–9 times, sit and ask: ‘Where is the sun not yet in its own home in me?’ Offer that area to the higher light; watch old ‘names’ (self-labels) lose force.
Rigvedic accenting (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per recensional marks; keep strong lift on índra, gáv(e), sū́ryāya, vṛ́ṣā.
Let ‘tatakṣe’ be crisp (carving action); broaden tone on ‘urvarāsu’ and ‘okasi sve’.
: ur-va-rā-su (clear long ā), : yudh-yan (no extra vowel), : ta-tak-ṣe (retroflex ṣ), : o-ka-si (short vowels), : dā-sa-sya (long ā)
Expansive, bright, victorious; end each pāda with settled certainty.
5
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