Rig Veda 8.21.5: Mandala 8, Sukta 21, Mantra 5
Sukta 8.21
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सीदन्तस्ते वयो यथा गोश्रीते मधौ मदिरे विवक्षणे । अभि त्वामिन्द्र नोनुमः ॥
sīdántas te váyo yáthā góśrīte mádhau madiré vivákṣaṇe | abhí tvām índra nonumaḥ ||
Como os teus poderes se assentam em nós — como raios que vêm repousar na doçura rica em vacas, no mel inebriante do discernimento — assim, ó Indra, a nós mesmos premimos e impelimos para junto de ti.
Word by Word
- सीदन्तः
- sitting down, taking their seatsVerb (participle)प्र. कृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot √सद् (sīdati) / धातु √सद् ‘उपवेशन’
- ते
- they / those (your)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (with participle)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वयः
- the birds; the flock (lit. ‘birds’)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समूह/जातिवाचक)Role Kartā (apposition to ‘ते’)Root वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- यथा
- as, just asIndeclinableउपमान/उपमेय-सम्बन्धे अव्ययम्Root यथा (अव्यय)
- गोश्रीते
- in/at the cow-stall; at the cattle-shelter (lit. ‘rested on cows’)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (स्थाने/आधारे)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot गो- + श्री (√श्रि ‘आश्रय/आलम्बन’) → गोश्रीत (कृदन्त/विशेषण)
- मधौ
- in honey; in sweetnessNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदिरे
- intoxicatingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (मधौ इति विशेषणम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot मदिरा (प्रातिपदिक)
- विवक्षणे
- at the utterance/invocation; at the callNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वि-√वच् ‘विशेषेण वचन/उच्चारण’ → विवक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभि
- towards, untoIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (क्रियायोगे ‘towards, upon’)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- त्वाम्
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- नोनुमः
- we urge/press on; we repeatedly invoke (you)Verbलट् (वेदिक प्रयोगः), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole (मुख्य क्रिया)Root √नु (नवते/नुनोति) ‘स्तु/प्रेरण’ (वेदिक पुनरुक्त-आवृत्तिः: नो-नु-)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सीदन्तः ते वयः यथा गोश्रीते मधौ मदिरे विवक्षणे । अभि त्वाम् इन्द्र नोनुमः ॥ Sandhi: (1) त्वामि॑न्द्र = त्वाम् + इन्द्र (म् + इ → मि)
- (2) गोश्रीते: समास/कृदन्त-निर्माण (गो + श्रीत), पदे सप्तमी एकवचन
- (3) नोनुमः: वेदिक पुनरुक्त-धातु-रूप (नो-नु-), ‘बारम्बार’/‘तीव्र’ अर्थच्छाया।
The meaning
Outer meaning
As your powers settle (sit) like birds, as in the cow-rich sweetness, in the intoxicating honey of discernment, so we urge ourselves toward you, O Indra.
Inner meaning
The verse describes the settling of Indra’s forces within the seeker: te vayaḥ are ‘powers/energies’ (also ‘birds’ by image) that come to rest—signifying inspirations and dynamic faculties finding their right seat in the being. Gośrīte (‘rich in cows’ / ‘resting in the cows’) becomes, inwardly, ‘resting in rays of knowledge’: the mind’s energies settle into luminous understanding rather than restless motion. Madhu (honey) and madira (intoxicating) point to Soma-like sweetness, but here tied to vivakṣaṇa—discernment/clear articulation: the delight that clarifies speech and inner hearing. Abhi… nonumaḥ: we press/impel ourselves—intensifying aspiration so Indra’s illumination becomes active and vocal in us (awakening the inner word).
Universal truth
True inspiration is not agitation; it is power that settles into clarity, sweetness, and right expression—joy and discernment together awaken the inner voice.
Themes
Indra-invocation, inner illumination, inspired speech, delight-substance (madhu)
The seer
Significance
This is a rishi-state description: inspirations (vayaḥ) become seated in luminous sweetness. The anonymity underscores that this settling is a reproducible yogic experience, not merely a poet’s flourish.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- inner awakener (implied), giver of honeyed clarity (madhu in vivakṣaṇa)
- Related deities
- Soma (madhu), Sarasvatī/Vāc (vivakṣaṇa as speech/discernment), Agni (impulsion)
Cosmic role
Stabilizes and organizes the powers; transforms delight into discernment and victorious expression.
Inner power
Illumined mind that seats energies in knowledge and turns ecstasy into clear seeing and true speech.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise within Soma setting; also suitable as a closing/settling verse after invocations
सीद॑न्तस्ते॒ वयो॑ यथा॒ गोश्री॑ते॒ मधौ॑ मदि॒रे वि॒वक्ष॑णे । अ॒भि त्वामि॑न्द्र नोनुमः ॥
सीद॑न्तः । ते॒ । वयः॑ । य॒था॒ । गोऽश्री॑ते । मधौ॑ । म॒दि॒रे । वि॒वक्ष॑णे । अ॒भि । त्वाम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । नो॒नु॒मः॒ ॥
sīdantaḥ | te | vayaḥ | yathā | go--śrīte | madhau | madire | vivakṣaṇe | abhi | tvām | indra | nonumaḥ
Jagatī-like (often 12-syllable feel; descriptive, flowing)
48
4 pādas of ~12 syllables; long, honey-flow cadence.
Liquid and settling—mirrors ‘sīdantaḥ’; sweetness in the mid-phrases (madhu, madire).
Soothes and clarifies; encourages energies to descend from restlessness into luminous repose.
- सीदन्तः (sīdantaḥ)
- Literal: sitting down, settling. Symbolic: powers becoming established and steady in consciousness
- वयः (vayaḥ)
- Literal: birds; also vitality/powers. Symbolic: movements of energy and inspiration that can either flutter or find their true seat
- गोश्रीते (gośrīte)
- Literal: resting in/abounding with cows. Symbolic: resting in rays of knowledge; mind settled in illumination
- मधु (madhu)
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: delight that harmonizes and nourishes consciousness
- मदिर (madira)
- Literal: intoxicating. Symbolic: ecstatic uplift (ananda) that energizes without confusion when governed by Indra
- विवक्षणे (vivakṣaṇe)
- Literal: in discernment/clear utterance. Symbolic: power of discrimination and true expression; awakened inner speech
- नोनुमः (nonumaḥ)
- Literal: we urge/press strongly. Symbolic: intensified aspiration and self-impulsion toward the higher power
Indra-invocation in Soma context (general): mantra usable in praise/śastra-stotra sequences to intensify Indra’s descent of force and illumination; exact Śrauta assignment not determinable from provided excerpt alone.
After Soma offering to describe the effect—powers settling in sweetness
Recitation accompanying the sense of assimilation of Soma and stabilization of energies
Use after pranayama/meditation to ‘seat’ energy in clarity; helpful for anxiety or scattered attention.
: pres. act. ptcp. nom. pl. from √sad ‘to sit, settle’ → establishment of powers. : from vayas ‘vigor, vital energy’ (outer: ‘bird’), here the mobile life-forces. : ‘honey/sweetness’ (PIE *medhu-), often symbolic of delight-substance. : loc. sg. of madira ‘intoxicating’, from √mad ‘to be glad/intoxicated’ → rapture of inspiration. : loc. sg.; from vi-√vakṣ/√vac ‘to speak/utter, to make articulate’ with intensifying/discriminative vi-; suggests clarified expression. : 1pl perf./intensive formation from √nu(d) ‘to push, impel’ → repeated urging toward Indra.
inner descent/establishment of power (śakti-āveśa), illumination as ‘cows/rays’ recovered and held, inspired speech (vāc) as expression of truth
‘Settling’ is Ṛta in the psyche—energies take their right place and function.
Vivakṣaṇa points to Satya as right discrimination and true utterance (Vāc aligned to truth).
From flowing delight to formed clarity—consciousness organizes itself into expressive truth.
Aurobindonian psychology of Vāc: delight becomes luminous articulation when governed by higher mind.
early morning or twilight (settling imagery; not explicit)
Birds = thoughts/energies; cows = light-rays; honey = ananda; settling = stabilization of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘cows in the honey’ image compresses the larger myth of recovered light: cows (go) as rays/knowledges that come to rest in the sweetness (madhu) of awakened consciousness; Indra is invoked as the power enabling this settling and articulate expression.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu ‘honey/sweetness’ continues PIE *médʰu (cf. Eng. mead). The dynamic verb-root √sad ‘sit/settle’ aligns with PIE *sed- ‘sit’ (Lat. sedēre). These roots support the semantic move from physical sitting/sweetness to inner establishment/delight.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The speaker seeks Indra’s inward ‘seating’ of powers: a reciprocal exchange where praise/aspiration (nonumaḥ, ‘we impel ourselves toward thee’) invites the descent of Indra’s force, culminating in vivakṣaṇa—truth-bearing articulation.
Let energies settle into luminous sweetness; cultivate discernment that is joyful, not dry.
Ajna (discernment/inner seeing) and Vishuddha (vivakṣaṇa—true expression)
Lengthen exhale (e.g., 4-in / 6-out) while repeating ‘madhau madire vivakṣaṇe’; pause and listen inwardly for subtle ‘inner voice’.
Settled clarity; sweet, quiet wakefulness.
After chanting, keep silence for 2–3 minutes; note where energy ‘sits’ in the body; gently invite it to rest in the heart-throat-brow axis and speak only from that settled place.
Gentle udatta rises on ‘sīdantaḥ’, ‘gośrīte’, ‘madhau’, ‘vivakṣaṇe’, ‘indra’; keep overall contour smoothing and settling.
Do not over-punch ‘madire’; let it ‘melt’ into ‘vivakṣaṇe’ to convey ecstasy governed by discernment.
‘gośrīte’: go-śrī-te, long ī., ‘madire’: ma-di-re (short a, i)., ‘vivakṣaṇe’: vi-vak-ṣa-ṇe; keep ‘kṣ’ conjunct clear.
Soft, resonant, slightly nasal for sweetness; end with a clear, quiet emphasis on ‘indra’.
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