Rig Veda 10.153.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 153, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.153
- Rishi
- As above for RV 10.153
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh or a mixed late meter
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism)
त्वमिन्द्र बलादधि सहसो जात ओजसः । त्वं वृषन्वृषेदसि ॥
tvám indra balā́d ádhi sáhaso jātá ójasaḥ | tváṃ vṛṣán vṛ́ṣed asi ||
त्वम् इन्द्र बलादधि सहसो जात ओजसः। त्वं वृषन् वृषेदसि॥
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thou (you)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग-प्रयोग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- बलात्
- from strength / from forceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादानRoot बल (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, over; on the basis ofIndeclinableअव्यय; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-निपातRole अधिकरण (संबन्ध/अधिष्ठान-भाव) / क्रियाविशेषणRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- सहसः
- of might, of forceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root सहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- जातः
- born, arisenParticiple (past passive)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot √जन् (जनि) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- ओजसः
- of vigor, of strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- thou (you)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग-प्रयोग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषन्
- O Bull (mighty one)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषेदसि
- O bull-hearted/strong-minded oneNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन (वेदिक रूप: -असि = voc. sg.)Role सम्बोधनRoot वृषेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद: त्वम् इन्द्र बलात् अधि सहसः जातः ओजसः । त्वम् वृषन् वृषेदसि ॥ 1) त्वमि॑न्द्र = त्वम् + इन्द्र (म् + इ → मि)
- 2) बला॒दधि = बलात् + अधि (त् + अ → द् + अ; वैदिक संधि-रूप)
- 3) सह॑सो जा॒त = सहसः + जातः (ः + ज → ओ/अवग्रह-रहित संधि; उच्चारण में विसर्ग-लोप/परिवर्तन)
- 4) वृ॑ष॒न्वृषेद॑सि = वृषन् + वृषेदसि (न् + व → न्व)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is born from strength upon strength, from might and energy; he is the Bull, the seat of bull-force.
Inner meaning
Illumined Mind (Indra) arises when force is purified into force—balāt adhi sahasaḥ: strength built on disciplined strength, ardor forged from ardor. Ojasaḥ indicates concentrated energy of consciousness; not mere excitement but gathered potency. Indra is vṛṣan/vṛṣā: the fecund, impelling power that pours vigor into the being; vṛṣed (seat of the bull-force) suggests a stable basis in the nature where this luminous power can abide and rule.
Universal truth
True spiritual strength is cumulative and self-refining: power grows when energy is repeatedly organized, intensified, and made steady in truth.
Themes
Empowerment, Ojas, Virility symbolism, Indra-force
The seer
- Rishi
- Tradition uncertain for RV 10.153 (late/appendix hymn); attribution varies in ancillary lists
- Other hymns
- RV 10.153.1-5
Significance
The seer emphasizes the ‘birth’ of Indra from layered powers—suggesting experiential stages where energy is progressively converted into illumined strength.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vṛtrahan (implied in the sequence), vṛṣan, ojīyas (strong through ojas, implied), bala-sahasa-jāta (born of strength and might)
- Related deities
- Maruts (supporting energies that increase Indra’s force), Soma (delight that intensifies ojas), Agni (will that prepares the birth of Indra)
Cosmic role
Central champion of the gods: concentrates force, defeats obstruction, and establishes the luminous order.
Inner power
Master-force of the thinking mind when it becomes luminous, decisive, and victorious over doubt and inertia.
In ritual
Where it is used
General Indra praise for strength/victory; adaptable to Soma praise setting
त्वमि॑न्द्र॒ बला॒दधि॒ सह॑सो जा॒त ओज॑सः । त्वं वृ॑ष॒न्वृषेद॑सि ॥
त्वम् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । बला॑त् । अधि॑ । सह॑सः । जा॒तः । ओज॑सः । त्वम् । वृ॒ष॒न् । वृषा॑ । इत् । अ॒सि॒ ॥
tvam | indra | balāt | adhi | sahasaḥ | jātaḥ | ojasaḥ | tvavm | vṛṣan | vṛṣā | it | asi
Likely Gāyatrī (short tri-pāda), with late-Vedic flexibility
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3 × ~8 syllables (approx.; verify by scansion of each pāda as received)
Hammering, cumulative cadence—mirrors ‘strength upon strength’.
Builds inner firmness; repetition can feel like stacking power, stabilizing the will.
- balāt adhi
- Literal: upon/above strength. Symbolic: a higher formation of power built on earlier disciplines; ascent of capacity
- sahasaḥ
- Literal: from might/force. Symbolic: tapas-energized intensity; the ardor that breaks limitations
- ojasaḥ
- Literal: from vigor/energy. Symbolic: concentrated spiritual energy; gathered potency of consciousness
- vṛṣan / vṛṣā
- Literal: bull, strong male. Symbolic: impelling, fertilizing dynamis of illumination that makes the being fruitful in truth
- vṛṣed
- Literal: seat/abode of the bull. Symbolic: a stable inner foundation where the illumined force is established
Mantra of empowerment: invoked to intensify ojas and sahas in the practitioner; suitable in rites seeking strength and victorious capacity.
When invoking vigor, victory, and steadfast power in rite or undertaking
Recited as stuti to intensify the sacrificial force and invite Indra’s empowering presence
Use before difficult conversations, disciplined practice, or inner confrontation with habitual patterns.
bala ‘strength’ (later common), sahas from √sah ‘to be strong, prevail’, ojas related to √uj/ojas ‘vigor’. vṛṣan from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, be virile’—links storm fecundity to inner potency. vṛṣeda: vṛṣa + -eda (seat/base), indicating Indra as the foundation of force.
Ojas as spiritual-vital energy, Indra as archetype of victorious will, Generation of power from power (self-augmenting force)
Indra’s power is ‘right power’ when founded on ṛta—strength aligned with truth rather than impulse.
The ‘seat’ indicates establishment: truth not as idea but as embodied stability.
Generation of divine force from intensified energies—inner evolution of power.
Integral-yogic psychological exegesis (Aurobindo/Kashyap line)
Vital energy is transmuted into spiritual ojas; illumination becomes a stable governing strength.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as self-born from force: a theogony of power where strength, might, and ojas generate the champion. Psychologically, the verse teaches that the Indra-principle increases by concentrating energies—power compounding into a stable seat (vṛṣeda).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sah (sahas) continues PIE *seǵʰ- ‘to hold out, overcome’ (cognate network includes ‘strong/endure’ notions). The bull symbolism (vṛṣan) parallels Indo-European storm/virility imagery, where the thunderer is linked to fecund force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi describes Indra’s substance as layered force (bala–sahas–ojas), implying a yogic method: gather and elevate energies so the Indra-power can be ‘born’ and established. Praise functions as knowledge of the deity’s law, enabling its operation in the seeker.
Feel power gathering in the spine and chest, then rising to the brow as clarity; affirm that higher strength is born from disciplined strength.
Maṇipūra (organized power) rising to Ājñā (illumined command)
Inhale: ‘bala/sahas’ (gather); exhale: ‘ojas’ (concentrate). Keep smooth, not forceful.
Concentration → intensification → stable mastery
Repeat the mantra in sets; after each set, pause and sense where power becomes steady (vṛṣed)—then act from that steadiness.
Follow transmitted accents; prominent rises typically on índra, balā́d, sáhasaḥ, ojásaḥ, vṛ́ṣan, vṛṣéd (confirm per accent text).
Make the cadence cumulative: each udātta slightly clearer than the last, without increasing volume harshly.
tvam: crisp ‘tva-’, avoid inserting a vowel., balād adhi: maintain long ā in balāt; clear separation before adhi., sahaso: pronounce ‘sa-ha-so’, not ‘saa-so’., vṛṣan/vṛṣā: vocalic ṛ as short ‘ri’ (retroflex quality), not ‘ru’.
Firm, resonant, chest-supported; avoid shouting—think ‘collected strength’.
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