Rig Veda 10.74.4: Mandala 10, Sukta 74, Mantra 4
Sukta 10.74
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ तत्त इन्द्रायवः पनन्ताभि य ऊर्वं गोमन्तं तितृत्सान् । सकृत्स्वं ये पुरुपुत्रां महीं सहस्रधारां बृहतीं दुदुक्षन् ॥
ā tát ta indrā́yávaḥ panantā́bhi yá ū́rvaṃ gómantaṃ títṛtsān | sakṛ́t-sváṃ yé puru-putrā́m mahī́ṃ sahásra-dhārāṃ bṛhatī́ṃ dudúkṣan ||
आ तत्त इन्द्रायवः पनन्ताभि य ऊर्वं गोमन्तं तितृत्सान् । सकृत्स्वं ये पुरुपुत्रां महीं सहस्रधारां बृहतीं दुदुक्षन् ॥
Word by Word
- आ
- towards; forthIndeclinableupasarga/nipāta (directional/intensifying)Root आ (upasarga) / ā (nipāta)
- तत्
- thatPronounneuter nominative/accusative singularRole Karma (object, with implied verb ‘bring/offer/lead’)Root तद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- ते
- to youPronoundative singular (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot त्वद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- इन्द्राय
- to IndraNounmasculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- अयवः
- the Āyavas (a clan/people)Nounmasculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot अयु/अयव (prātipadika; Vedic ‘Āyu/Āyava’ people/descendants)
- पनन्त
- praise; extolVerbpresent indicative, 3rd person plural, parasmaipadaRole Kriyā (finite verb)Root पन् (धातु; ‘to praise/admire’, Vedic)
- अभि
- towards; uponIndeclinablepreverb/adverbRoot अभि (upasarga/avyaya)
- ये
- whoPronounmasculine nominative pluralRole Kartā (of the relative clause)Root यद् (relative pronoun)
- ऊर्वम्
- enclosure; pen; foldNounmasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot ऊर्व (prātipadika)
- गोमन्तम्
- rich in cattleAdjectivemasculine accusative singularRole Karma (qualifier of ऊर्वम्)Root गोमन्त् (adjectival prātipadika)
- तितृत्सान्
- those desiring to cross/overcomeParticiplemasculine accusative plural (present active desiderative participle)Role Karma (object: ‘those wishing to cross/overcome’)Root तितृत्सु (desiderative present participle from √तॄ/√तॢ ‘to cross, overcome’)
- सकृत्स्वम्
- once (their) ownCompound (indeclinable + adjective)सकृत् indeclinable + स्वम् neuter accusative singularRole Karma/Adverbial (once; one’s own)Root सकृत् (avyaya ‘once’) + स्व (prātipadika ‘own’)
- ये
- whoPronounmasculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot यद् (relative pronoun)
- पुरुपुत्राम्
- having many sonsAdjectivefeminine accusative singularRole Karma (qualifier of महीम्)Root पुरु-पुत्र (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa adjectival prātipadika)
- महीम्
- the great (one); the earth/Great LadyNounfeminine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot मही (prātipadika)
- सहस्रधाराम्
- having a thousand streamsAdjectivefeminine accusative singularRole Karma (qualifier of महीम्)Root सहस्र-धारा (compound prātipadika)
- बृहतीम्
- lofty; vast; ‘Bṛhatī’ (great)Adjective/Nounfeminine accusative singularRole Karma (qualifier of महीम्)Root बृहती (prātipadika)
- दुदुक्षन्
- they milked; drew forth (abundance)Verb3rd person plural, injunctive/aorist-form (Vedic), parasmaipadaRole Kriyā (finite verb)Root दुह् (धातु ‘to milk’) with reduplication (intensive/iterative aorist-like injunctive in Vedic usage)
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved sandhi/word-joins as: आ | तत् | ते | इन्द्राय | अयवः | पनन्त | अभि | ये | ऊर्वम् | गोमन्तम् | तितृत्सान् | सकृत् + स्वम् → सकृत्स्वम् | ये | पुरुपुत्राम् | महीम् | सहस्रधाराम् | बृहतीम् | दुदुक्षन्. Accent marks in the saṃhitā text (e.g., तत्त॑, इन्द्रा॒य, ऊ॒र्वं, गोम॑न्तं, तितृ॑त्सान्, सहस्र॑धारां, बृह॒तीं, दुदु॑क्षन्) are noted but not re-applied per-pada here
- they belong to saṃhitā prosody and may shift with pada separation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra’s seekers press toward a rich store full of cows; they wish to cross over to it. Those who awaken their own wide Earth—many-born, thousand-streaming—make her yield abundance.
Inner meaning
The aspirants (āyavaḥ) move toward Indra’s plenitude: the ‘store’ (ūrva) rich in go—rays of knowledge. To ‘cross over’ is to pass beyond limiting consciousness into the luminous fullness. When the seeker awakens the ‘Earth’ (mahī)—the wide foundational nature of the being—she becomes puruputrā (many-formed energies) and sahasradhārā (thousand-streaming movements of force) and begins to ‘milk’ (dudukṣan) abundance: a steady outflow of insight, strength, and joy into life.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is a crossing from limitation to plenitude; when the foundation of life-nature is awakened and widened, abundance flows naturally as many streams of capacity and understanding.
Themes
Indra-victory, Recovery of light (go), Plenitude-vessel (ūrva), Expansion into the Vast (bṛhat)
The seer
Significance
The verse reads like a yogic description of the sādhaka’s movement: aspiration, crossing, and the awakening of the ‘Earth’ of nature to become a vessel of Indra’s light.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- illuminer, giver of plenitude, opener of the rich store (ūrva)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (opens the hidden), Sarasvatī (streaming inspiration), Uṣas (awakening illumination)
Cosmic role
Breaks open the hidden plenitudes and releases the rays (go) for the worlds; leads the crossing beyond obstruction.
Inner power
Decisive luminous intelligence that widens the foundation and releases multiple streams of capacity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra recitation within soma offerings (general Indra context)
आ तत्त॑ इन्द्रा॒यव॑: पनन्ता॒भि य ऊ॒र्वं गोम॑न्तं॒ तितृ॑त्सान् । स॒कृ॒त्स्वं१॒॑ ये पु॑रुपु॒त्रां म॒हीं स॒हस्र॑धारां बृह॒तीं दुदु॑क्षन् ॥
आ । तत् । ते॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । आ॒यवः॑ । प॒न॒न्त॒ । अ॒भि । ये । ऊ॒र्वम् । गोऽम॑न्तम् । तितृ॑त्सान् । स॒कृ॒त्ऽस्व॑म् । ये । पु॒रु॒ऽपु॒त्राम् । म॒हीम् । स॒हस्र॑ऽधाराम् । बृ॒ह॒तीम् । दुधु॑क्षन् ॥
ā | tat | te | indra | āyavaḥ | pananta | abhi | ye | ūrvam | go--mantam | titṛtsān | sakṛt-svam | ye | puru-putrām | mahīm | sahasra-dhārām | bṛhatīm | dudhukṣan
Likely Triṣṭubh (four 11-syllable pādas; cadence fits Indra-invocation style)
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4 × ~11 (triṣṭubh-type)
Forward-driving, aspirational movement; strong enjambment feel toward the ‘crossing’.
Energizes aspiration and confidence; evokes widening and release.
- indra
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind/illumination-force that opens the luminous plenitude
- āyavaḥ
- Literal: seekers/approachers. Symbolic: aspirants pressing toward higher consciousness
- ūrva
- Literal: enclosure/store/full bin. Symbolic: inner plenitude-storehouse; fullness of being held in the luminous plane
- gomantam
- Literal: possessing cows. Symbolic: filled with rays of knowledge (go) and their nourishing powers
- titṛtsān
- Literal: wishing to cross over. Symbolic: urge to pass beyond the coverer—transition to higher poise
- mahīm
- Literal: the great/wide Earth. Symbolic: the widened physical-vital foundation capable of holding light
- puruputrām
- Literal: many-soned/many-born. Symbolic: many energies, faculties, and formations emerging in the nature
- sahasradhārām
- Literal: thousand-streaming. Symbolic: continuous multiple currents of force, inspiration, and delight
- dudukṣan
- Literal: they milk/make yield. Symbolic: draw forth the abundance of the awakened nature
Indra-invocation for victory and the release of plenitude (go/rayi) in soma-related offerings; exact śrauta placement not specified.
During Indra’s praise in soma-yāga sequences; also suitable as a motivational recitation before effort.
Stotra/śastra-style praise to invoke Indra’s opening of plenitude.
Use when beginning a challenging transition (career shift, inner breakthrough): meditate on ‘crossing’ into the store rich in rays (gomantam ūrva).
indra- from √ind ‘to kindle, be powerful’ (traditional), functioning as victorious luminous force. ū́rva- ‘enclosure/store’ (also ‘belly’), symbolic ‘plenitude-vessel’. go-mant ‘possessing go’; go from √gā ‘to go’ and Vedic polyvalence: ‘cow’ → ray, light, knowledge. títṛts- from desiderative of √tṛ ‘to cross’. mahī́ ‘the great/wide’ aligns with bṛhát (√bṛh ‘to grow, expand’). dudúkṣan from √duh ‘to milk’ → to draw out hidden abundance.
Crossing beyond limitation (√tṛ) as inner passage, Bṛhat (the Vast) as spiritual wideness, Go as light/knowledge recovered and made fruitful
The ‘triple order’ implicit in the hymn-unit suggests ordered progression of forces; abundance flows when movement aligns with ṛta.
Go (rays) as truth-illumination; the store is satya’s plenitude held in Indra’s plane.
Release of hidden plenitude into the manifested earth-nature; transformation of the foundation to carry vastness.
Integral psychological Veda: awakening of prakṛti (earth-nature) by the luminous mind-force.
dawn-to-morning (awakening and release motif)
The ‘earth’ is the embodied base; ‘cows’ are rays; ‘streams’ are currents of inspired force; ‘milking’ is drawing realizations into life.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A transposition of the ‘finding the cows / releasing abundance’ myth into inner terms: seekers of Indra attempt to ‘cross over’ to a gomant store (light-filled plenitude). The ‘milking’ of the vast Earth indicates drawing out latent streams of consciousness-force once the foundation is made truly ‘one’s own’ (sakṛt-svam).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tṛ ‘cross’ is PIE *terh₁- (cf. Latin trāns ‘across’ in semantic neighborhood; English ‘through’ from *terh₁). √duh ‘milk’ has IE parallels in pastoral lexicon (though direct cognates vary). √bṛh ‘grow, expand’ corresponds to IE expansion semantics (cf. English ‘broad’ from PIE *bʰreh₁-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Indra is approached as the empowering force for the decisive crossing and release. The human side is striving (pan-) and readiness to pass beyond; the divine side is the capacity to open the ‘store’ and make the wide foundation yield its thousand streams.
Feel aspiration ‘pressing forward’ (panantā) into a luminous store; widen the bodily base (earth) to receive multiple streams of force.
Mūlādhāra (earth-foundation) to Ājñā (Indra/illumined mind linkage)
Brisk-energetic inhale to the brow, slow exhale grounding into the base; repeat for 7 cycles (echo of ‘seven and seven’ motif in the surrounding hymn material).
Dynamic widening; confident crossing beyond inner resistance.
Identify one limiting boundary; on each recitation, imagine stepping over it into a bright enclosure of ‘rays’, then let that light descend to stabilize the whole life-nature.
Three-tone Vedic contour; emphasize udatta on key invocatory words (indra, gomantam, mahīm). Exact svara requires pada-svara text.
Crescendo through ā tat te indra…; sustain on gomantam; broaden and soften on mahīm sahasradhārām bṛhatīm.
Maintain nasal in pananta, Hard dental t in titṛtsān (with ṛ), Clear conjunct in sahasradhārām
Bright, forward, uplifting; keep articulation crisp.
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