Rig Veda 3.52.5: Mandala 3, Sukta 52, Mantra 5
Sukta 3.52
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
माध्यंदिनस्य सवनस्य धानाः पुरोळाशमिन्द्र कृष्वेह चारुम् । प्र यत्स्तोता जरिता तूर्ण्यर्थो वृषायमाण उप गीर्भिरीट्टे ॥
mā́dhyandinasya sávanaśya dhānā́ḥ puroḷā́śam indra kṛṣvehá cā́rum | prá yát stotā́ jaritā́ tūrṇyàrtho vṛṣāyámāṇa úpa gīrbhír ī́ṭṭe ||
माध्यंदिनस्य सवनस्य कृते, इन्द्र, इह धानाः पुरोळाशं च चारुं कार्यसाधकं च कुरु। यदा हि स्तोता जरिता च तूर्ण्यर्थः, वृषायमाणः, गीर्भिर्दर्शनवत्याभिः उपेत्य त्वाम् ईट्टे।
Word by Word
- माध्यंदिनस्य
- of the middayNoun/Adjective (tatpuruṣa) प्रयुक्तः विशेषणवत्पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive; सवनस्य विशेषणम्)Root माध्यंदिन (प्रातिपदिक; मध्यं-दिन)
- सवनस्य
- of the Soma-pressing (libation)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive; धानाः/पुरोळाशम् इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः)Root सवन (प्रातिपदिक; √सु ‘to press (Soma)’)
- धानाः
- grains; offerings (of grain)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनRole कर्तृ/विषय (स्तुत्य-उपहाराः; ‘offerings’ as subject)Root धान (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरोळाशम्
- the puroḍāśa cakeNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्म (कृष्व इत्यस्य)Root पुरोळाश (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृष्व
- make! prepare!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √कृ (करोति)
- इह
- hereIndeclinableअव्ययRole अधिकारण (देश)Root इह (अव्यय)
- चारुम्
- beautiful; pleasingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (पुरोळाशम् विशेषयति)Role विशेषण (कर्मणः)Root चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth; forwardIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (गीर्भिः/ईट्टे इत्यस्य)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यत्
- that whichPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (यत् = ‘that which’)Role कर्म (ईट्टे इत्यस्य; ‘what he praises’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तोता
- the praiserNoun (agent)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्ता (ईट्टे इत्यस्य)Root स्तोतृ (प्रातिपदिक; √स्तु ‘to praise’)
- जरिता
- the singer; the laudatorNoun (agent)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्ता (स्तोता इत्यस्य समन्वयः)Root जरितृ (प्रातिपदिक; √गॄ/गिर् ‘to sing/praise’ in RV usage; ‘singer’)
- तूर्ण्यर्थः
- swift-purposed; quick in aimAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (स्तोता/जरिता विशेषयति)Role विशेषण (कर्तुः)Root तूर्णि (प्रातिपदिक ‘swiftly’) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) (बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘having swift aim/purpose’)
- वृषायमाणः
- acting like a bull; growing vigorousParticipleवर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्ता (ईट्टे इत्यस्य; ‘being vigorous’)Root √वृष्/वृषा- (denom./intensive sense ‘to act as a bull; be vigorous’) → वृषायमाण (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- उप
- towards; nearIndeclinable (preverb)अव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण (ईट्टे)Root उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- गीर्भिः
- with hymns; with songsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-बहुवचनRole करण (ईट्टे इत्यस्य)Root गिर् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईट्टे
- praises; invokesVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot √ईड् (ईळते/ईट्टे ‘to praise, invoke’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (RV-पदपाठानुसारं): माध्यंदिनस्य सवनस्य धानाः पुरोळाशम् इन्द्र कृष्व इह चारुम् । प्र यत् स्तोता जरिता तूर्ण्यर्थः वृषायमाणः उप गीर्भिः ईट्टे । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) कृष्वेह = कृष्व + इह (स्वर-सन्धि/स्वर-लोपः; ‘e’ इत्यत्र संधिस्वरः) । (2) यत्स्तोता = यत् + स्तोता (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: त् + स् → त्स्) । (3) गीर्भिरीट्टे = गीर्भिः + ईट्टे (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ः + स्वर → र्; ततः र् + ई… → री…) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
For the midday pressing, prepare the grains and the puroḷāśa beautifully, O Indra. When the praising singer, swift in aim, comes forward like a bull, he approaches and worships you with words.
Inner meaning
At the midday stage—when energies are at their height—the seeker asks Indra to make the prepared forces (dhānāḥ) and the formed offering (puroḷāśa) ‘cāru’—beautiful, harmonious, effective. The stotā/jaritā (the soul’s praising power) advances with quick purpose (tūrṇy-artha), ‘bull-like’ (vṛṣāyamāṇa): a concentrated, virile push of force and courage. Worship happens through gīḥ—vision-bearing words—speech that carries inner seeing, not mere sound.
Universal truth
In the middle of effort, quality matters: power must become harmonious and rightly formed. When aspiration is swift, concentrated, and courageous, and speech is aligned with vision, the higher intelligence responds and strengthens the work.
Themes
midday pressing, intensified aspiration, speech as instrument of approach, formation of offering
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Gāthina (Kauśika association later)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.52, RV 3.53, RV 3.54
Family tradition
Dynamic Indra-invocations emphasizing strength (vṛṣan) and the power of the stotā’s speech.
Significance
The rishi teaches the ‘midday discipline’: convert peak vital energy into a beautiful, ordered offering; let speech become vision-led to draw Indra’s force.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vṛṣan (bull), maghavan, śakra
- Related deities
- Maruts (force companions), Agni, Soma
Cosmic role
Gives victorious force at the height of the cycle; turns raw power into effective accomplishment.
Inner power
Transforms vital intensity into illumined, harmonious action; supports swift, goal-directed aspiration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Mādhyaṃdina-savana (midday Soma pressing)
माध्यं॑दिनस्य॒ सव॑नस्य धा॒नाः पु॑रो॒ळाश॑मिन्द्र कृष्वे॒ह चारु॑म् । प्र यत्स्तो॒ता ज॑रि॒ता तूर्ण्य॑र्थो वृषा॒यमा॑ण॒ उप॑ गी॒र्भिरीट्टे॑ ॥
माध्य॑न्दिनस्य । सव॑नस्य । धा॒नाः । पु॒रो॒ळास॑म् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । कृ॒ष्व॒ । इ॒ह । चारु॑म् । प्र । यत् । स्तो॒ता । ज॒रि॒ता । तूर्णि॑ऽअर्थः । वृ॒ष॒ऽयमा॑णः । उप॑ । गीः॒ऽभिः । ईट्टे॑ ॥
mādhyandinasya | savanasya | dhānāḥ | puroḷāsam | indra | kṛṣva | iha | cārum | pra | yat | stotā | jaritā | tūrṇi-arthaḥ | vṛṣa-yamāṇaḥ | upa | gīḥ-bhiḥ | īṭe
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Expansive and driving; suited to energetic midday invocation.
Energizes and mobilizes; supports forward movement and courage while keeping a dignified cadence.
- mādhyaṃdina-savana (माध्यंदिनस्य सवनस्य)
- Literal: midday pressing. Symbolic: mid-course of sadhana/day: peak energy, decisive engagement with action
- dhānāḥ (धानाः)
- Literal: grains. Symbolic: seed-forces of works; structured energies and capacities to be offered
- cāru (चारु)
- Literal: beautiful, pleasing, well-formed. Symbolic: harmonized formation—right rhythm, proportion, and sincerity in inner offering
- stotā/jaritā (स्तोता/जरिता)
- Literal: praiser/singer. Symbolic: the praising soul-faculty; aspiration that names and affirms the divine
- tūrṇy-artha (तूर्ण्यर्थ)
- Literal: swift in aim/purpose. Symbolic: concentrated intention, decisive direction of will
- vṛṣāyamāṇa (वृषायमाण)
- Literal: acting like a bull. Symbolic: strong, fearless force of the illumined will pushing through resistance
- gīrbhiḥ (गीर्भिः)
- Literal: with words/hymns. Symbolic: mantric speech carrying vision and formative power
Mādhyandina-savana (midday Soma pressing); intensification of praise and strengthening of offering
At the midday pressing with Indra-focused stotra/śastra
Preparation/beautification of offerings; recitation by the praising priest
Midday reset: before demanding tasks, re-offer your energies; ask that power become ‘cāru’—clear, clean, and effective rather than agitated.
माध्यन्दिन (mādhyandina) from मध्य (madhya) ‘middle’ + दिन (dina) ‘day’ → midday; mapped inwardly to a more established illumination. कृष्व (kṛṣva) imperative of √kṛ ‘do, make’—Indra is asked to ‘make’ the offering cāru (pleasing), i.e., to confer right formation. वृष (vṛṣ) ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain, to be virile/strong’ → emblem of forceful energy; vṛṣa-yamāṇa ‘exerting bull-force’. गीः (gīḥ) ‘songs/utterances’ from √gai/gī ‘sing’.
tapas/energy as vṛṣan-force, ṛta as right formation (cāru) and right execution (tūrṇi-artha)
‘Cāru’ signifies energies shaped into ṛta—right form and proportion.
Gīḥ as truth-bearing speech: satya expressed becomes force.
Formation (ṛbhumat) and beautification: creation as shaping raw seed into luminous work.
Integral yoga of works: consecrated action at the peak of energy, governed by illumined mind.
midday
Sun at zenith = peak consciousness/energy; grain = capacities; bull = concentrated force that breaks through inertia.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ascent of the sacrificer’s force through the three pressings: here the midday stage shows a stronger, bull-like onward drive of aspiration. Mythically, Indra is the power that makes the offering ‘cāru’ (fit/beautiful) so the human approach becomes effective union with the god.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √kṛ ‘do/make’ is PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘do, make’ (broadly reflected across IE as ‘create/do’ roots). The bull-image vṛṣ- ties to Indo-Iranian strength/virility symbolism; √gai/gī ‘sing’ parallels PIE *gʷeh₂-? (uncertain), but the ritual role of ‘song’ as effective speech is a shared archaic IE poetic feature.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely present an offering; he asks Indra to ‘make it cāru’—to perfect the human preparation. The singer’s swift purpose and forceful approach are answered by Indra’s formative power, establishing a collaboration: human intensity + divine right-shaping.
Convert intensity into harmony: feel a strong will rising, then refine it into clear, ordered action.
Maṇipūra (power) guided by Ājñā (direction)
Kapalabhāti 30–60 strokes (if suitable), then calm breathing and one chant to ‘beautify’ the force
Dynamic concentration—alert, forward-driving, yet ordered.
At midday, pause 2 minutes: gather scattered energies, offer them upward, then act with one-pointed aim (tūrṇy-artha) and truth-speaking (gīḥ).
Rigvedic accents; maintain strong lift on índra and vṛṣāyamāṇa; keep long pādas flowing.
Chant in four clear triṣṭubh lines; avoid breaking ‘tūrṇyartho vṛṣāyamāṇaḥ’—keep it as a single surge.
mādhyaṃdinasya: nasal ‘ṃ’ before d; keep conjunct ‘dhy’ clear, kṛṣveha: retroflex ṣ; split as kṛṣv-eh-a for clarity, īṭṭe: double ṭṭ; crisp retroflex stop
Full, ringing, forward-propelling; avoid harshness—aim for ‘cāru’ tone.
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