Rig Veda 4.17.2: Mandala 4, Sukta 17, Mantra 2
Sukta 4.17
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury) and Vira (heroism)
तव त्विषो जनिमन्रेजत द्यौ रेजद्भूमिर्भियसा स्वस्य मन्योः । ऋघायन्त सुभ्वः पर्वतास आर्दन्धन्वानि सरयन्त आपः ॥
táva tviṣó jániman rejata dyáu rejád bhū́mir bhiyásā svásya mányoḥ | ṛghā́yanta subhvàḥ पर्वatāsa ā́rdan dhánvāni sárayante ā́paḥ ||
तव त्विषो जनिमन् रेजत द्यौः; रेजद् भूमिर्भियसा स्वस्य मन्योः। ऋघायन्त शुभ्वः पर्वतासः; आर्दन् धन्वानि, सरयन्त आपः।
Word by Word
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root त्वद् (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्विषः
- of (your) splendour / mightNounषष्ठी एकवचन (वैदिक रूप; ‘तव’ इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)Role सम्बन्धRoot त्विष् (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक ‘splendour, might’)
- जनिमन्
- the begetting / birth (act of generating)Nounप्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (रेजत् इत्यस्य)Root जनिमन् (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक ‘birth, begetting; origin’)
- रेजत्
- shook / made trembleVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट् 3 एकवचन (वैदिक: injunctive/preterite usage), परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √रेज् (कम्पने ‘to tremble, shake’)
- द्यौः
- the heavenNounप्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृ (रेजत्—द्वितीय-समुच्चयः) / अथवा सहकर्तृRoot द्यौ (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक ‘sky, heaven’)
- रेजत्
- shook / trembledVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट् 3 एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √रेज्
- भूमिः
- the earthNounप्रथमा एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot भूमि (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक ‘earth’)
- भियसा
- with fear / from fearNoun (instrumental used adverbially)तृतीया एकवचनRole करण (हेतु/साधन-भावे: ‘with/through fear’)Root भियस्/भियसा (नपुं./अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग; ‘fear’)
- स्वस्य
- of his own / of its ownPronoun/Adjectiveषष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक ‘own’)
- मन्योः
- of (his) wrathNounषष्ठी एकवचन (वैदिक: -योः as gen.sg. beside dual)Role सम्बन्ध (भियसा—कस्य? स्वस्य मन्योः)Root मन्यु (पुं. प्रातिपदिक ‘wrath, fury’)
- ऋघायन्त
- they roared / ragedVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट् 3 बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √ऋघाय् (वैदिक धातु ‘to rage/roar; be violent’)
- सुभ्वः
- the strong ones / the well-formed (ones)Adjective (used substantively)प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (ऋघायन्त इत्यस्य)Root सुभ्व (पुं. प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक ‘good/strong, well-formed’; here as epithet)
- पर्वतासः
- the mountainsNounप्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (ऋघायन्त—समुच्चयः)Root पर्वत (पुं. प्रातिपदिक ‘mountain’)
- आर्दन्
- they shook / batteredVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट् 3 बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √अर्द् (हिंसागत्योः ‘to press, strike, shake’)
- धन्वानि
- the deserts / dry tractsNounद्वितीया बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot धन्वन् (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक ‘waste, desert; dry tract’)
- सरयन्त
- they caused to flow / they streamedVerbलङ्/इम्पर्फेक्ट् 3 बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot √सृ (गत्यर्थ ‘to flow, run’) + caus./denom. सरय- (वैदिक ‘to set in motion, make flow’)
- आपः
- the watersNounप्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot आप् (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक ‘waters’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): तव | त्विषः | जनिमन् | रेजत् | द्यौः | रेजत् | भूमिः | भियसा | स्वस्य | मन्योः | ऋघायन्त | सुभ्वः | पर्वतासः | आर्दन् | धन्वानि | सरयन्त | आपः । 1) ‘तव त्विषः’ = तव + त्विषः (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध). 2) ‘जनिमन् रेजत’ में बाह्यसन्धि नहीं (नकारान्त-नपुंसक + र-). 3) ‘रेजद्भूमिः’ पाठ में रेजत् + भूमिः (त् + भ् → द्भ्) से संधि-रूप ‘रेजद्भूमिः’. 4) ‘भियसा स्वस्य’ में विसर्ग/सन्धि नहीं (अन्त्य-अ + स्). 5) ‘मन्योः ऋघायन्त’ में ओः + ऋ → ओ ऋ (पदविराम). 6) ‘सुभ्वः पर्वतासः’ में विसर्ग-पूर्व पदान्तः
- पदपाठ में पृथक्. 7) ‘आर्दन्धन्वानि’ पाठ में आर्दन् + धन्वानि (न् + ध् → न्ध्) से ‘आर्दन्धन्वानि’
The meaning
Outer meaning
At the birth of Indra’s blazing force, heaven trembled and earth shook in fear of his wrath. Mountains quivered, dry lands were drenched, and waters ran forth.
Inner meaning
When the power of illumination is born in the seeker (tviṣo janiman), the established order of the lower nature is shaken: habitual mind (heaven) and embodied foundation (earth) tremble because the old balance was built on limitation. The ‘wrath’ (manyu) is the fierce divine insistence that will no longer tolerate obscurity. The ‘mountains’ are hardened formations—fixed mental structures and subconscient mass; the ‘dry lands’ are barren stretches of life without rasa (sap, joy). Under Indra’s uprising, rigidity quivers, aridity is drenched, and the waters—living currents of consciousness—begin to run again.
Universal truth
True transformation is not gentle to the old inertia: the birth of higher power shakes entrenched patterns, softens dryness, and restores living flow in the psyche.
Themes
cosmic trembling, power epiphany, aridity to flow, Indra’s transformative zeal
The seer
- Rishi
- Vāmadeva Gautama
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- RV 4.17.1 (sovereignty and Vṛtra-slaying), RV 4.17.3 (mountain split; waters rush), RV 4.16 (praise that increases iṣa)
Family tradition
Vāmadeva’s Indra hymns frequently dramatize the moment of power’s emergence as a cosmic event mirrored in the inner worlds.
Significance
He articulates the ‘birth’ of force as a turning point: the psyche’s structures respond, and the flows of consciousness are set in motion.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- tviṣīmān (blazing), ugra (fierce), vṛtrahan
- Related deities
- Maruts (storm-forces), Soma (rapture that feeds power), Agni (will that kindles)
Cosmic role
Catalyst of cosmic movement; awakener whose force makes the worlds tremble and waters flow.
Inner power
Transformative intensity that destabilizes inertia, breaks rigidity, and rehydrates the being with living currents.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in Soma ritual cycles; verses describing the power’s emergence accompany invocations for force and release.
तव॑ त्वि॒षो जनि॑मन्रेजत॒ द्यौ रेज॒द्भूमि॑र्भि॒यसा॒ स्वस्य॑ म॒न्योः । ऋ॒घा॒यन्त॑ सु॒भ्व१॒॑: पर्व॑तास॒ आर्द॒न्धन्वा॑नि स॒रय॑न्त॒ आप॑: ॥
तव॑ । त्वि॒षः । जनि॑मन् । रे॒ज॒त॒ । द्यौः । रेज॑त् । भूमिः॑ । भि॒यसा॑ । स्वस्य॑ । म॒न्योः । ऋ॒घा॒यन्त॑ । सु॒ऽभ्वः॑ । पर्व॑तासः । आर्द॑न् । धन्वा॑नि । स॒रय॑न्ते । आपः॑ ॥
tava | tviṣaḥ | janiman | rejata | dyauḥ | rejat | bhūmiḥ | bhiyasā | svasya | manyoḥ | ṛghāyanta | su-bhvaḥ | parvatāsaḥ | ārdan | dhanvāni | sarayante | āpaḥ
44
4×11 (approx.)
Tremor-like emphasis through repeated ‘rej-’ (tremble) sounds; powerful rolling cadence.
Creates a visceral sense of shaking loose; good for breaking lethargy and awakening energy.
- त्विष् (tviṣ)
- Literal: splendor, blaze. Symbolic: luminous intensity of awakened consciousness-force
- जनि॑मन (janiman)
- Literal: birth, coming-into-being. Symbolic: initial emergence of higher power in sādhanā
- मन्युः (manyuḥ)
- Literal: wrath, fervor. Symbolic: divine ardor/insistence that destroys compromise with darkness
- पर्वत (parvata)
- Literal: mountains. Symbolic: fixed resistances; hardened mental/subconscient formations
- धन्वानि (dhanvāni)
- Literal: dry lands, deserts. Symbolic: inner aridity; life-parts cut off from joy and truth
- आपः (āpaḥ)
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: currents of consciousness, delight, and truth-movement
Mythic intensification following Vṛtra episode; used to evoke Indra’s overwhelming energy in Soma praise
In Indra-centered recitations where cosmic effects of his might are proclaimed.
Stotra/śastra recitation; offering to strengthen Indra’s presence and effect.
Use when one needs to ‘shake off’ tamas: before exercise-yoga, disciplined study, or a decisive inner reset.
tviṣ ‘splendour/blaze’ denotes energetic radiance. manyú can be ‘wrath’ but also ‘ardent force’—a psychological zeal that shakes fixed structures. ā́paḥ ‘waters’ are multivalent: physical waters and inner flows of life/clarity. dhanvan ‘dry land’ supports symbolic ‘aridity’ remedied by the released waters.
tviṣ (radiant force), manyu (zeal/wrath as transformative energy), release of waters (life/truth currents)
The running waters indicate ṛta re-entering the fields of life; right movement replaces stagnation.
Indra’s force births motion toward truth by removing fear-based equilibrium.
Reanimation of the world: dryness becomes fertile when higher power manifests.
Yoga of transformation: tapas as catalytic force that reorganizes nature around truth.
Cosmic trembling = inner reconfiguration; mountains/deserts = rigidity and aridity; waters = revived consciousness-flow and rasa.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The cosmic shaking at the arising of Indra’s tviṣ and manyu: heaven, earth, mountains respond; arid places are drenched and waters run—an amplification of the liberation motif where divine force destabilizes hardened formations and restores flow.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyauḥ again reflects PIE *dyeu-. The ‘cosmic trembling’ trope is common in IE theophany descriptions. āpaḥ ‘waters’ has Indo-Iranian continuity (Avestan āp-) indicating inherited sacral hydrology and symbolic ‘waters of life’ semantics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and re-enacts the theophany through speech: by naming the birth of tviṣ and manyu, he calls that same transformative power into the ritual-psychic field, so that inner aridity and hardness yield to liberated flow.
Witness the ‘trembling’ of old patterns as a sign of progress; invite the divine ardor (manyu) to purify without self-hatred.
Intense tapas with widening release; from pressure to flow.
Chant with steady spine. On ‘rejata’ feel subtle vibration in the chest/head; on ‘ārdan dhanvāni’ imagine dry inner zones receiving rain. End with quiet attention to spontaneous inner ‘flow’—thoughts moving without friction.
Rigvedic svara; give audible lift on repeated ‘rejata/ rejad’ to enact trembling through pitch contour.
Do not rush the consonant clusters; keep ‘tviṣo janiman’ clean and bright; emphasize long vowels in ‘ārdan’ and ‘āpaḥ’.
‘tviṣo’ = tvi-ṣo (clear ṣ), ‘rejata’ with soft j, not ‘regeta’, ‘bhiyasā’ keep bh aspirate, ‘sarayante āpaḥ’ keep final ḥ audible but light
Intense, focused, slightly forceful but controlled; let resonance carry the ‘quake’.
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