Rig Veda 8.37.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 37, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.37
- Rishi
- Śyāvāśva Ātreya
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
श्यावाश्वस्य रेभतस्तथा शृणु यथाशृणोरत्रेः कर्माणि कृण्वतः । प्र त्रसदस्युमाविथ त्वमेक इन्नृषाह्य इन्द्र क्षत्राणि वर्धयन् ॥
śyāvā́śvasya rébhatas táthā śṛṇu yáthā́śṛṇor átreḥ kármāṇi kṛṇvatáḥ | prá trasádasyum āvitha tvám éka ín nṛṣā́hya índra kṣatrā́ṇi vardháyan ||
श्यावाश्वस्य रेभतस्तथा शृणु यथाशृणोरत्रेः कर्माणि कृण्वतः। प्र त्रसदस्युमाविथ त्वमेक इन्नृषाह्य इन्द्र क्षत्राणि वर्धयन्॥
Word by Word
- श्यावाश्वस्य
- of ŚyāvāśvaNoun (proper name)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root श्यावाश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- रेभतस्
- of Rebhat (the singer/poet)Noun/Adjective (proper epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot रेभत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तथा
- so, thusIndeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot तथा
- शृणु
- hear! listen!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root श्रु (धातु)
- यथा
- as, just asIndeclinableअव्ययRole सम्बन्ध/उपमान (comparative connector)Root यथा
- अशृणोः
- you heardVerbलुङ् (अorist/preterite); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root श्रु (धातु)
- अत्रेः
- of AtriNoun (proper name)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अत्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- कर्माणि
- deeds, worksNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृण्वतः
- of (him) doing, performingParticipleवर्तमान सक्रिय कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (qualifying genitive)Root कृ (धातु) → कृण्वत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- प्र
- forth, forward (intensifier)Preverb/Indeclinableअव्ययRole क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गRoot प्र
- त्रसदस्युम्
- Trasadasyu (the king)Noun (proper name/epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot त्रसदस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आविथ
- you have helped/protectedVerbलिट् (perfect); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root अव्/अवि (धातु, ‘to protect, help’) + आ-
- त्वम्
- youPronounउत्तम? (2nd-person pronoun); प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- एकः
- alone, singleAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot एक (प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinable (particle)अव्ययRole निपात (emphasis)Root इत्
- नृषाह्यः
- overpowering men; man-conqueringAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot नृ- + साह्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √सह ‘to overcome’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (deity, vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षत्राणि
- powers, dominions, sovereigntiesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot क्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वर्धयन्
- increasing, strengtheningParticipleवर्तमान सक्रिय कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (participial, agreeing with ‘त्वम्/एकः’)Root वृध् (धातु) → वर्धयत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
Sandhi Notes
- मुख्य संधि-विच्छेद: यथाशृणोः → यथा + अशृणोः (अ + अ = आ; पदपाठे ‘यथा अशृणोः’)
- अत्रेः कर्माणि कृण्वतः = ‘अत्रेः’ (षष्ठी) + ‘कर्माणि’ (द्वितीया) + ‘कृण्वतः’ (षष्ठी; ‘performing’—genitive qualifier)
- त्वमेक इन्नृषाह्यः → त्वम् + एकः + इत् + नृषाह्यः (इन्न् = इत् + न्, निपात-संयोग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is asked to hear Śyāvāśva’s inspired chant as he once heard Atri at work; Indra advanced and protected Trasadasyu; he alone, irresistible to men, increases kṣatra (powers of rule/mastery).
Inner meaning
The rishi appeals to the Divine Mind’s responsiveness to true inspiration (rebha). As Indra once answered Atri’s tapas-filled works, so may he answer the present seeker’s disciplined practice (karmāṇi). ‘Trasadasyu’ becomes the soul-force rescued from hostile movements (dasyu-forces) and advanced toward freedom. Indra alone enlarges the real kṣatra—spiritual governance—by making the mind invincible to lower suggestions and strengthening the ruling faculties of discernment, courage, and right action.
Universal truth
When aspiration becomes sincere work, the higher Intelligence responds; it protects the growing soul against inner adversaries and increases the capacity to govern life from truth rather than from impulse or fear.
Themes
Indra-aid, seer-lineage memory (Atri precedent), increase of brahman (mantric power), victory over Dasyu/obscurity, spiritual kingship (kṣatra as mastery)
The seer
- Rishi
- Śyāvāśva Ātreya
- Lineage
- Ātreya (Atri lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 8.37 (Śyāvāśva cycle), RV 8.38 (Indrāgnī gāyatrī hymn attributed to Śyāvāśva)
Family tradition
Atri-family seers, noted for tapas, healing light, and inspired speech; the hymn explicitly links Śyāvāśva’s chant to Atri’s earlier accomplishment.
Significance
Śyāvāśva positions his mantra as continuous with the Atri current: inspired speech + effective works that compel Indra’s illumination to act, increasing inner sovereignty.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Nṛṣāhya (irresistible), Protector/advancer of Trasadasyu, Hearer of inspired speech
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Responder to the seer’s call; empowers victorious advance and kingship; breaks hostile forces that oppose the gods’ order.
Inner power
The force of illumination that listens, approves, and then strengthens the governing faculties—making the mind and will victorious over lower reactions.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise within Soma-related recitation; also suitable as a śastra-like call for Indra’s hearing and protection.
श्या॒वाश्व॑स्य॒ रेभ॑त॒स्तथा॑ शृणु॒ यथाशृ॑णो॒रत्रे॒: कर्मा॑णि कृण्व॒तः । प्र त्र॒सद॑स्युमाविथ॒ त्वमेक॒ इन्नृ॒षाह्य॒ इन्द्र॑ क्ष॒त्राणि॑ व॒र्धय॑न् ॥
श्या॒वऽअ॑श्वस्य । रेभ॑तः । तथा॑ । शृ॒णु॒ । यथा॑ । अशृ॑णोः । अत्रेः॑ । कर्मा॑णि । कृ॒ण्व॒तः । प्र । त्र॒सद॑स्युम् । आ॒वि॒थ॒ । त्वम् । एकः॑ । इत् । नृ॒ऽसह्ये॑ । इन्द्र॑ । ब्रह्मा॑णि । व॒र्धय॑न् ॥
śyāva-aśvasya | rebhataḥ | tathā | śṛṇu | yathā | aśṛṇoḥ | atreḥ | karmāṇi | kṛṇvataḥ | pra | trasadasyum | āvitha | tvam | ekaḥ | it | nṛ-sahye | indra | brahmāṇi | vardhayan
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables each (Triṣṭubh tendency)
Martial and forward-driving, suited to themes of protection, advance, and mastery.
Creates a sense of stride and momentum—supporting the psychological movement of ‘pra… āvitha’ (forward protection/advance).
- रेभ (rebha)
- Literal: inspired utterance, hymn. Symbolic: mantric intuition; inspired speech from the illumined mind
- शृणु / अशृणोः (śṛṇu / aśṛṇoḥ)
- Literal: hear / you heard. Symbolic: divine receptivity—grace that answers true call
- कर्माणि (karmāṇi)
- Literal: works, actions. Symbolic: disciplined sādhanā; operations of inner sacrifice
- अत्रि (Atri)
- Literal: name of a seer. Symbolic: archetype of concentrated tapas and luminous seership
- त्रसदस्यु (Trasadasyu)
- Literal: a king’s name (‘terror to the dasyus’). Symbolic: the soul-force that overcomes hostile impulses; the being advanced beyond fear and obscurity
- नृसाह्य (nṛṣāhya)
- Literal: irresistible to men/strong against men. Symbolic: higher power unconquerable by the lower nature
- क्षत्राणि (kṣatrāṇi)
- Literal: sovereignties, ruling powers. Symbolic: multiple faculties of mastery—will, discernment, leadership of energies
Soma-yajña context; Indra-invocation for aid and increase of brahman/inner power (general applicability in Indra-stotras of the pressing days, esp. morning/midday soma offerings)
During Indra-oriented portions of the rite, especially when invoking protection and increase of kṣatra.
Recitation to ‘make Indra hear’ (śṛṇu) and to secure protective advance for the sacrificer.
Chant when beginning a demanding discipline or project: ask for the power that hears true intention and increases inner leadership over habits and distractions.
Key roots and inner-justifications: (1) √śru ‘to hear’: in Vedic psychology, the god’s ‘hearing’ is the turning of effective consciousness toward the call, enabling siddhi of the sacrifice. (2) rebhá- ‘inspired singer’ (from a root cluster meaning ‘to sound/chant’): points to the vibratory power of mantra as a carrier of illumination. (3) kárman- from √kṛ ‘to do/make’: not mere outer ritual acts, but formative operations that ‘make’ a new order in the being (ṛta-building). (4) √av ‘to help/protect’ (āvitha): divine guardianship that prevents relapse into obscurity. (5) nṛ-sáhya (nṛ ‘man’ + sahya from √sah ‘to overpower/endure’): Indra as the force that cannot be withstood by the limited human-vital. (6) bráhman (brahmāṇi) from √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’: mantric truth that expands consciousness; hence ‘increase the brahmāṇi’ = enlarge the truth-formulations and their effective power. (7) Trasadasyu (trasad- ‘trembling’ from √tras ‘tremble’ + dasyu ‘hostile/obscuring being’): mythic name encoding the function ‘terror to the powers of darkness/ignorance’.
Ṛta (effective right order built by karman and brahman), Satyam (truth-formulations as brahman that expand the being), inner battle of Light vs. Dasyu-obscurity
Indra’s protection of the advancing soul aligns the individual movement with ṛta’s forward march.
True mantra (rebha) is satya-vāc; when speech is truth-bearing, Indra ‘hears’.
Progressive emergence: the soul is advanced beyond hostile forces, increasing its ruling powers.
Integral-psychological reading: mantra as a lever for ascent and transformation.
Sound/hearing = resonance between human aspiration and divine response; chariot/advance = dynamic movement of consciousness toward freedom.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘heard invocation’ leading to divine intervention: Indra responds to the seer’s inspired speech as he did to Atri, and he ‘advances/protects’ the force that makes the Dasyu tremble (Trasadasyu). Mythically this is the perennial Indra-action: answering the mantra, empowering the Aryan advance, and subduing the obscuring powers; psychologically it is the illumined Mind strengthening the aspirant’s mastery (kṣatra) and truth-word (brahman) against ignorance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Several items preserve archaic Indo-European verbal ideas: √śru ‘hear’ aligns with PIE *ḱlew- ‘hear, be famed’ (cf. Greek klúō, Sanskrit śṛṇóti), where ‘hearing’ also implies recognition/renown—here, divine recognition of the chant. √kṛ ‘do/make’ continues PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘make, do’ (broadly reflected across IE as productive ‘making’ verbs). √bṛh ‘grow/expand’ (brahman) resonates with PIE *bʰerǵʰ- ‘rise, high, exalt’ (semantic field of growth/height), supporting the inner sense of expansive truth-power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- It is reciprocal and lineage-grounded: the rishi offers rebha (inspired utterance) and sustained karman (effective inner work), while Indra ‘hears’ (accepts and turns power toward it) and ‘helps/protects’ (āvitha), resulting in growth of kṣatra and brahman—mastery and truth-form. The appeal to Atri is a covenant of remembered grace: past responsiveness guarantees present efficacy when the same inner conditions (right work + true word) are reproduced.
Offer inspired speech and sincere work; feel the higher Mind ‘hearing’ and strengthening inner governance.
viśuddha (mantric speech) linked with ājñā (illumination)
Japa on the exhale for “śṛṇu… indra”; brief silent inhale to ‘listen back’ inwardly.
Receptive strength—quiet confidence that the higher responds.
Before practice, recall one past moment of grace (‘yathā aśṛṇoḥ…’); then chant, and work steadily—let mastery grow as a natural result of alignment.
Use Ṛgvedic svara as marked; keep a clear udatta rise on ‘índra’ and emphatic lift on ‘ékah’ (you alone) to convey exclusivity.
Mark the forward thrust with a slight emphasis on “prá trasadasyum”; keep pāda breaks clean in Triṣṭubh.
śyāvāśvasya: long ā, and śy cluster (śyā), rebhatas: bha aspirate clear, yathāśṛṇoḥ: maintain the retroflex ṛ in śṛ, trasadasyum: dental s, not ś; keep -syum crisp, nṛṣāhya: retroflex ṛ and ṣ; hy glide (hya)
Clear, projecting, with controlled force; end each pāda with steadiness rather than drop-off.
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