Rig Veda 8.95.4: Mandala 8, Sukta 95, Mantra 4
Sukta 8.95
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
श्रुधी हवं तिरश्च्या इन्द्र यस्त्वा सपर्यति । सुवीर्यस्य गोमतो रायस्पूर्धि महाँ असि ॥
śrudhī́ hávaṃ tiraśc(y)ā́ índra yás tvā sapáryati | su-vī́ryasya gó-mato rāyás pūrdhi mahā́ṃ ási ||
हे इन्द्र, तिरश्च्याः अपि यः त्वां सपर्यति, तस्य हवं श्रुधि। गोमतो रायः सवीर्यस्य च पूर्धि; त्वं हि महानसि।
Word by Word
- श्रुधी
- hear! (listen)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot श्रु (धातु)
- हवम्
- the call/invocationNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक; √हू ‘to call/invoke’ से)
- तिरश्च्याः
- of the oblique/sideways (one); of the indirect (call)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root तिरश्ची (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्ताRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सपर्यति
- worships/servesVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot सपर्य (धातु; ‘to honor, worship, serve’)
- सुवीर्यस्य
- of good heroism/valourNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root सु-वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोमतः
- of the cattle-rich (wealth)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (विशेषण-रूपेण)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root गोमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- रायः
- of wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root राय्/रायि (प्रातिपदिक ‘wealth’)
- पूर्धि
- fill/fulfil (grant fully)!Verbलोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot पॄ/पूर् (धातु; ‘to fill, make full, satisfy’)
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्ता (of ‘असि’)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- you areVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRoot अस् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): श्रुधी | हवम् | तिरश्च्याः | इन्द्र | यः | त्वा | सपर्यति | सुवीर्यस्य | गोमतः | रायः | पूर्धि | महान् | असि । प्रमुख संधि: (1) तिरश्च्या इन्द्र → तिरश्च्याः इन्द्र (आः + इ-; विसर्ग/दीर्घ-संधि) । (2) गोमतः रायः → गोमतो रायः (अः + र-; विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
A worshipper calls to Indra even from “sideward paths”; Indra is asked to hear and to fill him with wealth rich in cows and heroic power, because Indra is great/vast.
Inner meaning
The seeker, moving through indirect or obstructed inner routes (tiraścyāḥ), calls the Illuminating Mind (Indra). Even if the consciousness is not yet straight and upward, sincere service (saparyati) is heard. Indra is invoked to “fill” (pūrdhi) the being with gomad rayi—luminous herds, i.e., abundant rays of knowledge—and with suvīrya, the victorious divine energy that acts in life. “You are the Vast” signals that the illumined mind opens into wideness (mahat), a prerequisite for stable light.
Universal truth
Even when one’s progress is sideways—uneven, distracted, or resisted—authentic aspiration and consecrated effort are met by a higher Intelligence that can widen the being and convert effort into luminous knowledge and courageous power.
Themes
prayer for wealth, heroic power, service to Indra, light-cows symbolism
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.95 (entire hymn, Indra-focused), RV 8 (Kāṇva Maṇḍala: many Indra hymns stressing illumination and force)
Family tradition
Likely Kāṇva-style Indra stuti emphasizing inner increase through hymn and purity; attribution uncertain at verse-level in this hymn.
Significance
The anonymous seer-type here represents the universal sādhaka: even without perfected straightness, the call can awaken Indra’s widening illumination and bring ‘gomad rayi’—knowledge that becomes a lived possession.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- mahān (the Vast), giver of rayi (plenitude), bestower of suvīrya (heroic power)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions, establisher of luminous order by releasing the hidden lights and waters; leader of the gods in the battle for the Truth.
Inner power
Illuminated Mind-force that hears aspiration, widens consciousness, and converts mixed movements into victorious clarity and effective action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-related praise cycles (general Indra invocation; not uniquely tied to one śrauta procedure)
श्रु॒धी हवं॑ तिर॒श्च्या इन्द्र॒ यस्त्वा॑ सप॒र्यति॑ । सु॒वीर्य॑स्य॒ गोम॑तो रा॒यस्पू॑र्धि म॒हाँ अ॑सि ॥
श्रु॒धि । हव॑म् । ति॒र॒श्च्याः । इन्द्र॑ । यः । त्वा॒ । स॒प॒र्यति॑ । सु॒ऽवीर्य॑स्य । गोऽम॑तः । रा॒यः । पू॒र्धि॒ । म॒हान् । अ॒सि॒ ॥
śrudhi | havam | tiraścyāḥ | indra | yaḥ | tvā | saparyati | su-vīryasya | go--mataḥ | rāyaḥ | pūrdhi | mahān | asi
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (approx.; Vedic resolution may vary)
Forward-driving, declarative cadence suited to invocation and empowerment.
Builds a sense of widening and confident calling; supports inner ‘uprush’ from scattered states toward a single luminous intention.
- श्रुधि (śrudhi)
- Literal: hear!. Symbolic: the higher consciousness’ responsive attention to aspiration
- हवम् (havam)
- Literal: call/invocation. Symbolic: the soul’s cry, will-to-progress (aspiration)
- तिरश्च्याः (tiraścyāḥ)
- Literal: sideways/crosswise. Symbolic: indirect movements of consciousness; mixed motives; lateral dispersion
- सपर्यति (saparyati)
- Literal: serves, worships. Symbolic: consecration of works; attentive inner offering
- सुवीर्य (suvīrya)
- Literal: good/strong heroism. Symbolic: divine force of victorious action in life
- गोमत् (gomat)
- Literal: possessing cows. Symbolic: possessing rays of light/knowledge (go = illumination)
- रायः (rāyaḥ)
- Literal: wealth, riches. Symbolic: plenitude of inner resources: light, power, harmony
- पूर्धि (pūrdhi)
- Literal: fill, make full. Symbolic: integrate and saturate the nature with higher gifts
- महान् (mahān)
- Literal: vast, great. Symbolic: wideness of consciousness (mahat) that holds light steadily
Petition within Soma praise: the worshipper asks Indra to hear and grant rāyas (plenitude) and vīrya (heroic force) to the devotee.
During Indra praises in Soma offerings or morning/midday stotras; also adaptable as personal invocation before effort.
Recitation to invite Indra’s presence and gifts (rāyaḥ, vīrya).
Use when feeling ‘side-tracked’: chant as a re-centering prayer for clarity (go/illumination) and strength (vīrya) before work or sādhanā.
śrudhī: imperative of √śru ‘hear’; in Vedic, ‘hearing’ implies accepting and responding. saparyati: from sa-√par ‘to serve, attend, honor’. vīrya from √vīr ‘man/hero’ and √vṛ ‘to choose/cover’ interplay in later semantics; here ‘heroic potency’. go-mat: ‘possessing cows/rays’; go- has the polyvalence ‘cow/light-ray’ supporting the inner reading. pūrdhi: imperative of √pṝ ‘fill, make full’ (PIE *pleh₁- ‘fill’, cf. English full).
hearing as divine response, plenitude (pūrṇa-idea), knowledge as light (go)
Indra’s ‘vastness’ supports the establishment of r̥ta by widening the mind beyond constriction and error.
Truth becomes effective when knowledge (go) is not merely seen but ‘filled in’ as stable possession (rāyaḥ).
Release and plenitude: the hidden light becomes manifest wealth in the embodied life.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: widening consciousness as basis for transformation.
Voice/call = aspiration; cows = rays of illumination; wealth = integrated plenitude; ‘sideways paths’ = lateral dispersion of the mind-vital.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The granting of ‘cows’ and ‘wealth’ by Indra to the worshipper: mythically cattle/booty; innerly rays of knowledge (go) and fullness of being (rāyas) bestowed by the victorious luminous power in response to service (saparyā).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru (hear) reflects PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’ (cf. Greek κλύω, English listen via Germanic *hlystan). √pṝ ‘fill’ aligns with PIE *pleh₁- (full/fill family). The persistence of these roots underwrites the archaic ‘hearing-and-giving’ reciprocity formula.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The devotee’s saparyā (service) is exchanged for Indra’s gifts: su-vīrya (right strength) and go-mat rāyas (light-bearing plenitude). Indra’s ‘mahān’ nature guarantees wideness enough to respond even from ‘sideward’ or imperfect approaches.
Invoke Indra as the widening, illumining intelligence that gathers scattered energies and fills the mind with clear seeing and brave execution.
Ājñā (brow) / Sahasrāra support via wideness (mahat)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–8 rounds, then chant on a steady exhale to collect lateral dispersion.
From rajasic dispersion to sāttvic wideness and luminous resolve.
Begin with awareness of ‘sideways’ tendencies; offer them (saparyā). After chanting, sit 3–5 minutes sensing a wide sky in the head and chest; invite ‘gomad rayi’ as quiet, multiple rays of insight.
Use Vedic three-tone contour (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā tradition; if untrained, keep a steady reciting tone with gentle lift on udātta-marked syllables.
Emphasize the imperative ‘śrudhí’ and the name ‘índra’; keep ‘gomató rā́yaḥ’ clear and slightly sustained to evoke plenitude.
śru-dhī: dental dh, long ī, tiraścyāḥ: śc cluster; keep ‘ścyāḥ’ crisp, saparyati: light ‘ry’ glide, gomataḥ: soft ‘go’ (g) not aspirated, mahān: nasalization may be heard in recitation; keep long ā
Clear, invoking, slightly expansive on ‘mahān asi’.
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