Rig Veda 1.178.3: Mandala 1, Sukta 178, Mantra 3
Sukta 1.178
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
जेता नृभिरिन्द्रः पृत्सु शूरः श्रोता हवं नाधमानस्य कारोः । प्रभर्ता रथं दाशुष उपाक उद्यन्ता गिरो यदि च त्मना भूत् ॥
jétā nṛ́bhir índraḥ pṛtsú śū́raḥ śrótā hávaṃ nā́dhamānasya kāróḥ | prá-bhartā ráthaṃ dā́śuṣa upāká udyántā gíro yádi ca tmánā bhū́t ||
மனிதர்களுடன் நிகழும் போர்களில் இந்திரன்—வீரன்—வெற்றியாளர்; முயற்சியுடன் பாடும் காரு எனும் பாடகரின் அழைப்பை (ஹவ) அவன் கேட்கிறான். அருகிலிருக்கும் தானதாரருக்காக அவன் ரதத்தை முன்னே செலுத்துகிறான்—பாடல்கள் எழும்பும் போது, அவன் தன் சொந்த வலிமை (த்மனா) யால் அப்படியாகிறான் என்றால்.
Word by Word
- जेता
- the conquerorNoun (agent) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot जि (धातु) → जेतृ (प्रातिपदिक) / √जि
- नृभिः
- with/through men (heroes)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृत्सु
- in battlesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पृत्/पृत्स् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘battle, fight’
- शूरः
- the heroAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रोता
- the hearer (listener)Noun (agent) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot √श्रु (धातु) → श्रोतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- हवम्
- the invocationNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot हव (प्रातिपदिक) ‘call, invocation’
- नाधमानस्य
- of the imploring (suppliant)Adjective/Participle (genitive dependent)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root नाधमान (प्रातिपदिक; pres. participial stem from √नाध/√नन्ध? in RV sense ‘to cry/implore, be in need’)
- कारोः
- of the poet/singerNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root कारु (प्रातिपदिक) ‘singer, poet’
- प्रभर्ता
- the one who brings forth/sets in motionNoun (agent) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot प्र-√भृ (धातु) → प्रभर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक) ‘bearer/leader forth’
- रथम्
- the chariotNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- दाशुषः
- of the giver/worshipperNoun/Adjective (donor, worshipper)पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root दाशुष् (प्रातिपदिक; from √दाश्/√दा ‘to give, worship, offer’)
- उपाक
- near, close at handAdjective/Indeclinable-like (RV usage)(as adjective) पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (agreeing with Indra/epithet) OR adverbial useRole Kartā (if adjectival to subject) / (otherwise modifier)Root उपाक (प्रातिपदिक; RV adj. ‘near, at hand’; also used adverbially)
- उद्यन्ता
- the raiser (who lifts up)Noun (agent) / Epithetपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot उद्-√यम् (धातु) → उद्यन्तृ/उद्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक) ‘raiser, one who lifts up’
- गिरः
- songs/hymnsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot गिर् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘song, hymn, voice’
- यदि
- if/whenIndeclinableसम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (conditional/relative)Root यदि (अव्यय)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक अव्ययRoot च (अव्यय)
- त्मना
- by oneself; with one’s own powerNoun (instrumental of manner/agency)पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘self, person’
- भूत्
- became; came to beVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष एकवचनRoot √भू (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): जेता | नृभिः | इन्द्रः | पृत्सु | शूरः | श्रोता | हवम् | नाधमानस्य | कारोः | प्रभर्ता | रथम् | दाशुषः | उपाक् | उद्यन्ता | गिरः | यदि | च | त्मना | भूत् । Notes: (1) उपा॒क is taken as उपाक् (final -क् before vowel/consonant in saṃhitā may appear without explicit halant). (2) Accent marks in the saṃhitā text are not reproduced per-pada here
- analysis is morphological after padapāṭha-style segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, the hero, is victor in battles with men; he hears the call of the striving singer. He brings forward the chariot for the giver who is near at hand—when the utterances rise up, if he becomes so by his own self-power.
Inner meaning
The ‘battles’ (pṛtsu) are inner conflicts where human forces contend; Indra is the victorious power of discernment and courage that overcomes obscurity and inertia. He is śrotā: he hears the cry of the nādhamāna kāru—the straining, pressing soul-voice. The ‘giver’ (dāśuṣ) is the part of us that offers—our consecrating will—and Indra brings forward the ‘chariot’ (ratha) of effective movement: organized force, right direction, and swift progress. When the mantras/utterances (giraḥ) rise (udyantā), Indra becomes present ‘by his own self’ (tmanā): illumination is self-existent, but it manifests when our speech-as-vision ascends to its true pitch.
Universal truth
Life is an inner battle of forces. Victory comes when a higher intelligence hears our sincere call and organizes our energies into a purposeful movement. True speech—words born of vision—can summon that intelligence into active presence.
Themes
Indra the victor, Hearing and response, Ascent of speech, Divine self-power
The seer
Significance
A seer of spiritual heroism: emphasizes the psychology of struggle, the necessity of the call, and the transformation of energy into a guided ‘chariot’ of progress through rising mantra.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Śūra (hero), Jetā (victor), Śrotā (hearer)
- Related deities
- Maruts (forces that aid Indra in battle), Agni (leader of sacrifice), Sarasvatī (inspired speech, by function)
Cosmic role
Champion who wins the battles and advances the divine movement; responder to invocation; organizer of force.
Inner power
Victorious discriminative mind that hears aspiration and converts it into directed power and progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra seeking victory and effective aid; suitable in contexts asking for triumph and forward movement
जेता॒ नृभि॒रिन्द्र॑: पृ॒त्सु शूर॒: श्रोता॒ हवं॒ नाध॑मानस्य का॒रोः । प्रभ॑र्ता॒ रथं॑ दा॒शुष॑ उपा॒क उद्य॑न्ता॒ गिरो॒ यदि॑ च॒ त्मना॒ भूत् ॥
जेता॑ । नृऽभिः॑ । इन्द्रः॑ । पृ॒त्ऽसु । शूरः॑ । श्रोता॑ । हव॑म् । नाध॑मानस्य । का॒रोः । प्रऽभ॑र्ता । रथ॑म् । दा॒शुषः॑ । उ॒पा॒के । उत्ऽय॑न्ता । गिरः॑ । यदि॑ । च॒ । त्मना॑ । भूत् ॥
jetā | nṛ-bhiḥ | indraḥ | pṛt-su | śūraḥ | śrotā | havam | nādhamānasya | kāroḥ | pra-bhartā | ratham | dāśuṣaḥ | upāke | ut-yantā | giraḥ | yadi | ca | tmanā | bhūt
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4 × ~11 syllables
Martial, kinetic; strong consonantal clusters support a battle-victory tone; final clause turns inward to self-power.
Energizes resolve and courage; then centers the listener in the recognition of an inner self-existent power.
- पृत्सु (pṛtsu)
- Literal: battles. Symbolic: inner conflicts, struggles with ignorance and habit
- शूर (śūra)
- Literal: hero. Symbolic: courageous power of illumination that confronts resistance
- श्रोता (śrotā)
- Literal: hearer. Symbolic: responsive higher consciousness to the soul’s call
- नाधमान (nādhamāna)
- Literal: striving, pressing. Symbolic: intense aspiration pushing against inner obstruction
- दाशुष (dāśuṣ)
- Literal: giver, sacrificer. Symbolic: the offering part of the being; consecrating will
- रथ (ratha)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: organized dynamic force; vehicle of progress in sādhanā
- गिरः (giraḥ)
- Literal: utterances, songs. Symbolic: mantric vibrations that rise from intuition
- त्मना (tmanā)
- Literal: by self, by own nature. Symbolic: self-existent light/power that manifests when invoked rightly
Praise of Indra as battle-victor and hearer of invocation; supports requests for aid in contests and in the ascent of hymn
During praise before requests for victory/boons; when ‘calling’ Indra to act
Recitation as stuti; symbolic ‘bringing forward the chariot’ in the rite’s imaginative frame
Before difficult tasks or inner change: chant to invoke courageous clarity and organized action; use as a ‘battle mantra’ against procrastination or fear.
pra-√bhṛ ‘bring forth’ (prabhartā) expresses the forward-carrying of divine force into action. nādhamāna- is a key psychological term: the one who is under pressure/need and therefore strives—inner tapas-like intensity. tman- ‘self’ indicates autonomous divine initiative; the god responds not mechanically but from self-being. ud-√i ‘rise’ applied to giraḥ links rising speech with rising consciousness.
self-power (tman) of the deity, ascent through utterance (giraḥ udyantā), reciprocity of giving (dāśuṣ) and divine support
Victory is alignment with ṛta; the chariot advances when speech and will rise in right order.
Rising utterances (giraḥ) must be truth-bearing to evoke Indra’s self-manifestation.
Manifestation of self-existent power through ascending vibration; organization of forces into a vehicle.
Yoga of mantra and force: speech as creative power; Indra as luminous organizer.
Battle = inner struggle; chariot = disciplined energy system; rising sound = ascending consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as battle-victor and responder to the call, who advances the chariot for the giver when the hymns rise. Psychologically: when aspiration under pressure (nādhamāna) lifts its speech upward, the sovereign force answers from its own self-power (tman) and brings forward the vehicle of victorious action.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhū ‘become’ reflects PIE *bʰuH- ‘be, become’ (English ‘be’). √bhṛ ‘carry’ is PIE *bʰer- (Latin ferō, English bear). The fame/hearing complex again appears via √śru (PIE *ḱlew-).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi identifies as nādhamāna—one who strains upward—and as dāśuṣ—one who gives. This twofold stance (need and offering) evokes Indra’s response: he hears the havam, and he ‘brings forward the chariot’, i.e., supplies the organized force for victory and progress, arising from his own tman rather than external compulsion.
Invoke Indra as inner warrior-mind to win the battle against obscurity; feel the ‘chariot’ of disciplined energy moving forward.
Maṇipūra (courage/force) guided by Ājñā (discernment)
Bhastrikā-light (3 rounds of 15–20 strokes) or strong kapalabhāti (if appropriate), followed by quiet sitting; then chant to channel force into clarity.
Dynamic concentration; courageous, forward-moving will with inner listening.
Name the ‘battle’ you face (fear, doubt, inertia). Chant once with full vigor; then sit and listen for the next right step. Visualize a chariot forming: posture aligned, breath steady, intention clear. Let speech (giraḥ) rise from the heart to the brow, and act only from that organized movement.
Rigvedic tri-svara; exact accents require svara-marked text.
Keep strong articulation on consonant clusters (pṛtsu, śrotā, prabhartā). Slightly lengthen ‘udyantā giro’ to enact the ‘rising’ of speech.
jetā (long ā), nṛbhir (nṛ with vocalic ṛ; avoid ‘nar’), pṛtsu (pṛt-su; clear ṛ), nādhamānasya (dh aspirated; long ā), prabhartā (bhartā with retroflex ṭ? here ‘tā’ dental; keep ‘r’ clear), tmanā (tm cluster; do not insert vowel: not ‘tamanā’)
Martial, resonant, well-supported from the diaphragm; end with a steadier tone on ‘tmanā bhūt’.
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