Rig Veda 4.32.7: Mandala 4, Sukta 32, Mantra 7
Sukta 4.32
- Rishi
- Gautama tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वं ह्येक ईशिष इन्द्र वाजस्य गोमतः । स नो यन्धि महीमिषम् ॥
tváṃ hy éka ī́śiṣe índra vājásya gómataḥ | sá no yandhi mahī́m íṣam ||
ஓ இந்திரா! கதிர்களால் செழித்த, கோ-செல்வம் உடைய ‘வாஜ’ (செழிப்பு/வலிமை) மீது ஆளும் ஒரே ஈசன் நீயே. ஆகவே எங்களுக்கு மகத்தான ‘இஷ்’—நிறைவேற்றும் ஊக்க-சக்தியை—அருள்வாயாக.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (अव्यय)Root हि (निपात)
- एकः
- alone, the oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (त्वम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root एक (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईशिषे
- you rule, you have masteryVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot ईश् (धातु; ऐश्वर्ये/ईश्वरे) अथवा ईश (आत्मनेपदी)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजस्य
- of prize/strength, of bootyNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (ईशिषे इत्यस्य विषय/सम्बन्धः)Root वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोमतः
- rich in cows, cattle-aboundingAdjective (used substantively)पुं/नपुं, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वाजस्य विशेषणम्)Role सम्बन्ध (वाजस्य विशेषणम्)Root गोमत् (प्रातिपदिक; गो + मतुप्)
- सः
- he/that (i.e., you as that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (यन्धि इत्यस्य; त्वम् एव)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to us, for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान (अस्मभ्यं ‘to us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यन्धि
- grant, bestowVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot यम् (धातु; यमे/यच्छति ‘to give, grant, bestow’—Vedic usage)
- महीम्
- greatAdjective (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (इषम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (इषम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root मही (प्रातिपदिक; ‘greatness/abundance’)
- इषम्
- nourishment, prosperityNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot इष् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘refreshment, nourishment, prosperity’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: त्वम् | हि | एकः | ईशिषे | इन्द्र | वाजस्य | गोमतः | सः | नः | यन्धि | महीम् | इषम् । 1) त्वं ह्येकः = त्वम् + हि + एकः (म् + हि → ं हि; ‘ह्य्’ इति संधि-रूपम्)
- 2) स नो यन्धि = सः + नः + यन्धि (विसर्गलोपः/एन्क्लिटिक-संयोगः; RV-पाठे ‘स नो’)
- 3) म॒हीमिष॑म् = महीम् + इषम् (म् + इ → मि; संहितायां ‘महीमिषम्’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra alone rules the plenitude (vāja) that is rich in cows (gomat); therefore may he grant us a vast iṣ (impulsion/nourishment).
Inner meaning
The illumined Mind-Power (Indra) alone can govern the true plenitude—rich in rays of knowledge (go). When the inner ruler is established, he releases a large current of effective will-force (mahīm iṣam): a wide, victorious impulsion that turns aspiration into realized capacity.
Universal truth
Lasting fulfillment is not secured by scattered desires but by a unified inner sovereignty of consciousness; when the highest discerning power leads, life receives a broad, right-directed energy that can accomplish.
Themes
Sovereignty, Bestowal, Plenitude-and-light
The seer
- Rishi
- Gautama (Gotamāḥ) tradition
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.32 (whole sūkta), Rig Veda 1.62–1.64 (Gautama tradition hymns to Indra/Maruts, thematic parallels of light-release)
Family tradition
Angiras-related seer-line emphasizing illumination through inspired speech (gir) and Indra’s victory over inner darkness.
Significance
The Gautamas often voice the psychology of ascent: hymn as a force that calls down Indra’s luminous governance, converting aspiration into effective power (iṣ) and plenitude (vāja).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Maghavan (bountiful), Girvaṇaḥ (delighting in hymns), Vṛtrahan (slayer of the Coverer)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Maruts, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; releaser of the waters and the rays; establisher of victorious order in the worlds.
Inner power
Discriminating illumination and decisive will in the mind that leads the inner sacrifice and makes knowledge-effective.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña Indra-stotra context (general Indra praise within pressing rites)
त्वं ह्येक॒ ईशि॑ष॒ इन्द्र॒ वाज॑स्य॒ गोम॑तः । स नो॑ यन्धि म॒हीमिष॑म् ॥
त्वम् । हि । एकः॑ । ईशि॑षे । इन्द्र॑ । वाज॑स्य । गोऽम॑तः । सः । नः॒ । य॒न्धि॒ । म॒हीम् । इष॑म् ॥
tvam | hi | ekaḥ | īśiṣe | indra | vājasya | go--mataḥ | saḥ | naḥ | yandhi | mahīm | iṣam
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Firm, forward-driving cadence suited to assertion and command.
Builds confidence and inner uprightness; supports a decisive call for wide force (mahīm iṣam).
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Vedic god Indra. Symbolic: Illumined divine Mind; lord of luminous intelligence that conquers obstruction
- वाज (vāja)
- Literal: prize, strength, plenitude. Symbolic: Fullness of being and power; victorious abundance of consciousness
- गोमत् (gomat)
- Literal: possessing cows. Symbolic: Possessing rays of light/knowledge; luminous riches
- ईशिषे (īśiṣe)
- Literal: thou rulest, art master. Symbolic: Inner sovereignty; governing power of the awakened mind
- इष् (iṣ) / इषम् (iṣam)
- Literal: refreshment, food, impulse. Symbolic: Dynamic impulsion of the will; energizing force that fulfills the sacrifice
- महीम् (mahīm)
- Literal: vast, great. Symbolic: Wide, comprehensive movement of force in consciousness
Soma-yajña petition: request for iṣ (nourishing impulse) and vāja under Indra’s lordship
During Indra invocations around Soma pressing/offerings; also adaptable as daily mental offering.
Recitation to invite Indra’s rulership and the granting of strength/impulsion.
Use as a short affirmation before work/decision: invoke ‘one inner ruler’ to govern energies and ask for a wide, right impulsion.
from √īś ‘to own, rule’; sovereignty of Indra over vāja. / (iṣ) in Vedic spans ‘refreshment, nourishment, impulse’; psychologically ‘the drive of fulfilment’ that feeds the being. is Vedic imperative (often from √yam/√yandh in tradition) meaning ‘bestow/attach’; functionally ‘yoke/hand over’ the great iṣ to the worshippers.
single sovereignty of the illumined power over plenitude, iṣ as sustaining impetus toward ṛta
Indra’s ‘rulership’ implies the establishment of ṛta in the human field—energies aligned to truth.
Plenitude ‘rich in rays’ points to truth-knowledge as the substance of real abundance.
Release and organization of powers: abundance emerges when light governs force.
Proto-Vedāntic / Integral (Aurobindonian) psychological reading: deities as powers of consciousness.
‘Go’ as dawn-like rays in the mind; ‘vāja’ as harvest of consciousness; ‘iṣ’ as the life-force disciplined by illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as sole sovereign of vāja (victory-plenitude) and light (go). Mythically, the divine king controls the treasures; psychologically, the illumined Will alone can command the forces that yield abundance and true knowledge.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √īś ‘rule/own’ continues an Indo-Iranian development of mastery vocabulary; √yam/*yem- ‘to hold, control, yoke’ underlies many ‘grant/attach’ imperatives in Vedic diction, aligning with an IE semantic complex of ‘holding/ordering’ as sovereignty.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi acknowledges Indra’s exclusive competence (‘ekaḥ īśiṣe’) and therefore asks for a ‘mahīm iṣam’—not external bounty alone but a great inner impetus that sustains the sacrificial ascent and enlarges being.
Establish the ‘one ruler’ in the mind: let a luminous clarity preside over thoughts and impulses.
Ājñā (brow)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–8 rounds, then silent repetition on exhale.
Collected, directive clarity (sattvic intensity).
Before chanting, recall a single highest intention; during ‘mahīm iṣam’ feel a wide descending force organizing the day’s energies.
Use Vedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā; key lifts typically on vocatives like ‘índra’.
Keep udātta crisp on accented syllables; avoid dragging anudātta; let svarita glide downward lightly.
tvaṃ: nasalized ‘ṃ’ (anusvāra) before pause, īśiṣe: long ī; retroflex ṣ in ‘ṣe’, gomataḥ: ‘go’ clear, ‘ma’ short; visarga ‘ḥ’ lightly aspirated, yandhi: conjunct ‘ndh’ articulated (yan-dhi), mahīm: long ī sustained
Steady, resonant, directive (chest-to-head balance).
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