Rig Veda 8.13.1: Mandala 8, Sukta 13, Mantra 1
Sukta 8.13
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्रः सुतेषु सोमेषु क्रतुं पुनीत उक्थ्यम् । विदे वृधस्य दक्षसो महान्हि षः ॥
índraḥ sutéṣu sómeṣu krátum punīta ukthyàm | vidé vṛdhásya dákṣaso mahā́n hí ṣáḥ ||
இந்திரன், சுரந்த (சுத) சோமங்களில், உக்த்ய (ஸ்தோத்திரத்திற்குத் தகுந்த) க்ரது—யாக-இச்சை/சங்கல்ப-வலிமை—யைத் தூய்மையாக்கி தெளிவாக்குகிறான்; ஏனெனில் வளர்ப்பவனின் தக்ஷ (திறன்) மற்றும் வலிமையால் அவன் அறிகிறான்—அவன் மகான்.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतेषु
- among the pressed (draughts)Noun (locative plural; ritual term)पुंलिङ्ग (सोम-सम्बन्धे); सप्तमी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot सुता (सु-√सो/√सु ‘to press, extract’ → ‘pressed (Soma)’)
- सोमेषु
- in/among the Soma (draughts)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रतुम्
- resolve, power of will/insightNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनीत
- purify (thou)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्ग-सदृश प्रयोग); मध्यम पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root √पू (पूञ्) ‘to purify, cleanse’
- उक्थ्यम्
- hymn-worthy; fit for the chantAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (क्रतुं/… उक्थ्यम्—विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)Root उक्थ्य (उक्थ ‘hymn’ + यत्/य प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
- विदे
- he knows / he has foundVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट; वैदिक प्रयोग); प्रथम पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया) —Root √विद् ‘to know, find’
- वृधस्य
- of the strong/growing oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (दक्षसोः/दक्षसः-सम्बन्धी)Root वृध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘growing, strong’)
- दक्षसः
- of skill/power (of dexterity)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (वैदिक रूप; ‘दक्षसो’ इति पदपाठे)Role सम्बन्धRoot दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- महान्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण (इन्द्रः)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- हि
- indeed, forIndeclinableनिपात (हेतु/निश्चयार्थ)Root हि (निपात)
- षः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; वैदिक रूप ‘षः’ = ‘सः’Role कर्तृ (विदे इत्यस्य)Root स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: ‘इन्द्रः सुतेषु सोमेषु क्रतुं पुनीत उक्थ्यम् । विदे वृधस्य दक्षसो महान्हि षः ॥’। पदच्छेदः मूलतः यथैव
- विशेषम्: (1) ‘महान्हि’ = ‘महान् + हि’ (न् + ह् संयोग). (2) ‘षः’ वैदिक-प्रयोगः, सामान्य ‘सः’। (3) ‘दक्षसो’ इति पदपाठ-रूपं षष्ठी-एकवचनस्य वैदिक-प्रत्यय-भेदः
- संहितायां ‘दक्षसो’/‘दक्षसः’ पाठभेदानुसारं दृश्यते
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, in the pressed Soma juices, purifies the will-force fit for the hymn; for he knows—he is great—by the skill and power of the increaser.
Inner meaning
In the ‘pressed Somes’ (suteṣu someṣu)—the distilled essence of delight—Indra clarifies kratu: the decisive will and intention that can carry the ukthya (the effective word/hymn). Indra ‘knows’ (vide): illumined mind has inherent discernment and mastery (dakṣa) that increases (vṛdha) our capacity. Bliss (Soma) empowers illumination (Indra) to purify will into a precise instrument of spiritual speech and action.
Universal truth
When delight is refined and consciously received, the higher intelligence purifies intention; right will and right speech arise from a clarified inner substance.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification of will, Indra as knower, Mantric fitness (ukthya)
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.13.1-2 (paired description of Indra’s station and power)
Significance
The seer presents a core Aurobindonian formula: Soma (ananda) as substance; Indra (illumined mind) as purifier; kratu (will) as instrument; uktha (word) as expression and force.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- ukthya (connected with the hymn-worthy), mahān (great), vṛdha (increaser, by context)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Receives Soma, grows in power, and uses that power to open light and victory; sustains the gods’ work by purified will.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence that refines intention through ananda, making will and speech effective.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing context; Indra’s empowerment by Soma
इन्द्र॑: सु॒तेषु॒ सोमे॑षु॒ क्रतुं॑ पुनीत उ॒क्थ्य॑म् । वि॒दे वृ॒धस्य॒ दक्ष॑सो म॒हान्हि षः ॥
इन्द्रः॑ । सु॒तेषु॑ । सोमे॑षु । क्रतु॑म् । पु॒नी॒ते॒ । उ॒क्थ्य॑म् । वि॒दे । वृ॒धस्य॑ । दक्ष॑सः । म॒हान् । हि । सः ॥
indraḥ | suteṣu | someṣu | kratum | punīte | ukthyam | vide | vṛdhasya | dakṣasaḥ | mahān | hi | saḥ
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2 padas; balanced assertion with explanatory clause (mahān hi ṣaḥ)
Purificatory cadence—steady, clarifying, with a strong concluding affirmation.
Creates mental lucidity and a sense of clean resolve; good before recitation or study.
- सुतेषु (suteṣu)
- Literal: in the pressed (juices). Symbolic: in distilled inner essences obtained by practice
- सोमेषु (someṣu)
- Literal: in Somes. Symbolic: in waves of divine bliss/ananda
- क्रतुम् (kratum)
- Literal: will, resolve, intelligent force. Symbolic: decisive will-force aligned to truth
- पुनीते (punīte)
- Literal: purifies. Symbolic: clarifies and refines intention, removing mixture/obscurity
- उक्थ्यम् (ukthyam)
- Literal: fit for the hymn. Symbolic: capable of true expression; word-power that carries realization
- विदे (vide)
- Literal: he knows. Symbolic: illumined discernment; direct knowledge
- वृधस्य (vṛdhasya)
- Literal: of the increaser. Symbolic: of the power that augments consciousness
- दक्षसः (dakṣasaḥ)
- Literal: of skill, capacity, power. Symbolic: effective intelligence; executive spiritual competence
Soma pressing and praise (uktha) context; verse suits the moment where Soma is activated and intention (kratu) is consecrated.
Around Soma offering/pressing sequences; also as a daily invocation for purifying intention
Recite while offering Soma (outer) or while inwardly ‘pressing’ delight through concentration (inner)
Use when motivation is scattered: chant to purify kratu (intention) before beginning a practice session.
krátu- ‘will, resolve, inspired intelligence’ (possibly from √kṛ ‘do/make’ → ‘effective power to do’); punīta from √pū ‘purify, clarify’; ukthya- from ukthá ‘hymn’ (√vac/uc?; uktha is ‘utterance’); dakṣá- ‘skill, power’ (PIE *deḱ- ‘to take, be fitting/able’ often linked to dexterous/Latin decet ‘it is fitting’). Inner sense: Soma awakens delight-illumination in which Indra purifies kratu—turning desire-mind into truth-will fit for mantra.
Kratu (will as cognitive power), Pūti/Pūta (purification as inner clarification), Ananda (Soma as delight)
Purified kratu becomes an agent of r̥ta—right action and right speech.
‘Vide’ indicates direct knowing as the basis of true will.
Distilled delight becomes the substance through which mind-forces shape a higher order.
Integral Vedism: ananda as transformative substance; mind as instrument of illumination.
Pressing = distillation of experience into essence; Soma = bliss-current; purification = clarity of will.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the medium that purifies and empowers kratu under Indra’s force: the nectar awakens a clarified will fit for inspired utterance. Mythically, Soma feeds the god; psychologically, delight-essence refines intention into effective truth-will.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dakṣa- aligns with PIE *deḱ- ‘be suitable/skillful’ (cf. Latin decet ‘is fitting’, Greek déchomai ‘receive’ is related by ‘taking’). √pū ‘purify’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan pū-). The collocation of ‘knowing’ (vide) + ‘great’ (mahān) is a common IE poetic intensification.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents Soma and hymn, and Indra reciprocates by purifying the sacrificer’s kratu so the utterance becomes ukthya—effective and acceptable. The exchange is inner transformation as the divine gift.
Receive a subtle sense of delight (Soma) and let it cleanse and steady your intention (kratu).
Ajna (clarity) with Sahasrara (ananda-current)
Slow sama-vṛtti 6-6; on exhale, feel ‘punīte’—letting impurities drop away.
Clear, luminous, quietly joyful.
First evoke gratitude/quiet joy; then chant 12 times, each time placing one clear intention in the mind and letting it be ‘purified’—simplified to its essence.
Three-tone Vedic contour; keep long vowels in ‘someṣu’ and ‘punīte’ steady; exact svara depends on śākhā recension.
Slight emphasis on ‘kratum’ and ‘punīte’; let ‘mahān hi ṣaḥ’ land as a firm concluding cadence.
(indraḥ): visarga audible before pause, (someṣu): ṣ retroflex; keep ‘eṣu’ clear, (punīte): long ī; dental t, (ukthyam): aspirate kh; keep ‘thy’ cluster clean
Even, clear, gently luminous.
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