Rig Veda 8.2.6: Mandala 8, Sukta 2, Mantra 6
Sukta 8.2
- Rishi
- Medhyātithi Kāṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Bhayankara and Vira (heroism)
गोभिर्यदीमन्ये अस्मन्मृगं न व्रा मृगयन्ते । अभित्सरन्ति धेनुभिः ॥
góbhir yád īm anyé asmán mṛgáṃ na vrā́ mṛgáyante | abhítsaranti dhenúbhiḥ ||
மற்றவர்கள் அவனை நம்மிடமிருந்து, வேட்டையாளர் காட்டுமிருகத்தைத் தேடித் துரத்துவது போல வேட்டையாடும்போது, அவர்கள் ‘தேனுபிஃ’—தங்கள் ‘தேனு’ (ஒளியைத் தரும் சக்திகள்) உடன்—அவனைச் சூழ்ந்து அழுத்தி நெருங்குகிறார்கள்.
Word by Word
- गोभिः
- with cows / by means of cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole करणRoot गो (prātipadika)
- यदि
- if / whenIndeclinableसम्बन्ध/शर्त-सूचक अव्ययRoot यदि (avyaya)
- ईम्
- him / it (enclitic)Indeclinableएन्क्लिटिक सर्वनामिक-अव्यय (acc.-sense), ‘him/it’Role कर्मRoot ईम् (avyaya)
- अन्ये
- othersAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अन्य (prātipadika)
- अस्मत्
- of us / ourPronoun(सामान्यतः) षष्ठी-बहुवचन ‘our’; पदपाठे ‘अस्मत्’ (प्रातिपदिक-रूप)Role सम्बन्ध (genitival)Root अस्मद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- मृगम्
- a wild animal / gameNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot मृग (prātipadika)
- न
- like / asIndeclinableउपमा/सादृश्ये अव्ययRoot न (avyaya)
- व्राः
- packs/bands (of hunters/wolves)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot व्र (prātipadika; Vedic)
- मृगयन्ते
- they hunt / pursueVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot मृगय् (धातु; denominative from मृग ‘to hunt’)
- अभित्सरन्ति
- they rush/press uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot अभि-त्सर् (धातु; with preverb अभि)
- धेनुभिः
- with milch-cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole करणRoot धेनु (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: गोभिर्यदीमन्येऽस्मन्मृगं न व्रा मृगयन्ते । अभित्सरन्ति धेनुभिः ॥ Sandhi resolution: गोभिः + यदि + ईम् + अन्ये + अस्मत् + मृगम् + न + व्राः + मृगयन्ते । अभि + त्सरन्ति + धेनुभिः । Notes: (1) गोभिः + यदि → गोभिर्यदि (visarga→r before y)
- (2) यदि + ईम् → यदीम् (vowel sandhi i+ī→ī)
- (3) ईम् + अन्ये → ईमन्ये (close junction)
- (4) अन्ये + अस्मत् → अन्येऽस्मत् (a+a→’ avagraha)
- (5) अभि + त्सरन्ति → अभित्सरन्ति (prefix + root-initial cluster)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When others, like hunters after a wild beast, hunt him away from us, they press upon him with their cows (herds) and with their milch-cows.
Inner meaning
In the Soma-session of the soul, rival powers attempt to seize Indra’s force from our aspiration. They pursue the ‘mṛga’ (the sought, moving luminous power) like hunters—symbolizing restless desire-natures and competitive impulses. They come with ‘go’ and ‘dhenu’—not literal cattle but claimants of light and yield: mixed rays of knowledge and productive energies that want the divine power for egoic ends. The verse warns of inner competition: forces that mimic light (pseudo-knowledge) and abundance (vital productivity) try to appropriate the illumined strength.
Universal truth
Higher power is contested within us: imitation-light and ambitious productivity can hunt the true guiding force away from sincere aspiration unless discernment and consecration protect it.
Themes
Rivalry for Indra, Cows as light, Hunt metaphor, Protection of the sacrifice
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.2 (Indra-Soma sequence; verses 4-8 form a cohesive Soma-offering and contest motif)
Significance
The seer’s psychology is precise: it recognizes that ‘light’ and ‘results’ can be co-opted by ego, becoming hunters of the true power.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (implicitly as the sought power)
- Epithets
- mṛga (the sought, elusive one—contextual), victorious force (implicit)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Object of aspiration and ally of the sacrificer; power that must be rightly held against rival claimants.
Inner power
Concentrated illumination and courage that can be diverted unless guarded by sincerity and right offering.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma contest imagery within Indra hymns; recited as part of Indra’s invitation and protection of the offering
गोभि॒र्यदी॑म॒न्ये अ॒स्मन्मृ॒गं न व्रा मृ॒गय॑न्ते । अ॒भि॒त्सर॑न्ति धे॒नुभि॑: ॥
गोभिः॑ । यत् । ई॒म् । अ॒न्ये । अ॒स्मत् । मृ॒गम् । न । व्राः । मृ॒गय॑न्ते । अ॒भि॒ऽत्सर॑न्ति । धे॒नुऽभिः॑ ॥
gobhiḥ | yat | īm | anye | asmat | mṛgam | na | vrāḥ | mṛgayante | abhi-tsaranti | dhenu-bhiḥ
32
4 × ~8 (printed as two half-verses)
Quick, kinetic imagery (hunt/press in) gives a rushing cadence.
Creates alertness and vigilance; awakens the witness to detect inner ‘hunters’.
- गोभिः (gobhiḥ)
- Literal: with cows. Symbolic: Rays of knowledge/light (often contested, partial, or mixed)
- धेनुभिः (dhenubhiḥ)
- Literal: with milch-cows. Symbolic: Productive energies that ‘yield’ results; vital abundance seeking possession
- मृगम् (mṛgam)
- Literal: wild creature, deer. Symbolic: Elusive luminous power sought in the inner forest; moving truth-force
- मृगयन्ते (mṛgayante)
- Literal: they hunt. Symbolic: Desire-driven pursuit; ego’s attempt to capture spiritual force
- अस्मत् (asmat)
- Literal: from us. Symbolic: From the sincere seeker’s field of aspiration
- अभित्सरन्ति (abhi-tsaranti)
- Literal: they press in upon, rush against. Symbolic: Aggressive vital-mental formations crowding the inner space
Competitive Soma setting: rivalry for Indra’s presence/boon; warding off competing claimants through praise.
During Soma offering where competing patrons/priests mythically ‘vie’ for Indra; symbolically, during moments of inner distraction
Recitation to acknowledge contesting forces and to keep Indra aligned with the sacrificer
Use before work/achievement to prevent spiritual power being diverted into egoic ambition; reaffirm intention.
(mṛgá) from √ ‘to seek, hunt’—hence ‘game’ and metaphorically a ‘sought object’. denominative/causative sense ‘hunt after’. (dhenú) ‘milch cow’ from √/ ‘to suckle, nourish’ (nourishment stream). The verse plays on go/dhenu imagery: outwardly cattle, inwardly rays and nourishing powers.
Contest for illumination (go) among impulses, Right possession of divine force through r̥ta-aligned offering
R̥ta requires right possession: divine power must serve truth, not egoic capture.
Conflict and selection: the true force is chosen and safeguarded amid competing formations.
Aurobindonian inner sacrifice: hostile/competitive parts of nature attempt to seize the gains of sādhanā.
Forest-hunt = inner pursuit in the subconscient/vital; cows = rays/knowledges; milch-cows = productive energies; rush/pressing = invasion of distractions.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘hunt’ for the divine power: competing forces pursue Indra as game. Inwardly, it is the struggle among human impulses and rival formations to appropriate illumination and strength; the hymn frames the need to hold the right relation so the power does not get seized by disorder.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The cattle lexicon (go-, dhenu-) is central to IE poetics (wealth/light). The hunting lexeme mṛg- ‘seek/hunt’ reflects an archaic semantic overlap of ‘search’ and ‘hunt’, paralleled in other IE traditions where pursuit imagery encodes desire for power/knowledge.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi speaks as one defending a rightful access to Indra: by describing rival ‘hunters’, the hymn becomes a verbal enclosure (rakṣā) that claims Indra’s presence for the r̥ta-aligned sacrificer rather than for competing, possibly disorderly, claimants.
Notice impulses that ‘hunt’ spiritual energy: ambition, comparison, craving for results; re-center on the true aim (Indra aligned with truth).
maṇipūra (will/drive)
Short grounding exhale when distractions surge; return to a steady, longer inhale to reclaim the force.
From scattered pursuit to collected will under illumination.
When you feel ‘pressed upon’, name the hunter (desire, vanity, impatience), then offer it into Agni and call Indra to hold the true direction.
Maintain lively pitch movement on action verbs (mṛgayante, abhitsaranti). Exact udatta/svarita requires śākhā notation.
Do not blur ‘mṛgaṃ na vrā mṛgayante’: keep the ‘mṛga’ and ‘mṛgayante’ resonance clear.
gobhir: soft ‘bh’ aspirate., mṛgaṃ: syllabic ‘ṛ’ clean and brief., dhenu-bhiḥ: keep ‘dh’ aspirated; final ḥ light.
Alert, clear diction; slightly sharper consonants to convey vigilance.
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