Rig Veda 3.40.2: Mandala 3, Sukta 40, Mantra 2
Sukta 3.40
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्र क्रतुविदं सुतं सोमं हर्य पुरुष्टुत । पिबा वृषस्व तातृपिम् ॥
índra kratú-vidaṃ sutáṃ sómaṃ harya puru-stuta | píbā vṛ́ṣasva tātṛ́pim ||
ఇంద్రా, క్రతు-విత్ (సత్-సంకల్పజ్ఞుడు)! ఈ సుత సోమాన్ని స్వీకరించు; హరి, బహు-స్తుతుడా! పానంచేయి. వృషత్వంలో వృద్ధి పొందు, తృప్తి చెందు—అంతర్యజ్ఞాన్ని పరిపూర్ణం చేసే ఆనందంతో నిండిపో।
Word by Word
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्रतुविदम्
- knowing the rite/insightful in sacred resolveAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सुतम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेष्य-सम्बन्धेन)Root क्रतु-विद् (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समासः: क्रतुं वेत्ति इति)
- सुतम्
- pressed (Soma)Adjective (used substantively) / Participleपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सु (धातु) → सुत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययः, ‘pressed’)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- हर्य
- take/bring (hither)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root हृ (धातु) → हरि/हर्य (आज्ञार्थे; वैदिक प्रयोगः)
- पुरुष्टुत
- O much-praised oneNoun (epithet) / Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot पुरु-स्तुत (प्रातिपदिक; समासः: पुरुभिः स्तुतः/बहुधा स्तुतः)
- पिब
- drink!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root पा (धातु)
- वृषस्व
- grow strong / become vigorous!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया) —Root वृष् (धातु; ‘to be strong/active, to bestow vigor’—वैदिक)
- तातृपिम्
- the satisfier / that which gives full satisfactionNoun/Adjective (ritual epithet of Soma: ‘satisfying’)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (पिब इत्यस्य)Root तृप् (धातु) → तातृपि (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; परिपूर्ण-तृप्ति/तृप्तिकारकः—वैदिक रूपम्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्र | क्रतुविदम् | सुतम् | सोमम् | हर्य | पुरुष्टुत | पिब | वृषस्व | तातृपिम् । बाह्य-सन्धिः विशेषः न
- ‘हर्य’ इति वैदिक आज्ञार्थ-रूपम् (हृ-धातोः) । ‘क्रतुविदम्’ समासपदम् (क्रतु+विद्) । ‘तातृपिम्’ वैदिक कृदन्त-रूपम् (तृप्-धातोः) द्वितीया एकवचनम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra, knower of kratu, accept this pressed Soma; O widely praised, drink. Grow in strength and be satisfied.
Inner meaning
Indra is kratuvid—knower of the right will (kratu) and its true workings in us: the divine intelligence that understands how aspiration becomes effective action. The pressed Soma is the prepared delight offered to that intelligence. ‘Drink’ means: let the higher mind take up and assimilate the delight, so it can expand (vṛṣasva) the virile power—mastery, courage, effective force—and reach completion/satiety (tātṛpim): a fulfilled state where the offering has been integrated and the being feels whole, not craving.
Universal truth
True power is guided by right will and completed by delight. When intelligence drinks joy, it becomes strong without violence and complete without craving.
Themes
Soma-offering, Invocation to Indra, Increase of inner power, Delight as fuel of illumination
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Kauśika (traditional)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.40.1, RV 3.40.3-8
Family tradition
A practical mantra-set where Indra is invited to take Soma so the will becomes effective and fulfilled; emphasizes method (kratu) not mere emotion.
Significance
The rishi highlights a key law of sādhanā: delight must be governed by right will and known intelligence; then force grows and the being becomes complete.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Kratuvid (knower of right will), Puruṣṭuta (widely praised)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Leader of victorious intelligence; receiver of Soma that empowers divine action in the worlds.
Inner power
Disciplined, method-knowing illumination that assimilates delight and converts it into stable strength and completion.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma Gāyatrī in Soma offering sequences
इन्द्र॑ क्रतु॒विदं॑ सु॒तं सोमं॑ हर्य पुरुष्टुत । पिबा वृ॑षस्व॒ तातृ॑पिम् ॥
इन्द्र॑ । क्र॒तु॒ऽविद॑म् । सु॒तम् । सोम॑म् । ह॒र्य॒ । पु॒रु॒ऽस्तु॒त॒ । पिब॑ । आ । वृ॒ष॒स्व॒ । ततृ॑पिम् ॥
indra | kratu-vidam | sutam | somam | harya | puru-stuta | piba | ā | vṛṣasva | tatṛpim
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3×8 syllables
Quick, imperative, energizing; suited to direct instruction: accept, drink, grow, be fulfilled.
Invokes decisive uplift; leaves a sense of energized clarity and satisfied fullness.
- krátu
- Literal: will, resolve, power of intention. Symbolic: right will (divine intention) organizing thought-life-action
- kratuvid
- Literal: knower of kratu. Symbolic: inner guide-intelligence that knows the true method of effective spiritual action
- sútá soma
- Literal: pressed Soma. Symbolic: distilled delight offered to uplift consciousness
- pibā
- Literal: drink. Symbolic: assimilate; take into the higher mind for transformation
- vṛṣasva
- Literal: grow as a bull; increase in strength. Symbolic: increase of luminous force, courage, effective energy
- tātṛpim
- Literal: full satisfaction, satiety. Symbolic: completion of the offering; fullness that ends restless craving
Soma pressing and offering (Somayāga context; Indra-Soma invocations at the pressing/oblation sequences)
At Soma presentation to Indra; brief stotras for quick invocation.
Offer Soma (or symbolic water/juice) while chanting; invite assimilation and strengthening.
Before work or study: chant to align intention (kratu) with joy (Soma) so action becomes effective and non-restless.
Key terms: kratú (√kr̥/√kar ‘to make, do’ → power of effective formation; also ‘intelligent will’), vidam (√vid ‘to know, find’), sutá (√su ‘to press out’ Soma), sóma (√su ‘to press’ + nominal; also ‘delight/nectar’ in inner sense), piba (√pā ‘to drink’), vṛ́ṣasva (vṛṣan ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ/√vṛh ‘to rain, be strong, invigorate’ → virile strengthening), tatṛ́pim (perfect/reduplicated formation from √tṛp ‘to be satisfied, be pleased’). The vocatives harya, puru-stuta intensify the summons: Indra is invoked in his swift luminous movement (hari-) and as the power confirmed by repeated mantric affirmation (stuti).
Kratu (effective will as formative intelligence), Rita (right action/order implied by ‘kratu-vid’—knowledge of the right working), Ananda (Soma as delight that nourishes illumination)
Kratu known and guided by Indra is will aligned with Ṛta—effective and right.
Tātṛpim as truthful completion: fullness without deception or craving.
Soma empowers the gods—delight is a creative force that increases divine capacity.
Vedic psychology of will-and-delight: right intention + ānanda → effective transformation.
Soma=nectar of consciousness; tawny horses=vital energies harnessed to illumined mind; bull-growth=expansion of effective force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Soma-drinking Indra mythologem: Indra is strengthened by Soma to perform victorious acts. In the inner frame, the illumined Mind receives delight (Soma/Ānanda) prepared by discipline (suta), and through it increases its power to overcome obstruction and establish right working (kratu).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘to know’ is PIE *weyd- (cf. Latin vidēre, English wit/wise). √pā ‘to drink’ aligns with PIE *peh₃- ‘to drink’ (cf. Latin pōtāre, English potable via Romance). √tṛp ‘to be satisfied’ is cognate with Indo-Iranian satisfaction/pleasure semantics (Skt tṛpti-, Av. tarəp- related forms). The verse’s imperative + vocative structure is a common archaic Indo-European poetic command-formula for summoning divine potency.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity of offering and increase: the seer offers the prepared Soma (inner delight distilled by aspiration and rite), and Indra in turn grows in force (vṛṣasva) and becomes fully ‘filled’ (tatṛpim), implying he will then act for the sacrificer—making the right will effective and granting victorious plenitude (not material wealth alone, but fullness of being).
Align right will (kratu) with delight; let the higher intelligence ‘drink’ joy and convert it into steady force.
Maṇipūra (will) harmonized with Anāhata (rasa)
Inhale on ‘pibā’ (receive), exhale on ‘vṛṣasva’ (expand); then a brief kumbhaka (comfortable) on ‘tātṛpim’ (fullness).
From scattered wanting to empowered, satisfied steadiness.
Chant 9 or 27 times before action. Hold a single intention (kratu). Feel joy rising as Soma; offer it upward; end with a moment of stillness sensing completion.
Gāyatrī; keep crisp accentuation—imperatives (‘harya’, ‘piba’, ‘ā vṛṣasva’) should be clear with correct pitch, not extra stress.
Three-step movement: (1) address/qualification, (2) offering and ‘drink’, (3) expansion and completion. Keep each pāda equal length.
kratuvidaṃ: articulate t + v cleanly; short a in kratu, harya: ‘har-ya’ two beats; avoid ‘ha-rya’ blur, puruṣṭuta: retroflex ṣ; ṭ as retroflex t, tātṛpim: long ā; ṛ as vocalic; final m light
bright, focused, slightly commanding; end softly on ‘tātṛpim’.
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