Rig Veda 4.32.8: Mandala 4, Sukta 32, Mantra 8
Sukta 4.32
- Rishi
- Gautama tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
न त्वा वरन्ते अन्यथा यद्दित्ससि स्तुतो मघम् । स्तोतृभ्य इन्द्र गिर्वणः ॥
ná tvā varante anyáthā yád dítsasi stutó mágham | stotṛ́bhya índra girvaṇaḥ ||
గీతాలలో ఆనందించే ఓ గిర్వణ ఇంద్రా! నిన్ను మరే విధంగా ఎవ్వరూ మళ్లించలేరు. స్తుతింపబడినప్పుడు నీవు ఇవ్వదలచినదే—స్తోతృులకు నీ దానంలోని నిజమైన ‘మఘ’ (ఉదారత) అవుతుంది.
Word by Word
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध (negation)Root न
- त्वा
- you (Indra)Pronounद्वितीया एकवचन (acc. sg.)Role कर्म (object)Root युष्मद्
- वरन्ते
- (they) chooseVerbलट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम पुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √वृ (वृणोति/वृणुते) ‘choose, prefer’
- अन्यथा
- otherwise, in another wayIndeclinableक्रियाविशेषण (adverb)Root अन्यथा
- यत्
- that which / whatPronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (rel. ‘that/what’)Root यद्
- दित्ससि
- you wish to giveVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यम पुरुष, एकवचन; देशिदेरटिव (desiderative) ‘wish to give’Root √दा (ददाति) ‘give’ (desiderative: दित्स-)
- स्तुतः
- praisedParticiple (adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त (PPP) qualifying ‘त्वा’Root √स्तु ‘praise’ → स्तुत (PPP)
- मघम्
- gift, bountyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (object) / दानवस्तुRoot मघ
- स्तोतृभ्यः
- to the praisersNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदान (recipient)Root स्तोतृ (from √स्तु) ‘praiser’
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र
- गिर्वणः
- O ‘praise-delighting’ (lover of hymns)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Vedic vocative in -as/-aḥ)Role सम्बोधनRoot गिर्वणस् (epithet of Indra)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: यद्दित्ससि = यत् + दित्ससि (final -t of यत् before voiced dental d gives -dd- in saṃhitā)
- Other padas are already in padapāṭha-like form
The meaning
Outer meaning
No one can divert Indra otherwise; what he intends to give, when praised, is his true generous gift to the singers.
Inner meaning
When the illumined Mind is rightly invoked by inspired speech, its movement is not deflected by lesser forces. The gift (magha) is not arbitrary: it is the precise largeness that the awakened consciousness chooses to bestow—illumination, strength, and right joy—to those who shape the mantra (stotṛ).
Universal truth
True inner help comes by alignment, not coercion; when consciousness is sincerely turned toward the higher, its beneficence acts with unwavering purpose.
Themes
Praise-and-gift, Divine autonomy, Magha (bounty)
The seer
- Rishi
- Gautama (Gotamāḥ) tradition
- Lineage
- Gautama
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 4.32 (whole sūkta), RV 1.64 (hymn-force and Indra/Maruts cooperation—conceptual parallel)
Family tradition
A seer-line where praise (stuti) is not flattery but a technology of alignment—speech that makes a path for Indra’s action.
Significance
Emphasizes inevitability of the higher will once invoked in truth: the divine intention cannot be ‘turned aside’ by lower nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Girvaṇaḥ, Maghavan
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (inspired speech), Bṛhaspati (mantric power), Soma (ecstatic clarity)
Cosmic role
Bestower of victorious largess; protector of the seer’s path; commander of luminous powers.
Inner power
Unswerving intention of illumination; steadfast executive force of the awakened mind.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stuti at Soma pressings; gifts/blessings motif common in dakṣiṇā and offering sequences
न त्वा॑ वरन्ते अ॒न्यथा॒ यद्दित्स॑सि स्तु॒तो म॒घम् । स्तो॒तृभ्य॑ इन्द्र गिर्वणः ॥
न । त्वा॒ । व॒र॒न्ते॒ । अ॒न्यथा॑ । यत् । दित्स॑सि । स्तु॒तः । म॒घम् । स्तो॒तृऽभ्यः॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । गि॒र्व॒णः॒ ॥
na | tvā | varante | anyathā | yat | ditsasi | stutaḥ | magham | stotṛ-bhyaḥ | indra | girvaṇaḥ
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4 × ~11
Argumentative/declamatory strength; suited to stating a law of spiritual action.
Creates trust and inner certainty; reduces vacillation and self-sabotage.
- वरन्ते (varante)
- Literal: they turn aside, restrain. Symbolic: Forces of doubt, inertia, or hostile suggestions attempting to deflect aspiration
- अन्यथा (anyathā)
- Literal: otherwise, in another way. Symbolic: Deviation from the straight line of truth-intent
- दित्ससि (ditsasi)
- Literal: thou desirest to give. Symbolic: The higher will’s deliberate bestowal of power/knowledge
- स्तुतः (stutaḥ)
- Literal: praised. Symbolic: Conscious invocation; mantra as opening/attunement
- मघम् (magham)
- Literal: gift, bounty, largess. Symbolic: Spiritual richness: luminous strength, wideness, effective capacity
- स्तोतृभ्यः (stotṛbhyaḥ)
- Literal: to the praisers/singers. Symbolic: To the soul-forces that formulate aspiration into true speech
- गिर्वणः (girvaṇaḥ)
- Literal: delighting in hymns. Symbolic: Consciousness that responds to vibration of truth-speech (vāc)
Soma praise: asserts Indra’s autonomous generosity when rightly praised; supports the stotra-śastra dynamic (hymn as effective call)
When seeking Indra’s ‘magha’—strength and success—in the rite; adaptable to personal invocation before study/creative work.
Praise-recitation to open the channel of receiving.
Use when feeling pulled off-course: chant to reaffirm that the higher intention, once chosen, is not to be diverted by distractions.
is desiderative (from √dā ‘give’ → ditsa- ‘wish to give’), marking free divine intention rather than mechanical ritual exchange. (magha) denotes ‘gift, bounty, generosity’ (cf. Maghavan epithet of Indra), inwardly ‘expansive capacity’ that enlarges consciousness. (girvaṇa) from gir ‘hymn, word’ + √van/‘to like, win’—Indra as one who responds to the inspired Word.
efficacy of mantra (Word) to align human and divine intention, divine freedom in giving (not coercible)
‘Not to be turned aside’ mirrors ṛta’s straightness—right movement that resists distortion.
The ‘true largeness’ is what accords with truth, not with ego-demand.
Bestowal through resonance: creation and increase occur by harmony between speech and higher mind.
Mantra-śakti psychology (Aurobindo/Kashyap style): praise as conscious tuning to a plane of power.
Sound-vibration as a ladder: right tone and intention stabilize the mind against lateral pulls (anyathā).
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as Maghavan whose gift cannot be diverted: the mythic motif is the unturnable divine giver whose generosity follows his own truth when awakened by praise. Innerly, the higher Force gives by its own law once the Word has opened the channel.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The desiderative formation (ditsasi) is a distinctive Indo-Aryan development from inherited verb morphology, showing nuanced volition (‘wish to give’) rather than simple giving—an archaic poetic way to encode divine intention.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions praise as alignment, not bargaining: by true hymn the singers enter a relation where Indra’s own will to give (ditsasi) becomes active as magha—an inner enlargement granted to the stotṛs.
Surrender personal bargaining; align with the higher intention-to-give by quiet praise and receptivity.
Viśuddha (throat)
Bhrāmarī (gentle) 5 rounds, then chant once; feel vibration opening reception.
Receptive steadiness; faith (śraddhā) in luminous guidance.
After chanting, sit 2 minutes: notice the mind’s ‘sideways pulls’; return to a single clear aspiration and listen inwardly.
Tri-svara; keep the negation ‘na’ light but clear; raise energy on vocative ‘indra girvaṇaḥ’.
Maintain even pacing through the long syntactic line; emphasize ‘ditsasi’ (intends to give) and ‘magham’.
varante: ‘va-ran-te’ with clear dental ‘t’, anyathā: palatal ‘y’, long ā at end, ditsasi: ‘dit-sa-si’ (do not merge ts too softly), stotṛbhyaḥ: retroflex ṭ in stotṛ; ‘bhyaḥ’ with audible visarga
Clear, calm, slightly uplifted on the final pāda.
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