Rig Veda 8.33.8: Mandala 8, Sukta 33, Mantra 8
Sukta 8.33
दाना मृगो न वारणः पुरुत्रा चरथं दधे । नकिष्ट्वा नि यमदा सुते गमो महाँश्चरस्योजसा ॥
dā́nā mṛgó ná vāraṇáḥ purutrā́ cárathaṃ dadhe | nákiṣ ṭvā ní yamat ā́ suté gámo mahā́ṃś cárasy ójasā ||
ఓ దాతా! మృగంలాగా, ఏనుగులాగా, నీవు అనేక చోట్ల సంచారాన్ని స్థాపించుకుంటావు. నిన్నెవ్వరూ నియమించలేరు; పిండిన సోమం వద్దకు రా—మహానుడవై నీవు నీ ఓజస్సుతో సంచరిస్తావు.
Indra invitation to Soma: emphasizes his unrestrainable approach and capacity to pervade many domains.
Irresistible divine force (ojas), Freedom from restraint (ni-yam negated)
Ojas (effective force); Rita (right movement/order); Satya (truth-force implied by Indra’s unrestrained action toward the offering)
Indra’s free movement symbolizes the restoration of right motion (ṛta) when higher mind is invoked.
Truth-power acts when the offering is sincere and concentrated; no falsehood can ‘restrain’ it.
Release and circulation of power through multiple worlds/fields (purutrā) once the higher force descends.
Proto-Vedāntic / Aurobindonian psychological interpretation (Indra as illumined Mind; Soma as Ananda).
Untamed animal power = liberated dynamis; elephant = massive steady strength; pressed Soma = concentrated delight/essence offered to call down illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the unrestrainable roaming power who comes to Soma: the mythic image is the god’s irresistible mobility and approach, which in inner terms is the descent of force that no inertia can bind.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yam (yamat) continues PIE *yem- 'to hold, restrain' (cf. Latin premere is different; closer are Indo-Iranian and some Balto-Slavic restraint semantics). √car is an old movement root with wide IE parallels in 'course/run' semantic fields.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s call is an invitation grounded in recognition of Indra’s nature: since none can restrain him, the right act is to direct that free power toward the pressed Soma, so it may become beneficent giving (dā́nā) rather than merely wild motion.
Invite the ‘free Indra-force’—clear decisive intelligence—into the heart of one’s offering (attention).
maṇipūra (will/force) and ājñā (illumined mind)
Moderate rhythmic breathing (e.g., 4-4) while repeating the invitation ‘ā sute gamo’ mentally
Dynamic collectedness; alert, wide, fearless clarity
First ‘press Soma’: gather scattered energies into one-point aspiration; then invoke Indra as the power that cannot be restrained by habit. End with a quiet pause to feel the descent of force.
Notated svara unavailable; chant with Vedic-style udatta emphasis on key invocatory words (e.g., índra/ā sute gamo) and gentle falls on enclitics.
Maintain a forward drive; lightly stress purutrā, caratham, ā sute, ojasā to convey movement and force.
vāraṇaḥ: long ā in vā-, retroflex ṇ, nakiṣ ṭvā: keep ṭv cluster crisp, ojasā: o-ja-sā with clear long ā, sute: su-te, both short vowels
Bright, firm, invoking
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
