Rig Veda 8.74.9: Mandala 8, Sukta 74, Mantra 9
Sukta 8.74
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सा द्युम्नैर्द्युम्निनी बृहदुपोप श्रवसि श्रवः । दधीत वृत्रतूर्ये ॥
sā́ dyumnáir dyumnínī bṛhád upópa śrávasi śrávaḥ | dádhīta vṛtratū́rye ||
ఆ ప్రేరణ, ద్యుమ్నాలతో ద్యుమ్నినిగా, మా శ్రవణంలో మహా యశస్సును మరింత మరింత సమీపంగా స్థాపించుగాక; అది వృత్ర-తూర్య (వృత్రవధ సంగ్రామం)లో విజయబలాన్ని దృఢంగా ధరించుగాక.
Word by Word
- सा
- she (that one)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → सा (स्त्री.)
- द्यु॒म्नैः
- with splendors / with gloriesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot द्यु॒म्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्यु॒म्निनी॑
- splendid, glory-bearingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot द्यु॒म्निन् (प्रातिपदिक) → द्यु॒म्निनी (स्त्री.)
- बृ॒हत्
- great (thing) / greatlyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्: ‘greatly/abundantly’)Role KarmaRoot बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- उपो॑प
- close up, nearIndeclinableअव्यय (द्विरुक्त-उपसर्ग), ‘near, close upon’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot उप + उप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय); संहितायां ‘उपोप’
- श्रव॑सि॒
- in fame / in renownNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- श्रवः
- fame, renownNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- दधी॑त
- may (she/it) place / bestowVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole (मुख्यक्रिया)Root धा (धातु) ‘to put, place; bestow’
- वृत्र॒तूर्ये॑
- in the Vṛtra-slaying contest / in the battle against VṛtraNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वृत्र-तूर्य (समास-प्रातिपदिक; तूर्य ‘overcoming/contest’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-विच्छेद: सा | द्युम्नैः | द्युम्निनी | बृहत् | उप-उप (→ उपोप) | श्रवसि | श्रवः | दधीत | वृत्र-तूर्ये । ‘उपोप’ = उप + उप (द्विरुक्त-अव्यय)
- ‘श्रवसि श्रवः’ में सप्तमी + प्रथमा द्वारा ‘fame upon fame / in fame (as) fame’ प्रकार का वैदिक प्रयोग।
The meaning
Outer meaning
May that inspiration, bright with brightnesses, bring near a vast glory in our hearing; may it hold firm in the victory over Vṛtra.
Inner meaning
The same consecrated inspiration becomes ‘dyumninī’—full of illuminations—and establishes ‘bṛhat śravas’—a wide, enduring fame/glory, i.e., the soul’s hearing of the higher truth and the spread of luminous consciousness. ‘Upopa śravasi’ suggests repeated nearness: the Word/Truth comes closer and closer to our receptive faculty. In ‘vṛtra-tūrye’ the obstruction is not an outer enemy but the Coverer in the subconscient; Agni’s illumined force holds firm the victorious movement that breaks resistance and releases the hidden light.
Universal truth
Illumination must become stable and ever-nearer to our receptivity; then it can sustain victory over the recurrent resistances of ignorance and inertia.
Themes
luminous glory, increasing approach of truth, victory over obstruction, hearing and renown
The seer
Significance
This verse gives the psychological criterion of progress: not momentary flashes (dyumna) but a stable, widening glory (bṛhat śravas) that can endure the recurrent assaults of Vṛtra (the Coverer).
The deity
- Devata
- Agni (as giver of dyumna and victory)
- Epithets
- Dyumnin (giver/holder of luminance, implied), Vṛtrahan (functionally, though more common for Indra)
- Related deities
- Indra (primary Vṛtrahan), Bṛhaspati (breaker of the cave), Soma (delight sustaining victory)
Cosmic role
Brings light near to the human ‘hearing’; sustains victorious force against obstruction; prepares the way for Indra’s fuller illumination.
Inner power
Illumined will that stabilizes insight and drives persistent victory over inertia and doubt.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise for victory and increase of glory; used in contexts seeking overcoming of obstacles and strengthening of the sacrificial force
सा द्यु॒म्नैर्द्यु॒म्निनी॑ बृ॒हदुपो॑प॒ श्रव॑सि॒ श्रव॑: । दधी॑त वृत्र॒तूर्ये॑ ॥
सा । द्यु॒म्नैः । द्यु॒म्निनी॑ । बृ॒हत् । उप॑ऽउप । श्रव॑सि । श्रवः॑ । दधी॑त । वृ॒त्र॒ऽतूर्ये॑ ॥
sā | dyumnaiḥ | dyumninī | bṛhat | upa-upa | śravasi | śravaḥ | dadhīta | vṛtra-tūrye
24
3 pādas × ~8 syllables (triṣṭubh-like content compressed; textual tradition often has jagatī/triṣṭubh elsewhere, but this verse reads as a shorter unit)
Forward-driving with a climactic final phrase (vṛtratūrye).
Energizes resolve and steadies illumination; ends with a firm, victorious cadence.
- द्यु॒म्नैः (dyumnaiḥ)
- Literal: with luminances/glories. Symbolic: multiple illuminations—insights, clarities, powers of right seeing
- द्यु॒म्निनी (dyumninī)
- Literal: luminous, possessing dyumna. Symbolic: inspiration charged with light; mantra-thought that carries illumination
- बृहत् (bṛhat)
- Literal: vast. Symbolic: the wideness of consciousness; the large truth-consciousness
- श्रवः (śravaḥ)
- Literal: fame, glory; that which is heard. Symbolic: inner ‘hearing’ of truth (śruti); receptive luminosity and its enduring effect
- उपोप (upa-upa)
- Literal: nearer and nearer. Symbolic: progressive intimacy of revelation; repeated approach of higher guidance
- दधी॑त (dadhīta)
- Literal: may it place/hold/establish. Symbolic: stabilize; make firm the gained illumination
- वृत्रतूर्ये (vṛtra-tūrye)
- Literal: in the conquest/battle with Vṛtra. Symbolic: the decisive overcoming of the Coverer—subconscient resistance that blocks light
Prayer for dyumna (glory, luminous force) and success in overcoming obstructions; applicable in rites seeking victory and increase of śravas (renown/hearing).
When invoking success of the rite and removal of hindrances; after offerings requesting strength
Recitation to secure ‘dyumna’ and victory; mental ‘holding firm’ of intention
Obstacle-clearing chant: use when facing relapse into inertia or confusion; pair with a brief vow of steadiness and widening receptivity.
dyumna from √dyut ‘shine’ (PIE *dyeu- ‘shine, sky/day’). śravas from √śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’, cf. Greek klúō, English listen is different; but ‘clue’ is from *ḱleu- via Greek). dadhīta from √dhā ‘place’ (optative). tūrya relates to √tṝ ‘cross, overcome’ (victory as ‘crossing beyond’).
śravas as receptivity to truth (hearing the Word), bṛhat as wideness of consciousness, vṛtra as obstruction in the path
Victory over Vṛtra is restoration of ṛta—right order of consciousness against covering forces.
Śravas as ‘that which is heard’ becomes Satya when it is held firmly (dadhīta) and lived.
Release of light from obstruction; widening of consciousness as a cosmic movement.
Aurobindonian Vedic psychology: evolution from subconscient resistance to stable illumination and wideness.
dawn moving into day (illumination stabilizing)
Dyumna = illuminations; śravas = inner hearing; bṛhat = wideness; Vṛtra = subconscient coverer; battle = tapas of persistence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Victory over Vṛtra through luminous increase: dyumna approaches again and again, establishing śravas and victory. Innerly, radiance (illumined force) progressively nears the human hearing—receptive mind—until it can hold firm the overcoming of obstruction.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- śravas from √śru aligns with PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’ (cf. Greek kleos ‘fame’, a close structural cognate to Vedic śravas). dyumna from √dyut aligns with PIE *dyeu- ‘shine’. This verse strongly displays inherited IE poetic pairing: ‘shine/glory’ + ‘fame/hearing’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks not for external renown but for an inner ‘hearing’ that repeatedly draws near (upa-upa) and stabilizes victory. The devatā’s gift is dyumna that becomes operative as widened consciousness (bṛhat) and as effective overcoming (tūrya) of vṛtra.
Stabilize illumination and wideness; practice holding insight steady through resistance cycles.
Ājñā (illumination) with expansion into Sahasrāra (wideness)
Kapalabhāti (mild) or strong exhale rounds for ‘vṛtra-tūrya’, followed by quiet open-awareness breathing to receive ‘śravas’.
From intermittent insight to stable, wide, victorious clarity.
Chant, then listen inwardly (śravas) for the ‘nearer and nearer’ guidance. When resistance arises, do not argue with it—reignite Agni with one firm exhale and return to wideness (bṛhat).
Svara not provided; emphasize a rising energy through dyumnair dyumninī, broaden on bṛhat, and land firmly on vṛtratūrye.
Keep ‘upa-upa’ clearly doubled; articulate retroflex ṭ in vṛtra-tūrye; sustain long ī in dadhīta.
dyumna: pronounce dyu as ‘dyu’ (not ‘ju’), dyumninī: clear double n; long ī at end, bṛhat: vocalic ṛ; final t crisp, śravasi/śravaḥ: ś as palatal ‘sh’; v as soft ‘v’, vṛtra: vocalic ṛ; tr cluster clean, tūrye: long ū; ry cluster light
Bright, firm, forward-moving.
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