Rig Veda 8.81.1: Mandala 8, Sukta 81, Mantra 1
Sukta 8.81
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ तू न इन्द्र क्षुमन्तं चित्रं ग्राभं सं गृभाय । महाहस्ती दक्षिणेन ॥
ā́ tū́ na indra kṣumántaṃ citráṃ grābháṃ sáṃ gṛbhāya | mahāhastī́ dákṣiṇena ||
ఇంద్రా, మా వద్దకు రా; ప్రకాశవంతమైన, సమృద్ధమైన శక్తి-గ్రాహ్యాన్ని మా కొరకు సమేతంగా పట్టుకో—మహాహస్తీ—నీ దక్ష (దక్షిణ) కార్యశీల కుడిచేతితో.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinableupasarga (preverb), direction ‘towards’Root आ (upasarga/avyaya)
- तु
- indeed, thenIndeclinableparticle (emphatic/contrastive)Root तु (nipāta)
- नः
- of us / for usPronoungenitive plural (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/for us)Root अस्मद् (pronoun)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)masculine, vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- क्षुमन्तम्
- abounding in strength/food, vigorousAdjectivemasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object) (qualifier of ग्राभम्)Root क्षुमन्त् (adj. stem)
- चित्रम्
- bright, splendid, wondrousAdjectivemasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object) (qualifier of ग्राभम्)Root चित्र (adj. stem)
- ग्राभम्
- grasp/handhold; a ‘seizing’ (aid, support)Nounmasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object)Root ग्राभ (noun stem)
- सम्
- together, whollyIndeclinablepreverb ‘together, completely’Root सम् (upasarga/avyaya)
- गृभाय
- grasp, seizeVerbimperative, 2nd person singular, parasmaipada (Vedic injunctive/impv. use): ‘grasp!’Role Kriyā (verbal action); governs Karma=ग्राभम्Root ग्रह्/गृह् (धातु ‘to seize, grasp’)
- महाहस्ती
- O great-handed / mighty-armed oneAdjective (epithet)masculine, vocative singularRole Sambodhana (addressing Indra)Root महाहस्तिन् (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa adj. stem: महा + हस्तिन्)
- दक्षिणेन
- with the right (hand); by the right sideNoun (instrumental)neuter (or masc. in sense ‘right’), instrumental singularRole Karaṇa (instrument/means)Root दक्षिण (noun/adj. stem)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) ‘आ तू न॑’ = आ + तु + नः (enclitic gen.pl. of अस्मद्). (2) ‘इन्द्र क्षु॒मन्तं॑’ shows external sandhi with vocative इन्द्र followed by accusative क्षुमन्तम् (no phonetic fusion). (3) ‘सं गृ॑भाय’ = सम् + गृभाय
- final -म् of सम् becomes anusvāra (ं) before g-. (4) ‘म॒हा॒ह॒स्ती’ is a single vocative epithet (महाहस्तिन् → voc.sg. महाहस्ती)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Come to us, Indra; seize for us a bright abundant grasp; you of the great hand, by your right hand.
Inner meaning
The seeker calls Indra as the divine Mind-force to ‘seize together’ (saṃ gṛbhāya) the luminous, plentiful power-grasp (kṣumantam citram grābham): the capacity to hold and wield spiritual force in life. Indra’s ‘great hand’ is the large executive power of illumination; his ‘right hand’ (dakṣiṇena) is the skillful, consecrated action that makes the descent effective and usable, not merely visionary.
Universal truth
Illumination must become capacity: the higher consciousness not only reveals but also gives the power to grasp, organize, and act rightly.
Themes
Invocation, Seizing the force, Victory-power, Right-handed effectiveness
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.81.2 (Indra as wide-ranging and immeasurable)
Significance
A direct practical invocation: not for mere experience, but for a ‘grasp’—the ability to hold the illumination and execute it in life.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- mahāhastī (great-handed), maghavan (bountiful), vṛtrahan (slayer of obstruction)
- Related deities
- Maruts (dynamic forces), Agni (will), Soma (bliss)
Cosmic role
Giver of victorious power, organizer of luminous action, breaker of resistance.
Inner power
Executive illumination—mind-force that can seize, integrate, and apply spiritual energy effectively.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra (general)
आ तू न॑ इन्द्र क्षु॒मन्तं॑ चि॒त्रं ग्रा॒भं सं गृ॑भाय । म॒हा॒ह॒स्ती दक्षि॑णेन ॥
आ । तु । नः॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । क्षु॒ऽमन्त॑म् । चि॒त्रम् । ग्रा॒भम् । सम् । गृ॒भ॒य॒ । म॒हा॒ऽह॒स्ती । दक्षि॑णेन ॥
ā | tu | naḥ | indra | kṣu-mantam | citram | grābham | sam | gṛbhaya | mahāhastī | dakṣiṇena
Two compact pādas; command-like structure.
Brisk and forceful, suited to invocation and seizure.
Builds confidence and energizes the will; evokes a felt sense of Indra’s right-hand support entering the practitioner.
- ā
- Literal: hither, come. Symbolic: invocation for descent/arrival of higher force
- kṣumantam
- Literal: abundant, nourishing. Symbolic: life-supporting force that sustains the sādhanā
- citram
- Literal: bright, variegated. Symbolic: luminous intelligence with many effective forms
- grābham
- Literal: a grasp, seizure. Symbolic: capacity to hold the force; executive power of realization
- saṃ gṛbhāya
- Literal: seize together. Symbolic: integrate scattered energies into one effective hold
- mahāhastī
- Literal: great-handed. Symbolic: vast power of action and mastery in consciousness
- dakṣiṇena
- Literal: with the right hand. Symbolic: skill, right discernment in action; consecrated efficacy
Indra-invocation at offering; inner practice: calling the power that can ‘take hold’ of the needed force and establish it firmly.
During Indra invocations; also apt for beginning of work or practice
Calling Indra to ‘take’ the offering and grant power/wealth.
Use as a ‘start mantra’ before demanding tasks: invite clear decisive intelligence and the power to hold focus.
√grabh ‘seize’ has IE parallels (cf. Slavic grab- ‘take’ as a likely cognate set). (citra) from √cit ‘perceive/shine’—luminous differentiation. ṇa from √dakṣ ‘be able, skillful’ → right-hand power, competence; in inner sense, the effective faculty that executes the will.
śakti (effective force), ṛta (right action implied by dakṣiṇa)
Dakṣiṇā signifies right, skillful alignment with ṛta in action.
Citra-grābha is luminous truth made operative.
Descent of power that organizes and sustains life (kṣu).
Karmayogic Vedic line: illumination must become effective action.
Hand = faculty of action; right hand = skillful consecrated doing; grasp = capacity to hold the descending force without leakage.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘seizure’ of power/wealth by Indra’s mighty hand: a standard Indraic mythic gesture where the god takes hold of the luminous plenitude and establishes it for the sacrificer—psychologically, the firm grasping of higher force by the awakened will.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dakṣiṇa relates to dexter-ideas across IE (Lat. dexter), encoding ‘right’ as ‘skillful’. The imperative gṛbhāya from √grabh shows the archaic command form typical of Vedic injunctive/imperative style used for direct ritual-psychic efficacy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Indra not merely to ‘give’ but to ‘seize and secure’ (sam gṛbhāya) on the human’s behalf—placing the divine as executor of effective action, while the human provides the call and the field of offering.
Invocation of executive clarity and the power to hold concentration and right action.
Manipura (effective action) with Ājñā (directive intelligence)
3 rounds: inhale ‘ā tū na indra’, exhale ‘saṃ gṛbhāya’; feel a firming in the solar plexus and hands.
From diffused effort to concentrated power.
After chanting, sit and feel the ‘right hand’ quality: choose one priority and hold it without dispersion for 10 minutes (single-pointed work).
Not fully determinable here; keep saṃhitā accents (e.g., क्षु॒मन्तं॑, चि॒त्रं).
Slight lift on ‘indra’; emphasize ‘saṃ gṛbhāya’; land firmly on ‘dakṣiṇena’.
kṣumantam : ‘kṣ’ cluster clean, short ‘u’, gṛbhāya : vocalic ‘ṛ’ (gṛ), not ‘gar’, mahāhastī : long ā, dental ‘t’
Commanding, confident, forward-driving.
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