Rig Veda 8.92.9: Mandala 8, Sukta 92, Mantra 9
Sukta 8.92
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
शिक्षा ण इन्द्र राय आ पुरु विद्वाँ ऋचीषम । अवा नः पार्ये धने ॥
śíkṣā ṇa indra rāyá ā́ purú vidvā́ṃ ṛcī́ṣama | ávā naḥ pā́rye dháne ||
హే ఇంద్రా, రయి—ప్రాచుర్యమునకు దారి మాకు బోధించు; నీవు బహువిదుడవు, ఋచి-వాక్కుకు అధిపతివి—అపార ధనములో మమ్మల్ని అవతలికి దాటించు.
Word by Word
- शिक्षा
- teach; instruct; trainVerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRole (finite verb; governs objects)Root √शिक्ष्
- नः
- of us; for usPronoungenitive plural (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/for us)Root अस्मद्
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)masculine, vocative singularRole Sambodhana (address)Root इन्द्र
- रायः
- of wealth; of richesNounmasculine, genitive singularRole Karma/viṣaya with √शिक्ष् (object-domain: ‘of wealth’)Root राय् (प्रा. रयि-)
- आ
- towards; fullyIndeclinable (preverb) / particleupasarga with √शिक्ष्Root आ
- पुरु
- much; manyAdjective/quantifier(Vedic) indeclinable/adjectival ‘much, many’ modifying implied ‘things/ways’Role Karma/viṣaya (extent: ‘much’)Root पुरु
- विद्वान्
- knowing; wiseAdjective (participial)masculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (agent: Indra as ‘knowing’)Root √विद्
- ऋचीषम
- skilled in ṛc-verses; rich in hymnsAdjectivemasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object/complement with √शिक्ष्; ‘(make us) ṛcīṣa/poetically-skilled’)Root ऋचीष (प्रा.)
- अव
- down; in aid; protectivelyIndeclinable (preverb) / particleupasarga with (elliptic) verb of protection/helpRoot अव
- नः
- usPronounaccusative plural (enclitic) (Vedic also used for dative sense)Role Karma / Sampradāna (us, as those helped)Root अस्मद्
- पार्ये
- in the further/remote; on the other sideAdjectiveneuter, locative singularRole Adhikaraṇa (location/sphere: ‘in the far/other-side (wealth)’)Root पार्य (प्रा. < परि/पार)
- धने
- in wealth; in the prize/bootyNounneuter, locative singularRole Adhikaraṇa (in/with respect to wealth/prize)Root धन
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution yields the pada sequence: शिक्षा | नः | इन्द्र | रायः | आ | पुरु | विद्वान् | ऋचीषम् | अव | नः | पार्ये | धने. Notable: ‘राय आ’ = ‘रायः + आ’ (visarga before vowel)
- ‘ऋचीषम’ is accusative sg. of ṛcīṣa-
- ‘नः’ occurs twice (gen. pl. ‘for us’ and acc. pl. ‘us’, both enclitic Vedic forms)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Teach us, O Indra, about wealth/plenty; you who know much and are master of hymns—carry us across in the wealth beyond.
Inner meaning
Indra, the illumined Mind, is asked to educate (śikṣā) our being in the way of true plenitude (rāyaḥ): not mere possession but fullness of consciousness. As ṛcīṣama (master of inspired word/vision), he leads us over the limiting boundary to the ‘farther’ treasure (pārya dhana)—the supramental/higher riches of being.
Universal truth
Real prosperity is a passage to a higher mode of existence, guided by illumination and right knowledge; we need inner teaching, not just outer gain.
Themes
Prayer for rayi (plenitude), Guidance/teaching, Mantric inspiration (ṛc), Transition to the beyond
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.92.6, Rig Veda 8.92.7, Rig Veda 8.92.8, Rig Veda 8.92.10
Significance
A direct pedagogical prayer: the seer seeks not gifts but guidance into plenitude and a ‘crossing over’—a classic Vedic motif of transition from limited to vast being.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- puruvidvān, ṛcīṣama, tāraka (ferrier, implied by pārye)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (inspired word), Sarasvatī (flow of inspiration), Varuṇa (cosmic order, crossing)
Cosmic role
Giver of luminous riches and leader across the waters/boundaries of limitation into the wide world.
Inner power
Illumination that teaches, articulates truth (ṛc), and carries the seeker beyond mental-vital confinement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Prayer for rāyas (plenitudes) and guidance, usable in general Indra rites
शिक्षा॑ ण इन्द्र रा॒य आ पु॒रु वि॒द्वाँ ऋ॑चीषम । अवा॑ न॒: पार्ये॒ धने॑ ॥
शिक्ष॑ । नः॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । रा॒यः । आ । पु॒रु । वि॒द्वान् । ऋ॒ची॒ष॒म॒ । अव॑ । नः॒ । पार्ये॑ । धने॑ ॥
śikṣa | naḥ | indra | rāyaḥ | ā | puru | vidvān | ṛcīṣama | ava | naḥ | pārye | dhane
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2 hemistichs (~27 + ~17 syllables)
Instructional and forward-moving; the second hemistich feels like a ‘ferrying’ cadence.
Produces trust and aspiration for higher guidance; mentally clarifying.
- शिक्ष (śikṣa)
- Literal: teach, train. Symbolic: initiate an inner discipline; educate consciousness into right movement
- रायः (rāyaḥ)
- Literal: wealth, abundance. Symbolic: plenitudes of being—light, force, joy, wideness
- पुरु विद्वान् (puru vidvān)
- Literal: knowing much. Symbolic: vast comprehension; integrative knowledge beyond mental fragments
- ऋचीषम (ṛcīṣam)
- Literal: lord/master of ṛc (hymn). Symbolic: master of inspired seeing and expressive truth-word
- अव (ava)
- Literal: down, forth; aid. Symbolic: active help, a descending support into our nature
- पार्ये धने (pārye dhane)
- Literal: in the wealth beyond/over the far shore. Symbolic: transcendent treasure; the further consciousness across limitation
Petition verse in Soma praise: asking Indra to grant rayi and to ‘carry across’ the sacrificer; used as a prosperity and victory supplication within Indra rites.
As a morning or study-prayer; also before undertaking important work
Recitation as request for teaching and ‘crossing’ support
Use as a mantra for inner prosperity and right learning; pair with journaling or svādhyāya after chanting.
√śikṣ ‘to learn/teach’ implies disciplined acquisition; in Vedic inner sense, the deity ‘teaches’ by establishing right habit and luminous intuition. rayi- is not merely material wealth; from √rā/√rai ‘to give, bestow; wealth/plenty’ → plenitude of force and being. √vid (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’; cf. Latin videō, Eng. wise) grounds ‘vidvān’ as seer-knowledge. pārya- from √pṛ/√par ‘to cross over’ (PIE *per- ‘through, across’) indicates transition to the farther shore of consciousness (the ‘beyond’).
knowledge as seeing (vid), crossing beyond limitation (pārya)
Indra teaches the right way of increase—growth aligned with ṛta, not desire-driven accumulation.
Ṛcīṣama implies speech aligned with satya—truth that carries power.
Evolution as a crossing to ‘the farther shore’ of being through knowledge and divine help.
Vedantic-inclined Vedic psychology: knowledge (vidyā) and truth-word (vāk/ṛc) as means to plenitude.
morning (prayer/teaching tone; not explicit)
The ‘farther wealth’ is the wide luminous plane; crossing is transition from ego-bound mind to illumined consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘crossing to the farther shore’ under Indra’s guidance: the god who knows and commands inspired speech leads the human being beyond limiting conditions into plenitude (rayi/dhana).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vidvān from √vid corresponds to PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’ (videō, oîda). pārya relates to PIE *per- ‘across, through’ (per-, far, ferry). These encode knowing-as-seeing and liberation-as-crossing, both archaic Indo-European poetic themes.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks not only for gifts but for instruction (śikṣā): the devata is a trainer of consciousness. The reciprocity is pedagogic—mantra opens receptivity; Indra implants right knowledge and carries the seeker into the ‘beyond-wealth’ (pārye dhane).
Ask for inner instruction into plenitude; contemplate ‘pārya dhana’ as the farther peace and power.
Ājñā (guidance) and Anāhata (plenitude/expansion)
Nādī-śodhana 6–12 rounds, then chant; sit in receptive listening after ‘śikṣa’.
Receptive, teachable, quietly aspiring.
Chant 12 times; then remain silent and note one concrete inner ‘lesson’ (a shift in attitude, clarity, or restraint) that Indra’s light suggests.
Svara not provided; chant with a gentle udātta on ‘śikṣa’ and ‘indra’, sustain ‘rāyaḥ’, and let the phrase ‘pārye dhane’ descend calmly.
Make ‘śikṣa naḥ’ intimate; broaden on ‘rāyaḥ’; emphasize ‘ṛcīṣama’ as the mantra’s key credential.
‘śikṣa’ with clear ś (palatal) and kṣ cluster, ‘ṛcīṣama’ keep vocalic ṛ distinct; long ī in cī, ‘pārye’ with long ā and clear ry glide
Quiet, instructive, prayerful; end with a soft, assured cadence.
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