Rig Veda 3.44.3: Mandala 3, Sukta 44, Mantra 3
Sukta 3.44
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
द्यामिन्द्रो हरिधायसं पृथिवीं हरिवर्पसम् । अधारयद्धरितोर्भूरि भोजनं ययोरन्तर्हरिश्चरत् ॥
dyā́m índro háridhāyasaṃ pṛthivī́ṃ hárivarpsam | ádhārayad háritor bhū́ri bhójanaṃ yáyor antár háriś cárat ||
อินทระทรงค้ำจุนสวรรค์ที่เต็มด้วยประกายสีทอง และทรงค้ำจุนแผ่นดินที่อุดมด้วยรูปทรงสีทอง. พระองค์ทรงสถาปนาความหล่อเลี้ยงอันไพบูลย์แก่พลังสีทองทั้งสอง; ระหว่างทั้งคู่นั้น พลังสว่าง (hariś) เคลื่อนไหวและทำงานอยู่.
Word by Word
- द्याम्
- heaven (as object)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक) / दिव् (प्रकाशे)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- हरिधायसम्
- having tawny/greenish ‘dhāyas’ (i.e., possessing tawny strength/impulse)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (द्याम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot हरि-धायस (प्रातिपदिक; हरि + धायस)
- पृथिवीम्
- earth (as object)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
- हरिवर्पसम्
- of tawny/bright appearanceAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (पृथिवीम् इति विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot हरि-वर्पस् (प्रातिपदिक; हरि + वर्पस्)
- अधारयत्
- he upheld / supportedVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot धृ (धारणे)
- हरितोः
- of the two tawny (mares/steeds)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, द्विवचन (ययोः इति सम्बन्धः)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root हरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
- भूरि
- much, abundantIndeclinableअव्यय (परिमाण/बहुत्वार्थे)Role विशेषण (परिमाण)Root भूरि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
- भोजनम्
- nourishment, food, enjoymentNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot भोजन (प्रातिपदिक; √भुज्/भुज् ‘to enjoy/partake’ से भाव/कर्मनाम)
- ययोः
- of which twoPronounषष्ठी, द्विवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अन्तः
- within, in betweenIndeclinableअव्यय (स्थानवाचक)Role अधिकरण (स्थान)Root अन्तर् (अव्यय)
- हरिः
- the tawny one (steed)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- चरत्
- moving, roamingVerbशतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (हरिः इति कर्तरि)Role कर्तृ (कृदन्तेन)Root चर् (गत्यर्थे)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: द्याम् | इन्द्रः | हरिधायसम् | पृथिवीम् | हरिवर्पसम् | अधारयत् | हरितोः | भूरि | भोजनम् | ययोः | अन्तः | हरिः | चरत् । 1) द्यामिन्द्रोः = द्याम् + इन्द्रः (म् + इ → मि)
- 2) इन्द्रो हरिधायसम्: विसर्गस्य रेफादेशः (ः + ह → ओ ह)
- 3) अधा॑रयद्ध॒रितोः = अधारयत् + हरितोः (त् + ह → द्ध, जश्त्व/संयोग)
- 4) अन्तर्हरिः = अन्तः + हरिः (विसर्गस्य रादेशः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra upholds Heaven and Earth, both described with ‘hari’ (tawny/golden) brilliance and form, and he establishes abundant nourishment for the two tawny powers; between them the hari-energy moves.
Inner meaning
Indra (illumined Mind) stabilizes the two great fields of our being: dyā́m (the luminous mental heaven) and pṛthivī́m (the broad foundation of embodied life). Both are ‘hari’-qualified: not mere color, but the golden force of illumination in mind and the luminous formation in life. He ‘establishes nourishment’—the sustaining delight/force that feeds both mind and life—so that the hariś (luminous dynamic energy; the Indric force) can move between them, harmonizing thought and action in the inner sacrifice.
Universal truth
When the illumined intelligence is awake, it can hold together higher aspiration (heaven) and practical embodiment (earth) by creating a continuous flow of sustaining force. True progress requires a living interchange between insight and execution; illumination must descend and be housed in the foundations of life.
Themes
Cosmic support, Dual worlds, Mediation of energies, Indra as establisher
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra
- Other hymns
- RV 3.33 (Nadī-stuti), RV 3.62.10 (Gāyatrī/ Sāvitrī mantra), RV 3.44 (Indra), RV 3.45 (Indra)
Family tradition
Gāthin/Kauśika-associated seer-line; Mandala 3 is predominantly Viśvāmitra’s visionary cycle centered on Indra and the ascent of illumination.
Significance
Viśvāmitra embodies the yogic transition from forceful aspiration to luminous seeing: the will that becomes vision. In Sri Aurobindo’s reading, his Indra hymns map the conquest of obscurity by the illumined mind and the establishment of right relation between higher light and earthly life.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- hari-vṛpasa (tawny-formed/luminous-formed), hari-dhāyasa (bearing tawny brilliance), vṛṣan (bull/strong one—implied in the cycle)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Upholder of the worlds; opener of the light; establisher of abundance and right functioning between Heaven and Earth.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence that coordinates higher intuition and lower nature, creating a stable channel for the descent of light and the ascent of effort.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma-yajña sequences; also used in Indra-focused śastra/śastra-like recitations (contextual, hymn-dependent).
द्यामिन्द्रो॒ हरि॑धायसं पृथि॒वीं हरि॑वर्पसम् । अधा॑रयद्ध॒रितो॒र्भूरि॒ भोज॑नं॒ ययो॑र॒न्तर्हरि॒श्चर॑त् ॥
द्याम् । इन्द्रः॑ । हरि॑ऽधायसम् । पृ॒थि॒वीम् । हरि॑ऽवर्पसम् । अधा॑रयत् । ह॒रितोः॑ । भूरि॑ । भोज॑नम् । ययोः॑ । अ॒न्तः । हरिः॒ । चर॑त् ॥
dyām | indraḥ | hari-dhāyasam | pṛthivīm | hari-varpasam | adhārayat | hari toḥ | bhūri | bhojanam | yayoḥ | antaḥ | hariḥ | carat
24
3 padas × 8 syllables (probable; needs full pada syllabification with saṃhitā rules)
Compact, bright, forward-driving cadence typical of Indra-invocation gāyatrīs.
Produces quickening clarity and uplift; supports a ‘call-and-descent’ feeling—inviting the Indric force to stabilize and energize the practitioner.
- dyām
- Literal: heaven/sky. Symbolic: luminous mind-plane; higher consciousness-field
- pṛthivīm
- Literal: earth. Symbolic: broad foundation of the being; embodied nature
- Indra
- Literal: Vedic god Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind-power; lord of illumination and victorious discernment
- hari-/harit
- Literal: tawny/golden; tawny steeds/powers. Symbolic: luminous energies (rays/forces) that carry and enact illumination
- bhūri bhojanam
- Literal: abundant nourishment/food. Symbolic: sustaining delight-force and strength that feeds mind and life in sādhanā
- antara
- Literal: between/within. Symbolic: the linking channel—inner interchange of planes (descent/ascent)
Cosmic praise within Indra-stotra: establishing Indra as upholder of the two worlds and sustainer of energies
During Soma pressing/offerings and Indra praises; also adaptable to daily recitation for strength and clarity.
Stuti (praise) to invoke Indra’s upholding power and abundance.
For practitioners: recite before focused work or meditation to align ‘higher intention’ (dyauḥ) with ‘grounded execution’ (pṛthivī) and to invite steady energy between them.
dyām from dyu (PIE *dyeu-). adhārayat from √dhṛ (PIE *dher- ‘hold/support’). varpas ‘form/appearance’ is a key RV term for manifested shape; with hari- it suggests luminous formation. haritoḥ ‘of the two haris’ points to a dual energetic structure; psychologically, paired currents (e.g., dynamic forces) between which the hari-force circulates (√car).
World-support (dhṛ) as ordering force, Duality of planes (dyu/pṛthivī) and their mediation, Sustenance (bhojana) as spiritual nourishment
Indra’s ‘upholding’ is an act of r̥ta—keeping the two worlds in right relation so the current of force can move without distortion.
Hari-brilliance signifies truth-light manifesting as stable forms in mind and life.
Worlds established and sustained by a conscious power; abundance arises when higher and lower planes are linked.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral Yoga-compatible reading (Aurobindo): planes of consciousness and their harmonization.
Sky–earth becomes mind–body; golden light becomes illumination; ‘nourishment’ becomes sustaining delight/strength enabling continuous interchange.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as world-upholder: he establishes heaven and earth and provides nourishment for the paired haris. Innerly, it is the stabilization of higher and lower planes in the seeker, and the provisioning of sustaining force for the dynamic energies that mediate between them.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu (dyām) derives from PIE *dyeu-. √dhṛ ‘hold’ (adhārayat) aligns with PIE *dher-. These are foundational IE cosmological verbs: the god ‘holds up’ the worlds.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi recognizes Indra as the power that can ‘hold’ and stabilize the seeker’s inner heaven-and-earth, and asks implicitly for the same sustaining bhojana—nourishment of force—for the energies that carry the yoga of ascent and descent.
Stabilize the ‘upper mind’ and ‘earth-nature’ and feel a luminous current moving between them.
ājñā ↔ mūlādhāra (as an experiential axis: clarity above, stability below)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana for 6–8 rounds, then chant; feel the breath linking head-space and pelvic/base steadiness.
Collected, upright, quietly energized (illumined steadiness).
Before chanting, set an intention: ‘May higher light govern my actions.’ During chanting, visualize a golden current descending on inhalation and grounding on exhalation, forming a stable inner ‘pillar’.
Mixed udātta/anudātta/svarita per Ṛgvedic recitation; follow śākhā-specific svara marks (not fully derivable from plain text here).
Keep udātta syllables slightly raised and clear; avoid flattening ‘harí-’ compounds—let the accent carry the lift.
dyām: pronounce as ‘dyā’ with clear long ā, indraḥ: final visarga lightly aspirated, pṛthivīm: crisp ṛ and th; long ī at end, haridhāyasam/harivarpasam: separate compound members lightly (hari-dhāy- / hari-varpa-), dharitor: dental dh, rolled r
Bright, steady, resonant chest-to-head blend.
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