Rig Veda 8.21.17: Mandala 8, Sukta 21, Mantra 17
Sukta 8.21
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
इन्द्रो वा घेदियन्मघं सरस्वती वा सुभगा ददिर्वसु । त्वं वा चित्र दाशुषे ॥
índro vā́ ghéd íyān magháṃ sárasvatī vā́ subhágā dadír vásu | tváṃ vā́ citra dāśúṣe ||
แท้จริงแล้วอินทระผู้มาพร้อมทานอันยิ่งใหญ่—หรือไม่ก็สรัสวตี (Sarasvatī) ผู้เป็นมงคล ผู้ประทานขุมทรัพย์อันดีงาม. หรือท่านเอง โอ้ผู้กระทำการอัศจรรย์ จงประทานแก่ผู้ถวายบูชา—ทรัพย์อันส่องประกายแห่งความมีอยู่.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- घ
- indeed, surelyIndeclinableनिपात (बलार्थ/समर्थक)Root घ
- इयन्
- going/coming (in motion)Verbवेदिक वर्तमान कृदन्त (प्रायः ‘going/coming’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्तरिRole कर्तृ (इन्द्रस्य विशेषणरूपेण)Root इ (धातु) / इयम्-प्रकारः (वेदिक चलन/गमनार्थक वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- मघम्
- gift, bountyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot मघ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सरस्वती
- SarasvatīNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- सुभगा
- fortunate, graciousAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (सरस्वत्याः विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (विशेषण)Root सु-भगा (प्रातिपदिक)
- ददिः
- has given / givesVerbवेदिक लिट्/आओरिस्ट-प्रकारः; परस्मैपद; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot दा (धातु) → दद्/दद्- (वेदिक परिपूर्ण/आओरिस्टिक रूप)
- वसु
- wealth, good (treasure)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वम्
- youPronounउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- वा
- orIndeclinableविकल्पार्थक निपातRoot वा
- चित्र
- O wondrous oneAdjective (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- दाशुषे
- to the worshipper/giver (patron)Noun (participle used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot दाश्वस्/दाशुष् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दाश्/√दश् ‘to worship, to give, to serve’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्रः | वा | घ | इयन् | मघम् | सरस्वती | वा | सुभगा | ददिः | वसु | त्वम् | वा | चित्र | दाशुषे || 1) ‘इन्द्रो॑’ = इन्द्रः (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते)
- 2) ‘घेदिय॑न्’ = घ + इयन् (ए/एद्-आगमः/संहितायां संयोगः; ‘घ’ निपातः ‘इयन्’ इति कृदन्तेन सह)
- 3) ‘द॒दिर्वसु॑’ = ददिः + वसु (विसर्गस्य ‘र्’ आदेशः स्वरादौ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra comes with a great gift; or Sarasvatī, the fortunate, gives good treasure; or you, O wondrous one, give to the offering worshipper.
Inner meaning
The mantra recognizes multiple channels of divine bestowal: Indra as illumined Mind brings ‘magha’—a mighty increase of power and capacity; Sarasvatī as the flowing inspiration and right speech pours ‘vasu’—good treasure of truth-thought and harmonious expression. The ‘dāśuṣ’ (the giver/offerer) is the seeker who offers aspiration, attention, and self-giving; to such a one the Divine responds through illumination (Indra) and inspired truth-current (Sarasvatī).
Universal truth
When aspiration is sincere, the higher consciousness answers through distinct powers—illumination and inspiration—each granting its own form of inner wealth.
Themes
Bounty (magha), Inspired speech (Sarasvatī), Gift to the sacrificer (dāśuṣ)
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.21.16-18
Significance
A concise recognition-mantra: the seer acknowledges that the One Grace works through multiple deities/powers—illumination (Indra) and inspiration (Sarasvatī)—to reward offering.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (primary); Sarasvatī (secondary mention)
- Epithets
- Indra: maghavan (bounteous—implied), Sarasvatī: subhagā (fortunate), citra (wonder-worker/luminous)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Indra: releases light and victorious force; Sarasvatī: carries the flow of truth, inspiration, and right ordering intelligence.
Inner power
Indra: decisive illumination; Sarasvatī: intuitive speech and discerning inspiration that organizes the mind toward truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Praise that links Soma-offering with the descent of bounty through Indra-force and Sarasvatī-inspiration.
इन्द्रो॑ वा॒ घेदिय॑न्म॒घं सर॑स्वती वा सु॒भगा॑ द॒दिर्वसु॑ । त्वं वा॑ चित्र दा॒शुषे॑ ॥
इन्द्रः॑ । वा॒ । घ॒ । इत् । इय॑त् । म॒घम् । सर॑स्वती । वा॒ । सु॒ऽभगा॑ । द॒दिः । वसु॑ । त्वम् । वा॒ । चि॒त्र॒ । दा॒शुषे॑ ॥
indraḥ | vā | gha | it | iyat | magham | sarasvatī | vā | su-bhagā | dadiḥ | vasu | tvam | vā | citra | dāśuṣe
Likely 4 pādas; the verse has a listing/alternation structure (Indra… or Sarasvatī… or you…).
Enumerative and uplifting; a quick turn of alternatives that feels like opening doors.
Instills receptivity: the mind relaxes into the sense that help can arrive through more than one divine mode.
- मघम् (magham)
- Literal: great gift, bounty. Symbolic: increase of inner power, capacity, victorious force
- वसु (vasu)
- Literal: good treasure, wealth. Symbolic: true substance: right thought, harmonious energies, stable felicity
- सरस्वती (sarasvatī)
- Literal: she of the flowing (waters). Symbolic: stream of inspiration, revelatory speech, intuitive discrimination
- सु॒भगा (subhagā)
- Literal: fortunate, auspicious. Symbolic: power that brings right felicity and fortunate openings
- दाशुषे (dāśuṣe)
- Literal: to the offerer/giver. Symbolic: to the aspirant who offers self-giving and inner oblation
- चित्र (citra)
- Literal: bright, wondrous, variegated. Symbolic: wonder-working consciousness; luminous creativity of the divine power
Praise that links Soma-offering with the descent of bounty through Indra-force and Sarasvatī-inspiration.
Chant before study, teaching, or creative work: invoke Indra for clarity and Sarasvatī for inspired flow; offer the work inwardly as dāśuṣ (the giver).
maghá- ‘gift/bounty’ from √mah/related semantic field of greatness and giving; in Vedic, maghá is both ‘bounty’ and ‘capacity to bestow’. Sarasvatī from saras ‘flow, lake’ + -vatī ‘possessing’ → the flowing inspiration. dāśuṣ- from √dāś ‘to worship/offer’ indicates reciprocity: offering awakens giving.
reciprocity of offering and grace, inspiration as a channel of truth
Sarasvatī’s ‘flow’ is the movement of ṛta through thought and speech; Indra’s gift supports the victory of truth over confusion.
True giving responds to true offering—reciprocity between human aspiration and divine bestowal.
Manifestation through Word and Light: inspiration (Sarasvatī) and illumination (Indra) as twin supports of becoming.
Vedic symbolism of Word (Vāk/Sarasvatī) and Light (Indra) anticipating Upaniṣadic emphasis on knowledge and truth.
Flowing river = continuous intuitive current; treasure = stable inner substance; mighty gift = sudden uplift of power/clarity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘descent of bounty’ through divine agencies: Indra as forceful giver of maghá, Sarasvatī as the fortunate stream of inspired bestowal. The mythic action is the god’s approach to the offerer with treasure—psychologically, the coming of power and intuition to the disciplined aspirant.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vasu ‘good’ aligns with Indo-Iranian valuation terms; √dā ‘give’ is PIE *deh₃- (cf. Lat. dōnum). The distributive bhaga has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan baga- ‘lord, allotter’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames a triadic possibility—Indra, Sarasvatī, or the wondrous divine power—yet the axis is the dāśuṣ (offerer). The devatā responds to conscious offering by releasing maghá/vasu: inner strength (Indra) and inner inspired flow (Sarasvatī).
Receive illumination (Indra) and inspired flow (Sarasvatī) in the mind-speech channel; align offering with receptivity.
viśuddha (throat)
Bhrāmarī (soft) to attune inner sound, followed by silent listening for the ‘flow’ of insight.
Receptive, luminous, quietly joyful.
Offer one clear intention (study, truth-speaking, right action). Then pause: allow either a decisive clarity (Indra) or a flowing guidance (Sarasvatī) to arise—do not force the form of help.
Not specified; keep a clear rise on key names ‘indro’ and ‘sarasvatī’ per Vedic accent tradition when available.
Mark the alternation with slight pauses after ‘magham’ and ‘vasu’; keep ‘vā’ light but distinct.
Pronounce Sarasvatī with clear ‘sa-ras-va-tī’ (no collapsing)., Keep ‘gh’ in ‘ghed’ voiced-aspirate; do not harden to ‘ged’., Maintain long vowels: ‘vā’, ‘tvaṃ’ nasalization, ‘dāśuṣe’ with ś sound.
Bright, clear, slightly smiling tone without strain.
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