Rig Veda 8.45.37: Mandala 8, Sukta 45, Mantra 37
Sukta 8.45
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
को नु मर्या अमिथितः सखा सखायमब्रवीत् । जहा को अस्मदीषते ॥
kó nu maryā́ amíthitaḥ sakhā́ sakhā́yam abravīt | jahā́ kó asmád ī́ṣate ||
แท้จริงแล้วผู้ใดเล่า โอ้วีรบุรุษหนุ่ม ผู้เป็นมิตรไม่ถูกลวง ได้กล่าวแก่สหายว่า: “จงละเขาเสีย—ผู้ใดกันที่มุ่งร้ายต่อเรา?”
Word by Word
- कः
- who?Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) / कः (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नु
- now/indeed (emphatic particle)Indeclinableनिपातः (प्रश्न/अनुनय/अन्वर्थक-बल)Root नु (निपात)
- मर्याः
- young men, suitors, youthsNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot मर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अमिथितः
- unerring, not mistakenAdjective (past participle)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; नकार-प्रत्ययेन निषेधः (a-)Role Kartā (विशेषणम्) / कर्तृसम्बन्धीRoot मिथ् (धातु, ‘to err/stray/act falsely’) → अमिथित (कृदन्त, निष्ठा/भूतकृदन्त)
- सखा
- a friendNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (सखि-शब्दस्य प्रथमा एकवचनम्: सखा)Role KartāRoot सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सखायम्
- (his) friend (as object)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अब्रवीत्
- said, spokeVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्टः), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root ब्रू (धातु, ‘to speak’)
- जहा
- leave! abandon!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थः), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root हा (धातु, ‘to leave/abandon’)
- कः
- who?Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot क (किम्-प्रातिपदिक) / कः (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मदीषते
- seeks us / strives for usVerbलट् (वर्तमानः), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root ईष् (धातु, ‘to seek/strive/desire’) + अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्मद्-ईषते (द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-समासवत्: ‘us-seeking’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: कः नु मर्याः अमिथितः सखा सखायम् अब्रवीत् । जहा कः अस्मदीषते ॥ 1) ‘को नु’ → ‘कः नु’ (विसर्ग-सन्धिः; उच्चारणे ‘को’). 2) ‘अमिथितः’ इति निष्ठा-कृदन्तं (a-निषेधपूर्वकं) ‘मर्याः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्। 3) ‘सखा सखायम्’—प्रथमा+द्वितीया (कर्ता+कर्म) युग्मम्। 4) ‘अस्मदीषते’ = अस्मद् + ईषते
- संहितायां ‘द्’ + ‘ई’ इत्यत्र दीर्घस्वर-प्रभावः/संयोगः (पदपाठे प्रायः अस्मदीषते इत्येव)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Who indeed, O young hero, the unbeguiled friend, spoke to his friend: ‘Leave him—who is it that seeks to harm us?’
Inner meaning
Indra is addressed as maryá—youthful heroic force—and as amithita sakhā, the friend not deluded by appearances. In the inner battle, the divine Mind-discernment identifies the hostile intention before it can harm the seeker’s progress. The line is a dramatic inner dialogue: the higher friend counsels the human friend to drop association with the harmful movement/personality-force and to recognize the attacker (the egoistic impulse, doubt, or subconscious sabotage) that ‘seeks us’.
Universal truth
True discernment is loyal and undeceived; it protects by naming the hostile tendency and advising timely separation from what harms the soul’s journey.
Themes
friendship-alliance, discernment, warding-off-enmity
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.45.35, Rig Veda 8.45.36, Rig Veda 8.45.38, Rig Veda 8.45.39
Significance
Presents Indra not only as warrior but as intimate counselor—an inner guide who detects deception and protects the aspirant’s alliance with truth.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- maryá (youthful hero), amithita (undeceived), sakhā (friend)
- Related deities
- Mitra (friendship/order), Varuṇa (truth-law), Agni (leader of inner sacrifice)
Cosmic role
Guardian of the Aryan (striving) progress; discerner of hostile forces; protector of the fellowship of seekers.
Inner power
Viveka-like discrimination plus heroic energy: the capacity to see through deception and decisively reject harmful movements.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise in communal rite; also suitable as protective utterance
को नु म॑र्या॒ अमि॑थित॒: सखा॒ सखा॑यमब्रवीत् । ज॒हा को अ॒स्मदी॑षते ॥
कः । नु । म॒र्याः॒ । अमि॑थितः । सखा॑ । सखा॑यम् । अ॒ब्र॒वी॒त् । ज॒हा । कः । अ॒स्मत् । ई॒ष॒ते॒ ॥
kaḥ | nu | maryāḥ | amithitaḥ | sakhā | sakhāyam | abravīt | jahā | kaḥ | asmat | īṣate
32
4 × ~8
Dialogic and pointed; quick turns matching the question/command
Sharpens discernment; energizes decisive renunciation of hostile influences.
- मर्याः (maryāḥ)
- Literal: young man, hero. Symbolic: fresh, vigorous divine force in the mind—swift courage and initiative
- अमिथितः (amithitaḥ)
- Literal: not deceived, not beguiled. Symbolic: discriminating intelligence not misled by glamour (māyā-like appearances)
- सखा (sakhā)
- Literal: friend. Symbolic: Indra as inner companion; also the higher part of oneself allied to the divine
- जहा (jahā)
- Literal: leave, abandon. Symbolic: renunciation of a harmful association/tendency; dropping a wrong movement
- ईषते (īṣate)
- Literal: seeks/strives (against), assails. Symbolic: the adverse will that tries to enter and injure the sadhana
Martial exhortation within Indra hymnody; can function as a protective utterance against inimical forces during Soma pressing and communal contest.
When invoking Indra as protector of the sacrificer’s band against enemies
Recited to secure safety and right companionship; to ward off hostile intentions
Use before difficult conversations/choices: invoke the ‘undeceived friend’ to recognize and drop what harms the inner path.
maryá 'young man/hero'. amíthita 'undeluded' from √mith 'to be false, to deceive' with privative a-. abravīt from √brū 'speak' (PIE *mrewh₂-?; speech roots vary). jahā from √hā 'leave, abandon' (PIE *keh₂-? debated). īṣate from √īṣ 'to aim at, seek' (attack-intent). The verse stages an inner dialogue of allies: discerning friendship rejects the hostile intention.
discernment vs. delusion (amithita), alliance of powers (sakhya), repulsion of hostile intention
Right companionship and right movement require leaving what violates ṛta.
Truth as discernment that unmasks the assailant.
Vedic yoga of inner battle: illumination-guided ethical/psychological selection.
Youth symbolizes freshness of force and readiness; the ‘seeker of harm’ corresponds to predatory movements in the vital/subconscient.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of the divine friend/ally who detects and repels hostile intent. Innerly, it is the awakened discerning force (Indra as amithita sakhā) that tells the supportive powers to abandon compromise with what seeks to injure the seeker’s progress.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The friend-compound semantics (sakhā) parallels IE social-poetic structures of comradeship in heroic diction. The privative a- in amithita is inherited IE morphology for negation, creating a key ethical-psychological adjective 'undeluded'.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Indra is approached as intimate 'friend of the soul' who actively counsels and protects; the ṛṣi’s speech dramatizes this protective intelligence as a living presence within the community and within the psyche.
Cultivate the ‘undeceived friend’ within: watch thoughts for hostile intent; practice immediate letting-go (jahā).
Ajna
Short, clear inhalation; longer exhalation while mentally repeating ‘amithitaḥ sakhā’ to stabilize discernment
From susceptibility to glamour → vigilant luminous discrimination
When a movement feels persuasive but diminishes peace/truth, ask inwardly ‘who seeks to harm?’ Name it (fear, pride, craving), then drop it without debate.
Chant with clear interrogative lift on ‘ko nu’; maintain svara integrity per saṃhitā markings.
Let the rhetorical questions be audible; slight pause after ‘abravīt’.
amithitaḥ: dental ‘th’ (not retroflex), īṣate: long ‘ī’ held lightly, jahā: clear ‘hā’ with open vowel
Alert, incisive, conversational
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