Rig Veda 8.6.48: Mandala 8, Sukta 6, Mantra 48
Sukta 8.6
- Rishi
- Kaṇva lineage
- Devata
- Indra with human exemplum in dānastuti
- Chandas
- Likely Tr̥ṣṭubh-family
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
उदानट् ककुहो दिवमुष्ट्राञ्चतुर्युजो ददत् । श्रवसा याद्वं जनम् ॥
úd ānaṭ kakuhó dívam uṣṭrā́ṃ catur-yújo dádat | śrávasā yā́dvaṃ jánam ||
กกุหะผงาดขึ้นสู่สวรรค์ มอบอูฐที่เทียมแอกสี่ชั้น; ด้วยพลังแห่งเกียรติยศ เขายกชูชนชาวยาทวะให้สูงขึ้น.
Word by Word
- उद्
- up, out, upwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग (preverb)Root उद् (उपसर्ग) / ud-
- आनट्
- he/it sounded forth, resoundedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, 3rd person singularRole Kriyā (finite verb)Root नट् (धातु; नट्/नद्-समूहः, ‘ध्वनिते/निनादयति’ इत्यर्थे वैदिके) / √naṭ
- ककुहः
- the summit/peak (crest)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot ककुह (प्रातिपदिक) / kakúha-
- दिवम्
- the heaven, skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वैदिके प्रायः), द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot दिव् (प्रातिपदिक) / dyú-
- उष्ट्रान्
- camelsNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot उष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक) / uṣṭrá-
- चतुर्योजः
- four-yoked (in teams of four)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचन (उष्ट्रान् इति विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot चतुर् + योज (प्रातिपदिक; योज ‘yoked/teams’) / catur- + yója-
- ददत्
- giving, bestowingVerbशतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपद; प्रथमा एकवचन (कर्तरि), ‘giving’Role Kartā (participial, agreeing with implied agent)Root दा (धातु) / √dā (to give)
- श्रवसा
- with fame, by renownNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक) / śrávas-
- याद्वम्
- Yādva, belonging to the YadusAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (जनम् इति विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot याद्व (प्रातिपदिक; ‘यदु-सम्बद्ध’) / yādvá-
- जनम्
- people, tribeNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक) / jána-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: उद् + आनट् | ककुहः | दिवम् | उष्ट्रान् + चतुर्योजः | ददत् | श्रवसा | याद्वम् | जनम् । 1) ‘उदा॑नट्’ = ‘उद्’ (उपसर्ग) + ‘आनट्’ (लुङ् 3sg). 2) ‘उष्ट्रा॑ञ्चतु॒र्युजो॒’ = ‘उष्ट्रान्’ + ‘चतुर्योजः’ (न् + च → ञ्च). 3) ‘चतुर्योजः’ समास/संयोग: चतुर् + योजः
- उच्चारणे ‘चतुर्युजः’ इव दृश्यते. 4) वैदिकस्वरचिह्नाः (॑, ॒) पाठपरम्परानुसारं
- पदविश्लेषणे रूपनिर्णयः स्वरात् स्वतंत्रः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Kakuha rises to heaven and gives (as a gift) camels yoked fourfold; by fame/renown he uplifts the Yādva people.
Inner meaning
In a dānastuti exemplum, “Kakuha” figures the aspiring human will that ascends (ud-ānaṭ) toward the higher consciousness (divam). The “four-yoked camels” symbolize a disciplined, coordinated carriage of life-energy across the fourfold instrument (mind–vital–physical–inner being), offered into the inner sacrifice as a generous self-giving (dāna). “Śravas” is not mere social fame but the luminous power of true hearing/renown—inner recognition by the Truth—which raises the collective being (janam) of the seeker-community (Yādva) to a wider, more victorious consciousness.
Universal truth
Ascent becomes stable when one offers one’s energies in an ordered, fourfold harness to the higher aim; true renown is the radiance of realized truth that lifts not only the individual but the community-consciousness.
Themes
Ascent, Fame (śravas), Gift and uplift, Collective prosperity
The seer
- Rishi
- Kaṇva lineage (Āṅgirasa-Kaṇva tradition; specific seer not explicit in the provided pada)
- Lineage
- Kaṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.7.1, RV 8.7.2, RV 8.7.3, RV 8.7.4
Family tradition
Kaṇvas are famed for hymns of dynamic spiritual effort—invocation of Indra/Maruts, ascent, and increase of inner riches (rayi, śravas). Dānastuti passages often encode psychological ‘gifts’ as movements of offering and expansion.
Significance
The Kaṇva voice typically joins praise with inner technique: the human exemplar becomes a symbol of how aspiration, generosity, and right ordering of energies open the way to the ‘heaven’ of wider consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (frame); human exemplum (Kakuha) within dānastuti
- Epithets
- Maghavan (Bounteous), Vṛtrahan (Slayer of the Coverer), Śatakratu (of a hundred powers)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Maruts, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Indra is the power of luminous mind that breaks the obstructions, releases the cows (rays), and opens the wide heaven for the ascending being.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence and victorious will that turns offering into inner increase (rayi/śravas) and lifts the collective nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dānastuti within Indra-sūkta setting; recited in praise of patron/hero and Indra’s bounty
उदा॑नट् ककु॒हो दिव॒मुष्ट्रा॑ञ्चतु॒र्युजो॒ दद॑त् । श्रव॑सा॒ याद्वं॒ जन॑म् ॥
उत् । आ॒न॒ट् । क॒कु॒हः । दिव॑म् । उष्ट्रा॑न् । च॒तुः॒ऽयुजः॑ । दद॑त् । श्रव॑सा । याद्व॑म् । जन॑म् ॥
ut | ānaṭ | kakuhaḥ | divam | uṣṭrān | catuḥ-yujaḥ | dadat | śravasā | yādvam | janam
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh norm); this verse appears compressed in writing but functions as a Triṣṭubh cadence in Mandala 8 style.
Upward-driving, declarative; suited to ‘ud’ (uprising) and the stress of giving/expansion.
Creates a felt lift in the chest and head-space; supports an inner gesture of ascent and magnanimity.
- उद् आनट् (ud ānaṭ)
- Literal: rose up, ascended. Symbolic: uprising of aspiration; the soul’s upward movement toward higher planes
- दिवम् (divam)
- Literal: heaven, sky. Symbolic: higher consciousness; luminous mind-plane (dyu)
- उष्ट्रान् (uṣṭrān)
- Literal: camels. Symbolic: enduring life-force that can carry burdens across ‘dry’ stretches; perseverance in sādhanā
- चतुर्युजः (catuḥ-yujaḥ)
- Literal: yoked fourfold. Symbolic: fourfold yoking/discipline of the instrument; coordinated powers for the journey
- ददत् (dadat)
- Literal: giving. Symbolic: self-offering; consecration of energies to the higher Will
- श्रवसा (śravasā)
- Literal: by fame, by glory. Symbolic: luminous renown born of truth; inner ‘hearing’ that spreads right influence
- जनम् (janam)
- Literal: people, folk. Symbolic: the collective nature in us; the community of seekers
- याद्वम् (yādvam)
- Literal: of/related to the Yādvas. Symbolic: a lineage-type: a collective formation uplifted by a leader’s offering and ascent
Dānastuti illustrating patron’s ascent/fame linked to ritual giving and Indra’s favor
During Soma-related praise cycles or festive laud (stotra/śastra context) where patronage and increase are invoked
Recitation to affirm increase (śravas, rayi) and strengthen the yajamāna’s ‘victorious ascent’ symbolism
Use as a contemplation on ‘right giving’—offering one’s energies in a disciplined way to the highest aim, for collective uplift.
(div-) from √div ‘to shine’ → ‘heaven’ as luminous realm. (śrávas-) from √śru ‘to hear’ (PIE *ḱlewos ‘fame’, cf. Greek kléos): fame as ‘that which is heard’, a pan-Indo-European heroic value. (uṣṭra-) ‘camel’ (loanword origin often proposed, but Vedic attestation is early; philological debates remain). (catur) from PIE *kʷetwóres ‘four’; √yuj ‘to yoke’ (PIE *yeug-).
Śravas/ḱléwos as luminous ‘heard’ power (inner renown = wideness of consciousness), Ascent (ut) toward div (higher plane)
The ‘four-yoked’ image implies energies aligned to Ṛta—order that enables safe passage and ascent.
Śravas becomes ‘true renown’ when it is the radiance of Satya (truth-consciousness) rather than social acclaim.
Expansion from the limited collective (jana) to the wide heaven (divam) through consecrated offering.
Proto-Vedāntic / Integral-Vedic (Aurobindo): ascent and widening through sacrifice (yajña) as inner yoga.
Heaven = higher mind; camel = endurance of life-force; yoking = disciplined integration; ascent = aspiration’s rise beyond habitual limits.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ascent to heaven through fame and giving’ mythologem: a patron-hero rises to div by generosity, uplifting his people. Inner sense: organized energies (four-yoked) and the circulation of wealth-force enable ascent of consciousness; śravas is the radiance of realized power that spreads.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- śravas corresponds to PIE *ḱlewos ‘fame’ (Greek kléos, Old English hlēo/hlīsa-related fame terms), a central IE poetic value. √yuj ‘yoke’ continues PIE *yeug- (Latin iugum, English yoke), showing inherited chariot/traction metaphors.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents a human exemplum under Indra’s horizon: Indra’s wideness and victorious force manifest socially as śravas and uplift of the people. The seer’s word makes the ethical-spiritual law explicit: giving aligned with the divine increases collective ascent.
Consecrate the fourfold instrument; feel aspiration rising to the ‘sky’ of quiet luminous mind.
Anāhata → Ājñā (uplift from heart’s aspiration to brow’s illumined guidance)
4-part rhythmic breathing (inhale–hold–exhale–hold) to ‘yoke fourfold’ the prāṇa; keep it gentle.
Uplifted, expansive, quietly victorious.
Before chanting, set an intention of offering: ‘I yoke my energies to the highest.’ After chanting, sit 2–3 minutes sensing a widening above the head and a steadier, more generous will in action.
Mixed udatta/anudatta/svarita per RV śākhā; key lift on (ud) and (divam) typically felt as rising accents in recitation.
Keep ‘ud-ānaṭ’ as a single ascent gesture; do not flatten the cadence at the caesura before ‘śravasā’.
(kakuhaḥ): keep the final visarga audible but light, (uṣṭrān): retroflex ṭ; lengthen ā, (caturyujaḥ): articulate yuj clearly, not ‘j’ alone, (śravasā): palatal ś; v as soft ‘va’
Bright, upward-placed, steady (avoid harshness); let the final ‘janam’ land broad and inclusive.
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