Rig Veda 8.77.6: Mandala 8, Sukta 77, Mantra 6
Sukta 8.77
निराविध्यद्गिरिभ्य आ धारयत्पक्वमोदनम् । इन्द्रो बुन्दं स्वाततम् ॥
nír ā́vidhyad girí-bhya ā́ dhā́rayat pakvám odanám | índro bundáṃ su-ā́tatam ||
อินทราทรงเจาะมันออกจากภูผา แล้วทรงนำโภชนะแห่งความสุกงอมออกมา; พระองค์ทรงได้คลังอันงดงาม—แผ่กว้างด้วยความเต็มเปี่ยม—เพื่อหล่อเลี้ยงสรรพชีวิต.
Praise of Indra as opener of concealed riches; ritually aligns with requesting sustenance/strength from Soma-backed Indra.
ripening (pakva) as transformation into assimilable truth, support (dhṛ) as sustaining power
The gain is not chaotic; it is ‘well-spread’—orderly integration is ṛta in the being.
What is hidden in mountains is brought into truth-manifestation through Indra’s action.
Opening of concealed plenitude; transformation of raw substance into mature support.
Integral yoga resonance: conversion of subconscient material into conscious strength.
Mountains = rigid structures; drilling = insight-force; cooking = tapas/Agni; food/store = sustained prāṇa and stability distributed through the system.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The opener-of-the-mountain motif: Indra pierces the mountain to release a concealed, prepared nourishment/treasure. Innerly, the illumined force breaks rigid formations in the subconscient and brings out matured substance that can sustain the transformed being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pac ‘cook’ (pakva) from PIE *pekʷ- is a clear IE inheritance, showing an old metaphor where ‘cooking/ripening’ marks transformation. √dhṛ ‘hold/support’ from PIE *dher- preserves the archaic link between support and cosmic stability.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet invokes Indra not merely for outer food but for ‘ripened’ inner substance—mature force/knowledge extracted from hard concealments. The hymn positions the r̥ṣi as one seeking sustained transformation through Indra’s breakthrough power.
Feel Indra’s force boring through a single hardened knot (fear, procrastination, resentment) and converting its energy into steady nourishment.
maṇipūra (transformative heat) and mūlādhāra (stability/store)
Kapalabhati-light (if suitable) for ‘drilling’ phase, then slow belly breathing to ‘cook and assimilate’.
From breakthrough to grounded fullness
Chant 9 times with emphasis on nir āvidhyat; then sit and imagine warmth (tapas) ripening the released energy into calm strength that spreads evenly (svātatam).
Not fully derivable from provided text; give a decisive low-to-high push on nir āvidhyat, then soften and lengthen vowels on pakvam odanam.
Emphasize nir, āvidhyat, giribhyaḥ, pakvam, odanam, bundaṃ, svātatam.
nir: light final r, āvidhyat: clear vidhy (dhya cluster), giribhyaḥ: separate giri-bhyaḥ, odanam: open o; dental d, svātatam: long ā; keep t’s dental and crisp
Penetrating at start, then warm and nourishing; end with stable resonance.
9
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
