Rig Veda 8.96.12: Mandala 8, Sukta 96, Mantra 12
Sukta 8.96
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
तद्विविड्ढि यत्त इन्द्रो जुजोषत्स्तुहि सुष्टुतिं नमसा विवास । उप भूष जरितर्मा रुवण्यः श्रावया वाचं कुविदङ्ग वेदत् ॥
tád viviḍḍhi yát ta índro jújoṣat stuhí suṣṭutím namasā́ vivāsa | úpa bhūṣa jaritar mā́ ruvaṇyaḥ śrāvayā́ vā́caṃ kuvíd aṅgá védat ||
จงพิจารณาให้ถ่องแท้เถิด—สิ่งใดเล่าที่ทำให้อินทระ (Indra) พอพระทัยโดยแท้: จงสรรเสริญบทสดุดีอันงาม และปรนนิบัติด้วยใจที่นอบน้อม. โอ้กวีผู้ขับร้อง จงประดับแต่งมันเถิด; อย่าร้องตะโกนอย่างไร้ผล—จงทำให้พระวาจา (Vāc) ได้ยิน เพื่อให้ผู้ใดผู้หนึ่งได้รู้แจ้งจริง.
Word by Word
- तत्
- that (this fact/thing)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, clearly (intensifier with verb)Indeclinableउपसर्गRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- विड्ढि
- know! understand!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot विद् (धातु) ‘जान’
- यत्
- what/that whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यद् (संबन्ध-सर्वनाम)
- ते
- for you / of youPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) अथवा चतुर्थी एकवचन; अत्र ‘ते’ = तवRole SampradānaRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम)
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुजोṣत्
- has been pleased / has acceptedVerbलिट् (परोक्श/परफेक्ट), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (वेदिक रूप)Root जुष् (धातु) ‘सेव्/प्री’
- स्तुहि
- praise!Verbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot स्तु (धातु) ‘स्तु’
- सु-स्तुतिम्
- a good hymn of praiseNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सु + स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक)
- नमसा
- with reverence, with homageNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विवास
- do reverent service / worshipVerbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot वि + वास् (धातु) ‘उपास्/सेव्’ (वेदिक: ‘विवास्’ = ‘पूजय/उपास’)
- उप
- near, towardsIndeclinableअव्ययRoot उप (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
- भूष
- adorn! honor!Verbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot भूष् (धातु) ‘अलङ्कृ/शोभ’
- जरितर्
- O singer/praiserNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot जरितृ (प्रातिपदिक; √गॄ/गॢ ‘गिर्/स्तु’ से ‘स्तोतृ’)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive)Root मा (निषेध-अव्यय)
- रुवण्यः
- one who wails/laments; querulousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (विधेय-विशेषण, ‘त्वम्’ निहित)Role KartāRoot रुवण्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘रु’/‘रव्’ ध्वन्यर्थ)
- श्रावय
- make (him) hear; proclaimVerbलोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (कारक)Root श्रु (धातु) ‘श्रवय’ (णिच् caus.)
- वाचम्
- speech, utteranceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- कुवित्
- whether indeed? perhaps?Indeclinableअव्ययRoot कुवित् (अव्यय; प्रश्न/संशय)
- अङ्ग
- indeed, prayIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/colloquial)Root अङ्ग (निपात)
- वेदत्
- may he know / will he notice?Verbविधिलिङ्/लोट्-सम्भाव्य (वेदिक injunctive-like), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot विद् (धातु) ‘जान’
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: तद्वि॑विड्ढि = तत् + वि + विड्ढि (तद् + वि → तद्वि; तत्/तद् रूप-परिवर्तन संधौ)
- जुजो॑षत्स्तु॒हि = जुजोṣत् + स्तुहि (त् + स् → त्स्)
- सु॑ष्टु॒तिम् = सु + स्तुतिम् (उपसर्ग-समास/पूर्वपद)
- उप॑ भूष = उप + भूष (संधि नहीं)
- जरित॒र्मा = जरितर् + मा (र् + म् संहितायां)
- कु॒विद॒ङ्ग = कुवित् + अङ्ग (त् + अ → द्/द्-लोप/संहितारूप: कुविदङ्ग)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Know well what pleases Indra: sing good praise and serve with reverent homage. Adorn it, O singer; do not cry out vainly—make the Word heard so that one may come to know.
Inner meaning
The mantra instructs the inner practitioner: discern (viviḍḍhi) the true condition of response from the Divine Mind—what kind of consciousness makes Indra ‘take delight’ (jujoṣat). It is not loudness (mā ruvaṇyaḥ) but suṣṭuti: rightly ordered praise—speech aligned to truth and offered with namas (psychic humility, surrender). ‘Adorn’ (upa bhūṣa) means refine the vibration of speech with sincerity, clarity, and beauty, then ‘make the Word heard’ (śrāvayā vācām): establish inner audition where mantra becomes revelation. Knowledge dawns when speech becomes śruti in the heart-mind.
Universal truth
Higher consciousness responds to sincerity, right formulation, and reverent self-offering—not to noise. When the Word is refined and truly heard within, it becomes knowledge.
Themes
right praise, speech discipline, inner hearing, devotional reciprocity
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition; voice of the jaritṛ (praiser-instructor)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 8.96 (sequence on effective word and Indra’s response), RV 1.18 (right praise and protection), RV 10.71 (discipline of speech and seers)
Family tradition
Didactic tone typical of some Kāṇva verses: the poet trains the act of praise as inner discipline.
Significance
The rishi functions as inner teacher: mantra-yoga requires discernment, surrender, and refined speech; revelation is an inner audition, not mere recitation.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- receiver of suṣṭuti, knower/awakener (ved-)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (lord of the Word), Sarasvatī (inspiration and hearing), Agni (priest of the inner offering)
Cosmic role
Sanctions and empowers the right word; grants victorious knowledge when invoked rightly.
Inner power
Illumined intelligence that answers to sincerity and right vibration; transforms speech into living knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Stuti guidance within Indra praise-cycle
तद्वि॑विड्ढि॒ यत्त॒ इन्द्रो॒ जुजो॑षत्स्तु॒हि सु॑ष्टु॒तिं नम॒सा वि॑वास । उप॑ भूष जरित॒र्मा रु॑वण्यः श्रा॒वया॒ वाचं॑ कु॒विद॒ङ्ग वेद॑त् ॥
तत् । वि॒वि॒ड्ढि॒ । यत् । ते॒ । इन्द्रः॑ । जुजो॑षत् । स्तु॒हि । सु॒ऽस्तु॒तिम् । न॒म॒सा । वि॒वा॒स॒ । उप॑ । भू॒ष॒ । ज॒रि॒तः॒ । मा । रु॒व॒ण्यः॒ । श्रा॒वया॑ । वाच॑म् । कु॒वित् । अ॒ङ्ग । वेद॑त् ॥
tat | viviḍḍhi | yat | te | indraḥ | jujoṣat | stuhi | su-stutim | namasā | vivāsa | upa | bhūṣa | jaritaḥ | mā | ruvaṇyaḥ | śrāvayā | vācam | kuvit | aṅga | vedat
44
4 × ~11
Instructional firmness with a clear caesura; balances restraint (no vain crying) and force (make the Word heard).
Centers the voice and intention; encourages refined articulation and inner listening.
- विविड्ढि (viviḍḍhi)
- Literal: discern/know clearly. Symbolic: inner discrimination of what invokes the higher power
- जुजोṣत् (jujoṣat)
- Literal: is pleased/enjoys. Symbolic: the divine responds when conditions are harmonious
- सुष्टुतिम् (suṣṭutim)
- Literal: good praise. Symbolic: truth-aligned mantra/speech of right order
- नमसा (namasā)
- Literal: with obeisance. Symbolic: psychic humility, surrender of ego-claim
- उप भूष (upa bhūṣa)
- Literal: adorn, refine. Symbolic: purify and beautify the inner vibration
- मा रुवण्यः (mā ruvaṇyaḥ)
- Literal: do not cry out. Symbolic: avoid rajasic noise; cultivate sattvic intensity
- श्रावय वाचम् (śrāvayā vācām)
- Literal: make the word heard. Symbolic: establish inner hearing where mantra becomes revelation
- वेदत् (vedat)
- Literal: may know. Symbolic: awakening of knowledge through heard truth
Soma-stuti: instruction on effective praise in the pressing ritual—correctly formed stotra/uktha that Indra ‘accepts’, contrasted with ineffective noise.
Before/within recitation sequences to ensure efficacy of praise
Purificatory orientation of speech (vāk-saṃskāra) as offering
Use as a ‘pre-chant’ reminder: refine intention, surrender ego, chant for inner hearing rather than performance.
viviḍḍhi: imperatival ‘know distinctly’ from vi-√vid. jujoṣat: from √juṣ ‘to be pleased, enjoy, accept’; indicates deity’s glad acceptance. suṣṭuti: su- + √stu ‘well-praised’; not quantity but right form/rightness of vibration. namas: ‘bowing’ from √nam ‘bend’—psychologically self-submission of ego-sense. vivāsa: from vi-√vas ‘to serve, attend upon’ (also ‘to cause to dwell’ in some contexts). ruvaṇya: from √ru ‘roar’—outer noise vs inner effective word. śrāvayā: causative of √śru ‘to hear’: make the Word audible inwardly (śruti as living hearing).
vāc as creative/formative power, namas as inner surrender enabling receptivity, knowledge (vid) as the fruit of rightly heard speech (śru)
Suṣṭuti is vāk arranged according to ṛta; that order is what Indra ‘enjoys’.
Śrāvayā vācām implies speech becoming satya-heard within, not merely spoken.
Creation through Word: refined vāk manifests knowledge in the embodied being.
Mantra-śāstra as yoga: speech as force; aligns with Upaniṣadic vāk-brahman intimations.
Noise = rajasic disturbance; ‘heard Word’ = sattvic/psychic audition; adornment = purification of vibration.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘effective speech’ (vāc/uktha) that compels divine response: Indra is not moved by mere loudness (ruvaṇya) but by suṣṭuti—speech aligned to truth, which then becomes a means of realization (vedat).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid (know) and √śru (hear) are core IE cognition verbs; the causative śrāvayā shows an old IE pattern of making perception happen (cause-to-hear). The contrast between √stu (praise) and √ru (roar) encodes a poetics of ‘articulated hymn’ vs ‘raw sound’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi functions as a ritual-psychological technician: he teaches how to shape praise so Indra ‘accepts’ it. The devatā’s pleasure (juṣ) is the sign of successful attunement; the return-gift is knowledge/realization (vedat).
Three-step practice: (1) viviḍḍhi—discern intention; (2) namas—offer ego; (3) śrāvayā—listen inwardly after chanting.
viśuddha (truth-speech)
Gentle ujjāyī on chant to steady voice; brief silence after each pāda to ‘hear’ the echo.
Quiet sincerity; inwardly resonant speech.
Chant softly but distinctly; after ‘śrāvayā vācām’ stop and listen—let the mantra be ‘heard’ inside the head/heart space rather than repeated outwardly.
Three-tone Vedic chanting assumed; keep a controlled rise on invocatory verbs (stuhi, śrāvayā) and settle on prohibitive ‘mā’.
Do not accelerate on ‘mā ruvaṇyaḥ’; keep it restrained. Give clear articulation to ‘suṣṭutim’ and ‘śrāvayā vācām’.
Distinguish ś/ṣ/s: suṣṭutim (ṣṭ), śrāvayā (śr)., Pronounce jaritar as ja-ri-tar (light ‘r’)., Keep jujoṣat with clear retroflex ṣ sound.
Gentle, precise, inwardly resonant; avoid forceful shouting.
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