Rig Veda Sukta 167
Mandala 10Sukta 1674 Mantras

Sukta 167

Sukta 10.167

Rishi

Traditionally associated with the late Rigvedic Indra-hymn corpus of Mandala 10.

Devata

Indra (with Soma-pressing context; svah-conquest motif)

Chandas

Likely Triṣṭubh (based on verse shape and cadence typical for Indra praises in X); exact syllable count should be confirmed by pada-level metrical scan.

Ang maikling hymno kay Indra ay binuo bilang isang panalangin sa pagpiga ng Soma: ang matamis na Soma ay ibinubuhos para kay Indra, na tinatawag na panginoon ng sisidlan ng piniga at tagapagkaloob ng rayi (kasaganaan na may bayaning lakas). Ito ay nag-uugnay sa tagumpay ni Indra, ang pagkapanalo sa svah (ang liwanag na langit), sa kaayusan ng ritwal na pinapanatili ng Soma, Varuṇa, at Bṛhaspati, at nagtatapos sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay-diin sa aktibong papel ng makata sa paghahanda ng alay at paghubog sa stoma (hymno).

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.167

Mantras

Mantra 1

तुभ्येदमिन्द्र परि षिच्यते मधु त्वं सुतस्य कलशस्य राजसि । त्वं रयिं पुरुवीरामु नस्कृधि त्वं तपः परितप्याजयः स्वः ॥

Para sa iyo, O Indra, ang pulot-pukingtan na kasiyahan ay ibinubuhos sa paligid; ikaw ang panginoon ng sisidlan ng piniga na Soma. Ibig mo para sa amin ang kayamanan, na sagana sa maraming kapangyarihang bayani; ikaw, sa pamamagitan ng init na nagpapahinog sa lahat, ay nakamtan ang maliwanag na langit.

Mantra 2

स्वर्जितं महि मन्दानमन्धसो हवामहे परि शक्रं सुताँ उप । इमं नो यज्ञमिह बोध्या गहि स्पृधो जयन्तं मघवानमीमहे ॥

Tinatawag namin ang Makapangyarihan, ang tagapagwagi ng langit, ang nagagalak sa diwa ng Soma; inaanyayahan namin ang Matibay sa mga inuming piniga. Maging alerto sa aming sakripisyong ito dito at dumating; hinahanap namin ang mapagbigay na Indra, tagapagwagi sa lahat ng sumasalungat na puwersa.

Mantra 3

सोमस्य राज्ञो वरुणस्य धर्मणि बृहस्पतेरनुमत्या उ शर्मणि । तवाहमद्य मघवन्नुपस्तुतौ धातर्विधातः कलशाँ अभक्षयम् ॥

Sa batas ni Haring Soma, sa organisadong katotohanan ni Varuna, at sa mabuting pahintulot ni Brihaspati, sa kapayapaang nagbibigay ng kanlungan, ngayon, O mapagbigay, sa iyong papalapit na papuri, O Dhatri, O Vidhatri, ako ay nakibahagi sa mga sisidlan ng Soma.

Mantra 4

प्रसूतो भक्षमकरं चरावपि स्तोमं चेमं प्रथमः सूरिरुन्मृजे । सुते सातेन यद्यागमं वां प्रति विश्वामित्रजमदग्नी दमे ॥

Itinakda sa galaw, inihanda ko ang bahagi sa mangkok, at binuo ko ang himalang ito, una bilang naglilinaw na tagapagkaloob. Nang, sa pamamagitan ng pananagumpay sa piniga na Soma, ako ay dumating sa inyong dalawa, sa bahay, O Vishvamitra at Jamadagni, mga kapangyarihan ng inspiradong pananaw at nagniningning na pagiging master.

Inside Sukta 167

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Immediate ritual address: sweet Soma is poured for Indra, who rules the pressed vessel and is asked to grant abundant heroic wealth.

  2. Development

    Indra’s gift-giving is tied to his archetypal conquest of svah; the hymn then broadens into a network of ritual-cosmic supports—Soma’s dharma, Varuṇa’s order, Bṛhaspati’s sanction, and the shelter of peace.

  3. Climax

    The speaker’s direct participation is declared: ‘today…in your near-praise…I have partaken of the Soma-vessels,’ anchoring theology in performed rite.

  4. Where it settles

    The poet concludes by emphasizing the making of the offering and the crafting of the stoma, invoking authoritative seer-names (Viśvāmitra, Jamadagni) as the rite’s inspired completion in the household setting.

The deity: Indra in a Soma-pressing context

  • In the VedaIndra is praised as the bounteous lord who delights in pressed Soma, grants rayi rich in heroic powers, and is remembered for winning the luminous realm (svah) through tapas-like ardour and victorious force.
  • Cosmic functionChampion of cosmic victory and expansion: he breaks through limits, secures the luminous world, and channels vital power from the Soma rite into protection and prosperity for the worshippers.
  • Inner significanceIndra symbolizes the awakened will and courageous clarity that, nourished by disciplined ‘pressing’ (refined effort/offerings), conquers inner darkness and opens the ‘luminous heaven’ of insight and freedom.

The seer

  • Anukramaṇī-dependent; not securely inferable from the supplied text (late Mandala 10 Indra-hymn milieu)Representative of the late Rigvedic poetic-ritual voice that integrates Indra praise with explicit Soma-ritual self-reference (kalasha, bhakṣa, stoma) and cosmological victory motifs (svah).

Famous verses

tvaṃ tapas paritapyājayaḥ svaḥ
Verse 10.167.1Core statement of the hymn’s purpose: Soma is poured for Indra, he is lord of the pressed vessel, he is asked for rayi rich in heroic power, and he is remembered as winner of svah.Read verse 10.167.1 →
सोमस्य राज्ञो वरुणस्य धर्मणि बृहस्पतेरनुमत्या उ शर्मणि । तवाहमद्य मघवन्नुपस्तुतौ धातर्विधातः कलशाँ अभक्षयम् ॥
Verse 10.167.3Most explicit ritual-theological synthesis: the Soma rite is placed within Soma’s dharma, Varuṇa’s order, and Bṛhaspati’s consent, while the speaker declares actual participation in the Soma vessels.Read verse 10.167.3 →
प्रसूतो भक्षमकरं चरावपि स्तोमं चेमं प्रथमः सूरिरुन्मृजे । सुते सातेन यद्यागमं वां प्रति विश्वामित्रजमदग्नी दमे ॥
Verse 10.167.4Highlights the poet-officiant’s agency—preparing the portion and ‘fashioning forth’ the hymn—while invoking Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni as legitimizing powers within the ritual household context.Read verse 10.167.4 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Soma-drinker and lord of the Soma vessel (kalaśa)
  • Maghavan (bounteous giver of wealth and strength)
  • Victor who ‘wins svah’ (the luminous heaven)
  • Bestower of rayi rich in puruvīra (many heroic powers)
  • Aligned with ṛta/dharma through Varuṇa and priestly sanction through Bṛhaspati
  • Empowered by cosmic formers (Dhātṛ–Vidhātṛ) in the hymn’s ritual-cosmic framing

Also by this seer

  • Attribution varies by recension and requires external Anukramaṇī data; this hymn’s speaker-positioning suggests a professional Soma-ritual poet rather than a clearly named family seer.
  • The naming of Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni in 10.167.4 is best read as lineage/authority invocation or ritual-poetic alignment, not as decisive authorship evidence.

The rite, step by step

  • Soma pressing/straining and filling of the kalaśa (Soma vessel).
  • Libation and invitation: Soma is poured ‘around’ for Indra’s enjoyment.
  • Praise (stoma/upastuti) acknowledging Indra as Maghavan and recalling his cosmic victory (winning svah).
  • Ritual validation: situating the act ‘in Soma’s dharma’ and Varuṇa’s order, with Bṛhaspati’s consent and protective peace (śarman).
  • Partaking/handling of Soma vessels by the officiant/poet as a sign of participation and completion.
  • Closing self-reference: the poet prepares the bhakṣa portion and ‘fashions’ the hymn, invoking ancestral/authoritative seer-powers (Viśvāmitra–Jamadagni) as ritual-poetic support.

Offerings

  • Pressed Soma (madhu, soma) in the kalaśa
  • Portion in the bowl (caru/bhakṣa as prepared share)
  • Hymn of praise (stoma) as verbal offering

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a short hymn inviting Indra to the pressed Soma, praising him as the generous giver of strength and wealth, and recalling his victory in winning the luminous realm (svah).

They frame the offering as ritually and cosmically valid: Soma represents the rite’s power, Varuṇa the ordered truth/law, and Bṛhaspati the priestly sanction that makes the praise effective.

Not necessarily. In this verse they can function as invoked authorities or seer-powers supporting the poet’s act; firm authorship needs external Anukramaṇī attribution.

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