Rig Veda 3.30.7: Mandala 3, Sukta 30, Mantra 7
Sukta 3.30
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यस्मै धायुरदधा मर्त्यायाभक्तं चिद्भजते गेह्यं सः । भद्रा त इन्द्र सुमतिर्घृताची सहस्रदाना पुरुहूत रातिः ॥
yásmai dhāyúr ádadhaḥ mártyāyā́bhaktaṃ cid bhajate gehyàṃ sáḥ | bhadrā́ ta indra sumatír ghṛtā́cī sahásra-dānā puruhūta rātíḥ ||
Sa sinumang iyong ialay ang kapangyarihang nagpapatibay para sa mortal, siya ay nagbabahagi kahit ng hindi binabahagi at nananalo ng yaman ng tahanang loob. Mapalad ang iyong mabuting kalooban, O Indra, na umaagos sa kasaganaan ng purified butter; isang libong pagkakaloob ang iyong kagandahang-loob, O madalas na tinatawag.
Word by Word
- यस्मै
- to whomPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- धायुः
- the supporter/placer (bestower)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot धायु (प्रातिपदिक; √धा ‘धारण/स्थापन’)
- अदधाः
- you placed/you gaveVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद; मध्यम-एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √धा (दधाति)
- मर्त्याय
- to a mortalNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभक्तम्
- an unshared portion; undivided (share)Adjective (past participle) / Noun-likeनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अ-भक्त (कृदन्त/विशेषण; √भज् ‘विभाग/भोग’)
- चित्
- evenIndeclinableअव्ययRoot चित् (अव्यय)
- भजते
- he shares/apportionsVerbलट्, आत्मनेपद; प्रथम-एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √भज्
- गेह्यम्
- belonging to the house; domesticAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचनRole कर्मRoot गेह्य (विशेषण; ‘गृह-सम्बन्धिन्’)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- भद्रा
- auspicious, goodAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव (सुमतिः इत्यस्य)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी-एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) अथवा चतुर्थी-एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठीRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper) संबोधनपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुमतिः
- good thought; benevolenceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot सु-मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- घृताची
- ghee-flowing; anointed with gheeAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole विशेषण (सुमतिः/रातिः)Root घृताची (प्रातिपदिक; घृत + अची ‘having ghee as (its) flow/shine’)
- सहस्रदाना
- thousand-givingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole विशेषण (रातिः)Root सहस्र-दाना (प्रातिपदिक; बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय)
- पुरुहूत
- O much-invoked oneNoun (epithet) संबोधनपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot पुरु-हूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- रातिः
- gift; givingNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot राति (प्रातिपदिक; √रा/√रद् ‘दान’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: यस्मै | धायुः | अदधाः | मर्त्याय | अभक्तम् | चित् | भजते | गेह्यम् | सः || भद्रा | ते | इन्द्र | सुमतिः | घृताची | सहस्रदाना | पुरुहूत | रातिः || 1) मर्त्यायाभक्तम् = मर्त्याय + अभक्तम् (स्वर-सन्धि/संयोग)
- 2) चिद्भजते = चित् + भजते (त् + भ → द्भ)
- 3) गेह्यं सः = गेह्यम् + सः (म् + स → ंस; लेखे ‘गेह्यं१॒॑ सः’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whomever Indra grants fostering power for the mortal, that person shares even what was unshared and gains the wealth of the home. Indra’s goodwill is auspicious, flowing with ghee; his bounty gives a thousand gifts.
Inner meaning
Indra bestows dhāyu—nourishing, sustaining force—so the mortal nature can grow beyond scarcity-consciousness. Then one can ‘share the unshared’: release hoarding, fear, and separative ego, and participate in a wider circulation of energies. ‘Gehya’ is the inner home: the settled heart-space where the riches of consciousness (light, strength, joy) accumulate as stable attainment. Indra’s sumati (right-minded grace) is ghṛtācī—moving with ghee, i.e., luminous, smooth, clarified intelligence and delight that lubricates the workings of the being. Sahasradānā rātiḥ indicates abundance of inner gifts: many-sided capacities, inspirations, and supports descending when the mind is illumined and generous.
Universal truth
When higher intelligence grants sustaining power, the psyche moves from scarcity to abundance; generosity and inner stability arise together.
Themes
Bounty of Indra, Inner wealth (geha), Luminous substance (ghṛta), Grace and goodwill
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Gāthin lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.30, RV 3.33 (Viśvāmitra and the rivers; thematic of flow and grace)
Family tradition
Emphasis on transforming power into beneficence; the heroic becomes the generous—kṣatra refined by brahman.
Significance
The rishi frames Indra not only as warrior but as giver of inner prosperity: illumination that turns life into a home for the divine.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Puruhūta, Ghṛtācī (as quality of his sumati), Sahasradānā (through his rāti)
- Related deities
- Bhaga (distributor), Aditi (vastness), Soma (delight)
Cosmic role
Bestower of strength and wealth after victory; establishes prosperous functioning of the human and cosmic order.
Inner power
Grace of illumined intelligence that nourishes, harmonizes distribution, and stabilizes inner life in abundance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Dakṣiṇā/boon-oriented praise in Soma rite; also a formula for inner prosperity (gehyam) and luminous right-mindedness (sumati).
यस्मै॒ धायु॒रद॑धा॒ मर्त्या॒याभ॑क्तं चिद्भजते गे॒ह्यं१॒॑ सः । भ॒द्रा त॑ इन्द्र सुम॒तिर्घृ॒ताची॑ स॒हस्र॑दाना पुरुहूत रा॒तिः ॥
यस्मै॑ । धायुः॑ । अद॑धाः । मर्त्या॑य । अभ॑क्तम् । चि॒त् । भ॒ज॒ते॒ । गे॒ह्य॑म् । सः । भ॒द्रा । ते॒ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । सु॒ऽम॒तिः । घृ॒ताची॑ । स॒हस्र॑ऽदाना । पु॒रु॒ऽहू॒त॒ । रा॒तिः ॥
yasmai | dhāyuḥ | adadhāḥ | martyāya | abhaktam | cit | bhajate | gehyam | saḥ | bhadrā | te | indra | su-matiḥ | ghṛtācī | sahasra-dānā | puru-hūta | rātiḥ
44
4 × ~11
Less percussive than the battle verses; flowing cadence matching ghṛta imagery.
Soothes and enriches; encourages openness, gratitude, and inner settling.
- dhāyuḥ
- Literal: fostering power/nourishment. Symbolic: sustaining śakti that builds the being—inner strength, capacity, resilience
- martyāya
- Literal: for the mortal. Symbolic: for embodied nature under limitation; the human instrument
- abhaktam
- Literal: unshared/undivided (not apportioned). Symbolic: what ego withholds—closed energies; also undifferentiated potential awaiting right distribution
- bhajate
- Literal: shares/partakes. Symbolic: enters right relation and distribution; harmonizes exchange within and with others
- gehyaṃ
- Literal: of the house/home. Symbolic: inner home: heart-center, psychic dwelling, stable inner station
- sumatiḥ
- Literal: goodwill/right-mindedness. Symbolic: grace of right perception and benevolent guidance from illumined mind
- ghṛtācī
- Literal: ghee-flowing. Symbolic: clarified luminous flow—smooth functioning of mind and delight
- sahasradānā rātiḥ
- Literal: thousand-giving gift. Symbolic: manifold inner endowments: insights, strengths, protections, joys
Dakṣiṇā/boon-oriented praise in Soma rite; also a formula for inner prosperity (gehyam) and luminous right-mindedness (sumati).
Praise for Indra’s giving aspect in Soma offerings; also recitable in prosperity intentions and communal sharing rites.
Offering of clarified butter and soma with aspiration for sumati (right guidance) and rāti (boon).
For cultivating generosity and inner security; useful in gratitude practice and before sharing/charity.
dhāyu possibly from √dhā ‘set, support’ → ‘supporter/fosterer’; semantics: sustaining growth-force. bhajate from √bhaj ‘share, distribute, partake’ (PIE *bʰag- ‘apportion’ cf. Slavic bogŭ ‘god’ as distributor of fortune). ghṛta ‘clarified butter’ in inner sense ‘clarified light/essence’ (from √ghṛ ‘shine/sprinkle’ debated; RV symbolism treats ghṛta as luminous substance). rāti from √rā ‘give’.
Sumati (right-minded luminous guidance), Rayi/Rāti (spiritual wealth as fullness), Distribution/apportionment (bhaj)
Right sharing (bhajate) mirrors ṛta as correct distribution and harmonious exchange in the worlds.
Sumati aligns the mind with truth; abundance is stable when founded on satya, not desire.
Prosperity as a flow (ghṛta) from higher clarity into embodied life, building the ‘home’ of consciousness.
Integral Vedāntic-yogic: wealth as inner attainment and capacity, not merely external goods.
Ghee = clarified luminous essence; home = stable psychic station; nourishment = sustaining śakti that grows the instrument.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘god as distributor of fortune’: Indra grants dhāyu (fostering power) so the mortal can partake even of the ‘unshared’—a mythic image of opening hidden reserves of being and establishing inner household wealth (gehyam).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhaj ‘apportion/share’ reflects PIE *bʰag- with broad IE reflexes of ভাগ/fortune distribution. The verse’s gift vocabulary (rāti, sahasra-dānā) belongs to an archaic IE economy of reciprocal giving between human and divine.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi frames Indra’s grace as transformative: the god’s sumati (right-minded force) and rāti (gift) enable the human to enter a new distribution of energies—inner prosperity and luminous nourishment, not mere material gain.
Receive sustaining force; relax scarcity; let inner wealth circulate as generosity and right relation.
anāhata (inner home/heart)
Slow coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min) with attention at the heart; on inhale ‘dhāyuḥ’, on exhale ‘bhajate’.
Prasāda (clarified grace) and inner settledness (gṛha-sthiti).
After chanting, recall one area of withholding (time, care, truth). Offer it inwardly to Indra’s sumati; choose one concrete act of sharing that does not deplete but opens flow.
Tri-svara; keep a gentle rise on ‘bhadrā te indra sumatiḥ’ and a soft settling on ‘rātiḥ’.
Avoid martial emphasis; let ‘ghṛtācī’ be elongated and flowing to mirror meaning.
dhāyuḥ: long ā; final ḥ lightly aspirated, abhaktam: clear ‘bh’ aspiration, gehyaṃ: ‘geh-yam’ with clear palatal ‘y’, ghṛtācī: vocalic ṛ; ‘tā’ long; ‘cī’ long ī
Warm, smooth, slightly inward; sustained vowels.
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