Rig Veda 3.40.4: Mandala 3, Sukta 40, Mantra 4
Sukta 3.40
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्र सोमाः सुता इमे तव प्र यन्ति सत्पते । क्षयं चन्द्रास इन्दवः ॥
índra sómāḥ sutā́ imé táva prá yanti sat-pate | kṣáyaṃ candrā́sa índavaḥ ||
O Indra, ang mga piniga na patak ng Soma na ito ay gumagalaw patungo sa iyo, O panginoon ng tunay na pagkatao; ang nagniningning na agos ng kasiyahan ay patungo sa iyong tahanan ng kapayapaan, upang itatag ang panloob na tahanan sa liwanag.
Word by Word
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (addressed)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमाः
- Soma-juicesNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (of ‘प्र यन्ति’)Root सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुताः
- pressed, extractedAdjective (past passive participle used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘सोमाः’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot √सु (सु- ‘to press, extract’) → सुत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
- इमे
- thesePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘सोमाः’ इत्यस्य निर्देशःRole कर्तृ-निर्देशकRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- तव
- of/for youPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः; ‘यन्ति’ इत्यनेन सहRole क्रियाविशेषण (direction/intensity)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- यन्ति
- go, proceedVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √या (to go)
- सत्पते
- O lord of the good / true lordNoun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (addressed)Root सत् + पति (प्रातिपदिक; ‘true/virtuous’ + ‘lord’)
- क्षयम्
- dwelling, abodeNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (goal/object of motion: ‘towards the dwelling’)Root क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थकRole समुच्चय (connector)Root च (अव्यय)
- चन्द्रासः
- bright, shiningAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘इन्दवः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bright, shining’)
- इन्दवः
- Soma-dropsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (elliptically continuing ‘यन्ति’)Root इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘drop’, esp. Soma-drop)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्र | सोमाः | सुताः | इमे | तव | प्र | यन्ति | सत्पते | क्षयम् | च | चन्द्रासः | इन्दवः || 1) ‘सत्पते’ = सत् + पते (सम्बोधन-एकवचन), समास/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (अर्थे ‘सतां पतिः’)
- 2) ‘चन्द्रासः’ वैदिक-प्रयोगः: चन्द्र-प्रातिपदिकस्य प्रथमा-बहुवचनः (विशेषणरूपेण) ‘इन्दवः’ इत्यनेन सह
- 3) द्वितीयपादे क्रिया ‘(प्र) यन्ति’ प्रथमपादात् अनुवर्तते: ‘(प्र) यन्ति क्षयम् च …’
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pressed Soma drops go forth to Indra, the lord of the good/true; the shining Soma-currents move toward his dwelling.
Inner meaning
The refined delight (Soma) extracted from experience moves toward the illumined Mind (Indra). As the ‘lord of true being’ (satpati), Indra receives these luminous currents and establishes in us a stable inner home (kṣaya)—a settled poise of consciousness where light and joy can abide.
Universal truth
When delight is purified and offered upward, it does not dissipate as pleasure; it becomes a stable foundation for truth-consciousness and inner peace.
Themes
Soma streams, Indra as lord of being, Establishment in light, Invocation and arrival
The seer
- Rishi
- Viśvāmitra Gāthina
- Lineage
- Viśvāmitra (Kauśika lineage)
- Other hymns
- RV 3.4, RV 3.23, RV 3.33, RV 3.62
Family tradition
Mantra-seer of the Indra-Soma dynamic: delight offered to illumination to found a higher order in life.
Significance
His vision frequently joins Soma (ānanda) with Indra (illumined mind), suggesting that true victory is sustained by delight, not by harsh asceticism alone.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Satpati/Satpate (lord of truth-being)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Receiver of Soma; empowered by Soma he performs the great acts—opening the cows (rays), releasing waters, widening the worlds.
Inner power
The mind made true: a luminous governance that can ‘house’ delight without distortion, turning joy into strength and stability.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and offering to Indra (Indra-pāna)
इन्द्र॒ सोमा॑: सु॒ता इ॒मे तव॒ प्र य॑न्ति सत्पते । क्षयं॑ च॒न्द्रास॒ इन्द॑वः ॥
इन्द्र॑ । सोमाः॑ । सु॒ताः । इ॒मे । तव॑ । प्र । य॒न्ति॒ । स॒त्ऽप॒ते॒ । क्षय॑म् । च॒न्द्रासः॑ । इन्द॑वः ॥
indra | somāḥ | sutāḥ | ime | tava | pra | yanti | sat-pate | kṣayam | candrāsaḥ | indavaḥ
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4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Streaming, forward cadence matching ‘pra yanti’; bright and fluid.
Creates a sense of offering rising and entering; supports inward settling after uplift.
- somāḥ sutāḥ
- Literal: pressed Soma-drops. Symbolic: Purified essence of experience—delight distilled by discipline
- pra yanti
- Literal: go forth. Symbolic: Upward movement/aspiration of energies toward the higher mind
- satpate
- Literal: lord of the good/true (sat). Symbolic: Master of truth-being; the governing light that anchors integrity
- kṣayam
- Literal: dwelling, home, abode. Symbolic: Stable inner station—established consciousness (settlement in light)
- candrāsaḥ indavaḥ
- Literal: shining drops/streams. Symbolic: Luminous currents of bliss that illumine the mind
Soma offering: directing the Soma streams to Indra’s ‘seat’ (kṣaya) in the rite; invitatory for Indra’s presence
At/around Soma libations and praises to invite Indra’s presence.
Recitation during offering of Soma; envisioning the flow toward the deity.
Chant when redirecting desire into aspiration—convert restlessness into a luminous flow toward inner truth.
sat ‘being/truth’ (PIE *h₁es- ‘to be’), pati (PIE *pótis). kṣáya ‘dwelling’ from √kṣi ‘to dwell, settle’. candrá ‘shining’ from √cand ‘to shine, be bright’. índu ‘drop’ possibly from √ind ‘to kindle, drop/spark’ (Vedic semantic field: bright drop).
Sat (true being), Establishment (kṣaya) as stable realization in consciousness, Ananda (Soma as delight)
The Soma-streams move ‘rightly’ when guided by sat—truth; this is ṛta in motion.
Satpati indicates truth as a governing principle, not merely correctness of thought.
Founding an inner ‘home’ in light—creation of a stable plane for higher living.
Integral-Vedāntic psychology (Aurobindo): Soma as ānanda supporting the ascent of consciousness.
Moonlike cool radiance of delight flowing into the mind, establishing calm luminosity rather than excitement.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Soma goes to Indra’ mythic action: Soma-streams travel to Indra’s seat. Psychologically, prepared delight moves toward the illumined Mind so it may take stable residence (kṣaya) as truth-being (sat).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sat continues PIE *h₁es- ‘to be’; pati continues *pótis ‘master’. The collocation sat-pati is an archaic compound type (determinative) common in early Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s action is to ‘send’ (pra yanti) the prepared Soma; Indra’s reciprocal action is to receive and establish himself (kṣaya) in the being, making the sacrifice a settled habitation of light rather than a momentary ecstasy.
Offer purified delight to the inner light; feel joy becoming calm strength and a settled inner dwelling.
anāhata (heart)
Inhale ‘receive’, exhale ‘offer’—chant on exhale; keep breath cool and even.
Quiet uplift moving into stable, luminous peace.
Recall a moment of pure gratitude; let it ‘press’ into a subtle sweetness, then offer it upward to the brow-light; remain still and sense a ‘home’ forming inside.
Maintain clear udatta on ‘índra’ and lift on key nouns (sómāḥ, kṣáyam); keep flow-like continuity across caesura.
Do not over-pause after ‘ime’; let ‘tava pra yanti’ run as a single offering-movement.
(somāḥ): long ‘ā’, (sutāḥ): dental ‘t’, not retroflex, (satpate): clear ‘tp’ cluster, short ‘a’, (candrāsaḥ): ‘ndr’ cluster clean
Cool, smooth, flowing tone.
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