Rig Veda 8.90.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 90, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.90
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
त्वं दाता प्रथमो राधसामस्यसि सत्य ईशानकृत् । तुविद्युम्नस्य युज्या वृणीमहे पुत्रस्य शवसो महः ॥
tváṃ dātā́ prathamó rā́dhasām asyási satyá īśānakṛ́t | tuvídyumnasya yújyā́ vṛṇīmahe putrásya śávaso maháḥ ||
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Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thou (you)Pronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दाता
- giverNoun (agent)पुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot √दा (दाने) → दातृ (कर्तरि-तृन्)
- प्रथमः
- first, foremostAdjectiveपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- राधसाम्
- of gifts/bountiesNounनपुं; षष्ठी; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root राधस् (नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of this (one/this)Pronounपुं/नपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- असि
- thou artVerbलट् (वर्तमान); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचनRole (अस्ति-क्रिया; कर्तृ=त्वम्)Root √अस् (भू-सत्तायाम्)
- सत्यः
- trueAdjectiveपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईशानकृत्
- sovereign-doer; one who acts as lordCompound (adjectival epithet)पुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root ईशान (प्रातिपदिक, ‘ruling/sovereign’) + √कृ (करणे) → कृत् (कृदन्त, ‘maker/doer’)
- तुविद्युम्नस्य
- of great glory/splendourNoun (genitive compound)नपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root तुवि (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘much, greatly’) + द्युम्न (नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक) → तुविद्युम्न (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
- युज्या
- to be joined/appropriated; fittingAdjectiveस्त्री; द्वितीया; एकवचन (कर्मपद-विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root √युज् (योजने) → युज्य (यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय, ‘fit to be yoked/used’)
- वृणीमहे
- we choose, we seekVerbलट् (वर्तमान); उत्तमपुरुष; बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया; कर्तृ=वयम्)Root √वृ (वरणे)
- पुत्रस्य
- of the sonNounपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- शवसः
- of strength, mightNounनपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root शवस् (नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
- महः
- of greatness; of the great (power)Nounनपुं; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root महत्/महि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘greatness’) / महस् (नपुंसक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) राध॑साम॒स्यसि॑ → राधसाम् + अस्य + असि (final -म् before vowel; junction yields -मस्य- in saṃhitā). (2) ईशान॒कृत् is a compound epithet (ईशान + कृत्). (3) तुविद्युम्नस्य is a compound (तुवि + द्युम्न) in gen. sg. (4) युज्या is taken as fem. acc. sg. kṛdanta adjective agreeing with an implied feminine object (e.g., धियं/स्तुतिं/इष्टिं) ‘a fitting (prayer/act)’. (5) पुत्रस्य शवसो महः: three genitives in apposition/stacked relation ‘of the son, of strength, of greatness’. Accents as in the provided saṃhitā text are retained
- pada-division follows standard RV padapāṭha practice for अस्य असि
The meaning
Outer meaning
You are the first giver of riches; you are the true lord who makes one master. We choose the yoking to your abundant splendor—your great force of ‘sonhood’ (putrasya), of might (śavas).
Inner meaning
Indra is the primal giver of fulfillments (rādhas): he opens the inner wealth of light, strength, and joy. As satya īśānakṛt, he is the true maker of mastery—establishing the soul’s governance over mind and life. The seeker chooses yujyā, the right yoking/discipline to Indra’s abundant luminous power (tuvidyumna): a sustained alignment with illumination. ‘Putrasya śavaso’ can be read psychologically as the force of the ‘child of the soul’—the emerging divine personality/inner being that grows in might when yoked to Indra.
Universal truth
Real abundance is the fruit of true mastery: align with illumination and a greater strength grows within, as if a new ‘son’ of consciousness is born and empowered.
Themes
Divine giving (rādhas), Inner mastery, Harnessing luminous force
The seer
Significance
The seer’s emphasis is on Indra as the first giver and as the installer of mastery—suggesting a path where illumination becomes governance, not mere experience.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Dātā (first giver), Satya, Īśānakṛt, Tuvidyumna
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Distributor of divine powers and victories; establishes sovereignty of the gods’ order.
Inner power
Truth-illumination that grants mastery and increases effective strength in the evolving soul-nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra praise within Soma offerings (probable)
त्वं दा॒ता प्र॑थ॒मो राध॑साम॒स्यसि॑ स॒त्य ई॑शान॒कृत् । तु॒वि॒द्यु॒म्नस्य॒ युज्या वृ॑णीमहे पु॒त्रस्य॒ शव॑सो म॒हः ॥
त्वम् । दा॒ता । प्र॒थ॒मः । राध॑साम् । अ॒सि॒ । असि॑ । स॒त्यः । ई॒शा॒न॒ऽकृत् । तु॒वि॒ऽद्यु॒म्नस्य॑ । युज्या॑ । आ । वृ॒णी॒म॒हे॒ । पु॒त्रस्य॑ । शव॑सः । म॒हः ॥
tvam | dātā | prathamaḥ | rādhasām | asi | asi | satyaḥ | īśāna-kṛt | tuvi-dyumnasya | yujyā | ā | vṛṇīmahe | putrasya | śavasaḥ | mahaḥ
44
4 × ~11
Assured, weighty, with a ‘choosing’ cadence in the second half (vṛṇīmahe).
Instills confidence and trust; supports the resolve to adopt a discipline (yoking) to illumination.
- दाता (dātā)
- Literal: giver. Symbolic: bestower of inner wealth—light, courage, right joy
- राधस् (rādhas)
- Literal: bounty, success, fulfillment. Symbolic: attainments of the yoga: widened peace, force, light, delight
- सत्य (satya)
- Literal: true. Symbolic: truth-consciousness that cannot deceive; right seeing
- ईशानकृत् (īśānakṛt)
- Literal: maker of lordship/mastery. Symbolic: power that installs inner sovereignty over nature
- तुविद्युम्न (tuvidyumna)
- Literal: of much splendor. Symbolic: abundant illumination; many-rayed clarity
- युज्या (yujyā)
- Literal: yoking, harnessing. Symbolic: discipline of alignment—integrating will, mind, and life with light
- पुत्र (putra)
- Literal: son. Symbolic: emergent divine formation in the seeker; growing inner power
- शवस् (śavas)
- Literal: strength, might. Symbolic: effective force that can act and endure in truth
Soma praise emphasizing Indra as giver of rādhas and establisher of īśitva (mastery) in the sacrificer.
When seeking rādhas (boons) and victory; during Indra-focused stotras.
Recitation accompanying offerings, affirming Indra as giver and lord-maker.
A mantra for commitment: recite when choosing a practice or life-direction; use to reinforce alignment with truth over impulse.
rādhas ‘boon/fulfilment’ relates to √rādh ‘to succeed, accomplish’ → inner fulfilment rather than material gain. īśāna ‘lord’ (from √īś ‘to own, be master’) + kṛt ‘making’ → Indra as establishing mastery in the being. yujyā from √yuj ‘yoke’ → disciplined integration of powers; in Vedic psychology, yoking the energies to the truth-light (dyumna).
Satya (truth), Mastery/īśitva, Yoga as yoking (√yuj)
Īśānakṛt indicates R̥ta expressed as inner governance.
Indra’s mastery is ‘satya’—not coercion but truth-based sovereignty.
Growth of a new power (‘sonhood’) within the seeker through yoking to light.
Integral/psychological Veda: boons as inner realizations; mastery as evolution of consciousness.
Light = clarity and truth-force; yoke = disciplined integration; ‘son’ = new formation of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the ‘first giver’ and ‘maker of mastery’: the mythic king-god becomes the inner power that establishes sovereignty of Truth (satya) in the human vessel, enabling the yoking of abundant luminous energies (tuvídyumna).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yuj ‘yoke’ is a hallmark IE root (Latin iugum, English yoke). √dā ‘give’ is pan-IE (Greek didōmi). The verse’s abstract agent nouns (dātā, kṛt) show early Indo-European nominal style used for divine functions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi ‘chooses’ (vṛṇīmahe) Indra’s yoking—an act of consent and alignment—seeking not external spoils but rādhas as accomplished inner fulfilment and the growth of a ‘son-force’ (putra) of might within.
Choose the yoke: align intention, thought, and action with the clearest truth you can perceive; invite Indra as the installer of mastery.
ājñā (truth-direction) and maṇipūra (mastery/agency)
box breathing 4-4-4-4 for steadiness before making a vow/choice
Quiet authority; luminous steadiness.
After chanting, write one ‘satya’ you will live today (truthful alignment). Then select one concrete yoking action (habit, restraint, offering) that supports it; review at day’s end.
Rigvedic accents per svara edition; emphasize ‘dātā’, ‘satya’, ‘īśānakṛt’, ‘tuvidyumnasya’.
Keep the first hemistich stately; slightly quicken on ‘vṛṇīmahe’ to convey choosing/commitment.
‘īśānakṛt’: keep long ‘ī’ and retroflex ‘ṛ’ clear., ‘tuvidyumnasya’: articulate ‘dy’ and ‘mn’ without dropping consonants., ‘yujyā’: pronounce ‘jy’ conjunct cleanly., ‘śavaso’: palatal ‘ś’ (not dental ‘s’).
calm, authoritative, bright
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