Rig Veda 1.4.5: Mandala 1, Sukta 4, Mantra 5
Sukta 1.4
उत ब्रुवन्तु नो निदो निरन्यतश्चिदारत । दधाना इन्द्र इद्दुवः ॥
utá brúvantu no nídaḥ nír anyátas cid ārata | dádhānā índra íd dúvaḥ ||
اور رکاوٹ کی آوازیں جو ہمارے خلاف بولتی ہیں وہ ہر دوسری طرف سے بھی بھگا دی جائیں، جبکہ ہم اپنی خدمت کی پیش کش مکمل طور پر اندر میں رکھتے ہیں، تاکہ اس کی قوت ہمارے ساتھ کھڑی رہے۔
Indra-invocation in Soma context (general prayoga): verses of RV 1.4 are used as Indra-stuti within Soma pressing sequences; broadly applicable as āhvāna (invocation) and nivida-style praise in Śrauta settings (e.g., Agniṣṭoma-related Soma rites).
Rita as right ordering: removal of negation so the true force can act, Tapas/inner will: active ‘placing’ (√dhā) of aspiration into the divine power, Satyam-Ritam: truth-force requires the banishment of false speech (nidaḥ)
‘Nidāḥ’ are anṛta-forces that distort right movement; Indra’s protection restores ṛta in the field.
Establishing duvaḥ in Indra aligns action to satya-guidance rather than reactive speech.
Purification precedes manifestation: clearing adverse formations so light can act.
Discipline of rejection and consecration (Aurobindonian sādhanā motif).
Winds = cleansing prāṇa; clouds = obscuring thoughts; directions = layers of the being; driving away = rejection; establishment = fixation in higher consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the expulsion of hostile/obstructive forces by aligning with Indra’s victorious power. In the inner sense, ‘nidaḥ’ are not merely human detractors but powers of negation (doubt, denial, inertia) that must be driven out from all directions so the Indric force—dynamic, luminous mastery—can establish the soul’s advance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The verse pivots on archaic PIE-stable verbal ideas: √brū ‘speak’ (cf. PIE *bʰreh₂- / speech-related formations; compare English ‘bruit’ via later paths, and Sanskrit brū- as an old Indo-Iranian speech verb) and √dhā ‘put, set’ (PIE *dʰeh₁-; clear cognates: Greek tí-thē-mi, Latin faciō is different but ‘condere’ uses *dʰeh₁- derivatives in other branches; English ‘do’ is from *dʰeh₁- in Germanic). The preverb níḥ + directional anyátas shows the inherited Indo-European use of particles/preverbs to encode spatial → psychological semantics (expulsion outward → removal of inner obstruction).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi establishes reciprocity through ‘duvas’ (conscious service/self-offering) placed ‘in Indra’ (indre). The offering is not transactional but configurational: by setting the will (√dhā) into Indra’s field, the seeker invites Indra’s victorious consciousness to act, which in turn drives away the ‘nidaḥ’—forces that oppose the ascent toward rita and truth.
Reject negative inner speech; establish consecrated action in the illumined mind.
viśuddha (speech purification) / maṇipūra (protective will)
Forceful exhale practice (3 sets of 10) to ‘drive out’ mental noise, then slow breathing while chanting.
Protected, upright, uncompromising clarity.
When a negative thought repeats, chant once firmly; on ‘nir’ imagine it expelled; on ‘indre it duvaḥ’ place attention in the brow/heart and recommit your work to the higher guidance.
Keep the expulsive particles (nir) sharp; follow Vedic accents; avoid softening consonants in nidaḥ/ārata.
Emphasize the clearing in the first half; let the final phrase ‘indra id duvaḥ’ land with steadiness and resolve.
: dental d; visarga ḥ audible but light, : keep sandhi flow; do not insert extra vowel, : long ā; flap r lightly, : long ā; aspirated dh, : short u; v as soft ‘va’
Protective, commanding, steady at the end.
11
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
