Rig Veda 7.21.5: Mandala 7, Sukta 21, Mantra 5
Sukta 7.21
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
न यातव इन्द्र जूजुवुर्नो न वन्दना शविष्ठ वेद्याभिः । स शर्धदर्यो विषुणस्य जन्तोर्मा शिश्नदेवा अपि गुॠतं नः ॥
ná yātáva indra jūjuvur no ná vándanā śaviṣṭha vedyā́bhiḥ | sá śardhad aryó víṣuṇasya jántor mā́ śiśnádevā́ ápi guḥ ṛtáṃ naḥ ||
اے اندر، کوئی بھٹکے ہوئے ہم پر غالب نہ آئیں، نہ کوئی خالی خوشامدیں اپنی رسومی معرفتوں سے، اے سب سے طاقتور۔ نیک انسان پھٹکار ہٹاوے کا توڑ دے، جھوٹے پوجاری ہمارے رت کو ڈھانپ نہ دیں۔
Word by Word
- न
- notIndeclinableनिषेध (negation)Root न
- यातवः
- sorcerers, demons (yātus)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot यातु (प्रातिपदिक) / यातु-
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole Sampradāna (addressed)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- जूजुवुः
- have overcome / have prevailedVerbपरस्मैपद, लिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot जु (धातु) / जूजु (intensive stem)
- नः
- of us / for usPronounषष्ठी (genitive) / or दative-possessive use, बहुवचन (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/possessor)Root अस्मद्
- न
- nor / notIndeclinableनिषेधRoot न
- वन्दना
- praise, adorationNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot वन्दन (प्रातिपदिक) < √वन्द्
- शविष्ठ
- O most mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (superlative)Role Sampradāna (addressed)Root शविष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) < शवीयस्/शवस्
- वेद्याभिः
- by/with (our) worthy/acceptable (acts/offerings)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot वेद्य (प्रातिपदिक) < √विद् (to know) → ‘to be known/fit to be found/attained’
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot तद्
- शर्धत्
- let him repel / may he drive offVerbपरस्मैपद, लोट्/विधिलिङ्-प्राय (injunctive/imperative nuance in Vedic), 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot शर्ध् (धातु) / शर्ध (to drive off, repel, overpower)
- अर्यः
- the noble one (Arya)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition to सः)Root अर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- विषुणस्य
- of the hostile/poisonous one (Vedic epithet)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root विषुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- जन्तोः
- of the creature/personNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मा
- do notIndeclinableनिषेध (prohibitive particle, esp. with injunctive)Root मा
- शिश्नदेवाः
- phallus-worshippers / obscene ‘deities’ (a hostile group)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot शिश्नदेव (प्रातिपदिक) = शिश्न + देव
- अपि
- even, alsoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (emphatic/also/indeed)Root अपि
- गुहृतम्
- the hidden (treasure/wealth)Participle (past passive) used as adjective/nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot गुहृत (प्रातिपदिक) < √गुह् (to hide) + क्त
- नः
- our / of usPronounषष्ठी (genitive) / possessive enclitic, बहुवचनRole Sampradāna (possessor)Root अस्मद्
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): न + यातवः
- इन्द्र (voc.)
- जूजुवुः + नः
- न + वन्दना
- शविष्ठ (voc.)
- वेद्याभिः
- सः
- शर्धत्
- अर्यः
- विषुणस्य
- जन्तोः
- मा
- शिश्नदेवाः
- अपि
- गुहृतम्
- नः. Notable: ‘जूजुवुः’ is an intensive-perfect formation from √जु
- ‘मा’ is prohibitive
- ‘गुहृतम्’ is PPP (√गुह् + क्त) used as object
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer to Indra that hostile wanderers and deceptive praises backed by mere ritual expertise may not overpower the worshippers; may the noble power shatter the assault of a perverse being, and may false-worshippers not cover their ṛta (right order/true law).
Inner meaning
Vasiṣṭha asks the illumined Mind (Indra) to protect the inner sacrifice from (1) restless, drifting impulses (yātavaḥ: the wandering movements of the vital) and (2) empty mental flattery—speech and forms of practice that mimic knowledge (vandanā…vedyābhiḥ) without inner truth. The ‘noble one’ (aryaḥ) is the soul-force aligned with the Truth; it must break the onrush of the distorted nature (viṣuṇasya jantoḥ) so that the false divinizations (śiśnadevāḥ: worship of lower powers/desire) do not veil ṛta—our right seeing, right movement, and right becoming.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires discernment: not every ‘religious’ or ‘knowledgeable’ appearance serves truth. The seeker must reject restless dispersion and performative piety, and invoke a higher intelligence that protects integrity of conscience and right law (ṛta) against inner distortions and counterfeit ideals.
Themes
protection-of-ṛta, polemic-against-false-worship, warding-off-hostility, ethical-spiritual-struggle
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha (Mānasa lineage; later associated with the Vasiṣṭha gotra)
- Other hymns
- RV 7.18 (Vasiṣṭha’s Indra hymns around the Ten Kings context), RV 7.23–7.26 (Indra praises emphasizing strength and protection), RV 7.33 (Vasiṣṭha’s spiritual authority and ṛta)
Family tradition
The Vasiṣṭhas are seers of inner truth (ṛta) and harmony; their hymns often emphasize protection of the right path and the victory of truth over distortion.
Significance
Vasiṣṭha’s voice is that of steady illumination and ethical-spiritual rectitude: safeguarding ṛta against counterfeit religiosity and hostile inner forces.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- śaviṣṭha (most mighty), īśāna (lord/master—implied in the hymn context), maghavan (giver of bounties—implicit across the set)
- Related deities
- Agni (inner flame and priest of the sacrifice), Soma (bliss-essence that strengthens Indra), Bṛhaspati (word of illumination), Uṣas (dawn of insight)
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; wielder of the thunderbolt that releases the waters/light; upholder of victorious order against the Coverer and hostile forces.
Inner power
The divine Mind-force that discerns, decides, and strikes through confusion—establishing clarity, courage, and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-yajña sequences (general Indra praise/propitiation)
न या॒तव॑ इन्द्र जूजुवुर्नो॒ न वन्द॑ना शविष्ठ वे॒द्याभि॑: । स श॑र्धद॒र्यो विषु॑णस्य ज॒न्तोर्मा शि॒श्नदे॑वा॒ अपि॑ गुॠ॒तं न॑: ॥
न । या॒तवः॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । जू॒जु॒वुः॒ । नः॒ । न । वन्द॑ना । श॒वि॒ष्ठ॒ । वे॒द्याभिः॑ । सः । श॒र्ध॒त् । अ॒र्यः । विषु॑णस्य । ज॒न्तोः । मा । शि॒श्नऽदे॑वाः । अपि॑ । गुः॒ । ऋ॒तम् । नः॒ ॥
na | yātavaḥ | indra | jūjuvuḥ | naḥ | na | vandanā | śaviṣṭha | vedyābhiḥ | saḥ | śardhat | aryaḥ | viṣuṇasya | jantoḥ | mā | śiśna-devāḥ | api | guḥ | ṛtam | naḥ
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Firm, driving, argumentative cadence suited to protection and discernment.
Creates a steady martial clarity—useful for cutting through inner confusion and asserting resolve in truth.
- यातवः (yātavaḥ)
- Literal: wanderers, roamers. Symbolic: restless vital-mental impulses that disperse the will and derail sādhanā
- वन्दना (vandanā)
- Literal: praise, flattery. Symbolic: egoic or strategic speech—self-justifying devotion without sincerity
- वेद्याभिः (vedyābhiḥ)
- Literal: by knowings/ritual knowledges. Symbolic: mere technique or borrowed ‘spiritual knowledge’ lacking inner realization
- अर्यः (aryaḥ)
- Literal: noble, Arya. Symbolic: the aspiring soul-force aligned to Truth-consciousness
- विषुणस्य जन्तोः (viṣuṇasya jantoḥ)
- Literal: of the perverse/discordant being. Symbolic: twisted formation of nature—habit-energy that opposes harmony
- शिश्नदेवाः (śiśnadevāḥ)
- Literal: phallus-worshippers (a Vedic polemical term). Symbolic: worship of desire and lower vital powers as ‘gods’; deification of impulse
- ऋतम् (ṛtam)
- Literal: cosmic order, right law. Symbolic: truth-in-action; right seeing and right movement in consciousness
Apotropaic prayer within Indra hymn: protection from hostile/false forces and safeguarding ṛta
During Soma pressing and Indra invocations; also adaptable for daily recitation seeking protection of ṛta.
Recitation/śastra or stotra praising Indra; offering of Soma in the larger rite.
Use as a ‘discernment and protection’ mantra before meditation: to reject restlessness, spiritual bypassing, and egoic devotion; reaffirm inner truth (ṛta).
ṛta from √ar/ṛ ‘fit, move rightly’ (Vedic semantic core: ordered truth). √guh ‘hide’ expresses the act of obscuration: hostile forces veil ṛta. śiśna-devāḥ is a polemical Vedic term for distorted worship; psychologically, it indicates deification of the lower vital impulse rather than the luminous powers.
Ṛta (truth-order), Falsehood/veil (√guh), Arya as noble alignment with truth
Explicit: prayer that ṛta not be covered—ṛta as the seeker’s protected inner law.
Truth is practical and behavioral: not mere speech (vandanā) but right alignment.
Unveiling: progress occurs by removing coverings that hide the true order.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ascent from vital-ego forms to truth-conscious movement.
The ‘wanderers’ are scattered energies; the ‘covering’ is tamasic obscuration that hides the sun of truth (ṛta) in consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the ‘veiling of ṛta’ by hostile/false forces and its protection by Indra: a moral-psychological battle where truth-order must not be concealed by deviant powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √guh ‘hide’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Av. gu- ‘to hide’). ṛta is cognate in concept with Avestan aša (truth/order), reflecting Indo-Iranian heritage of cosmic order terminology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Indra to guard the community’s alignment with ṛta against deceptive movements and distorted cultic tendencies—Indra becomes protector not only of life but of the truth-law itself in the seeker.
Discernment (viveka) and protection of truth-intent (saṅkalpa) against restless impulses and egoic religiosity.
ājñā (clarity/discernment)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while repeating key phrase ‘mā…api guḥ ṛtaṃ naḥ’ mentally on the exhale.
Collected, vigilant, truth-aligned (sattvic strength).
Before practice, name the ‘wanderers’ (distractions) and ‘false worship’ (compulsions). Offer them into the inner fire; invoke Indra to establish a clean rule of life (ṛta) for the session.
Triṣṭubh recitation with standard Vedic udātta peaks on key verbs/nouns; preserve padapāṭha word boundaries for clarity.
Keep udātta prominence on ‘índra’, ‘śavíṣṭha’, ‘áryaḥ’, ‘ṛtám’; avoid flattening the negations ‘na…na…mā’.
śaviṣṭha: ‘śa-viṣ-ṭha’ (retroflex ṭh), viṣuṇasya: ‘vi-ṣu-ṇa-sya’ (retroflex ṣ, ṇ), śiśnadevāḥ: ‘śiś-na-de-vāḥ’ (long āḥ), ṛtam: vocalic ṛ, short a in -tam
Clear, firm, protective (not harsh); slightly emphatic on prohibitives (na, mā).
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