Rig Veda 8.13.21: Mandala 8, Sukta 13, Mantra 21
Sukta 8.13
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यदि मे सख्यमावर इमस्य पाह्यन्धसः । येन विश्वा अति द्विषो अतारिम ॥
yádi me sakhyám ā́vara imásya pā́hy ándhasaḥ | yéna víśvā áti dvíṣo átārim ||
اگر تو نے میرے ساتھ دوستی قائم کی ہے، تو پھر اس پریس ہوئے لذت کی حفاظت کر; اس کے ذریعے میں تمام نفرتوں سے آگے بڑھ جاؤں۔
Word by Word
- यदि
- ifIndeclinableconditional particleRoot यदि (avyaya)
- मे
- of me / for mePronoungenitive singular (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/possessor) संदर्भेRoot अहम् (asmad)
- सख्यम्
- friendship, allianceNounneuter nominative/accusative singularRole Karma (object) / predicate-noun senseRoot सख्य (from सखि)
- आवरः
- helping/protecting one; allyAdjective (used substantively)masculine nominative singularRole Kartā (subject) (addressed deity) / vocative-like usage in hymnRoot आवर (prātipadika)
- इमस्य
- of thisPronoungenitive singular (masculine/neuter)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (of this)Root इदम्
- पाहि
- protect! guard!Verbimperative, 2nd person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kriyā (main verb); addressee as KartāRoot पा (पाने/रक्षणे) धातु
- अन्धसः
- from the soma-juice / from the draughtNoungenitive singular (neuter)Role Apādāna/ablatival sense via genitive (Vedic): ‘from/against’ + also ‘of’Root अन्धस्
- येन
- by whichPronoun (relative)instrumental singular (masculine/neuter)Role Karaṇa (means): ‘by which’Root यद्
- विश्वाः
- allAdjective (used substantively)feminine accusative plural (agreeing with implied ‘अपः/धियः/शत्रून्’ contextually) OR neuter nom/acc pl in Vedic; here taken as acc. pl. ‘all (of them)’Role Karma (object) with अति-तॄ/अतारिम: ‘all (obstacles/foes)’Root विश्व
- अति
- over, acrossIndeclinable (preverb/adverb)preverb with √तॄ (to cross)Root अति (avyaya)
- द्विषः
- enemies, hatersNounaccusative plural (masculine) (Vedic form; also seen as gen. sg. in later Sanskrit, but here object plural fits)Role Karma (object): ‘foes’Root द्विष् (noun from √द्विष्)
- अतारिम
- I crossed over / I overcameVerbaorist (sigmatic-less/root aorist), 1st person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kriyā; speaker as KartāRoot तॄ (तरणे) धातु
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: सख्यमा॒वर॑ → सख्यम् + आवरः (final -म् before vowel; anusvāra written as म् in pada). पा॒ह्यन्ध॑सः → पाहि + अन्धसः (i + a → ya in saṃhitā: पाह्य-). अति॒ द्विषो॒ → अति + द्विषः (saṃhitā shows -o for -aḥ before voiced consonant in Vedic recitation/orthography). Accent marks retained from saṃhitā
- pada-form accents may differ in padapāṭha tradition
The meaning
Outer meaning
If you have entered into friendship with me, then protect this pressed Soma; by it may I cross beyond all hatreds.
Inner meaning
Indra’s sakhyam is the intimate alliance between the illumined Mind-power and the human seeker. The andhas (pressed Soma) is the distilled delight/strength gained by inner offering; it must be guarded from leakage into lower movements. With protected Soma-delight, the being can pass beyond dviṣaḥ—inner hostilities: doubt, resentment, self-division, hostile suggestions—crossing them as one crosses a flood.
Universal truth
When higher consciousness befriends us, it safeguards our inner gains; protected delight becomes the power to transcend hatred and division.
Themes
alliance with Indra, overcoming inner enemies, Soma as delight-power
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.13 (sequence), Rig Veda 1.63 (Indra as helper/friend), Rig Veda 10.56 (crossing beyond hostility; thematic)
Family tradition
Kāṇva devotional-heroic tone toward Indra as friend and protector of Soma and the sacrificer.
Significance
The seer frames yoga as relationship: not only invocation but friendship with the divine Mind; the key is safeguarding inner delight so it can conquer division.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Sakha (friend, implicit), Soma-pā (Soma-drinker, implied by andhas), Vṛtrahan (contextual power against obstruction)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Protector of Soma and giver of victorious passage; leader who enables crossing beyond hostile forces.
Inner power
Illuminated mind-force that defends inner delight and turns it into strength for overcoming resistance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invocation to protect Soma in Soma-yajña
यदि॑ मे स॒ख्यमा॒वर॑ इ॒मस्य॑ पा॒ह्यन्ध॑सः । येन॒ विश्वा॒ अति॒ द्विषो॒ अता॑रिम ॥
यदि॑ । मे॒ । स॒ख्यम् । आ॒ऽवरः॑ । इ॒मस्य॑ । पा॒हि॒ । अन्ध॑सः । येन॑ । विश्वाः॑ । अति॑ । द्विषः॑ । अता॑रिम ॥
yadi | me | sakhyam | āvaraḥ | imasya | pāhi | andhasaḥ | yena | viśvāḥ | ati | dviṣaḥ | atārima
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3 pādas × ~8 syllables
Direct, intimate, petitionary; strong cadence on pāhi and atārim.
Builds trust and inner security; supports a sense of being protected while moving through difficulty.
- सख्यम् (sakhyam)
- Literal: friendship, comradeship. Symbolic: intimate alliance with the divine Power; inner guidance and support
- आवरः (āvaraḥ)
- Literal: you have entered/come in. Symbolic: descent/establishment of the divine force into the human field
- अन्धसः (andhasaḥ)
- Literal: pressed Soma juice. Symbolic: distilled delight-energy/concentrated essence of experience offered upward
- पाहि (pāhi)
- Literal: protect. Symbolic: guard the inner attainment from dispersion and lower admixture
- द्विषः (dviṣaḥ)
- Literal: hatreds/enemies. Symbolic: forces of division: inner resistance, hostile impulses, negations
- अति…अतारिम (ati…atārim)
- Literal: may I cross over. Symbolic: transcendence of opposition through higher power
Petition during Soma offering: protection of andhas (Soma) and victory over hostile forces.
During Soma offering/after pressing when guarding purity and efficacy of Soma is crucial
Recitation accompanying offering and protective intention; maintaining ritual and inner purity
Use when trying to maintain meditation gains amid stress: ‘protect this delight/clarity’—a short protective prayer before engaging the world.
pāhi from √pā 'to protect'. andhas is Soma term; psychologically 'pressed sweetness/essence'. atārim from √tṛ (PIE *terh₂- 'to cross over'; cf. English 'through', Latin trans via related crossing semantics). dviṣ from √dviṣ 'to hate' indicates hostile powers (inner adversaries).
divine friendship (sakhya), crossing beyond hostility (tṛ), protection of inner essence (pā)
Protection of Soma preserves the right order of inner exchange; then passage beyond hostility becomes possible.
Friendship with Indra implies consent to truth-light; hostility thrives on falsehood and division.
Crossing beyond enemies as an evolutionary passage—moving from divided nature to unified consciousness.
Integral Yoga: Ānanda safeguarded becomes force for transformation; Indra as illumined mind assisting ascent.
Soma-pressing time (savana)
Soma = inner sweetness/energy; crossing = moving through waves of emotion/thought without being seized; enemies = disruptive impulses.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra as the divine Friend who guards Soma and enables the crossing beyond enemies: the outer battle becomes an inner passage beyond dviṣ—forces of denial—by the protected delight-essence.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tṛ 'cross' reflects PIE *terh₂- with broad IE reflexes in 'through' semantics; the verb form atārim preserves ancient aorist-like preterite. √dviṣ is an archaic hate-root within Indo-Iranian, mapping to inherited opposition vocabulary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet claims sakhya (intimate alliance) as the basis for grace: if Indra accepts the friendship, he must guard the inner Soma (delight/essence) so the aspirant can traverse all resistances.
Invoke Indra as inner friend; protect the ‘pressed’ delight gained in practice; release resentment and inner opposition.
Anāhata (friendship/heart openness) with Ājñā (Indra’s light)
Inhale: ‘sakhyam’; exhale: ‘pāhi’; then a longer exhale imagining crossing beyond dviṣaḥ.
Protected inner sweetness; courageous equanimity.
After a good meditation, chant 9 times to ‘seal’ the gain; during conflict, repeat softly to prevent leakage into anger.
Accents as marked: यदि॑, स॒ख्यमா॒वर॑, पा॒ह्यन्ध॑सः, विश्वा॒, द्विषो॒ (observe pada accents).
Slight lift on udatta syllables; keep the petition ‘pāhi’ clear and gently emphatic.
sakhyam: ‘khy’ cluster—do not split into ‘k-hi’, āvaraḥ: long ā; light ‘v’, pāhyandhasaḥ: sandhi—chant as pāhi andhasaḥ with a slight pause if needed, dviṣaḥ: retroflex ṣ; avoid ‘dvisha’ with dental s, atārim: long ā; roll-free r
Warm, intimate, protective; softer volume on the second half to internalize the ‘crossing’.
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