Rig Veda 8.2.24: Mandala 8, Sukta 2, Mantra 24
Sukta 8.2
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Likely Tr̥ṣṭubh/Jagatī family
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
यो वेदिष्ठो अव्यथिष्वश्वावन्तं जरितृभ्यः । वाजं स्तोतृभ्यो गोमन्तम् ॥
yó vediṣṭhó avyathíṣv aśvā́vantaṃ jaritṛ́bʰyaḥ | vā́jaṃ stotṛ́bʰyo gómantam ||
وہ جو اٹل حالات میں سب سے زیادہ حکیم ہے، وہ گلوکاروں کو گھوڑوں سے بھرپور قوت کی فراوانی عطا کرتا ہے، اور تعریف کرنے والوں کو گائوں سے بھرپور بہتات: ترقی کی طاقتیں اور روشن علم کی کرنیں۔
Word by Word
- यः
- who (he who)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वेदिष्ठः
- most knowing, best knowerAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; अतिशयार्थे (सुपरलेटिव)Role KartāRoot विद् (धातु) → वेदिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + इष्ठ (तमप्)
- अव्यथिषु
- unshaken, untroubledAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (कर्मपद-विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot व्यथ् (धातु) → व्यथि (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + अ- (निषेध)
- अश्वावन्तम्
- possessing horsesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (मतुप्/वतुप्)
- जरितृभ्यः
- to the singers/praisersNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot जरितृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जर्/गॄ ‘to sing/praise’ → ‘praiser’)
- वाजम्
- prize, strength, victory-bootyNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- स्तोतृभ्यः
- to the praisersNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot स्तोतृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्तु ‘to praise’)
- गोमन्तम्
- rich in cows, cattle-possessingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (वाजम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त् (मतुप्)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रहः): यः | वेदिष्ठः | अव्यथिषु | अश्वावन्तम् | जरितृभ्यः | वाजम् | स्तोतृभ्यः | गोमन्तम् || 1) अव्यथिष्वश्वावन्तम् → अव्यथिषु + अश्वावन्तम् (उ + अ → व्-आगमः/संयोगः: -षु अ- → -ष्व-)
- 2) स्तोतृभ्यो गोमन्तम् → स्तोतृभ्यः + गोमन्तम् (विसर्गस्य लोपः पदान्ते; संहितायां ‘भ्यो’ रूपं दृश्यते—चतुर्थी बहुवचनस्य वैदिक-प्रयोगः)
- 3) उच्चारण-चिह्नाः: वेदि॑ष्ठो (उदात्त/स्वरित-चिह्न), अश्वा॑वन्तम्, जरि॒तृभ्य॑ः, वाजं॑, स्तो॒तृभ्यो॒, गोम॑न्तम्—एते वैदिक-स्वर-चिह्नाः पदेषु यथास्थानम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The most wise one, steady and unshaken, gives to the singers horse-rich strength and to the praisers cow-rich abundance.
Inner meaning
Indra as the illumined Mind bestows, to those who offer inspired speech, aśva (vital energies for right action) and go (rays of knowledge). “Unshaken states” indicates a settled inner poise (non-trembling consciousness) in which the divine gifts can be held without distortion.
Universal truth
When consciousness becomes steady, the higher Intelligence naturally releases both power for execution and light for understanding; progress requires the union of force (aśva/vāja) and illumination (go).
Themes
boon-bestowal, knowledge and steadiness, poetry-as-power, inner wealth symbolism
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.2.23-28 (contextual segment; Kāṇva collection likely)
Significance
The seer-voice here emphasizes the Aurobindonian principle: right praise (mantric alignment) invites Indra’s gifts—force and light—stabilized in an unshaken inner poise.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- vediṣṭha (most wise), giver of vāja (victorious force), bestower of go (rays of knowledge)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions; distributor of powers of progress; awakener of luminous intelligence in the human journey.
Inner power
Illumined mind-force that converts aspiration into effective energy and clear knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-yajña or Indra-focused praise sequences
यो वेदि॑ष्ठो अव्य॒थिष्वश्वा॑वन्तं जरि॒तृभ्य॑: । वाजं॑ स्तो॒तृभ्यो॒ गोम॑न्तम् ॥
यः । वेदि॑ष्ठः । अ॒व्य॒थिषु॑ । अश्व॑ऽवन्तम् । ज॒रि॒तृऽभ्यः॑ । वाज॑म् । स्तो॒तृऽभ्यः॑ । गोऽम॑न्तम् ॥
yaḥ | vediṣṭhaḥ | avyathiṣu | aśva-vantam | jaritṛ-bhyaḥ | vājam | stotṛ-bhyaḥ | go--mantam
Triṣṭubh (probable; requires pada syllable validation)
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables
Firm, forward-driving cadence suited to invocation and bestowal.
Builds confidence and steadiness; supports a sense of inner consolidation before receiving power and light.
- vediṣṭhaḥ
- Literal: most knowing/most wise. Symbolic: the supreme discerning Intelligence in us (Indra’s luminous mind-power)
- avyathiṣu
- Literal: in the unshaken/non-trembling (states). Symbolic: stable equanimity; a consciousness not disturbed by desire/fear
- aśvāvantam
- Literal: horse-possessing. Symbolic: rich in vital energies and capacities of action
- vāja
- Literal: prize, strength, plenitude of force. Symbolic: victorious power of progress; effective force that carries the work forward
- gomantam
- Literal: cow-possessing. Symbolic: abounding in rays of light/knowledge, illuminations that nourish the mind
- jaritṛbhyaḥ / stotṛbhyaḥ
- Literal: to singers / to praisers. Symbolic: to the soul-forces that offer mantra (inspired speech) and aspiration
Praise within Soma offering: articulates the boon-pattern (aśva/go/vāja) granted to hymn-makers in Soma rite.
During Soma pressing/praise cycles; when seeking strength and illumination
Recitation/chant to invite Indra’s gifts (vāja, go) to the sacrificer/chanters
Use before study, decision-making, or disciplined work as an invocation for steady mind and effective energy.
is superlative from √ (vid ‘to know, find’). ‘to totter, be disturbed’; a- = unshaken. (aśva ‘horse’) in RV often symbolizes vital/dynamic energies; PIE *h₁éḱwos. (go ‘cow’) also ‘ray/light’ in Vedic symbolism; PIE *gʷōus. (vāja) relates to strength/prize; semantic field of vigor and victorious gain.
steadiness (a-vyathi) as prerequisite for true knowledge (vid), transmutation of outer ‘wealth’ into inner force (vāja) and light (go)
Indra’s gifts align action (aśva/vāja) with right order; steadiness (avyathiṣu) supports ṛta.
Knowledge (go) as truth-light that corrects perception.
Release of powers from a higher plane into the human instrument.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap emphasis)
Horse = vital dynamism; Cow = rays of illumination; Vāja = victorious effective force arising when the mind is steady.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The god as bestower of ‘cows and horses’ to poets: mythically prosperity; psychologically the granting of luminous knowledge (go) and progressive energies (aśva), culminating in vāja (victorious fullness of force).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The lexemes aśva (PIE *h₁éḱwos) and go (PIE *gʷōus) are classic IE poetic wealth terms. The superlative vediṣṭha (< √vid) shows inherited comparative morphology; the dative plurals jaritṛbhyaḥ/stotṛbhyaḥ mark recipient roles in a formulaic gift economy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi-community (jaritṛ/stotṛ) strengthens the deity through articulated praise; the deity reciprocally stabilizes and enriches their inner instruments—granting steady knowledge (vediṣṭha in avyathiṣu) and the symbolic ‘herds’ of force and light needed for the soul’s advance.
Invoke the ‘most wise’ power in the mind to stabilize attention and receive both energy and insight.
ājñā (brow) with support of maṇipūra (will/force)
Moderate nāḍī-śodhana 6–6 or 6–2–6 to establish ‘avyathi’ steadiness
Steady, luminous concentration (dhāraṇā moving toward dhyāna)
Chant, then sit in stillness; feel a quiet, unshaken base; invite a clean surge of will (aśva/vāja) and a widening light (go) into the mind.
Vedic accents as per saṃhitā: observe marked udātta on,,,; remaining as anudātta/svarita by sandhi context.
Lift pitch on udātta syllables; allow gentle fall on following svarita; keep unmarked syllables level and light.
vediṣṭho: keep retroflex ṣṭh cluster crisp, avyathiṣu: articulate vy (not bi), keep th dental aspirate, aśvāvantam: aś-vā-van-tam, avoid ‘ashwa’ as ‘aswa’, jaritṛbhyaḥ: clear ṛ and bhy cluster, gomantam: long o, nasal m before t
Steady, resonant, chest-to-brow bridge; avoid rush to preserve ‘unshaken’ mood.
9
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.
