Rig Veda 8.21.12: Mandala 8, Sukta 21, Mantra 12
Sukta 8.21
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
जयेम कारे पुरुहूत कारिणोऽभि तिष्ठेम दूढ्यः । नृभिर्वृत्रं हन्याम शूशुयाम चावेरिन्द्र प्र णो धियः ॥
jáyema kāré puruhūta kāríṇo’bhí tíṣṭhema dūḍhyàḥ | nṛ́bhir vṛtráṃ hányāma śūśuyā́ma cā́ver índra prá no dhíyaḥ ||
ہم بنانے میں فتح حاصل کریں، اے زیادہ پکارے جانے والے، انہیں جو ہمارے خلاف بنانا چاہتے ہیں؛ ہم مشکل دق حالات پر کھڑے رہیں۔ آدمی طاقتوں کے ساتھ ہم اندر کے وِرتر کو ماریں؛ ہم اسے کرنے کی خواہش سے جلیں۔ اے اندر، ہمارے الهام یافتہ خیالات کو آگے لے آ۔
Word by Word
- जये॑म
- may we winVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot जि (धातु)
- का॒रे
- in the contest/battleNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कार (प्रातिपदिक; ‘युद्ध/संघर्ष/प्रतिस्पर्धा’)
- पुरुहूत
- O much-invoked (Indra)Noun (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot पुरु-हूत (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र का विशेषण)
- कारिणः
- (we) doers/warriorsNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘करनेवाला/युद्धकर्ता’)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableअव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- तिष्ठेम
- may we stand/press onVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot स्था (धातु) + तिṣ्ठ (प्रसार/विकरण)
- दूढ्यः
- the hard (ones/obstacles/strongholds)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot दूढ्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दृढ/कठिन/दुर्जेय’)
- नृभिः
- with men/warriorsNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृत्रम्
- Vṛtra (the obstructor)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- हन्याम
- may we slayVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot हन् (धातु)
- शूशुयाम
- may we be eager/press forwardVerbलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot शूशु (धातु; ‘उत्सुक/प्रबल होना, वेग करना/उत्साह करना’)
- च
- andIndeclinableअव्ययRole (connector)Root च (अव्यय)
- अवेः
- from the ram (Avi)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot अवि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भेड़/मेढ़ा’)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableअव्ययRole (preverb)Root प्र (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- नः
- our / for usPronounषष्ठी बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- धियः
- thoughts/insights/prayersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot धी (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठ में ‘कारिणो॒ऽभि’ = ‘कारिणः + अभि’ (विसर्ग-संधि: अ- के पूर्व विसर्ग → ’)
- अन्य पद-सीमाएँ मूलतः स्पष्ट हैं। ‘प्र णो धियः’ में ‘णो’ = एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ (उच्चारण/पदपाठ-परंपरा में नकार का मूर्धन्यत्व)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May we win in the contest of action; may we overcome those who act against us; may we stand over hard difficulties. With the heroes may we slay Vṛtra; may we be eager; Indra, bring forward our insights.
Inner meaning
In the field of works (kāra), may the soul-force conquer the counter-formations (kāriṇaḥ—forces that ‘do’ against the right doing). May we rise above compressed distress (dūḍhyaḥ). With the nṛbhis—our manly powers (clarified life-forces and courageous faculties)—may we strike down Vṛtra, the inner Coverer that blocks light and free flow. Let there be ardent will (śūśuyāma). Indra, push forward (pra) our dhiyas: inspired perceptions and right-forming thoughts.
Universal truth
Victory in life is not mere struggle but the uplift of intelligence and will: overcome counter-impulses, endure pressure, remove inner obstruction, and let inspiration lead action.
Themes
victory, Vṛtra-slaying (inner), empowered action, inspiration
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 8.21.11, RV 8.21.13-15
Family tradition
Kāṇva-style Indra stotras emphasizing victory, dhī, and Vṛtra-slaying as an inner event.
Significance
The seer frames sādhanā as a disciplined conquest: right action (kāra) guided by inspired thought (dhī) empowered by Indra.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Puruhūta (much-invoked), Vṛtrahan (Vṛtra-slayer), Avī (protector/helper—‘aver’ in the verse)
- Related deities
- Maruts (hero-powers), Agni (will), Soma (bliss/force), Sarasvatī (inspiration)
Cosmic role
Champion of the gods; opens the paths by breaking the Coverer; advances the seer’s dhī for right action.
Inner power
Dynamic illumination: courage + clear intelligence that turns pressure into progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma praise in Soma yajña; victory hymns in pressing sequences
जये॑म का॒रे पु॑रुहूत का॒रिणो॒ऽभि ति॑ष्ठेम दू॒ढ्य॑: । नृभि॑र्वृ॒त्रं ह॒न्याम॑ शूशु॒याम॒ चावे॑रिन्द्र॒ प्र णो॒ धिय॑: ॥
जये॑म । का॒रे । पु॒रु॒ऽहू॒त॒ । का॒रिणः॑ । अ॒भि । ति॒ष्ठे॒म॒ । दुः॒ऽध्यः॑ । नृऽभिः॑ । वृ॒त्रम् । ह॒न्याम॑ । शू॒शु॒याम॑ । च॒ । अवेः॑ । इ॒न्द्र॒ । प्र । नः॒ । धियः॑ ॥
jayema | kāre | puru-hūta | kāriṇaḥ | abhi | tiṣṭhema | duḥ-dhyaḥ | nṛ-bhiḥ | vṛtram | hanyāma | śūśuyāma | ca | aveḥ | indra | pra | naḥ | dhiyaḥ
Likely Jagatī (approx.; longer pādas common in RV 8 with Indra praise)
48
4 pādas × ~12 syllables (Jagatī movement; exact count may vary)
Longer, marching cadence—suited to sustained effort and overcoming layered difficulties.
Energizes resolve; stimulates ‘forward movement’ of dhī and prāṇa.
- जये॑म (jayema)
- Literal: may we conquer. Symbolic: inner victory—mastery over lower nature and circumstances
- का॒रे (kāre)
- Literal: in the doing/making. Symbolic: the yoga of works; formation of life by conscious action
- का॒रिणः (kāriṇaḥ)
- Literal: doers/makers. Symbolic: counter-forces that ‘construct’ error, habit, or opposition in the nature
- दू॒ढ्यः (dūḍhyaḥ)
- Literal: hard-pressed, difficult. Symbolic: compressed knots of difficulty; constricted prāṇa and circumstance
- नृभिः (nṛbhiḥ)
- Literal: with men/hero-powers. Symbolic: inner virile energies disciplined by light; effective soul-forces
- वृत्रम् (vṛtram)
- Literal: Vṛtra, the coverer. Symbolic: subconscient obstruction, ignorance, inertia that blocks illumination
- शूशुयाम (śūśuyāma)
- Literal: may we be eager/ardent. Symbolic: tapas of the will—fervor to accomplish the inner conquest
- धियः (dhiyaḥ)
- Literal: thoughts, inspirations. Symbolic: illumined understanding; truth-forming intuition
Victory-prayer in the Indra-cycle: asks for success in action (kāra), overcoming difficulties, and Vṛtra-slaying—classically aligned with Indra’s role in Soma rites for victory and force.
During offerings to Indra for strength and victory; adaptable for daily recitation before work/endeavor
Stotra to invoke conquering power and the arising of inspired thought
Use as a ‘work mantra’: before study, leadership, athletic effort, or confronting procrastination/inner inertia.
: optative 1pl √ji ‘conquer’ (PIE *gʷyeh₂- ‘live/conquer’ debated; Vedic √ji firmly ‘win’). : from √duh/√duh? as ‘hard to milk’ metaphorically ‘hard to draw out’; here ‘difficulties’ (semantic hard-pressed). : from √vṛ ‘cover, obstruct’ → the Coverer. : optative √han ‘strike, slay’ (PIE *gʷhen- ‘kill’). : from √av ‘protect’ (PIE *h₂ew- ‘protect’ often proposed).
inner battle: knowledge vs. obstruction (vṛtra), forward movement of inspiration (pra dhī), collective heroic energies (nṛ-bhiḥ)
Right action wins when aligned with Ṛta; opposition is overcome by restoring true order in the nature.
‘Pra ṇo dhiyaḥ’—let truth-vision come to the front of consciousness.
Indra advances creation by breaking the cover and enabling inspired formation (kāra) in the human.
Integral-psychological reading: Vṛtra as inner obstruction; dhī as supramental/intuitive precursor in mind.
Battle = inner struggle for mastery; pressure = constricted prāṇa and circumstance; storm victory = breakthrough of illumination and free flow.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Explicit Vṛtra-slaying: the obstructor (covering power) is to be struck down so that inspiration and force can flow; the myth is read inwardly as the defeat of ignorance and inertia in the human instrument.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘slay’ corresponds to PIE *gʷhen- (cf. Gk. phénō ‘slay’, Av. jan-). √sthā ‘stand’ corresponds to PIE *steh₂- (Lat. stō). The verse uses inherited battle-and-standing formulas for ethical/psychic conquest.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests Indra’s av (protection) to convert aspiration into conquest: human nṛ-power acts, but Indra must ‘bring forward’ dhī—divine illumination guiding human effort in the inner war.
Bring forward dhī (inspired intelligence) to lead action; identify and strike the inner Vṛtra (habitual obstruction).
maṇipūra (will/effort) guided by ājñā (clear direction)
Kapalabhati-light or brisk 1–2 minutes (if appropriate), then calm breathing while repeating ‘pra ṇo dhiyaḥ’.
Active, luminous striving—sattvic force with heroic steadiness.
Name the counter-maker (kāriṇa) as a specific pattern (doubt, avoidance, anger). Invoke Indra; feel nṛbhis as organized inner powers; affirm decisive release; then sit quietly to let a clear next step (dhī) arise.
Rigvedic accenting per saṃhitā marks; maintain clear udātta peaks on accented syllables; reset at pāda breaks.
Keep strong lift on ‘jayema’, ‘vṛtram hanyāma’, and resolve on ‘pra ṇo dhiyaḥ’.
puruhūta: keep long ū; aspirate h lightly, 'bhi tiṣṭhema: clear conjunct ‘ṣṭh’, dūḍhyaḥ: long ū; retroflex ḍh, nṛbhiḥ: vocalic ṛ; final ḥ light, hanyāma: palatal ny, śūśuyāma: long ū, repeated śū- cleanly, dhiyaḥ: dh voiced aspirate; final ḥ
Bright, forceful, uplifting; avoid shouting—power through clarity.
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