Rig Veda 8.4.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 4, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.4
- Rishi
- Kaṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
मा भेम मा श्रमिष्मोग्रस्य सख्ये तव । महत्ते वृष्णो अभिचक्ष्यं कृतं पश्येम तुर्वशं यदुम् ॥
mā bhéma mā śramiṣmógrasya sakhyé táva | mahát te vṛ́ṣṇo abhí-cakṣyaṁ kṛtáṁ páśyema turváśaṁ yádum ||
ہم ڈریں نہیں، آپ کی شدید رفاقت میں ہم تھکے نہیں۔ اے طاقت کے بیل، ہم اندرونی نظر پر ظاہر کیے گئے عظیم کام کو دیکھیں، ترشا اور یادو کو، جو طاقتیں ہماری طرف لائی جانی ہیں۔
Word by Word
- मा
- not / do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- भेम
- let us not fearVerbलोट् (विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; (मा + लोट्) = निषेधाज्ञाRole Kartā (अस्मद्-समूहः) अप्रकटRoot भी (धातु)
- मा
- not / do notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक अव्ययRoot मा (निषेध) अव्यय
- श्रमिष्मः
- let us not grow weary / toilVerbलोट्, उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; (मा + लोट्) = निषेधाज्ञाRole Kartā (अस्मद्-समूहः) अप्रकटRoot श्रम् (धातु) / श्रम (भाव)
- उग्रस्य
- of the mighty/terrible oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘of the mighty’Root उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सख्ये
- in friendship / in allianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole Adhikaraṇa (स्थान/विषय) — ‘in friendship’Root सख्य (प्रातिपदिक) < सखि
- तव
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘of you/thy’Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- महत्
- greatAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेष्यं ‘कृतम्’/‘अभिचक्ष्यम्’ नपुंसक)Role Karma/विशेषण (object-qualifier) संदर्भानुसारRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘thy’Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वृष्णः
- of the bull-like/strong oneNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘of the bull/virile one’ (देवविशेषण)Root वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभिचक्ष्यम्
- worthy to be seen / visibleAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; -य (gerundive/भाव्य) ‘to be looked at/visible’Role Karma (object) / विशेष्य ‘कृतम्’ का विशेषणRoot अभि-चक्ष् (धातु) → अभिचक्ष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- कृतम्
- done / accomplishedParticipleनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृत् (PPP)Role Karma (object) — ‘(deed) done’Root कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
- पश्येम
- may we seeVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole Kartā (अस्मद्-समूहः) अप्रकट; Karma = ‘महत्…कृतम्’Root पश्/दृश् (धातु)
- तुर्वशम्
- TurvaśaProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (object) — ‘Turvaśa’Root तुर्वश (प्रातिपदिक; जन/नृप-नाम)
- यदुम्
- YaduProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (object) — ‘Yadu’Root यदु (प्रातिपदिक; जन/नृप-नाम)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolution): मा | भेम | मा | श्रमिष्मः | उग्रस्य | सख्ये | तव | महत् | ते | वृष्णः | अभिचक्ष्यम् | कृतम् | पश्येम | तुर्वशम् | यदुम् । विशेष: ‘मा’ + लोट् (भेम, श्रमिष्मः) = निषेधाज्ञा (prohibitive)
- ‘महत् ते वृष्णः’ = ‘of thee, O bull/strong one’ (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
- ‘अभिचक्ष्यम् कृतम्’ नपुंसक एकवचन समासार्थे—‘दृश्यं कृतम्/कृत्यं’ प्रकारेण कर्मपदसमूहः, ‘पश्येम’ का कर्म।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Let us not fear; let us not grow weary in your fierce friendship. O bull, may we see your great deed made visible—(the winning of) Turvaśa and Yadu.
Inner meaning
In the intense comradeship of Indra (ugra sakhya), the seeker must not fall into fear or fatigue—common reactions when transformation becomes forceful. Indra is vṛṣan, the bull-power: concentrated, virile energy of illumined mind. The prayer is for abhicakṣya—an inner seeing, a deed made manifest to the soul’s sight: the concrete evidence of victory. ‘Turvaśa’ and ‘Yadu’ are read psychologically as powers in the human being to be ‘won over’—recalcitrant or divergent movements (often interpreted as types of human energies/peoples in outer reading) that must be brought into alliance with the illumined will rather than left to the enemy of obscurity.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress demands endurance and trust when the higher force works fiercely. The sign of true advance is not only belief but inner vision of transformation—parts of the nature once alienated become allies of the awakened consciousness.
Themes
Indra-invocation, courage-and-endurance, victory-as-integration, inner-vision
The seer
Family tradition
Context suggests Kaṇva circle; the verse continues the Indra-invocation and victory-integration theme characteristic of Kaṇva hymns.
Significance
Even where attribution is uncertain, the voice is of the warrior-seeker who asks for visible inner proof of Indra’s work and for integration of resistant parts of nature.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- ugra (fierce, intense), vṛṣan (bull, mighty)
- Related deities
- Soma (as empowering medium in adjacent verses), Maruts (companions in fierce action)
Cosmic role
Leads the gods’ victory; compels the conversion of hostile or unaligned powers into the divine order.
Inner power
Fear-dispelling, fatigue-breaking force of illumination; grants inner sight of progress and integrates divided energies.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing context; invitation to Indra to partake and manifest heroic deed (general Soma-yajña usage; likely within a Savana sequence).
मा भे॑म॒ मा श्र॑मिष्मो॒ग्रस्य॑ स॒ख्ये तव॑ । म॒हत्ते॒ वृष्णो॑ अभि॒चक्ष्यं॑ कृ॒तं पश्ये॑म तु॒र्वशं॒ यदु॑म् ॥
मा । भे॒म॒ । मा । श्र॒मि॒ष्म॒ । उ॒ग्रस्य॑ । स॒ख्ये । तव॑ । म॒हत् । ते॒ । वृष्णः॑ । अ॒भि॒ऽचक्ष्य॑म् । कृ॒तम् । पश्ये॑म । तु॒र्वश॑म् । यदु॑म् ॥
mā | bhema | mā | śramiṣma | ugrasya | sakhye | tava | mahat | te | vṛṣṇaḥ | abhi-cakṣyam | kṛtam | paśyema | turvaśam | yadum
Likely 4 pādas typical of RV meters.
Exhortative and steady; built for courage and endurance.
Stabilizes nerve-force, reduces fear response, and supports confidence in intense practice.
- मा भेम (mā bhema)
- Literal: let us not fear. Symbolic: refusal to contract before transformative force
- मा श्रमिष्म (mā śramiṣma)
- Literal: let us not tire. Symbolic: endurance in sādhanā; persistence through pressure
- उग्रस्य सख्ये (ugrasya sakhye)
- Literal: in the fierce friendship. Symbolic: intense divine companionship that compels change
- वृष्णः (vṛṣṇaḥ)
- Literal: of the bull (mighty one). Symbolic: virile, concentrated force of illumined mind and will
- अभिचक्ष्यम् (abhicakṣyam)
- Literal: to be seen clearly, made visible. Symbolic: inner revelation—direct perception of the divine working
- कृतम् (kṛtam)
- Literal: the deed done. Symbolic: actual accomplished transformation, not aspiration alone
- तुर्वशम् यदुम् (turvaśam yadum)
- Literal: Turvaśa and Yadu (names). Symbolic: energies/movements to be won over and integrated into the divine alliance
Soma pressing context; invitation to Indra to partake and manifest heroic deed (general Soma-yajña usage; likely within a Savana sequence).
General Indra praise within Soma-invocation sequence; suitable where courage and victory are sought.
Recited as encouragement to the sacrificers and as petition for visible success of Indra’s aid.
A courage-mantra for difficult phases of meditation or life-change: ‘do not fear, do not tire’ while invoking a higher force to integrate resistant parts.
Key roots: √bhī 'fear, be afraid' (PIE *bʰeyh₂- 'fear'); √śram 'toil, become weary' (cf. śrama 'effort/ascetic heat' later); √paś 'see' (PIE *speḱ- 'observe', cf. Lat. specio); √cakṣ 'see, appear' with abhi- intensifying 'toward/over, clearly' (PIE *kweks-/*kʷekʷ- 'see' often compared with Vedic cakṣ); √kṛ 'do, make' (PIE *kwer- 'make/do'). vṛṣan 'bull' from √vṛṣ 'to rain/sprinkle; be virile/impel'—in Indra hymns, marks the overflowing force that breaks obstructions. Turvaśa, Yadu: ethnonyms in outer sense; in inner sense, figures for allied human energies/lineages to be integrated under Indra’s victorious Light.
Rita as victorious order manifesting through the 'great deed', inner seeing (abhi-cakṣ) as awakening of truth-perception
Winning over Turvaśa/Yadu symbolizes bringing divergent powers into R̥ta’s harmony.
Abhicakṣya kṛtam: truth must be seen as accomplished fact in consciousness.
Integration: the many become allies of the One through victorious illumination.
Integral-psychological Vedism (conversion of nature’s parts).
Bull = concentrated force and fertility of consciousness; fierce friendship = catalytic pressure of transformation; ‘seeing the deed’ = dawning of inner certainty.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Indra’s 'great deed' (mahat…kṛtam) becoming visible—heroic victory that converts or brings over named powers (Turvaśa, Yadu). In the inner reading, it is the decisive act of the illumined Force that turns wavering or divided human energies into allies of the soul’s advance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Core verbs are archaic and Indo-European: mā + injunctive (bhéma, śramiṣma) preserves an old prohibitive construction; √paś aligns with PIE *speḱ- 'see' (spect-), while √kṛ reflects PIE *kwer- 'do/make'. The verse’s economy—prohibitives + locative of companionship (sakhyé) + optative (paśyema)—is characteristic of early Indo-European poetic exhortation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The singer asks for steadfastness within Indra’s intense companionship (ugrasya…sakhyé), implying a reciprocal pact: the human offers aspiration and endurance, and Indra grants the unveiling of accomplished power (abhi-cakṣyam kṛtam). The relationship is not merely petitionary; it is collaborative—Indra’s force acts when the human refuses fear and fatigue.
Cultivate fearless endurance in intense transformation; ask for clear inner signs of progress and integration of resistant parts.
Anāhata (courage/trust) and Ājñā (inner sight: abhicakṣya).
Slow breathing with lengthened exhale to dissolve fear; on inhale, feel Indra’s ‘bull-force’ rising in the spine.
Steady courage with inward seeing; companionship with a higher power.
When practice becomes intense, repeat ‘mā bhema mā śramiṣma’; then sit and watch for a concrete shift (kṛtam)—a small but real integration where a previously resistant impulse becomes cooperative.
Rigvedic accent (where marked in Saṃhitā); keep ‘mā’ phrases steady and protective; raise gently on vocatives/epithets (ugra, vṛṣan).
Deliver ‘mā bhema mā śramiṣma’ as two clear, calming prohibitions; pause slightly before ‘ugrasya sakhye tava’.
śramiṣma: keep ‘śr’ cluster; short i., abhicakṣyam: articulate ‘kṣy’ carefully., turvaśaṃ yadum: keep ś as palatal ‘ś’, not retroflex.
Grounded, reassuring, courageous; not aggressive—‘fierce friendship’ is held with trust.
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