Rig Veda 8.45.20: Mandala 8, Sukta 45, Mantra 20
Sukta 8.45
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
आ त्वा रम्भं न जिव्रयो ररभ्मा शवसस्पते । उश्मसि त्वा सधस्थ आ ॥
ā́ tvā rambháṃ ná jivrā́yo rarabhmá śavasas-pate | uśmási tvā sadhástha ā́ ||
اے قوت کے مالک، ہم نے تجھے اس طرح پکڑا جیسے کوئی سہارا پکڑتا ہے؛ ہم تجھے اس مشترک مقام پر چاہتے ہیں۔
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towardsIndeclinableupasarga/nipāta (directional: ‘towards, hither’)Root आ (upasarga) / ā (nipāta)
- त्वा
- you (as object)Pronounaccusative singular (enclitic form of त्वाम्)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (2nd person pronoun)
- रम्भम्
- support/prop, staff; (as simile) ‘a prop’Nounmasculine accusative singularRole Karma (apposition/comparison target)Root रम्भ (prātipadika)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableparticle of comparisonRoot न (nipāta)
- जिव्रयः
- the lively/active ones; vigorous (men)Adjective (used substantively)masculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot जिव्र (prātipadika)
- ररभ्मा
- I have grasped / I seizeVerbperfect, 1st person singular, parasmaipada (Vedic perfect)Role KriyāRoot √रभ् (रभँ) ‘to seize, grasp, take hold’
- शवसस्पते
- O lord of strengthNoun (vocative compound)masculine vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot शवस् + पति (tatpuruṣa: ‘lord of strength’)
- उश्मसि
- we desire / we wishVerbpresent, 1st person plural, parasmaipada (Vedic form)Role KriyāRoot √वश्/उश् (Vedic: ‘to desire, wish’)
- त्वा
- youPronounaccusative singular (enclitic)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद्
- सधस्थे
- in the seat/abode (common place)Nounneuter locative singularRole AdhikaraṇaRoot सधस्थ (prātipadika) ‘common seat/abode, assembly-place’
- आ
- hither, untoIndeclinabledirectional particle ‘hither/unto’ (closing particle)Root आ (upasarga) / ā (nipāta)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: ‘आ त्वा’ = ā + tvā (no change). ‘रम्भं न’ (anusvāra before dental n retained). ‘जिव्रयो ररभ्मा’ shows external sandhi with initial r-
- no phonetic change beyond padapāṭha separation. ‘शवसस्पते’ is a vocative compound (śavasas-pate < śavasas + pate). ‘उश्मसि त्वा’ separated (no sandhi change). ‘सधस्थ आ’ = sadhasthe + ā (final -e before ā kept as in saṃhitā; padapāṭha separates). Accents: tvā॑ (udātta on tvā), जिव्र॑यो (udātta on -vra-), रर॒भ्मा (svarita/udātta pattern as transmitted), श॑वसस्पते (udātta on śa-), उ॒श्मसि॑ (udātta on -śma- with following svarita), स॒धस्थ॒ (udātta on -dhas-), final आ (anudātta/independent per recitation)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The singers “grasp” Indra like a firm prop or support and invite/desire him to come and sit in the common session-place (sadhástha) with them.
Inner meaning
The seeker seizes upon the Divine Mind-Power (Indra) as the indispensable inner support for the yoga: a steady hold on illumined force is established so that Indra may take his seat in the shared field of consciousness (the gathered powers of the being) and preside over the inner sacrifice.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress depends on consciously taking hold of a higher Power as one’s support and inviting it to occupy the central seat of life; illumination becomes effective when it is not occasional but enthroned in the ordinary ground of being.
Themes
bringing-the-god-here, support-and-holding, force, ritual-seat
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva tradition
- Lineage
- Kāṇva (probable)
- Other hymns
- RV 8.45 (entire sūkta, Indra), RV 8.44 (Indra), RV 8.46 (Indra)
Family tradition
Book 8 is largely Kāṇva; these Indra-stotras often reflect a practical yogic temperament: insistence on force (śavas) and victory in inner conflict.
Significance
The seer-voice emphasizes a decisive “grasp” of the divine support—an Aurobindonian motif of adhesion to the higher Power so it can occupy the central seat of the nature and lead the sacrifice.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- śavasas pati (Lord of Force)
- Related deities
- Agni, Soma, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Breaker of obstructions, opener of the luminous worlds, establisher of victorious order for the sacrificer.
Inner power
Illumined Mind and executive spiritual force that organizes the energies of the being and makes them victorious.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra within Soma-related praise sequences (general)
आ त्वा॑ र॒म्भं न जिव्र॑यो रर॒भ्मा श॑वसस्पते । उ॒श्मसि॑ त्वा स॒धस्थ॒ आ ॥
आ । त्वा॒ । र॒म्भम् । न । जिव्र॑यः । र॒र॒भ्म । श॒व॒सः॒ । प॒ते॒ । उ॒श्मसि॑ । त्वा॒ । स॒धऽस्थे॑ । आ ॥
ā | tvā | rambham | na | jivrayaḥ | rarabhma | śavasaḥ | pate | uśmasi | tvā | sadha-sthe | ā
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Firm, forward-driving cadence suitable for invocation and taking hold of power.
Builds resolve and steadiness; supports a ‘grasping’ concentration that seats the invoked Force in the mind.
- ā tvā
- Literal: toward you / to you. Symbolic: turning of the whole being toward the higher Power; deliberate invocation
- rambham
- Literal: a prop, support, stay. Symbolic: inner reliance on the divine strength that holds the sadhana steady
- rarabhma
- Literal: we have grasped/held fast. Symbolic: firm aspiration and adhesion (śraddhā + tapas) that does not slip back
- śavasas pate
- Literal: lord of force/strength. Symbolic: Indra as master of dynamic power in the mind and life-force, enabling victory over resistance
- uśmasi
- Literal: we desire/long for. Symbolic: intense aspiration (uṣma as inner heat/ardor) calling the deity to manifest
- sadhastha
- Literal: common seat, session-place. Symbolic: the shared ground of consciousness where inner faculties assemble; the stable poise of the being where the divine can “sit” and govern
Concluding ‘bringing-near’ formula: establishes Indra in the sadhastha (ritual/session seat), emphasizing firm holding (√rabh) and desire (√uś).
During Indra invocations in Soma pressing sessions or communal recitations
Calling Indra to the sadas; offering praise as a ‘seat’ for the deity
Use as a mantra of ‘inner support’: recite before meditation or difficult work to establish reliance on higher Force and invite it into daily consciousness.
rarabhma from √rabh ‘grasp’ (cf. ‘to grab’ not cognate but semantically close). śavas (strength) is a key Indra-word; pati ‘lord’ from PIE *pótis (cf. Greek pósis). uśmasi from √uś ‘desire’ (Vedic). sadhastha: ‘common seat’—ritual seat and inner foundation where god and human meet in shared order.
support/foundation (rambha) as inner reliance on divine force, sadhastha as shared ground of rite and consciousness, desire (uś) as directed aspiration
Indra is invited to seat himself so that right order can govern the common field of action.
Truth becomes effective when the illumined power is held fast and made present in the seat of being.
Enthronement of a higher power in the human field—microcosmic ‘creation’ of a new order in the nature.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): ascent to higher mind and its establishment.
The ‘prop’ is the stabilizing divine strength; the ‘common seat’ is the gathered consciousness where thoughts, impulses, and will can be reorganized under illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘installation’ of the god-force: Indra is grasped as a stabilizing support and desired in the sadhastha. Mythically it is the drawing of Indra to the sacrificial seat; inwardly it is anchoring the power of strength in the shared foundation of the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pati ‘lord’ reflects PIE *pótis, a widely attested Indo-European title. The concrete verb √rabh ‘grasp’ used for a spiritual act exemplifies archaic metaphor: physical seizure → inner holding of power.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s stance is intimate and forceful: not only calling but ‘holding’ Indra as support, insisting on his presence in the common seat. It expresses a mature reciprocity where aspiration can stabilize the divine power in lived consciousness.
Adhesion to the higher illumined Force; inviting it to occupy the central seat of awareness.
ājñā (brow)
4-4-6 gentle pranayama: inhale (invoke), hold (grasp), exhale (offer the seat)
Collected, supported, and quietly powerful (dhāraṇā moving toward dhyāna).
Repeat while feeling a firm ‘hold’ above the mind; then pause and sense a luminous Presence settling into the heart-mind field as the governing support.
Follow Rigvedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per śākhā tradition; key lifts often occur on vocatives and force-words (tvā, śávasas).
Keep vocative ‘śavasas pate’ clearly articulated; do not flatten the cadence at pāda ends.
tvā: dental t + v glide, long ā, rambham: clear ‘mbh’ cluster, rarabhma: roll/light tap on r; avoid inserting extra vowel, sadhastha: keep ‘dh’ voiced aspirate; ‘stha’ as a cluster, not ‘satha’
Steady, supported, slightly forceful (as if ‘taking hold’).
12
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.
