Rig Veda 7.21.6: Mandala 7, Sukta 21, Mantra 6
Sukta 7.21
अभि क्रत्वेन्द्र भूरध ज्मन्न ते विव्यङ्महिमानं रजांसि । स्वेना हि वृत्रं शवसा जघन्थ न शत्रुरन्तं विविदद्युधा ते ॥
abhí krátvendra bhū́r ádha jmánn á te vivyag mahimā́naṃ rájāṃsi | svénā hí vṛtráṃ śávasā jaghántha ná śátrur ántaṃ vividád yudhā́ te ||
Bởi ý chí của Ngài, hỡi Indra, Ngài trở nên bao la; rồi sự vĩ đại của Ngài lan khắp các cõi (rajas). Vì bằng chính sức lực của mình Ngài đã giết Vṛtra; không kẻ thù nào tìm ra giới hạn của cuộc chiến nơi Ngài.
Praise of Indra’s kratú and Vṛtra-slaying; invoked for expansion of consciousness and victory over obstruction
Kratu (effective will/intelligence), Mahimā (expansive greatness), Uncovering of truth (anti-Vṛtra)
Indra’s will upholds ṛta by breaking the Coverer that violates right movement.
Truth manifests as measurable widening and effective conquest of obscuration.
Expansion of the worlds through awakened will; release of blocked flows.
Integral Yoga resonance: widening (bṛhat) and transformation through higher mind-force.
monsoon (mythic storm imagery)
Storm = dynamic illumination; opened spaces = widened mind; released waters = freed life-energy and joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s Vṛtra-slaying paired with cosmic expansion: by kratu he becomes vast and pervades the worlds; by śavas he kills the Coverer. The inner sense is the widening of consciousness and the decisive breaking of ignorance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘know/find’ (vividat) = PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’ (Lat. videre). √han (jaghantha) = PIE *gʷhen-. The conceptual pair ‘coverer’ vs. ‘uncovering force’ is expressed through √vṛ (cover) and Indra’s śavas, echoing IE dragon/covering myths.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi contemplates Indra’s limitless battle and pervading greatness to draw that same kratu into the human arena (jman): the god’s cosmic action becomes the template for the seeker’s inner victory and expansion.
Widening (bṛhat-bhāva) and decisive removal of a specific obstruction (Vṛtra) in the practice.
viśuddha (expansive space) / ājñā (decisive illumination)
Box-breath 4-4-4-4 for widening; then long exhale 8 while mentally repeating ‘svenā hi vṛtraṃ…jaghantha’.
Widened, luminous, battle-ready without agitation.
First widen awareness to include body–life–mind as ‘rajāṃsi’. Then identify one ‘covering’ habit; invoke Indra’s will-force to strike it, ending with silent spaciousness.
Maintain udātta prominence on ‘índra’, ‘kratvā́’, ‘mahīmā́nam’, ‘vṛtrám’, ‘jaghántha’.
Let pāda 1 expand (slightly lengthen vowels), pāda 3 strike (crisper consonants) to mirror meaning.
kratvendra: split as ‘kratvā indra’ in articulation, vivyaṅ: nasal ‘ṅ’ before consonant, jaghantha: aspirated ‘th’, yudhā: short u, retroflex ḍh? (here dhā: dental ‘dh’)
Bright, upward, then forceful on the Vṛtra line; end resolute.
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.
