Rig Veda 8.21.7: Mandala 8, Sukta 21, Mantra 7
Sukta 8.21
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
नूत्ना इदिन्द्र ते वयमूती अभूम नहि नू ते अद्रिवः । विद्मा पुरा परीणसः ॥
nū́tnā íd índra te vayám ūtī́ abhūma náhi nū́ te adrivaḥ | vidmā́ purā́ parī́ṇasaḥ ||
Hỡi Indra, nay quả thật chúng con đã trở nên mới mẻ trong sự che chở của Ngài; hỡi Đấng cầm đá, quả thật không phải đến hôm nay Ngài mới như vậy—chúng con biết những sự rộng lớn và quyền năng thuở trước của Ngài, sức lực bao trùm đã từng ôm giữ chúng con.
Word by Word
- नूत्नाः
- new, fresh (ones)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role विशेषणम् (कर्तृपदस्य)Root नूत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- इत्
- indeed, justIndeclinableनिपातः (अव्ययम्)Role सम्बन्ध/निपात (एव/हि-भावः)Root इद् (निपात)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वयम्
- wePronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊती
- with (your) help/protectionNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot ऊति (प्रातिपदिक)
- अभू्म
- we became / we have beenVerbलुङ् (अorist), उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot भू (धातु)
- नहि
- not, indeed notIndeclinableनिषेधार्थक-अव्ययम्Role निपात (निषेध)Root नहि (निपात)
- नु
- now, indeedIndeclinableअव्ययम् (सम्प्रति/प्रबोधन/अनुनयार्थक)Role निपातRoot नु (निपात)
- ते
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रिवः
- O stone-wielder (Indra)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot अद्रिवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विद्म
- we knowVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट), उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot विद् (धातु)
- पुरा
- formerly, of oldIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययम्Role अधिकरण (काल)Root पुरा (अव्यय)
- परीणसः
- of abundance/fullness (prosperity)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root परीणस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved as: नूत्ना॒ इद् + इन्द्र → नूत्ना इदि॑न्द्र (id + indra with vowel coalescence/orthographic joining in Saṃhitā)
- व॒यम् + ऊ॒ती → व॒यमू॒ती (m + ū initial gives mū in Saṃhitā)
- न॒हि + नु → न॒हि नू (u-lengthening in Saṃhitā recitation/orthography)
- Other padas are already in separated form
- Accents (udātta/svarita/anudātta) are retained as in the Saṃhitā text but not re-marked per pada beyond the given forms
The meaning
Outer meaning
We have become new in your protection, Indra; we know your former widenesses, O stone-wielder.
Inner meaning
The soul-nature experiences renewal (nūtnāḥ) when it enters Indra’s protection (ūtī): a shift from habitual limitation to a fresh capacity for expansion. ‘Former widenesses’ (purā parīṇasaḥ) are remembered powers of consciousness—past openings, earlier victories over constriction—now recalled to reawaken faith and continuity in the yoga. Indra as Adrivaḥ signifies the power that presses/strikes: the force that breaks the hard knot of resistance and releases spaciousness.
Universal truth
True progress often arrives as a ‘new becoming’ under a higher guidance, yet it is supported by remembrance of prior widenings—proof that consciousness can expand again.
Themes
renewal in protection, remembrance of grace, wideness/plenitude
The seer
- Lineage
- Kāṇva (probable)
- Other hymns
- RV 8.21.1-10, RV 8.19 (Indra praise nearby), RV 1.80 (Indra’s help and wideness—conceptual parallel)
Family tradition
Kāṇva tradition frequently records experiential ‘openings’ (widenesses) won by Indra and preserved as a remembered path of progress.
Significance
The seer emphasizes renewal through divine protection and the yogic value of remembering earlier expansions to stabilize faith during struggle.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Adrivaḥ, Maghavan, Vajrin
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Opener of the wide spaces; champion of the gods who establishes free movement against constriction.
Inner power
Power of luminous mind that renews the being and reopens previously attained vastness; breaker of the hard resistance.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-stotra in Soma contexts; general praise for protection
नूत्ना॒ इदि॑न्द्र ते व॒यमू॒ती अ॑भूम न॒हि नू ते॑ अद्रिवः । वि॒द्मा पु॒रा परी॑णसः ॥
नूत्नाः॑ । इत् । इ॒न्द्र॒ । ते॒ । व॒यम् । ऊ॒ती । अ॒भू॒म॒ । न॒हि । नु । ते॒ । अ॒द्रि॒ऽवः॒ । वि॒द्म । पु॒रा । परी॑णसः ॥
nūtnāḥ | it | indra | te | vayam | ūtī | abhūma | nahi | nu | te | adri-vaḥ | vidma | purā | parīṇasaḥ
44
4 x ~11 (approx.)
Compact, declarative rhythm; suitable for affirmation of trust and remembered experience.
Instills confidence and continuity—useful when the practitioner needs to re-enter a known inner wideness.
- nūtnāḥ
- Literal: new, fresh. Symbolic: renewed being; rebirth of consciousness
- ūtī
- Literal: help, protection. Symbolic: supporting grace/power that upholds the ascent
- adrivaḥ
- Literal: stone-bearer/stone-wielder. Symbolic: force that breaks resistance; also the pressing-stone power that releases soma (bliss)
- parīṇasaḥ
- Literal: widenesses, expanses. Symbolic: states of inner vastness; liberated consciousness
Affirmation of Indra’s ongoing protection and remembrance of prior aid; suited to moments of renewal in the rite (re-invocation after earlier offerings).
After or during invocations seeking Indra’s guarding help in the rite; adaptable to daily recitation for renewal.
Stuti with emphasis on ‘we have become new’—a verbal sealing of transformation.
Use at the start of practice sessions as a ‘reset’ mantra: invoke protection and recall prior moments of clarity/space.
: ‘new’ from nū- ‘now’ + -tna adjectival; renewal motif. : help/protection related to √av ‘protect’ (semantic field of saving). : from √bhū ‘become’ (PIE *bʰuH-). : perfect of √vid ‘know’ (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’). : adri ‘stone’ (pressing stone) + -vat ‘possessing’; inner sense: the force that presses out soma—extracts delight/essence.
renewal (nūtnatā) of the seeker, memory of divine action (smṛti-like vidmā purā), wideness (uru/bṛhat) as sign of truth-consciousness
Protection aligns the seeker with ṛta by restoring right movement into spaciousness.
‘We know’ (vidmā) indicates experiential satya rather than belief.
Re-creation of the self: becoming new under a higher power.
Integral psychological Vedism: progressive renewal (punarjanma of consciousness) through higher mind-force.
Stone = hardened resistance/obstruction; expanse = liberated consciousness; protection = firm support like a canopy of sky.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The recurrent Indra-pattern of ‘help/protection’ that renews the sacrificer: the mythic action is Indra’s encompassing plenitude (parīṇas) that repeatedly ‘makes new’ the human vessel.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid ‘know’ reflects PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’ (Eng. wit, wise). √bhū ‘become’ reflects PIE *bʰuH- (Eng. be). The verse links knowing (vision) and becoming (transformation) as paired Indo-European poetic themes.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi claims experiential continuity: present renewal in Indra’s ūtī is validated by remembered prior plenitudes (purā parīṇasaḥ), implying trust grounded in repeated inner deliverance.
Renewal under protection; recollection of past inner widenings to re-enter them now.
Anāhata (sense of being protected/held) supporting Ājñā (clear wideness).
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) for 7 cycles while repeating ‘nūtnā id indra’ mentally.
From fatigue/old patterns to freshened, protected clarity.
After chanting, recall one concrete moment of inner vastness you have known; rest in that memory until it becomes a present state; then offer the day’s actions to that wideness.
Svara not provided; chant with clear pāda segmentation and slightly raised tone on emphatic vocatives (indra, adrivaḥ).
Emphasize nūtnāḥ (renewal) and ūtī (protection); pause lightly at the caesura.
nūtnā: long ū; retroflex ṇ in nūtnāḥ if articulated per sandhi context, adrivaḥ: crisp dr cluster; final ḥ light, parīṇasaḥ: long ī; retroflex ṇ
Steady, reassuring, not forceful.
7
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.
