Commentary on the Rig Veda

HYMN 4

Now in the second Section of four hymns, the first hymn begins with surūpakstnum. The Rishi and metre are as before, deity is Indra. Here is the first Rik

1. surūpakſtnumūtaye sudughāmiva goduhe, juhūmasi dyavidyavi.
   surū pa’kſtnum ūtaye sudughām’iva go’duhe, juhūmasi dyavi’dyavi.

surūpakstnum fashioner of good or perfect forms; ūtaye for increase ; dyavi dyavi day by day; juhūmasi we call; he gives an illustration in the matter of call; goduhe for one who milks the cow; sudughāmiva like a good yielder of milk.

surūpakſtnum: We see propriety in the uņādisātra vștti of Bhattoji Dikshita where the term kştnu is explained as doer, craftsman. Here Indra is the doer, the craftsman of good or perfect forms of thought or act. hatnu, dartnu, jigatnu-all belong to Unadi type and end with the termination “knu”. This term is used only here, once in the Rik Samhita.

ūtaye: It is indisputable that ūti comes from the root av. We have established by discussing the meaning of the term omāsa that though occasionally the significance of protection may fit in, yet the meaning of increase is appropriate in all places.

sudughāmiva: Like the cow that yields milk well. Like the older commentators we too say, for him who milks the cow. Here some of the moderns are perplexed. Here we must consider the illustration and the subject of illustration.

juhūmasi : Present tense third person plural of “ hve" (Vedic).

dyavi dyavi: The term is included in the Nighantu, means every day.

Here Indra is compared to the milch cow milked well. Indra is called for increase; the milch cow is called for milking; this should be the purport, they say. Their idea is that an elision in the simile will not be there if goduhe is taken as the fourth case of godhuk, formed as an abstract noun. This device looks good apparently, but it does not point to what the seer of the Mantra means to say, nor does it indicate what the illustration seeks to. Let us not worry about an elision in the simile-that is very common in the Veda. If it be said that goduhe means for the act of milking the cow, then who is the milker of the cow? How does the "increase" come about just by the milking ? Let the ūti mean only protection, not increase, as we have said. Who enjoys what is milked by which the ūti is to be obtained ? Without considering all this, to attempt to make of it a full simile is a useless effort. The caller, the yajamana, who lauds is himself the milker, the resultant milk serves for his enjoyment, “ for increase”. In other mantras also it is chanted that the lauder is the milker and the milch-cow is Indra e.g., “Today I call the yielder of milk. Indra the easily yielding milch-cow” (8.1.10); “With chants I call Thee, great and wide, like a cow for enjoyment, Indra to drink of the Soma” (8.54.3). Here in the first Rik there is an inseparate determination of Indra ’and cow. In the second, Indra is compared to the cow. Let us cite another Rik where the lauder, the caller himself is clearly spoken of as the milker : “Prevail upon thy friend, as upon a cow by milking, O singer wake up the secret lover, Indra” (10.42.2).

Here jaritā (secretly yearning) lauder, is the vocative. It is stated that by means of his act of milking, effort is to be made to bring the clandestine lover under control. There is another mantra in the Valakhilya hymns which cuts asunder the doubt by saying that the callers, the lauders must themselves be the milkers. This is the second half: “Like the milkers to the cow, we desirous of hearing, call Thee" (Vālakhilya 4.4). Here "milkers of cow” in the first person plural is adjective to "we". Thus the doubt that perhaps the word goduhe is derived as kvip in the abstract sense, is rooted out.

Tr. The fashioner of perfect forms, like a good yielder for the milker of the Herds, we call for increase from day to day.

This is the second Rik.

2. upa naḥ savanā gahi somasya somapāḥ piba, godā idrevato madaḥ.
   upa naḥ savanā ā gahi somasya soma’ pāḥ piba, go’dāḥ it revataḥ madaḥ.

somapāḥ O drinker of Soma (Indra); naḥ our; savanā pressings, sacrifices; upāgahi come near (approach to our pressing of Soma); somasya piba drink Soma; (by drinking Soma) revataḥ (of you) who have increased; madaḥ delight; godāh it indeed donor of cow, that is giver of the ray of Knowledge.

When Indra, the lord of the world of Intelligence, accepts and drinks the Soma pressed out by the yajamana, nourished by the excess of delight from the drink of Soma, the master of the realm of Intelligence showers the rays of consciousness on the yajamana who has pressed the Soma; such a rendering in the context of the inner sacrifice is meaningful. The ritualists quite seriously, without meaning to be funny, explain that just as an intoxicated man of riches gifts cows to those who desire them, so does Indra give away plenty of the quadruped cows to the sacrificer who presses the Soma creeper according to rites, extracts the juice, purifies it and offers to him in the external ritual called Agnishthoma.

Tr. Come to our Soma-offerings, O soma drinker, drink of the Soma wine; the rapture of thee grown gives indeed the Light.

This is the third Rik.

3. athā te antamānām vidyāma sumatinām, mā no ati khya ā gahi.
   atha te antamānām vidyāma su’matinām mā naḥ ati khyah ā gahi.

atha then (that is, after distributing to us the rays of knowledge, indicated by the term go, in the rapture following the drink of soma); Indra ! te of thy; antamānām innermost, intimate; sumatinām of happy intelligences, right thinkings, something at least ; vidyāma may we know ; (how can the jiva, the sacrificer come to know all the thinkings of God Indra ? That is why it is commented upon as at least some portion. Even otherwise the genitive is proper in the sense of the accusative, e.g., “drink of soma "); naḥ us; ati mā khyaḥ over-reaching do not show (thyself); ā gahi come.

The sense of causal is to be understood in the expression ati mā khyaḥ. The meaning is ‘do not show thyself going beyond us. The sense is ‘do not transcend us.’ "Reveal thyself only as far as our vision permits. Should you show yourself going beyond our limited capacity, we will not be able to see. Become not invisible, come.’’ This is the purport.

This is the substance of the commentary of Sayana concerning this Rik: Indra, after your drink of soma, we shall stand amidst men of intimate happy thoughts and know thee. Do not, thou too pass over us and reveal thy form to others; come to us alone.

This meaning of “We standing among men has no basis. And the sense of “Do not show thyself to others, come to us alone" is not only inappropriate but foists jealousy on the seers of the Mantra. Such explanations are basically responsible for the lack of reliance by moderns on Sayana.

Tr. Then may we know somewhat of thy innermost right thinkings. Show not beyond us. Come. This is the fourth Rik.

4. parehi vigramastſtamindram pịcchā vipascitam, yaste sakhibhya ā varam.
   parā ihi vigram aststam indram pịccha vipaḥ citam yaḥ te sakhibhyaḥā varam.

The Rishi addresses a colleague starting on an inner sacrifice. Or, according to Skandasvami, this is addressed to his own self.

parehi go beyond; indra Indra; psccha ask; of what kind? vigram astſtam vipascitam-these are three adjectives of Indra, meaning a speedy, harmed, of clear-seeing intelligence ; yaḥ which Indra ; te to thy; sakhibhyaḥ comrades in effort; varam highest (good) à has brought.

parehi : Cross far, go. Though fargone, it is Indra alone who is to be questioned regarding the object to be attained or its means. Why is it necessary to go far ? Because he is vigra, has speed; he has a tendency to go fast on account of rich nourishment. This meaning coheres with the earlier passage, “ do not show beyond us”. Disregarding the meaningless repetition involved in it, Sayana explains the term vigra as intelligent on the plea that vigra is among the synonyms of intelligent medhāvi, though there is the other adjective vipaścitam. Some say that vigra (speeding) is the adjective of Indra and vipascita of the lauder. The term vigra is to be taken, like the word vega, as derived from the root vij in the sense of movement, indicating speed.

astſtam: it means unharmed, unvanquished by the adverse titans like Vritra, etc.

vipascitam : Indra’s is the intelligence that discriminates and sees which forces are adverse and which favourable in the inner sacrifice; hence he the powerful knows how to overcome the enemy-forces. Capable of such action Indra did the highest good to other colleagues similarly engaged and he does it; hence he only is to be approached, approached and requested.

Tr. Come over, question Indra of the clear-seeing mind, the speedy, the unharmed, who to thy comrades has brought the highest good.

This is the fifth Rik.

5. uta bruvantu no nido niranyatascidārata, dadhānā indra idduvaḥ.
   utabruvantu naḥ nidaḥ nih anyataḥ citārata dauhānāḥ indre it duvaḥ.

uta and besides; naḥ to us; nidaḥ restrainers ; bruvantu may tell (what is going to be said afore); anyataḥ cit even in other fields; nirārata (going from here) make effort, strive; being of what kind ? indra it on Indra alone; duvaḥ (your) activity; dadhānāḥ reposing.

nidan revilers, according to the old commentators. The root-meaning is binding or obstructing. At times it has the sense of blame also and it is apposite too. Even as Vritra, etc. cover up the light and their emanations, haters of Gods, come to harm the Sacrifice, so also there are others who obstruct the person set out on the inner sacrifice in order to attain to Indra the lord of the gods. It is they who are called nidah. The root nid is used elsewhere too in the sense of binding. Terms like niditam, bound, nidānam bondage, nidātāram the binder-in the sense of binding are seen in the Mantras e.g., "He loosed the bond that held the rays (6.32.2): nidānam is to be understood as binding. Explains Sayana : He released the bonds of the cows stolen by the Panis, bearers of Vala. In, “Moving here the radiant calf finds none to fetter him” (8.61.5), Sayana himself explains nidātāram as obstructor. “Released Shunahshepa bound to the thousandfold post (sacrificial)”: the commentator explains niditam as bound firmly.

It will be clear on a consideration of the purport of the hymn that nidaḥ means obstructors, not revilers here. In this Rik, it is stated, let our opponents, the obstructors themselves speak their consent to our going onward and onward. In a subsequent hymn, “And us fortunates..” the seer says, may even those who are favourable to us command us as the fortunate, heroes of action, accomplishers of action. Hence the relation between the two Riks is to be understood when grasping the purport.

ārata : it is to be noted that words like arati, aranam, ariḥ, aryaḥ, āryah, are used in the Veda in the sense of effort, toil, ceaseless engagement, cultivation. Note that the word āryaḥ is used in the sense of slothless, everactive, fighter with the enemies of gods in the worship of the gods, one who does not stop cultivation of the human soil for the fruit of the divine wealth -- the eternal tiller.

duvaḥ: ordinary action or service.

Tr. And may the restrainers say to us : "Say forth and strive on even in other fields, reposing on Indra your activity.”

Thus ends the seventh group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.

This is the sixth Rik.

6. uta naḥ subhagān arirvoceyurdasma kļştayaḥ, syā medindrasya sarmaņi.
   uta naḥ su’bhagān ariḥ voceyuḥ dasma kļştayaḥ syāma it indrasya sarmari.

uta and also (not only the nidaḥ, restrainer but may even those favourable to us say in the aforesaid manner; uta, particle); ariḥ fighter (for us); kļştayaḥ doers of work (ari — interchange of word. Eminently capable of araña, fight, the Aryans fighting by the gods, kļştayaḥ doers of effort for obtaining the fruit); naḥ us; subhagān blessed, fulfilled; voceyuḥ may they say; (and also) dasma O achiever of action; indrasya of Indra ; sarmari in happiness; syāma may we abide; it to complete the stanza. (or it may be taken in the sense of absolute e.g., abide in the delight that can be attained by the grace of Indra alone.)

The purport is clear in the very course of giving the meaning of the words. The connection between this Rik and the previous one has been already spoken of.

It is to be noted that like the term damsa, dasra, etc. dasma also posits achievement of action.

ariḥ kṣştayaḥ: may indeed be of the class of Aryans among men, disposed to the discipline of the initiation of the inner sacrifice. In fact, however, they are different powers and emanations of the Divine stationed on the suprasensible world, who help man wanting to ascend and ascending to the heavens by means of sacrifice, engaged for him like his brother or friends (jāmayaḥ of same birth, sakhāyaḥ, yujaḥ, of same united effort), they ferry him across and by that they themselves are satisfied on attaining to the peace of Indra. It is indeed apposite that these “fighters and achievers” becoming helpers to overcome the enemies (nidaḥ) who obstruct and confine man in the path of sacrifice should now abide in the delight of Indra along with the man who has completed his action and fulfilled his objective.

The The two sentences reminding of the mutual concourse of these two Riks are to be noted. previous Rik says: do the action for Indra; bear it placing the entire burden of action on Indra. Here is indicated the fruit of such kind of action viz., let us abide in the peace of Indra himself. Having said ārata (in the previous Rik), the resonance is continued by the use of the term ari derived from the root having the sense of labour. Let us once again call to attention this style adopted by the seers of the Mantras to suggest the relation between the earlier and the subsequent.

Tr. And may the fighters, doers of the work, declare Us entirely blessed, O achiever ; may we abide in Indra’s Peace.

This is the seventh Rik.

7. emā śumāśave bhara bhara yajñasriyam nệmādanam, patayanmandayatsakham.
   ā im āśum āśave bhara yajña’sriyam nr’mādanam patayat mandayat sakhàm.

āśave to Indra (the intense-indicated by speed); im this (the particle in the sense of this); āśum Soma; ā bhara bring; what kind of Soma ? yajñasriyam the glory of the sacrifice (some hold it as that which resorts to yajña); again of what kind ? nȚmādanam intoxicating to the gods (both man and god are called nara in the Veda); and again, mandayat sakham giving joy to his friend, Indra; patayat ensoaring, making to go, carrying forward.

patayat: the elision of the accusative case is Vedic; all commentators take it as adjective to Soma and somehow derive the form.

mandayatsakham is the object of patayat, the present participle form of the transitive verb. Indra delights the sacrificers and in friendship with him is Soma, thinks Sayana. Other commentators explain differently, the moderns imagine something else. Whatever be the meaning, the passage patayan mandayatsakham can be grammatically justified only by taking it as Vedic usage. So we say Soma that carries the companion (Indra) who delights. Whoever be the companion of Indra, it is Soma, says Sayana. There is incoherence here; it is not necessary to examine it. We say that the sacrificer, the Rishi who offers the inner libation of Soma is himself the companion of Indra. This meaning fits in with other Riks in this hymn. We stop here as it is of no use to examine other commentaries.

Tr. Bring thou Soma to the Intense (Indra), the glory of the sacrifice, intoxicating to the gods, carrying forward Indra the friend who delights.

This is the eighth Rik.

8. asya pitvā satakrato ghano vſtrāņāmabhavaḥ, prāvo vājeșu vājinam.
   asya pitvā satakrato iti sataʼkrato ghanaḥ vstrāņām abhavaḥ pra āvaḥ vā jeņu vājinam.

satakrato Othou of hundred activities (sata stands for several, kratuḥ is act or consciousness; here it must be taken in the sense of act as it is appropriate); asya of Soma - Soma (genitive in the sense of accusative or perhaps the genitive denoting simple relationship, is appropriate in the sense of the portion relating to Soma); pitvā drinking; vstrānām of the coverers (the enemies, Asura Vritra by name, and his emanations); ghanaḥ destroyer; abhavaḥ becomest (the imperfect tense has the sense of present tense in the Veda and hence appropriate); vājeșu in the riches; vājinam he who is rich ; prāvaḥ protectest superbly.

We shall speak briefly of the truth of Vritra and like Asuras at the end of the hymn. The sense of the term vāja has been considered before; it has been shown that everywhere it means plenty or fullness e.g., vājinivasu, vājebhirvājinivati, rich in sub-stance, with the plenitude of all her forms of plenty.

pra āvaḥ: here the root ava is in the sense of protection: it is fitting that Indra protects the opulent after killing the Vritra. The past is not indicated in the imperfect tense forms of prāvaḥ and abhavaḥ. The sense intended is that when Indra drinks the Soma, then he is able to kill Vritra and to protect the rich. Hence it is an eternal truth. The present tense is appropriate.

Tr. When thou hast drunk of this, O thou of the hundred activities, thou becomest a slayer of the coverers and protectest the opulent in the opulences.

This is the ninth Rik.

9. tam tvā vājşu vājinam vājayāmaḥ satakrato; dhanānāmindra sātaye.
   tam tvā vājeșu vājinam vājayāmaḥ śatakrato iti sata’krato dhanānām indra sātaye.

vājeșu in the plenty ; vājinam plentiful; tam tvā thee of this kind; indra O Indra; satakrato doer of manifold action; vājayāmaḥ we increase again; why ? dhanānām of the attained divine riches, inner felicities; sātaye for the enjoyment; sāti is not merely attainment, but guarding of what is attained, hence for its enjoyment.

We have said that Sayana explains the word vāja in many ways; but we did not say that in one very place he gives different meanings and bewilders the thoughtful. In the last Rik he explained vājeșu vājinam as battleful in battles. In the present Rik he explains vājeșu vājinam vājayāmaḥ as the powerful in battles we make full of food. Thus in one hymn he explains the same word vājinam as full of battle and as full of strength. The other vāja is food; thus in one Rik itself, he gives to the same word three different meanings – food, strength, battle. Indeed one has to search for the trace of consistency.

Tr. Thus Thee rich in the riches we enrich again, O Indra, O thou of hundred activities, for the safe enjoyment of our havings.

This is the tenth Rik.

10. yo rāyo’vanirmahāntsupāraḥ sunvataḥ sakhā, tasmā indrāya gāyata.
    yaḥ tāyaḥ avaniḥ mahān su’pāraḥ sunvataḥ sakhā tasmai indrāya gāyata.

yaḥ who (Indra); rāyaḥ of wealth (divine, inner); avaniḥ continent support (name of the earth, since the earth is the continent of all the beings that have come to be); mahān vast (hence is fitting his being the continent); great in strength also, and that is how supāraḥ reaches safe (reaches the devotee of God well-protected to the goal to be aimed at); sunvataḥ and of him who presses the Soma becomes the sakhā companion; tasmai to that; indrāya Indra, for the benefit of this Indra (dative in the sense of ’for his sake ’) gāyata raise the chant (with mantras).

It is plainly stated in this Rik that Indra is the companion of the one who presses the libation. Our explanation of mandayat sakhaḥ, as Indra the friend who delights, stands vindicated.

Tr. He who in his vastness is a continent of bliss,– the friend of the Soma-giver and he carries him safely through to that Indra raise the chant.

We have commented upon the hymn, sūrupa-kſtnum. The ritualists have hallowed its use in the rites. It is of little use to us to enquire into that. Hence we briefly examine the purport of the hymn following the inner meaning as it coheres excellently that-wise. It is to be noted that whether in the outer or in the inner, the hymn is applied in the Soma sacrifice. When it is the inner sacrifice that is in progress, it is the praise of Indra by the Rishi who has reached a distinct stage. What is that stage in which it becomes necessary to obtain something from Indra ? What indeed is that object to be attained, for the sake of which the great Rishi, sacrificer of Soma, makes the entreaty ? Let us see.

The Soma that is pressed, purified, becomes the food of the Gods. Partaking of the Soma, according to their share, the Gods strong by its delight themselves increase in man and also increase him thereby and make him competent for the most excellent experiences. And those who becoming unselfish give not their own delight, the sap, the essence, of all experiences, denoted by the term Soma, to the Gods saying “for the Gods is this, not mine” but on the other hand, are selfish, addicted to the enjoyment of the senses and live a low life-they are not the worshippers of the Gods but adorers of the titans named Panis. The Panis are the lords of him whose consciousness is bound to sense-objects, and like traffickers they behave in dealings with him whose activities are confined in every way. They do not press the Soma, do not offer the purified libation of Soma, neither do they chant the mantras. It is by these very Panis that the luminous rays of consciousness (bright ray-cows of the Sun) are stolen and concealed in the cave. And that cave, it must be noted, is the unawakened consciousness, substratum of impressions, that is hidden in us prior to the awakened consciousness. It is not merely in the cave so denoted that the Panis conceal the cows but also in the dense darkness of inert matter in physical objects, signified by the word adri, hill. And also they tame, attempt to deflect even the hound of the Gods, Sarama by name-the form of luminous intuition-who follows their own path and seeks to discover the stolen COWS.

These Panis are now overtaken by the completion of the libation of Soma. They and Vritra (and the emanations of Vritra) who cover and obstruct our full powers and the glories of action are transcended by the ascent of the Rishi’s sacrifice that has begun. So also is put behind Vala who encircles the light blocking it from us. Even when the prominent titans, enemies of the sacrifice, are bypassed, there are others stationed on the path, those who restrain by limits, confine or censure. Though these do not like Pani, Vritra, Vala, etc., - oppose the spread of Power, Knowledge and Action, yet they impede the Rishi in his progress, in his ascent step by step. They bring to light the defects, like omissions, deficiencies and excesses of his power, knowledge and action and stand across saying: “You cannot go further. We shall not give the password to go ahead before you acquire the competency to advance.”

Thus in this hymn is mentioned that state of being in which the Rishi calls Indra for the increase of the divine light, Indra by whom the warding off of the obstructors, and the defects like deficiencies arising because of them is made possible. And Indra is the lord of the functionaries of the triple world, the gods, regarding himself as the Principle of universal Mind, Divine Sovereign, made of Mind. By his grace has to be acquired in us the sportive play of the mind in its form of luminous knowledge which is his glory. By this will result to the mind deformed due to pursuit of sense-objects and deluded by false knowledge, an expansiveness from constriction, a release from bondage and a vastness of light from a flicker of light.

The pure, bright knowledge coming from Indra is perfect form, is capable of effecting good mental movements or good actions by which day to day increase is possible ; hence does the Rishi call, in the first Rik, “the fashioner of perfect forms, for increase”.

Nourished and joyous by partaking the Soma that is pressed out, the knowledge of divine illumination showers its own rays ("the intoxication of the rapture gives indeed the Light”)-in the second.

And even though we would be able to know the intimate movements of the divine knowledge by reason of the attainment of the special lumination of the consciousness, still may not Lord Indra become beyond sense-perception and difficult of sight due to the advent of excessive lustre-in the third.

Then addressing his own inner self or another companion worshipper, he says, “Indra alone is to be asked though strong in speed, he of the wise eye, discerns the favourable and the unfavourable, gives the excellent place and has given to our companions”- this in the fourth.

Let the restrainers of our next attainment, themselves, assent and say, “You are now competent, go elsewhere also, entrusting the work to Indra, strive on ”- this in the fifth.

May those who are favourable to us, collaborators in the work, engage in the divine action say, “O seer, you have done the work well ; its fruit is the great felicity of Indra; let us be there itself”-this in the sixth.

The rest of the Riks till the end of the hymn devoted to the description of the glory of Indra and containing prayer to Indra are to be clearly grasped by an understanding of the meaning of the mantras following the line expounded earlier.

Thus ends the eighth group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.