Commentary on the Rig Veda

HYMN 7

The fourth hymn ’Indram’, etc. in the second Section has ten Riks. The Rishi, the metre, the deity are as before.

This is the first Rik.

1. indramidgāthino bshadindramarkebhirarkinaḥ, indram vāņiranūșata.
   indraṁ it gāthinaḥ bịhat indram arkebhiḥ arkinaḥ, indram vāṇiḥ anūşata.

gāthinaḥ the singers of Sama (those who have songs, gātha from gā); indram it Indra himself; bshat by means of the vast Sama (with the famous, vast saman "we send call to thee"); anūşataḥ have lauded; arkiñaḥ the chanters who laud with Riks; arkebhiḥ with mantras in the form of Riks have praised Indra alone; indram Indra; vāṇiḥ the rest of the verses, Yajus (by change of the case, with the Yajus) by signification the Adhvaryus have praised.

This is the first mention in the Rik Samhita of the triad of Rik, Yajus and Saman and of their users viz., Hotſ, Adhvaryu, Udgātſ respectively.

Tr. Indra the singers with the vast, Indra the chanters with the bright, Indra the words have glorified.

This is the second Rik.

2. indra iddharyoḥ sacā sammisla ā vacoyujā, indro vajri hiranyayaḥ.
   indraḥ it haryoḥ sacā sam’mislaḥ ā vacaḥ’yujā indraḥ vajri hiranyayaḥ.

indraḥ it Indra verily; haryoḥ of the steeds, with the steeds (in the instrumental sense); sacā along with ; à comes; of what kind ? sammislaḥ fused (the la for ra in sammisra is Vedic); he fuses all things well together; steeds of what kind ? vacoyujā of those who are yoked by word, with those yoked by word; the gross explanation of the ancients is that the well-trained horses get into harness at the mere word of their master, Indra; but ours is not the quadruped horse; and that especially when they are the ’bay steeds of Indra’, is it necessary to say that they signify brilliant life-power ? Hence vacoyujā is to be taken as yoked by mantra. The commentary on the Rik ’they yoke the desirable horses of him’, is to be kept in mind; again of what kind is Indra ? indro vajri Indra with the thunderbolt; hiranyayaḥ golden, bright with the gold light.

misranam, mixed; he whose mixture is good is sammisraħ. Indra comes. He is along with his two steeds; he puts all things together properly; his steeds are yoked by the word of Mantra denoted by the term brahma. What does he, golden-bright, do coming with the thunderbolt that has destroyed Vritra?

Tr. Indra himself comes, harmoniser, with his steeds yoked by the word; Indra the golden with his thunderbolt.

This is the third Rik.

3. indro dirghāya cakşasa ā sūryam rohayaddivi, vi gobhiradrimairayat.
   indraḥ dirghāva cakşase ā sūryam rohayat divi vi gobhiḥ adrim airayat.

indra Indra; dirghāya for the far-reaching or eternal or developed ; cakşase vision; sūrya the impeller (of even the whole world) i.e., the Truth-Light symbolised by the sun; divi in the heaven; ārohayat raised; he, Indra, gobhiḥ by his rays; adrim the obscure, insensate world signified by the word hill; vvairayat sped asunder, burst.

cakşase: cakṣa in the sense of vision-verbal derivative.

airayat: ir to go, Aorist causal.

sūryam: șū in the sense of impel, he impels; the beginning sa in the root becomes sa.

Surya is famous as the impeller of everything; how does Indra impel him ? Though all the gods are luminous, born of Truth, stationed in Truth, yet the eldest among them is Indra; but the Truth-Light is directly embodied in and denoted by the sun. Hence when Indra removes all darkness by means of his luminous rays of consciousness, then becomes possible the constant vision of the Truth-Light. Hence it is said that for the far-vision’, by means of rays spread out (vi-airayat), he reached the Sun to the meridian so that he can be seen always in the heaven. Even the Mantra to come later on “the wise ones always see him as an eye extended in heaven” coheres in this way. We do not dilate further on the subject of Indra as enough has been said in the course of the commentary on the second hymn of the first Section.

Tr. Indra for far vision raised the Sun in heaven; by his rays he burst the hill.

This is the fourth Rik.

4. indra vā jeņu no’va sahasrapradhaneșu ca, ugra ugrābhirūtibhiḥ.
   indra vājeşu naḥ ava sahasra’ pradhaneșu ca ugrah ugrābhiḥ ūtibhiḥ.

indra O Indra; ugra unassailable; ugrābhiḥ by unassailable; ūtibhiḥ protections; vāveșu in the opulences (attained by us, even those to be gained hereafter by us); nah us; ava protect (so that there is no fear from the enemies of the Gods) sahasra pradhaneșu ca even in the excessive excellent treasures that are attained (protect us). To the seers engaged in the inner sacrifice, it is Knowledge, Power, etc. that alone are the excellent treasures.

Tr. O Indra unassailable, guard us with unassailable protection in the opulence, even in the thousand fold excellent treasures.

This is the fifth Rik.

5. indram vayam mahādhana indramarbhe havā mahe, yujam vſtreșu vajriņam.
   indram vayam mahā’dhane indram arbhe havā mahe yujam vſtreșu vajriņam.

vayam (we) practitioners who offer themselves in order to attain to the Godhead; mahādhane for the sake of the great Wealth, attained or to be attained (locative in the sense of purpose); arbhe and even for the little (Wealth); indram Indra; havāmahe we call; in the third part it is stated that we resort to him not merely in prosperity but even in adversity ; vștreșu when enemy-asuras who cover manifoldly arrive; yujam who join, who joins us and helps ; vajriņam along with the thunderbolt, his weapon for killing Vritra — we call that very Indra.

havāmahe : call, taking refuge in every way.

Tr. We call Indra for afluence, great and little, who joins along with the thunderbolt when the Vritras arrive.

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

This is the sixth Rik in the hymn indramid-gāthinaḥ.

6. sa no vrşannamum carum satrā dāvannapāvşdhi, asmabhyamapratişkutaḥ.
   sah naḥ vşşan amum carum satrā dāvan apa vsdhi asmabhyam aprati’skutaḥ.

saḥ thou who art such; naḥ for us; O vịşan who showers even all that is desired ; O satrā dāvan, satrā, together, simultaneous donor of knowledge, wealth, light, strength, etc.; amum this that is seen in front; carum moving cloud, standing in the form of the constantly active movements of mind and life covering up the consciousness, light, strength, etc.; apa vşdhi disclose, unseal and reveal thyself; asmabhyam for us; apratişkutaḥ (acc. to Sayana) not unresponsive, generous donor that thou art thou wouldst never reply, ’I will not give”; or there arises no rejoinder from anywhere implying damage to thy work. Thus comments Sayana. But in fact it means impossible to be covered by anyone; skuñ in the sense of covering, root of the 9th conjugation ; past passive participle form with the preposition prati and then compounded for negation ; this is the meaning, unclose the coverer, the cloud ; uncovered constantly, be revealed to us. Use of words like askunāt saravşşțibhiḥ, covered by the shower of arrows, is to be seen even today.

carum: synonym for cloud, at times it stands for vessel also; derived from root cara, hence the explanation in the inner sense is appropriate.

satrā dāvan : satrā in the sense of together; davā for donor, Vedic form.

vşdhi : vșñ to cover. Imperative second person, the substitute dhi is Vedic.

Tr. Such as thou art, showerer, simultaneous donor, unclose for us this yonder cloud, for us, thou uncoverable.

This is the seventh Rik.

7. tuñjetuñje ya uttare stomā indrasya vajriņaḥ, na vindhe asya suşțutim.
   tuñje-tuñje ye uttare stomāḥ indrasya vajriņaḥ na vindhe asya su’stutim.

tuñje-tuñje at each impulsion (acc. to Sayana’s commentary, the ancients take tuñjati in the sense of sacrifice or gift ; it has also the sense of strength, receiving; at times also in the sense of speeds, impels; hence we take it as force of impulsion or receiving it into oneself); ye uttare increasingly superb; stomāh lauds that are mine pour forth ; by them asya his, who is proximate to me; vajrinaḥ who is with the thunderbolt denoting great valour; indrasya of Indra; suşțutim adequate praise ; na vindhe I do not find.

Every time the impulsions seize me and make me laud, I indeed laud superbly and more superbly. Even so I hold that these praises are not enough to describe the thunder-armed Indra. This is the sense.

vindhe : vidl; to find, get, da turning to dha is Vedic.

Tr. At each impulsion there are superb lauds; no adequate praise I find in them for this Indra the thunder-armed.

This is the eighth Rik.

8. vịșā pūtheva vamsagaḥ kṣştiriyartyojasā, išāno apratişkutaḥ.
   vịșā yūthā’iva vamsagaḥ kṛṣțiḥ iyarti ojasā iśānaḥ aprati’ skutaḥ.

vșşā Indra, showerer of divine desires; kļştiḥ the aryan men who constantly strive, indicated by the term ploughing; ojasā with the highly potent power of his Grace; iyarti get at, impels; in illustration ; vamsagaḥ who strides in a captivating manner; vȚşā Bull; yūtheva like the herds of kine. Just as entering the herd of kine the strong bull excites them, so does Indra; išānaḥ the lord; apratiskutaḥ the uncoverable and therefore eternally visible. The rest has been said before.

Tr. Just as the bull of charming stride excites the herds, Indra the sovereign, uncoverable, impels the strivers with his power.

This is the ninth Rik.

9. ya ekascarşaņinām vasūnāmirajyati, indraḥ panca kșitinām.
   yaḥ ekaḥ carşaņinām vasūnām irajyati, indraḥ panca kşitinām.

yaḥ the Indra who; ekaḥ the one, himself alone; carşaņinām men of aforesaid descriptions viz., labouring, ploughing, striving ; irajyati rules, becomes their sovereign; so also vasūnām ruler over varied wealth; indraḥ that Indra; panca of the five (change of case); kșitinām of dwellings, he is the lord.

carşaņinām this is not to be taken as applying only to men generally. According to the etymological meaning, it is to be understood like ārya, the striver, kļșți one who drags or ploughs.

irajyati : denotes the act of lordship.

panca kşitinām of Five Peoples says Sayana. Everywhere his explanation is the fifth people, the fifth being the outcastes. This is doubtful even according to the gross interpretation. This subject has been dwelt upon in the Introduction. The form kşiti is derived from the root kşi, in the sense of dwelling place. The kşitis are the five dwelling places, earth, etc. – beginning from the earth upwards, one above the other, provided in creation. Thus traditions make mention of organisation of three worlds, seven worlds, at times the system of four worlds based upon the four vyāhſtis. It is to be understood that just as the earths indicated as three in the Vedas denote the three vast domains corresponding to the triple world of which ours is the first, the gross earth, even so the five kşitis also are five dwelling places of which the first is our earth.

Tr. He who is the one sovereign over all strivers and wealths, Indra is the sovereign of the five worlds.

This is the tenth Rik.

10. indram vo visvataspari havāmahe janebhyaḥ, asmākamastu kevalaḥ.
    indram vaḥ visvataḥ pari havāmahe janebhyaḥ asmākam astu kevalah.

O sacrificers! The address is to those who are set out to obtain the grace of the Deities. vaḥ for you; viśvataḥ above all; janebhyaḥ from men that are born, also from worlds that have come to be; pari standing above; indram Indra; havāmahe we call; he Indra ; asmākam of us all the practitioners; kevalaḥ uncommon, adorable, second to none, exclusive object of worship; astu may he be. The explanation that he may be more gracious to us than to others is inappropriate. That is not the mark of devotion. That would impute littleness of mind to the great seer Madhucchandas.

Tr. We invoke for you Indra above all beings; may he be unique to us. Thus ends the fourteenth Group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.

Thus ends the second Section in the first Circle.