Commentary on the Rig Veda

HYMN 8

The third Section has four hymns. Of these the first beginning with endra sānasim has ten Riks. The Rishi, the metre and the Deity are as before.

This is the first Rik.

1. endra sānasim rayim sajitvānam sadā saham, varșişthamūtaye bhara.
   ā indra sānasim rayim sa’ jitvānam sadā’saham varșiştham ūtaye bhara.

indra O Indra; ūtaye for our increase; rayim wealth ; ābhara bring; and these are the adjectives of rayi to remind that it is not the ordinary wealth ; sānasim that is enjoyable (from root şan, particle with termination asi); sajitvānam uniformly conquering (derivative of ji to conquer with sa indicating samāna); sadā saham ever overpowering, that is bringing about the defeat of the enemies; varşiştham full-grown (varsa is the substitute for the word vsddha and then superlative). Here wealth in the form of light and strength is prayed for. And that is to be resorted to by all who desire the good. It is the characteristic of this wealth that is in the form of light and strength, to combat on equal terms the powerful enemies, opponents of light and strength and conquer them; hence wealth that is ’uniformly conquering’. The rayi wealth is familiar with the conquest over the enemy, not raw, hence the grown-up, mature wealth.

Tr. Indra, bring for our increase wealth that is delightful, uniformly conquering, ever overpowering, the full-grown.

This is the second Rik.

2. ni yena muşțihatyayā ni vſtrā runadhāmahai, tvotāso nyarvatā.
   ni yena muști’hatyayā ni vstrā runadhāmahai tvā’ūtā saḥ ni arvatā.

yena by which wealth of divine light and strength, with features described earlier; vștrā the enemies, the Asuras, the covering clouds of darkness; ni fully; muşțihatyayā by fist-blows; nirunadhāmahai we shall deter; we of what kind ? tvotāsaḥ guarded by you; (the dropping of da in tvad is Vedic; ūtāsaḥ — past participial termination of av without id. The rest is Vedic), and again of what kind ? ni fully; arvatā endowed with the steed i.e., the life-power indicated by it (instrumental denoting accompaniment).

Tr. By which we shall completely deter the foes with fist-blows, by thee guarded and well-powered with the steed.

This is the third Rik.

3. iñdra tvotā sa ā vayam vajram ghanā dadimahi, jayema samyudhi spşdhaḥ.
   indra tvā’ūtā saḥ ā vayam vajram ghanā dadimahi jayema sam yudhi sprdhaḥ.

indra O Indra; tvotā saḥ guarded by thee; vayam we; ’vajram the divine weapon that breaks the concretised ill-luck, false knowledge, etc.; ghanā concretely (instrumental case mainly for the abstract sense); ādadimahi may we obtain; yudhi in battle; sprdhaḥ the combating enemies; sañjayema may we conquer completely.

vajram: vaj, vraj to go. The termination ran is irregular.

ghana: in Sayana’s commentary it is taken as adjective of vajra. Even then it does not detract from the purport given by us.

Tr. O Indra, guarded by thee may we wield the thunderbolt heavily, may we conquer the combating foes in battle.

This is the fourth Rik.

4. vayam sūrebhirastbhirindra tvayā yujā vayam, sāsahyāma pştanytaḥ.
   vayam sūrebhiḥ ast;’bhih indra tvayā yujā vayam sasahyama pệtanyataḥ.

indra O Indra ; vayam we your adorers, practitioners of the inner sacrifice ; sūrebhiḥ with heroic; astſbhih enemies that throw missiles from afar (asu to throw tỉ to denote the tendency)–may we be victorious in battle with them; some haters of God, foes of the sacrifice, conceal themselves somewhere or from afar deliver the missiles- this has reference to them; of what kind are we who conquer thus? yujā tvayā joined by thee ever aiding; such ones, we, pştanyataḥ even the enemies desiring army, desiring to give battle direct; sasahyāma may we encounter, overpower superbly.

pṛtanyataḥ: desiring army for themselves. Dropping of ā in present participial form, accusative plural form.

Tr. O Indra, with thee may we conquer the brave missile-throwers desiring battle.

This is the fifth Rik.

5. mahān indraḥ parasca nu mahitvamastu vajrine, dyaurna prathinā savaḥ.
   mahān indraḥ paraḥ ca nu mahi’tvam astu vajrine dyauḥ na prathinā savaḥ.

mahān of mighty form; indraḥ Indra; parasca is also supreme; he is not mighty in form alone, but supreme in prowess also; nu additive for metrical purpose (this termination has many meanings); vajrine to Indra with the thunderbolt; mahitvam mightiness and supremeness, the twofold mastery stated earlier; astu be; this is the auspicious invocation for the Lord by the seer devotee ; hence it is apposite in the laud of Indra distinguished by his natural qualities of mightiness, etc.; even today the tradition of auspicious invocation in adoring the God or the Master is well known like the halleluja in the world; dyaurna like the world of heaven; prathinā by largeness, amplitude; savaḥ luminous power is his); let it be, or let it conquer-this is to be understood.

prathinā ; it is prathimnā, the ellipsis of ma being Vedic.

Tr. Indra is mighty, and supreme ; greatness be his, the thunder-armed. May his luminous force be as ample as the heaven.

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

This is the sixth Rik.

6. samohe vã ya asata narastokasya sanitau, cipräso mã dhiyāyavaḥ.
   sam’ohe vā ye āśata naraḥ tokasya sanitau viprāsaḥ vā dhiyā’ yavah.

ye naraḥ which men; samohe in battle (with the foes of the gods); tokasya of the progeny ; sanitau vā or for the getting ; āšata have attained (as to per-vade Aorist, Vedic form); that is, those persons who resort to Indra, obtain; vā or; dhiyāyavaḥ aspiring for knowledge; viprāsaḥ the wise ones, the intelligent (who resort to Indra) also obtain.

nara means males – divine or human strong ones. Getting of progeny for the gods in the manifestation of a part of themselves in man. Among men also, progeny - denoted by the term toka-is indeed the birth of the godhead in themselves. In both, combat with the opponents who obstruct the gain of the progeny is necessary. Hence samohe has been explained as sangrāme, in battle, following the reading in Nighantu, the lexicon.

Tr. Those heroes won in the progeny or in the battle, or the wise aspiring for knowledge.

This is the seventh Rik.

7. yaḥ kukșiḥ somapā tamaḥ samudra iva pinvate, urvirāpo na kākudaḥ.
   yah kukșiḥ soma’ pā tamaḥ samudra’iva pinvate urviḥ āpaḥ na kākudaḥ.

Of this Indra yaḥ which ; kukșiḥ, the belly; somapā tamaḥ drinker in plenty of the juice of soma, that; samudra iva like the sea; pinvate increases; as the sea is inexhaustible, deep and vast, is seen to be especially fed by the coming together of all the rivers, even so Indra’s belly full of the sap of all the worlds never dries up; it is always, moist, dripping. The root is piv to sprinkle, with the augment num, commented by the ancients as increase, for its appositeness; to bring home the constant enlargement and moistness of Indra’s belly due to Soma, another illustration is given: urvirāpo na kākudaḥ; kakut elevated place, summit e.g., "agni is the head, the cope of the heaven”. And this heaven, related to it are kākudaḥ; urviḥ largenesses; āpo na like waters. The sense is that his belly has a natural succulent freshness and wideness like the divine Waters. The ancients, basing upon the Nighantu derivation viz., kākut jihvā tongue, say: ’Just as the saliva in the tongue never dries up, the belly of Indra full of soma never dries.”

Tr. His belly superbly drinking the Soma, swells like the sea; like the wide Waters from the summits.

This is the eighth Rik.

8. evā hyasya sūnştā virapši gomati mahi, pakvā sākha na dāśuşe.
   eva hi asya sūnștā vi’rapši go’mati mahi pakvā sākhā na dāśuşe.

eva hi thus indeed, in the manner to be described ; asya of Indra; sūnștā speech (agreeably true, commonly speaking) but in fact, auspicious, true speech, is his; this has been established while commenting upon the Mantra, codayatri sūnstānam, impeller to happy truths; what is that speech ? mahi celebrated as Bharati, the co-stream of Ila and Sarasvati, indicating the vastness of the Light of Truth ; not merely great; it is not a qualifying adjective but the qualified-as in ’Ila, Sarasvati, Mahi (in the sense of Bharati); how else is this mahi associated with Indra evolved ? virapši flowing in exuberance; Sayana comments in many mantras taking it as a synonym of great; but here it is taken to be flowing variously, eloquent in courtesies., etc.; again is gomati ray-full, knowledge-rayed; he gives an illustration; pakvā of ripe fruit; sākhā branch ; dāśușe to the sacrificer; na like; as an enjoyable branch full of clusters of ripe fruits is pleasing to the sacrificer, so does Bharati full of the aforesaid qualities become to Indra.

Tr. So indeed is Mahi for Indra, full of rays, happy truth flowing abundantly, like the ripe branch for the giver of the sacrifices.

This is the ninth Rik.

9. evā hi te vibhūtaya ūtaya indra māvate, sadyascitsanti dāśușe.
   eva hi te vi?bhūtayaḥ ūtayaḥ indra mā’vate sadyaḥ cit santi dā šușe.

indra O Indra ; eva hi verily Thou such as art, along with Bharati denoted by Mahi; te Thine ; vibhūtayaḥ glories, special riches; māvate for those like myself (vat from the word asmat, Vedic); dāsușe to the sacriſicer; sadyascit at once; ūtayaḥ our increasers; santi become.

This can be explained differently also: eva hi indeed in the manner to be stated: thy glories are instant increasers to the sacrificers like me.

Tr. Verily, Indra, thou art such! Thy glories increase at once sacrificers like me (become at once increasers for sacrificers like me).

This is the tenth Rik.

10. evā hyasya kāmyā stoma uktham ca samsyā, indrāya somapitaye.
    eva hi asya kāmyā stomaḥ uktham ca samsyā indrāya soma’pitaye.

eva hi so indeed, according to our practice; asya Indra’s; kāmyā fit to be desired for, desirable, dear; stomaḥ lauds of affirmation, sāma; uktham ca words of illumination, sk; samsyā are to be sung ; why: indrāya for Indra; somapitaye for his drinking of the soma; his acceptance of soma, auspicious to all, promotes the growth of light, power and attainment of the divine progeny for the sacrificer, Rishi. This will become undoubtedly substantiated on a study of the meaning of the mantras of this hymn.

Tr. Thus indeed are to be sung for him the desirable chants and words, that Indra may drink the soma.

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