Commentary on the Rig Veda

HYMN 9

In the third Section, the second hymn beginning with indrehi has ten Riks. The seer, metre and the Deity are as before.

1. indrehi matsyandhaso viśvebhiḥ somaparvabhiḥ, mahān abhiştirojasā.
   indra ā ihi matsi andhasaḥ visvebhiḥ somaparva’bhiḥ mahān abhiştiḥ ojasā.

indra O Indra, ehi come; andhasaḥ with foods constituted of soma enjoyable (instrumental case difference); matsi to be intoxicated and delighted; viśvebhiḥ by all; somaparvabhiḥ with those whose limbs or joints are full of soma sap-come with these gods and with them accepting the soma, be delighted; thence; ojasā with patent strength; mahān becoming mighty; abhiştiḥ you will over-come the foes.

ojasā from the root ubi or oj in the sense of the patently clear or accumulating.

abhiştiḥ from the root is with the prefix abhi; işti, a word in the abstract, denotes the future.

somaparvabhih: with full juice of soma; andhasaḥ with foods-this is the explanation of the ancients. They justify it following the root-meaning parva to fill. parva is limb, therefore body, joint of the limbs; it is used both ways in the Veda, e.g., Sayana’s commentary on 1.61.12; 4.19.9; 7.103.5; 10.163.6.

Tr. Come Indra with all the soma-limbed gods, be delighted with the foods, mighty with strength you will overcome.

This is the second Rik.

2. emenam spjatā sute mandimindrāya mandine, cakrim viśvāni cakraye.
   ā im enam spjata sute mandim indrāya mandine cakrim visvā ni cakraye.

He addresses his colleagues engaged in the inner sacrifice. im to complete the metrical step; sute when the libation is completed, the pressed out juice is purified; enam mandim this delightful juice; indraya for Indra ; assjata make over, give for ascension ; delightful of what kind ? cakrim capable of doing good action (kļ reduplicated. The affix kim to denote tendency; rest is Vedic); to Indra of what kind ? mandine the cause of delight or rejoicing visvāni cakraye to the doer of all actions. All that are to be created in himself by the inner sacrificer, for his ascent through the consecration of the essence of his experiences, are effected by Indra delighting, the creator.

Tr. When the libation is ready, pour out the delightful soma of good action for Indra, the delighting, doer of all actions.

This is the third Rik. .

3. matsvā susipra mandibhiḥ stomebhirvisvacarşaņe, sacaişu savaneşvā.
   matsva su’sipra mandi’bhiḥ stomebhiḥ visva’carşaņe sacă eșu savaneșu ā.

susipra fair of chin, or fair of nose (sipra means chin or nose); by a part of the face, the face is indicated, it means fair of face, indicating handsomeness ; visvacarşaņe (this is mentioned in the lexicon in the sense of seeing) seer of all, Indra; matsva delight thyself or become attractive; with what? mandibhiḥ with gladdening or attractive stomebhiḥ our lauds; and also sacā along with your emanations or other gods (this is to be taken in purport); eșu in these; savaneșu sacrifices, adorations to the Godhead; ā come and be present. O all-seeing, delighted by our gladdening lauds, being charming of face, give thy presence in our inner sacrifices in our acts of the adoration of the Godhead; this is the sense.

Tr. Fair of face, O All-seer, be delighted with the gladdening lauds. Be present in these sacrifices, accompanied.

This is the fourth Rik.

4. asṛgramindra te giraḥ prati tvā mudahā sata, ajosā vşsabham patim.
   asṛgram indra te giraḥ prati tvām ut ahā sata ajoșāḥ vşşabham patim.

indra O Indra ; te to thee; giraḥ songs; asr gram I have created (ga for ja is Vedic and augment ra); and these songs tvām prati towards thee dwelling in heaven ; udahā sata went upward (ohang in the sense of movement, aorist, Vedic); ajoșāḥ thou hast partaken of them, of those lauds (juş to be pleased, to partake, Imperfect, Vedic); of what kind art thou whom the songs reached upward and attained? orsabham showerer; again of what kind ? patim who guards, protects.

Tr. O Indra, I have created the songs for Thee. They went up to Thee, showerer and protector, and thou hast partaken of them.

This is the fifth Rik.

5. sañcodaya citramarvāgrādha indra varenvam, asaditte vibhu prabhu.
   sam codaya citram arvāk rādhaḥ indra varenyam asat it te vi’bhu pra’bhu.

indra O Indra; citram varied; vareņyam best; rādhaḥ wealth; arvāk towards us; sañcodaya impel well; this is not the worldly wealth e.g., cows, etc.; it is special to Indra; the third line describes its nature; te thine, this wealth; asat it it is indeed (as to be, Vedic present); what kind is it ? vibhu it is spread out and also prabhu is intense; intensity refers to the wealth, the form of lordship that shines eminently, concentrated at one place; but the spreading out means the wealth that is extended, glorious in its pervasion. Thus Indra’s wealth is of both kinds; it cannot be obtained-even a little of it-without the impulsion from the Lord. The rest is to be inferred by the intelligent.

Tr. Indra, impel towards us thy varied and superb wealth which is verily pervasive and intense.

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

This is the sixth Rik in the hymn.

6. asmāntsu tatra codayendra rā ye rabhasvataḥ, tuvidyumna yaśasvataḥ
   asmān su tatra codaya indra rā ye rabhasvataḥ tuvi’dyumna yaśasvataḥ.

indra O Indra; tuvidyumuna many-lustred, of picturesque splendour (tuvi is a synonym for many, dyumnam is lustre); asmān us, thy lauders; tatra there, where thy pervasive and masterly wealth obtains; su excellent; codaya impel; for what purpose ? rāve for the wealth with features stated earlier ; of what kind ? rabhasvatah (genitive sing. in the sense of dative) fast in speed (rabh in the sense of speed i.e., engaged with fast speed); again yasasvataḥ celebrated (genitive in the sense of dative).

In the earlier Rik it was stated "impel, sañco-daya, towards us the pervasive and masterly wealth obtaining in thy home’. In this Rik it is said impel sucodaya, us towards that very wealth. That luminous wealth is there on high; when it was to be obtained by us, it needs the stimulation of Indra, its master. Thereby it will come for our sake. We too have to get there. There too we can have no power to go without the implusion of Indra. Both ways there is going and coming. The coming down here of the wealth above and our going up from here, both are possible by the impulsion of Indra’s doing. The two adjectives, rabhasvataḥ and yasas-vataḥ are there to indicate the capacity for rapid movement and the celebrity of the ’wealth’so impelled. They are not adjectives of asmān, us. It is clumsy to explain it as the lauders themselves saying successful ones, we pray with intensity, so impel thy wealth’. The nature of that wealth of Indra will be spoken of later on also.

Tr. O many-lustred Indra, impel us well thereto for the wealth rapid in movement and celebrated.

This is the seventh Rik.

7. sam gomadindra vājavadasme psthu Śravo bịhat, viśvāyurdhehyakṣitam.
   sam go’mat indra vāja’vat asme iti pșthu Śravaḥ bịhat visva’āyuḥ dhehi akşitam.

indra O Indra; asme to us; sandhehi join, connect uninterruptedly, the wealth spoken of earlier ; there are adjectives to that wealth; gomat full of ray of knowledge; vājavat opulent; join also pěthu large extended, gravaḥ hearing of divine inspiration, bshat mighty in prowess; and aksitam undecaying ; visvāyuḥ life-span of all, life of all, connect with us. The prayer is for the establishment of universal life in the individual sacrificer. In the gross interpretation fravaḥ is taken as wealth and gomat, etc. are taken as its adjectives.

Tr. O Indra, join to us the luminous and opulent (wealth), the mighty hearing of divine inspiration, the unaecaying life of All.

This is the eighth Rik.

8. asme dhehi śravo bịhaddyumnam sahasrasā tamam, indra tā rathiniriṣaḥ.
   asme iti dhehi śravaḥ bịhat dyumnam sahasra’sātamam, indra tāḥ rathiniḥ işaḥ,

indra O Indra ; asme to us; bịhat mighty, ṣtavaḥ hearing caused by divine inspiration; dhehi bear, that is, give; sahasrasā tamam exceedingly capable of being enjoyed by many--many being indicated by the number thousand; dyumnam light or lustre; rathini” those with ratha, chariot, are rathini i.e., fast-moving ; işaḥ impulsions, give; tāḥ those prayed for earlier in the words : ’Impel well. Here the term isaḥ is taken by the ritualist as food and accordingly its adjective is explained as endowed with many chariots.

Tr. O Indra, give us the mighty hearing, the Light enjoyable by thousands, the impulsions fast-moving, aforesaid.

This is the ninth Rik.

9. vasorindram vasupatim girbhirgrnanta ?gmiyam, homa gantāramūtaye.
   vasoḥ indram vasu’ patim giḥ bhiḥ grņantaḥ rgmiyam homa gantāram ūtaye.

vasoḥ of treasures (the inner wealth to the extent obtained); ūteye for the increase; indram Indra; homa we call (the form derived from hve to challenge as well as to go; the present tense is Vedic); engaged in what ? girbhirgrnantaḥ praising with songs; Indra of what kind ? vasupatim the protector of treasures; and again, rgmiyam who measures the Rik (he who measures out the șk is rgmiḥ, according to Sayana); worship is Rik, with that (according to Skandaswami deserving of lauds); again of what kind ? gantāram he who is prone to the sacrificer or his sacrifice.

Skandaswami has the prose order as vasoḥ vasupatim; just as the word praviņa by itself means well-versed in the viņā (stringed instrument, there is the usage vināvām praviņa, likewise there is the use of vasoḥ vasupatih.

Tr. Praying with songs, we call Indra prone to us, for the increase of the treasures, the protector of wealth, who measures the Riks.

This is the tenth Rik.

10. sutesute nyokase bịhadbſhata edariḥ, indrāya sūşamarcati.
    sute’ sute ni’okase bșhat bịhate ā it ariḥ indrāya sūşam arcati.

sute sute wherever the soma is pressed out; indrāya for Indra who drinks the soma; ariḥ the sacrificer (he who goes, iyarti, towards what is to be done, that is who is striving -all this has been stated before) ; sūşam strength (related to Indra); arcati praises; what kind of strength ? bịhat mighty; to Indra of what kind ? nyokase to him whose dwelling is determined ; bịhate to the mighty (in form and by nature); the fixed luminous home of Indra is the world of Svar; its nature described before is to be recalled.

The alphabet ā and the word it are there for metrical exigencies.

Tr. Wherever there is soma libation for Indra, mighty, with fixed dwelling, the sacrificer lauds the mighty strength.

Thus ends the eighteenth Group in the first Chapter of the first Eighth.