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Hymn 8: Help given by
Indra
Rişhi: Madhuchchandas
Vaishvāmitraĥ
MANTRA
(1.8.1): INDRA BRINGS THE WEALTH
O Indra, bring
the wealth that is delightful,
Enduring,
overpowering the foes forever,
And mature for our growth.
ā indra
sānasim
rayim
., indra,
enjoyable, wealth,
sajitvānam
sadāsaham;
uniformly
conquering or enduring, over-powering forever,
varşhişhţham ūtaye
bhara.
full-grown,
for our increase, bring.
Details:
rayim:
The wealth of Indra, in the form of Light and strength, which
conquers and overpowers all the enemies; hence it is a mature or
full grown, varşhişhţam.
ā + indra
= endra in the Sanskrit text.
ā + bhara:
bring.
MANTRA
(1.8.2): FOES ARE DETERRED
With that
wealth, using the fist-blows,
We shall
completely deter the Vŗtra foes,
Guarded by you
and well-powered with the steed energies.
ni yena
muşhţi
hatyayā
., by which
(wealth), fist, blows,
ni vŗtrā
ruņadhāmahai;
., the
enemies, we shall deter,
tvotāso
ni
arvatā.
guarded by
you, fully, endowed with the steed (life energies).
Details:
fist-blow: The
phrase symbolises the use of an intense psychological force to
overcome the psychological foes, Vŗtras.
yena:
by which, referring the wealth of light and strength described
earlier.
vŗtra:
the foe of that name, the darkness which covers the light of
Sun. See (1.4.8), (1.7.5), (1.32).
ni +
ruņādhāmahai:
we shall deter fully.
nyarvata: ni
+ arvata; arva,
steed, always symbolises life energies. ni means fully.
The entire word means "well- powered with life energies.'
MANTRA
(1.8.3): WE WIELD THE VAJRA
O Indra,
guarded by you,
May we (wield)
the vajra heavily and
Conquer the
foes in battle completely.
indra
tvotāsa ā
vayam
Indra, guarded
by, ., we,
vajram
ghanā
dadīmahi;
the vajra,
concretely, may we obtain,
jayema
sam yudhi
spŗdhaĥ.
conquer,
completely, in battle, the enemies.
Details:
vajra:
It is the weapon, associated with Indra, which destroys false
knowledge. It is stated explicitly here that is the weapon
wielded by seers. It is also translated as lightning and
thunder. Esoterically, it is the weapon of Divine Light and
Sound which destroys false knowledge. Vajrin meaning, one
who holds vajra, an epithet for Indra, is translated as
the Thunderer, one who makes the divine sound smashing
obstacles. See also (1.7.2).
ā +
dadīmahi:
may we obtain.
MANTRA
(1.8.4): MISSILE THROWERS
The brave
missile throwing (foes),
Them may we
conquer with you yoked to us, O Indra,
The foes
desiring battle.
vayam
shūrebhiĥastŗbhiĥ
we, heroic, missile throwers,
indra
tvayā yujā
vayam;
Indra, by you,
joined by, we,
sāsahyāma
pŗtanyataĥ.
overpower,
(enemies) desiring battle,
Details:
astra:
missiles; from the root asu, to throw. It is not a
physical weapon, but an occult one, powered by the potent Word.
Even a casual look into the later epics like Rāmāyaņa or
Mahābhārata reveals the occult character of these
missiles, astra.
MANTRA
(1.8.5): ADORATION OF INDRA
Indra is
mighty and supreme;
We invoke his
greatness, he, the thunderer ;
May his
luminous might be as ample as the heaven.
mahān
indraĥ paraĥ cha
nu
mighty, Indra,
supreme, and, .,
mahitvam
astu
vajriņe;
greatness, be
his, he with vajra,
dyauĥ na
prathinā
shavaĥ.
heaven, like,
ample or large, luminous might.
Details:
The prayer is
"may he bestow on us his luminous might.'
mahitvam
astu:
The God's greatness, mahān, has already been mentioned.
The additional phrase denotes the devotee's invocation of the
Lord by his qualities of mightiness and supremeness.
vajriņe:
He with vajra; the thunderer Indra.
MANTRA
(1.8.6): BENEFITS OF THE WORSHIP
The heroes
obtain victory in battle,
And also
obtain heavenly progeny ;
The wise ones
aspiring for intelligence are also fulfilled.
samohe
vā ya
āshata
in battle, or, which, have attained or obtained,
naraĥ
tokasya
sanitau;
heroes,
children, for getting,
viprāso
vā
dhiyāyavaĥ.
the wise ones,
or, aspiring for intelligence.
Details:
toka:
literally, progeny. In the esoteric sense, it is the birth of
the Godhead in the rişhi. When the Indra-power or
Agni-power becomes manifest in the rişhi or yajamāna
and begins to grow in him/her, then Indra or Agni is said to be
born in him/her. Hence Gods like Agni or Indra who manifest
their power in the seer are described as the children of the
seers.
Only this
meaning coheres with the latter part of the verse.
MANTRA
(1.8.7): SOMA AND INDRA
Superbly
drinking the Soma,
His belly
swells like a sea;
It is (fresh)
like the divine waters from the summits.
yaĥ
kukşhiĥ soma
pātamaĥ
whose, belly,
Soma, drinker in plenty,
samudra
iva
pinvate;
ocean, like,
increases,
urvīĥ
āpo na
kākudaĥ.
wide, waters,
like, summits.
Details:
Indra's
power in the human aspirant increases by his partaking of the
Soma, the Delight of Existence, prepared by the human aspirant
through his actions and this increase is metaphorically
represented by the growth of the belly. His belly has a sense of
freshness and wideness like the divine Waters from the summits.
Just as a human
belly swells with the intake of food or drink, Indra's
powers in the yajamāna also swell with the intake of
Soma, the delight of existence.
Indra is not
the greedy God often portrayed in the purāņās, eager for
the drinking of Soma. The juice from the Soma plant has
no intoxicating property. Soma, the essence of Delight of
experience, is prepared by the seeker and Indra is requested to
partake of this Soma by means of the mantrās. The acceptance of
the Soma by Indra promotes the growth of Light in the seeker and
Indra himself takes birth in the inner being of the seeker and
promotes an overall spiritual growth of the rişhi or the
seeker.
See also the
note on Soma and Delight in (1.4.2) and (1.4.7).
MANTRA
(1.8.8): INDRA AND THE GODDESS MAH£
Goddess Mahī
with happy speech flowing freely,
Full of rays
of knowledge,
Comes happily
to Indra like the branch of a ripe fruit to the giver.
evā hi
asya
sūnŗta
thus, ., of
him, true speech,
virapshī
gomatī
mahī;
flowing
abundantly, full of rays of light, Mahī,
pakvā
shākhā na dā shuşhe.
of ripe fruit,
branch, like, the giver.
Details:
sūnŗta:
Speech that is both happy and true.
mahī:
a Goddess.
Also named Bhāratī. She is frequently associated with the
other two Goddesses, I¶ā and Sarasvatī. She
denotes the vastness of the Light of Truth.
gomatī:
full of rays of knowledge. go stands for ray of spiritual
Light.
MANTRA
(1.8.9): INCREASE THE HUMAN ASPIRANT
Indra, your
glories become
Increasers of
persons like myself
And other
sacrificers at once.
evā hi
te
vibhūtaya
indeed, .,
your, glories,
ūtaya
indra māvate ;
our
increasers, Indra, for those like myself,
sadyaĥ
chit santi
dāshuşhe.
at once, .,
become, the giver or the yajamāna.
Details:
When the
rişhi adores Indra, Indra takes birth in the human adorer
and manifests his powers in a variety of ways. The lauder is
said to increase with the onrush of the Indra-power in him/her.
MANTRA
(1.8.10): SAMA MANTRAS
The desirable
Sāma chants and riks
Are to be sung
for Indra, indeed,
So that he may
drink the Soma.
evā hi
asya kāmyā
stoma,
indeed, .,
his, desirable, stoma lauds,
uktham
cha
shamsyā;
riks, and, to
be sung,
indrāya
somapītaye.
for Indra, for
his drinking of Soma.
Details:
stoma:
denotes the affirmative lauds to be sung, the Sāma chants.
uktham:
denotes riks, the words of illumination.
The distinction
between stoma, uktha and shamsa, all of which are
often loosely translated as lauds, has been given in (1.5.8). |
