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Hymn 10: Spiritual progress and creation of seers
Rişhi: Madhuchchandaĥ Vaishvāmitraĥ
MANTRA (1.10.1): SEERS ASCEND
INDRA
The singers hymn you with Sāma chants,
Others with rik mantrās;
O thousand-powered one,
The seers climb you like a ladder.
gāyanti tvā gāyatriņo
hymn with Sāma chants, you, the singers,
archanti arkam arkiņaĥ;
laud, adorable, chant with rik mantrās;
brahmāņaĥ tvā shatakrata
seers, you, doer of many conscious actions,
ud vamshamiva yemire.
up, like a bamboo, climb.
Details:
Indra is like a vast bamboo
stairway with steps. Every spiritual experience is like climbing
one step in this stairway. This meaning is confirmed in the next
mantra.
Griffith thinks that the mantra is
obscure. The commentator S or the indologist Wilson translate it
as follows:
“They elevate Indra or the clan
just as acrobats raise a bamboo.''
Where is the word in the text for
acrobat?
arkam: rik
mantrās. For distinction between rik and stoma see
(1.5.8).
brahmāņaĥ:
seers who have realized the mantrās; brahma in Veda means
always a mantra. There is no mention of the hereditary brahmin
caste in the Rig Veda and brāhmins as a group are mentioned only
once in RV (10.90.12).
ud + yemire:
to climb.
MANTRA (1.10.2): THE VISTAS OF
PROGRESS
When the worshipper climbs from peak to peak,
He realises
the progress that is yet to be achieved;
Then Indra awakens in him the purpose of the journey and
Manifests with his troop to aid (the devotee in the journey).
yat sānoĥ sānum āruhat
when, from a peak, to another peak, climbs,
bhūri aspaşhţa kartvam;
much, touched, to be done,
tat indro artham chetati
then, Indra, purpose (of ascent), awakens,
yūthena vŗşhņiĥ ejati.
with the company of the Gods, showerer, moves.
Details:
This is a key mantra of the RV. The
intimate connection between this mantra and the earlier one
becomes clear. When one starts the spiritual journey, called
adhvara in the Veda, one has only vague intimations of the
final goal. The devotee gets spiritual experiences one by one.
He does not see far. Each step indicates that he is far from the
state of perfection and much remains to be done. Then the God
Indra awakens in him the nature of his final objective and
personally manifests to lead the devotee to the final
destination.
Only when the devotee aspires
towards the spiritual goal, even though he may be unaware of the
nature of the goal, does Indra come forward to lead him. Here is
the Vedic view of connection between grace and effort. The
devotee should take the first step. Based on his sincerity, the
God himself comes to help him in the journey.
vrşhņīĥ:
showerer, Indra who aids the devotee in various ways.
MANTRA (1.10.3):
HEAR OUR WORDS
Yoke the powerful and maned horses,
With well developed limbs, who increase (the strength of the
singer);
O Indra, drinker of Soma,
Come within the hearing of our words.
yukşhvā hi keshinā harī
yoke, ., with mane, horses,
vŗşhaņā kakşhyaprā;
who increase, (their force) of developed limbs,
athā na indra somapā
then, our, Indra, Soma-drinker,
girām upashrutim chara.
words, close hearing, come.
Details:
Indra's hearing of the Word,
upashruti, is basically a response, the divine Mind
answering with its word of Truth to the human word that seeks
the Truth. The next verse (1.10.4) makes this idea clear with
the phrase "cry out the response'. In (1.82.1) the phrase used
is mā atathā iva meaning, "do not seem to give another
than the right answer'; "do not confuse our minds with error.'
keshinā:
mane of the horse. Just as a
quadruped uses the mane to ward off irritating objects like
flies, the mane in the inner sense shakes off the forces of
inertia. See also the discussion of the horses in (1.5.4). In
the esoteric interpretation, horses are powers of inner sight
endowed with force, who pour their strength on the singers.
Hence the adjective vŗşhaņa, to pour or to increase.
MANTRA (1.10.4): CRY OUT YOUR
RESPONSE
Come, Indra, approve our praises,
Speak them out on all sides and cry out the response.
O treasure,
increase the (power of) our mantra,
And that of our yajňa also, O Indra.
ehi stomān abhisvara
come, our
praises, front, sound of approval,
abhigŗņīhi āruva;
speak the word, cry,
brahma cha no vaso sacha
mantra, and, us, treasure, with,
indra yajňam cha vardhaya.
Indra, yajňam, and, make it increase.
Details:
There are three actions of Indra in
this rik. First, Indra is called upon to sound the word
of approval for the laud, stoma, of the worshipper.
Secondly, the rişhi realises that Indra himself is
chanting the hymn through the mouth of seer, hence he is asked
to speak the word or hymn. This idea is reminiscent of the one
in (1.1.1) where the seer recognises the God Agni himself as the
one who conducts the yajňa. Next, the seer calls upon the
deity Indra to cry out the response, āruva.
The devotee prays to Indra to
increase both mantra as well as yajňa. Mantra is the
means of acquiring knowledge. Mantra is also obtained by means
of knowledge. Yajňa is the continual self-giving, done both
ritually and otherwise also, following the discipline of yoga,
termed Karma Yoga in the later literature.
svara:
a special word of approval, like the mantra om in the
Chāndogya Upanishad.
abhi gŗņīhi:
speak the word on all sides. a
similar phrase occurs in (1.15.3), (2.9.4), etc.,
āruva:
cry out the response.
brahma:
mantra (not the purāņic deity).
abhisvara:
face (our praises) and sound your approval.
MANTRA (1.10.5): MANTRAS
INCREASE INDRA
Indra should be praised with rik mantrās
That increase
the power of Indra (in the seeker), the destroyer of foes;
May Indra, the capable, be delighted with us
As we do among our sons and friends.
uktham indrāya shamsyam
rik mantra, for Indra, is to be praised,
vardhanam purunişhşhidhe;
increaser of, destroyer,
shakro yathā suteşhu ņo
Indra the
capable, as, among sons, us,
rāraņat sakhyeşhu cha.
delight or
sport, among friends, and.
Details:
Indra accepts the
Soma, the Delight prepared by the singers through their actions.
suteşhu:
sons. An alternate meaning of Soma pressings is also valid in
the context.
MANTRA (1.10.6): STRONG BY
GIVING WEALTH
We desire Indra in friendship,
Him in delight
and him in strong energy;
He, the mighty Indra, becomes strong,
Distributing his wealth to us.
tamit sakhitva īmahe
the same, for friendship, we,
tam rāye tam suvīrye;
him, wealth him, auspicious capacity or energy,
sa shakra uta naĥ shakat
he, mighty,
and, for us, becomes strong,
indro vasu dayamānaĥ.
Indra, treasure, spreading.
Details:
A characteristic of Vedic Gods is
that they become strong by distributing their powers to man.
Power never decays. This is in contrast to the myths in
purāņās where the power obtained by askesis, tapas,
decays by the giving of boons.
MANTRA (1.10.7): RELEASE THE
KNOWLEDGE
O Indra, your glory is patent and able to manifest well;
It has been thoroughly cleansed by you.
Open the gate
of the home of the knowledge;
Get the wealth or delight for us, O master of the hill.
suvivŗtam sunirajam
patented or well unveiled, able to spread,
indra tvādātam it yashaĥ;
Indra, cleansed by you, ., glory,
gavām apa vrajam vŗdhi
rays, ., dwelling place, open its doors,
kŗņuşhva rādho adrivaĥ.
make, wealth or delight, master of the hill.
Details:
tvādātam:
cleansed by you. Indra has cleansed
the atmosphere by the removal of the purveyors of evil like
Vŗtra.
yashaĥ:
the glory is the spiritual Light or Delight that is spread
around.
apa + vŗdhi:
to open the door.
adrivaĥ:
Indra is the master of the hill since he has captured it from
the titans. adri, hill, denotes the Inconscient, the
source of all inertia and ignorance in the esoteric sense.
Recall (1.7.3).
MANTRA (1.10.8): IMPEL THE RAYS
TOWARDS US
Indra, both
heaven and earth, cannot encompass you
When you are formidable;
You win the
luminous waters of the svar-world;
Impel towards us the rays of knowledge.
na hi tvā rodasī ubhe
do not, ., you, heaven and earth, two,
ŗghāyamāņam invataĥ;
formidable, encompass,
jeşhaĥ svarvatīĥapaĥ
wins, luminous ones of the svar, waters,
sam gā asmabhyam dhūnuhi.
., rays of knowledge, for us, impel.
Details:
Indra breaks the hill of inertia,
tamas, in the form of the titan Vŗtra and releases
the hidden luminous powers, symbolised by Waters. The rişhi
prays that Indra impel the Rays of knowledge towards all the
parts of his being.
jeşhaĥ:
wins. It is in the present tense because the conquest is going
on continuously in every individual at all times.
sam + dhūnuhi:
impel.
svarvatīrapaĥ:
Waters from svar; the Divine Energies belonging to the
svar world discussed in (1.9.10), the fixed dwelling of
Indra and other Gods.
MANTRA (1.10.9): THREE STEPS OF
THE CHANT
O Indra of wide ears, who listens from everywhere,
Hear my call;
hold (in your mind ) my praises;
Stay near this laud of mine,
Who is attached to you.
āshrut karņa shrudhī havam
he who listens
from everywhere, ears, listen, to my call,
nū chit dadhişhva me giraĥ;
soon, ., bear, my, lauds,
indra stomam imam mama
Indra, laud, this, mine,
kŗşhvā yujaĥ chit antaram.
make, attached
to you, ., very close.
Details:
There are three
steps in the laud: first Indra hears the call, next he accepts
the praise and bears it in his mind; third, he comes to the
place where the laud is recited. Recall the notes in (1.10.4).
MANTRA (1.10.10): SHOWERER OF
OPULENCES
O Indra, we know you as the superb showerer of opulences
And as the hearer of our call;
We invoke you who showers plentifully
For the thousandfold increase (of your giving).
vidmā hi tvā vŗşhantamam
we know, ., you, showerer,
vājeşhu havana shrutam;
in opulences, of call, hearer,
vŗşhantam asya hūmaha
who showers
plentifully, of you, we call,
ūtim sahasrasātamām.
the increase, thousand fold.
MANTRA (1.10.11): INCREASE OUR
NEW LIFE AND CREATE SEERS
Indra, son of Kushika, come to us
And drink the delightful Soma;
Increase superbly our new life;
Create the seer and the thousand fold enjoyer.
ā tū na indra kaushika
come, ., to us, Indra, son of Kushika,
mandasānaĥ sutam piba;
delighting, Soma, drink,
navyam āyuĥ pra sū tira
fresh, life (ours), ., ., increase superbly,
kŗdhī sahasrasām ŗşhim
do, thousand, seer.
Details:
Note that Indra is
called upon to "increase our new life' and "create the seer'.
When Indra takes birth in the poet, he gives him new life. Indra
manifests in him the various powers such as extended Vision and
Hearing, etc., Hence Indra creates a seer.
In this book we
use the words rişhi, composer of rik, seer, sage
and poet equivalently. The human aspirant, yajamāna, and
a patron of the yajňa, is a seeker of the spiritual riches who
has not attained the status of a seer.
Kaushika:
Son of Kashika, Vishvāmitra. In many of the hymns
of the Rig Veda, the seer or poet calls the deity by his own
name. Since the adored deity takes birth in the inner being of
the seer, the deity is regarded as the son of the seer and hence
the deity is given the same family name. In this hymn, the
family name of the poet is Kushika and hence Indra is
addressed by that name.
S quotes the story
of the prayer to Indra by Kushika, son of Eshiratha.
Responding to the prayer, Indra himself is born as a son to
Kushika. This son is Vishvāmitra.
pra su tira:
increase superbly.
MANTRA (1.10.12): LOVE IS THE
SECRET
O delighter in our lauds,
May my chants attain to you on every side;
The chants
make us increasingly follow you who lengthens life;
May the
chants, accepted with love, become the cause of love.
pari tvā girvaņo
around, you, O delighter in lauds,
gira imā bhavantu vishvataĥ;
chants, mine, may attain, all around,
vŗdhdāyum anu vŗdhdayo
of lengthened life, following, increasing,
juşhţā bhavantu juşhţayaĥ.
accepted with
love, become, causes of love.
Details:
The love
of the deity for us is the cause of our love for the deity. This
is the secret.
The aim of the Gods is that the human beings should progress
perpetually. Hence, they bestow a long life on the seeker.
However the body of the seeker may not be able to bear the force
resulting in an early death. |
