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Hymn 101: Brahman-released
Rişhi: Kutsa
MANTRA (1.101.1): SHOWERER WITH
LUMINOUS DISCRIMINATION
O friends, chant aloud the hymn to the praise-worthy Indra, full
of bliss, Ananda;
He along with the seeker slew the pregnant wives of Vŗtra;
Desirous of protection, we invoke the showerer with luminous
discrimination,
Who is girt by Maruts, for companionship in work.
pra mandine pitumat archatā vacho
., praiseworthy, full of bliss or ¡nanda, chant
aloud, hymn,
yaĥ kŗşhņagarbhā nirahan ŗjishvanā,
who, pregnant wives of Vŗtra, slew, along with the
yajamāna,
avasyavo vŗşhaņam vajaradakşhiņam
desirous of protection, showerer, with luminous discrimination,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, companionship, invoke.
Details:
The idea is that Indra smites not
only the dark forces typified by dasyu, but also their
successors, indicated by the pregnant wives.
Rjishvan:
occurred earlier in (1.51.5). S takes it to be the name of a
king; meaning given here is, 'the straightforward seeker', since
ŗju means straight, contrasted with kutila,
crooked.
MANTRA (1.101.2): SLEW VYAMSA,
SHAMBARA AND OTHERS
With intense wrath he slew the armless Vŗtra and Shambara
And the unrighteous Pipru;
He extirpated the insatiable Shuşhņa.
For companionship we invoke him, girt by Maruts.
yo vyamsam jāhŗşhāņena manyunā yaĥ
who, armless (Vŗtra), intense, wrath, who,
shambaram yo ahan piprum avratam,
Shambara, who, slew, Pipru, the unrighteous,
indro yaĥ shuşhņam ashuşham nyāvŗņak
Indra, who, Shuşhņa, insatiable, extirpated,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, for companionship, invoke.
Details: Shuşhņa,
see (1.11.7).
Pipru,
see (1.51.5).
Shambara,
see (1.51.6).
MANTRA (1.101.3): INDRA'S LAW OF
WORKINGS (VRATA)
He, whose great manliness is heaven and earth,
In whose law abides also the sun, and
Whose law the flowing waters serve,
He, girt by Maruts, is invoked for companionship.
yasya dyāvā pŗthivī paumsyam mahat
whose, heaven, earth, ., manliness or might, large,
asya vrate varuņo yasya sūryaĥ,
whose, law or action, Varuņa, where, Sūrya,
yasya indrasya sindhavaĥsashchati vratam
where, of Indra, flowing waters, serve, action or law,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, for companionship, (we) invoke.
Details:
S translates the first line, "in
whose large might abide Heaven and Earth', by adding the word,
'abide'. In the translation above, no additional word is added.
vrata:
Laws which control the working of every entity.
MANTRA (1.101.4): STABLE IN ALL
ACTIONS
Lord of the life-force and the consciousness-rays,
Who is attained by hymns and is stable in all actions,
He, Indra, who slays those who offer not the Soma, even though
they are strong,
He, girt by Maruts, is invoked for companionship.
yo ashvānām yo gavām gopatiĥvashī
who, life-force, who, knowledge rays, lord of the ray-cows
independent,
ya āritaĥ karmaņikarmaņi sthiraĥ,
who, attained by hymns, all works, stable,
vīļoĥ chit indro yo asunvato vadho
strong, ., Indra, who, not offering Soma, slays,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
gut by Maruts, for companionship, (we) invoke.
Details:
gavām:
the rays of consciousness. This meaning fits all the verses in
the Rig Veda as discussed in detail by Kashyap (1998).
ashva:
the horse is the standard symbol for life-force in all living
beings.
asunvataĥ:
these who do not offer the Soma, these who hinder the Divine
powers from offering their help for the human beings.
MANTRA (1.101.5): DISCOVERED THE
KNOWLEDGE FOR THE BRAHMAN-REALISED
Lord of all that moves and breathes,
Who first found the knowledge which enables seekers to realise
the Brahman,
He, Indra, humbled and slew the dasyus;
He, girt by Maruts, is invoked for companionship.
yo vishvasya jagataĥ prāņataĥ patiĥ
who, of all, that moves, that breathes, lord of,
yo brahmaņe prathamo gā avindat,
who, those with brahman-realisation, first, knowledge, found, or
obtained,
indro yo dasyūĥ adharān avātiran
Indra, who, dasyūs, humbled, slew,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, for companionship, (we) invoke.
Details:
Indra finds the knowledge hidden by
the titans and restores it to the seers like the Angirasas
who realise Brahman, the highest principle, brahmaņe.
prathama:
first among the Gods.
gā avindat:
found the knowledge. Translating gā as cows does not make
sense.
brahmaņe:
in the Veda it always means persons who have realised the
highest principle Brahman; this word, referring to a group of
persons, so called, Brāhmins, occurs only once in (10.90).
MANTRA (1.101.6): ALL BEINGS
PLACE INDRA IN FRONT
Whom the brave invoke and also the timid,
Whom runaways as well as victors invoke,
Whom all beings place in front, him, Indra, girt by Maruts, we
invoke for companionship.
yaĥ shūrebhiĥ havyo yaĥcha bhīrubhiĥ
who, the brave, invoke, who, and, the timid,
yo dhāvabhiĥ hūyate yaĥcha jigyubhiĥ,
who, runaways, invoked, who, and, victors,
indram yam vishvā bhuvana abhi samdadhuĥ
Indra, whom, all, all beings, in front, place,
marutvantam sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, for friendship, (we) invoke,
Details:
The persons who run away from a
battle invoke him for protection from the victors. The victors
invoke him for having made them victorious. Thus all beings
invoke Indra.
MANTRA (1.101.7): SPREAD OF THE
SPEECH
Refulgent, he proceeds along the wide paths of Rudras;
With Rudras, the lady speech, spreads wide speeding;
The hymns of praise extol the renowned Indra;
Him, girt by Maruts, we invoke for companionship.
rudraņām eti pradishā vichakşhaņo
Rudras, goes, the wide paths, refulgent,
rudrebhiĥ yoşhā tanute pŗthu jrayaĥ,
with the Rudras, the lady (speech), spreads, wide, speeding,
indram manīşhā abhyarchati shrutam
Indra, the hymns, extol, the renowned,
marutvantam
sakhyāya havāmahe.
girt by Maruts, for companionship (we) invoke.
Details:
Rudras,
in plural, refers to the Maruts, the children of Rudra.
First comes the vision of Indra in the region or the paths of
the Maruts or Rudras. Next is the quick spread of the
speech or the deity Vāk with the help of these Rudras.
Then does the rişhi praise Indra. The rişhi
can praise Indra only after he/she gets the requisite power from
Vāk, the Goddess of speech.
MANTRA (1.101.8): CELESTIAL OR
EARTHLY ABODE FOR INDRA
Whether you, girt by Maruts, delight in a heavenly dwelling,
Or you delight in an earthly or lowly dwelling,
Either way, come to our yajňa, being done in front of us;
O Indra who is wealthy in truth, we have prepared the offerings
desiring you.
yat vā marutvaĥ parame sadhasthe
whether, or, one girt by Maruts, supreme, dwelling,
yat va avame vŗjane mādayāse,
whether, or, lowly or earthly, home, delights,
ata āyāhi adhvaram naĥ achchhā
either way, come, to the yajňa, our, in our front,
tvāyā haviĥ chakŗmā satyarādhaĥ.
desiring you, the offerings, (we have) prepared, O
truth-wealthy.
Details:
Indra can be happy either in a
celestial abode or in an earthly home.
MANTRA (1.101.9): ATTAINED BY
MANTRAS
O well-discerning Indra, desiring you we anoint you with Soma;
O one attained by mantrās, desiring you we have made the
offerings.
Endowed with steeds and along with the Maruts,
Come to the prepared seat in our yajňa and rejoice.
tvāya indra somam suşhumā sudakşha
desiring you, Indra, Soma, poured, well-discerning,
tvāyā haviĥ chakŗmā brahmavāhaĥ,
desiring you, offerings, (we have) made, attained by mantra,
adhā niyutvaĥ sagaņo marudbhiĥ
thus, endowed with steeds, with the host, Maruts,
asmin yajňe barhişhi mādayasva.
in our, yajňa, prepared seat, rejoice.
MANTRA (1.101.10): ABSORB THE
ESSENCE OF SOMA
O Indra, rejoice with your own steeds;
Open your jaws for drinking the Soma and release the tongue for
taking in all the essence;
O one with fair cheeks, let your steeds bring you;
Desiring our offerings, be pleased to accept them.
mādayasva haribhiĥ ye ta indra
rejoice, with steeds, which, yours own, Indra
vişhyasva shipre visŗjasva dhene,
open, your jaws, release, the speech or tongue,
ā tvā sushipra harayo vahantū
., your, with fair cheeks, steeds, carry,
ushan havyāni prati no juşhasva.
desiring, offerings, ., us, be pleased.
Details:
dhena:
a synonym of speech; here it means tongue. Indra is requested to
release his tongue so as to absorb the essence, rasa, of
all the offerings. Both jaws and tongue are symbolic of the
corresponding functions.
MANTRA (1.101.11): MAY WE ATTAIN
SPIRITUAL OPULENCE
From Indra, who is praised along with the Maruts and who is the
protector of our home,
May we obtain our spiritual opulence.
May that be protected for us by Mitra, Varuņa,
Aditi, waters, earth and heaven.
marutstotrasya vŗjanasya gopā
praised along with the Maruts, our home, protector,
vayam indreņa sanuyāma vājam,
we, by Indra, obtain, opulence or prosperity,
tan no mitro varuņo māmahantām
aditiĥsindhuĥpŗthivī uta dyauĥ.
(last two lines same as in earlier hymn (1.100.19).
Detais:
vājam:
all-sided opulence. |
