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Hymn 104: Our faith in Indra-power
Rişhi: Kutsa
MANTRA (1.104.1): RELEASE THE STEEDS AT THE TIME OF YAJŇA
The inner seat has been
prepared for you, O Indra;
Come and be seated on this seat like the neighing steeds;
Release the steeds (life-forces) from the car and
Release the reins (rays) which carry you day and night at the
juncture of yajňa.
yoniĥ ta indra nişhade akāri
inner seat, yours, Indra, to sit, made,
tam ā nişhīda svāno na arvā,
this (seat), come, sit down, neighing, like, steeds,
vimuchyā vayaĥ avasāya ashvān
releasing, reins or rays, released, steeds,
doşhā vastoĥ vahīyasaĥ prapitve.
night, day, carry, at the time of yajňa.
Details:
Ashva,
the steeds symbolise the life energies, The reins which control
the steeds symbolise the knowledge-rays of the mind. Indra is
led by both these powers to come to the yajňa and releases these
powers for the benefits of the seeker.
yonişhţa: yoniĥ+ ta,
the seat in our inner being prepared for you.
MANTRA (1.104.2): GODS CONSUME THE WRATH OF DEMONS
These Gods approach Indra for the increase of the chanter;
May he soon set them on the path (to the lauder);
May the Gods consume the anger of demons,
And bring us the auspicious light.
o tye nara indram ūtaye guĥ nū
., they Gods, Indra, for increase, approach, quickly,
chit tān sadyaĥ adhvano jagamyāt,
., them, at once, on the path, make them come,
devāso manyum dāsasya shchamnan te
Gods, wrath, of the dāsa, consume, they,
na āvakşhan suvitāya varņam.
us, bring, the auspicious, light.
Details:
nara:
Gods; S takes it as yajamāna.
ā + guĥ:
Come, u is taken as ā,
varņa:
shining form or Light; S translates it as "Indra' here.
Elsewhere he translates the same word as light or shining form.
dāsa:
the dasyu foes or evil forces.
MANTRA (1.104.3): KUYAVA, THE DEMON
Knowing the minds of the Gods (his foes)
Kuyava steals their knowledge or wealth by himself;
Present in the waters, he steals by himself the life-energies;
The two wives of the demon Kuyava bathe in milk;
May they be drowned deep below the downward tree branchings.
ava tmanā bharate ketavedā
., himself, steals, knowing the minds (of Gods),
ava tmanā bharate phenam udan,
., himself, carries, life-energy endowed foam, in waters,
kşhīreņa snātaĥ kuyavasya yoşhe
milk, bathed, of Kuyava, two wives,
hate te syātām pravaņe shiphāyāĥ.
lost, they, become, deep regions, tree.
Details:
Recall that the
battles in the Rig Veda occur between the forces of Light and
Truth represented by the devās Indra, Agni, etc., and the
forces of ignorance and falsehood represented by the
rākshasās or titans, Vŗtra, Vala etc. The
Truth and Falsehood, however, are not distinctly demarcated;
they are mixed by the titans leading to confusion. The titans
even make the Falsehood appear as Truth. For instance,
selfishness is declared to be natural and necessary. Kuyava
is a titan whose main function is to adulterate truth with
Falsehood. He is said to be in the midworld symbolised by the
waters. Even as the Vedāntins, the seers of Vedānta,
aver, ignorance is not the total absence of knowledge; it
is deformed knowledge. The titans like Vŗtra or Kuyava
believe that they should hoard the bliss and knowledge instead
of distributing it for all mankind.
This
mixture of Truth and Falsehood occurs only in the midworld,
antarikşha and the earth. This mixture is absent in the
heaven world, dyu, and it is little in the higher ranges
of the midworld closer to dyu.
There
are two main divine powers or energies associated with the
powers of Light, devās, namely the power of knowledge,
jňāna, and the power of the vital principle and action,
prāņa. The two kinds of energies which tend to neutralise
the two divine energies mentioned above, are symbolised by the
two wives of Kuyava. The two wives use milk, symbolising
knowledge, for bathing, i.e. only for adorning.
shipha:
It
is a tree like the Ashvattha whose branches grow downward
leading to new trees. This is the meaning suggested by
kşhīrasvāmi. In the context it is the cosmic tree. In the
realm of darkness below this tree, the two wives of Kuyava
are drowned or destroyed.
S.
thinks that shipha is some river.
MANTRA
(1.104.4): THE THREE FLOWING ENERGIES
The dwelling place of the
vagrant in the midworld was concealed;
Increasing with the waters
stolen earlier the hero (Kuyava) glories;
Aňjasī, Kulishī and Vīrapatnī
pleasing him,
With their milk sustain him
with the waters.
yuyopa nābhiĥ uparasya
āyoĥ
concealed, dwelling place,
staying in the midworld or waters, the vagrant (Kuyava),
pra pūrvābhiĥ tirate
rāşhţi shūraĥ,
., earlier (stolen),
increasing, shines, the hero,
aňjasī kulishī vīrapatnī
payo hinvānā udabhiĥbharante.
milk, pleasing, waters,
sustaining (him).
Details:
All the three
streams of energies, Aňjasī, Kulishī, and Vīrapatnī
sustain the demon Kuyava after having been stolen by him.
Aňjasī:
the flowing water or energy of Divine nature.
Kulishī:
Divine energy associated with Indra's weapon.
Vīrapatnī:
an adjective for the Goddess of speech and Knowledge, Sarasvatī,
as indicated in (6.49.6) where the two words occur next to each
other.
S interprets
the three names Aňjasī etc., occurring in different
verses in different ways.
MANTRA
(1.104.5): TRACK LEADING TO THE DEMON'S HOME
Since the track leading to the
dwelling of dasyu (Kuyava) is (known),
As the cow knows the way to her
stall,
(Guard) us from his repeated
assaults, O Maghavan;
Do not abandon us like a
profligate his riches.
prati yat syā nītha
adarshi
to, when, that, leading
(track), visible to you and us,
dasyoĥ oko na achchhā
sadanam jānatī gāt,
of dasyu, home, like,
towards, home, (cow) knows, obtained,
adha smā no maghavan
chakŗtāt it
later, ., us, O Maghavan,
repeated assaults, .,
mā no magheva nişhşhapī
parādāĥ.
do not, us, like wealth,
profligate, forsake.
Details:
The idea is
that, "we have discovered the track leading to the demon; it is
your (Indra's) duty to kill the titan and protect us.'
nītha:
the track or instrument leading to the dwelling place;
MANTRA
(1.104.6): OUR FAITH IN YOUR MIGHTY INDRA-POWER
As such, O Indra, make us share
in the gifts of the sun,
Of the waters and in the
sinlessness desired by all living beings;
Do not allow harm to our
progeny (of divine wealth) in us in its seed-state;
Our faith is your mighty
Indra-power.
sa tvam na indra sūrye
he, you, us, Indra, of Sūrya,
so apsu anāgāstva ābhaja
jīvashamse,
he (you), waters, sinlessness,
make us share, desired by living beings,
mā antarām bhujam ā
rīrişho
not, inside or in a seed-state,
the riches, in plenty, harm,
naĥ shradhditam te mahata
indriyāya
us, faith, your, mighty,
Indra-power.
Details:
bhujam:
the wealth of knowledge inside us in a state of a seed; the
prayer is that this seed should grow in us to its full potential
and not be allowed to be harmed by the evil forces.
MANTRA
(1.104.7): GIVE STRENGTH AND DELIGHT TO THE HUNGRY
Now I know of our faith in your power;
O showerer, impel us to the
great wealth;
Do not cast us in a dwelling
not yet ready;
Give strength and the delight
(Soma) to the hungry.
adhā manye shrat te asmā
adhāyi
now, I know, faith, in your,
our, placed,
vŗşhā chodasva mahate
dhanāya,
showerer, impel, great, wealth,
mā no akŗte puruhūta
yonau indra
do, our, not ready, invoked by
many, in a dwelling, Indra,
kşhudhyadbhyo vaya āsutim
dāh.
to the hungry, strength, Soma,
give.
Details:
The rişhi
prays to Indra that he may not be placed in a divine dwelling or
a state of consciousness for which he is not ready. The RV
mentions in several places such as (9.83.1) the consequences of
getting a spiritual experience for which the physical body is
not ready.
The hunger in
this verse is for spiritual felicities and not for the physical
food.
MANTRA
(1.104.8): HARM NOT OUR INNER SUPPORTS
O Indra, harm us not and
abandon us not;
Deprive us not of our dear
enjoyments;
O Maghavan, all-powerful, rend
not our unborn progeny of divine wealth;
Harm not our inner supports
born with us.
mā no vadhīĥ indra mā
parādā
not, us, harm, Indra, not,
abandon us,
mā naĥ priyā bhojanāni
pra moşhīĥ,
not, us, dear, riches or
enjoyments, ., deprive,
āņdā mā no maghavan
shakra nirbhet
unborn, not, us, Maghavan,
all-powerful, rend,
mā naĥ pātrā bhet
sahajānuşhāņi.
not, us, inner supports, rend,
born with us.
Details:
Prayers like
these are often addressed to Rudra.
bhojana;
the divine enjoyments and felicities; the meaning of food is of
later origin.
The prayers in
lines three and four mean that our potential strengths of the
divine seed within may attain its full potential and not wither
for various reasons, including the actions of the praying
person. The rişhi requests Indra to give him the
will-power to nourish the inner supports within him.
MANTRA
(1.104.9): HEAR US LIKE A FATHER HIS SON
Come in our front; you are
known to be fond of Soma;
The purified Soma is prepared
here; drink it for exhilaration;
Widely capacious, anoint our
subtle body within Soma;
Invoked by hymns, hear us like
a father his son.
arvāng ehi somakāmam tva
ahuĥ
in our front, come, fond of
Soma, you, are known,
ayam sutaĥ tasya pibā
madāya,
this, pressed Soma, this,
drink, for exhilaration,
uruvyachā jaţhara ā
vŗşhasva
widely spread, stomach, pour
down the Soma,
piteva naĥ shŗņuhi
hūyamānaĥ.
like father, us, hear, invoked
by hymns.
Details:
Note that Indra is not some vague power. rişhi can feel
his presence in his front. Soma is the delight of existence and,
not a mere herbal drink. The rişhi asks Indra to anoint
with Soma the subtle bodies of the rişhis and other
devotees of Indra referred to as stomach.
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