Verses 1, 2, 3
उ॒भे पु॑नामि॒ रोद॑सी ऋ॒तेन॒ द्रुहो॑ दहामि॒ सं म॒हीर॑निं॒द्राः । अ॒भि॒व्लग्य॒ यत्र॑ ह॒ता अ॒मित्रा॑ वैलस्था॒नं परि॑ तृ॒ळ्हा अशे॑रन् ॥
ubhé punāmi ródasī ṛténa drúho dahāmi sám mahī́ranindrā́ḥ ǀ abhivlágya yátra hatā́ amítrā vailasthānám pári tṛḷhā́ áśeran ǁ
अ॒भि॒व्लग्या॑ चिदद्रिवः शी॒र्षा या॑तु॒मती॑नां । छिं॒धि व॑टू॒रिणा॑ प॒दा म॒हाव॑टूरिणा प॒दा ॥
abhivlágyā cidadrivaḥ śīrṣā́ yātumátīnām ǀ chindhí vaṭūríṇā padā́ mahā́vaṭūriṇā padā́ ǁ
अवा॑सां मघवञ्जहि॒ शर्धो॑ यातु॒मती॑नां । वै॒ल॒स्था॒न॒के अ॑र्म॒के म॒हावै॑लस्थे अर्म॒के ॥
ávāsām maghavañjahi śárdho yātumátīnām ǀ vailasthānaké armaké mahā́vailasthe armaké ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi confronts the hostile forces of darkness—referred to as yātumatīḥ (sorceresses) and anindrāḥ (those who deny Indra). With the unwavering power of ṛta (cosmic truth and divine order), the poet purifies the dual realms of heaven and earth (rodasī) while simultaneously burning away the agents of malicious obstruction. Indra, addressed as adrivas (wielder of the pressing stones/thunderbolt), is implored to strike down and crush the heads of these dark practitioners. The imagery shifts between cosmic purification and direct martial intervention. The sorceresses, lurking in ruined or desolate places (armake, vailasthāna), represent internal and external psychological and spiritual parasites that disrupt the sacred flow of life. The Ṛṣi calls upon Indra's mighty foot to tread upon and crush these negative entities, ensuring that truth and divine light reclaim the ritual space and the consciousness of the seeker.
Verse 1: I purify both worlds with truth and burn away the spiteful obstructions; where the hostile ones, struck down and crushed, lie scattered around their subterranean dens.
Verse 2: Even by crushing them completely, O wielder of the pressing stone, shatter the heads of the sorceresses with your great and mighty foot.
Verse 3: O Maghavan, strike down from above the violent horde of these sorceresses in their desolate hiding places and ruins.
The translation follows traditional commentators like Sāyaṇa in identifying yātumatīḥ and rakṣas as malefic entities and sorceresses. Symbolically, Sri Aurobindo and esoteric commentators view these figures as psychological resistances, falsehoods, and egoistic impulses that obstruct the ascent of consciousness toward truth.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| रोदसी | rodasī | the two worlds, heaven and earth |
| ऋतेन | ṛtena | by the cosmic law or truth |
| अनिन्द्राः | anindrāḥ | those devoid of or opposed to Indra |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अद्रिवः | adrivaḥ | O wielder of the pressing stone / thunderbolt |
| यातुमतीनाम् | yātumatīnām | of the female sorceresses or practitioners of dark magic |
| वटूरिणा | vaṭūriṇā | with the foot / stride |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मघवन् | maghavan | O bountiful one, Indra |
| शर्धः | śardhaḥ | horde, troop, or aggressive force |
| अर्मके | armake | in the ruin or desolate spot |
Picture a blazing, immaculate campfire clearing away shadowy figures in a ruined wasteland under the moonlight — that is the Ṛṣi cleansing the worlds with ṛta while Indra crushes the forces of darkness beneath his divine foot.
Verses 4, 5, 6
यासां॑ ति॒स्रः पं॑चा॒शतो॑ऽभिव्लं॒गैर॒पाव॑पः । तत्सु ते॑ मनायति त॒कत्सु ते॑ मनायति ॥
yā́sām tisráḥ pañcāśáto’bhivlaṅgáirapā́vapaḥ ǀ tátsú te manāyati takátsú te manāyati ǁ
पि॒शंग॑भृष्टिमंभृ॒णं पि॒शाचि॑मिंद्र॒ सं मृ॑ण । सर्वं॒ रक्षो॒ नि ब॑र्हय ॥
piśáṅgabhṛṣṭimambhṛṇám piśā́cimindra sám mṛṇa ǀ sárvam rákṣo ní barhaya ǁ
अ॒वर्म॒ह इं॑द्र दादृ॒हि श्रु॒धी नः॑ शु॒शोच॒ हि द्यौः क्षा न भी॒षाँ अ॑द्रिवो घृ॒णान्न भी॒षाँ अ॑द्रिवः । शु॒ष्मिंत॑मो॒ हि शु॒ष्मिभि॑र्व॒धैरु॒ग्रेभि॒रीय॑से । अपू॑रुषघ्नो अप्रतीत शूर॒ सत्व॑भिस्त्रिस॒प्तैः शू॑र॒ सत्व॑भिः ॥
avármahá indra dādṛhí śrudhī́ naḥ śuśóca hí dyáuḥ kṣā́ ná bhīṣā́m̐ adrivo ghṛṇā́nná bhīṣā́m̐ adrivaḥ ǀ śuṣmíntamo hí śuṣmíbhirvadháirugrébhirī́yase ǀ ápūruṣaghno apratīta śūra sátvabhistrisaptáiḥ śūra sátvabhiḥ ǁ
The intensity of the Sūkta reaches its peak as the Ṛṣi details the sweeping away of fiftyfold enemy formations. With fierce blows, Indra is invoked to annihilate the Piśāca—described as having a tawny edge or piercing glare (piśāṅgabhṛṣṭi) and representing the lowest, most devouring forms of corruption. The imagery becomes cosmic in scale: heaven and earth tremble before Indra's terrible majesty, yet this very terror acts as a shield and a source of awe for the devoted seeker. Indra is praised as śuṣmintama (most energetic/vigorous) and apūruṣaghna (not slaying innocent men, but destroying hostile forces). He approaches the battle with terrifying, fierce weapons accompanied by three times seven companions (the Maruts or divine forces). The Ṛṣi assures us that Indra is completely unassailable, standing as the supreme protector who sweeps away all anti-divine forces without fail.
Verse 4: Those whose fiftyfold groups you swept away with your violent bounds—this indeed speaks of your glory, this truly shines forth your power.
Verse 5: O Indra, crush together the tawny-edged, fierce Piśāca, and utterly destroy every single demoniac Rakṣas.
Verse 6: O Indra, firm up our great support; hear us! Heaven and earth quake with fear before you, O wielder of the stone. You move forth with the most intense vigor and fearsome weapons, undefeated, protecting the worthy with thrice-seven heroic companions.
The terminology here (Piśāca, Rakṣas) represents specific classes of lower astral and psychological entities in traditional Vedic lore. The phrase 'trisaptaiḥ' (thrice-seven) is interpreted by commentators as referring to the Maruts or special bands of divine forces aiding Indra in cosmic maintenance.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पञ्चाशतः | pañcāśataḥ | fifty |
| अभिव्लङ्गैः | abhivlaṅgaiḥ | by bounds or leaps of attack |
| अपअवपः | apāvapaḥ | you swept away / scattered |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पिशङ्गभृष्टिम | piśaṅgabhṛṣṭim | tawny-edged or having a sharp, brownish appearance |
| पिशाचिम् | piśācim | a flesh-eating demon or malignant spirit |
| रक्षः | rakṣaḥ | demon, evil spirit, or destructive force |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्र | indra | O Indra, king of gods and divine power |
| शुष्मिन्तमः | śuṣmintamaḥ | most powerful, energetic, or full of vitality |
| त्रिसप्तैः | trisaptaiḥ | thrice seven, twenty-one (divine guardians/allies) |
Visualize a cosmic storm where lightning flashes and twenty-one divine warriors march alongside a towering storm-king, utterly sweeping away hordes of shadowy pests in a single brilliant stroke.
Verses 7
व॒नोति॒ हि सु॒न्वन्क्षयं॒ परी॑णसः सुन्वा॒नो हि ष्मा॒ यज॒त्यव॒ द्विषो॑ दे॒वाना॒मव॒ द्विषः॑ । सु॒न्वा॒न इत्सि॑षासति स॒हस्रा॑ वा॒ज्यवृ॑तः । सु॒न्वा॒नायेंद्रो॑ ददात्या॒भुवं॑ र॒यिं द॑दात्या॒भुवं॑ ॥
vanóti hí sunvánkṣáyam párīṇasaḥ sunvānó hí ṣmā yájatyáva dvíṣo devā́nāmáva dvíṣaḥ ǀ sunvāná ítsiṣāsati sahásrā vājyávṛtaḥ ǀ sunvānā́yéndro dadātyābhúvam rayím dadātyābhúvam ǁ
The Sūkta concludes on a note of radiant triumph and serene assurance. The darkness has been vanquished; the hostile forces are cleared. Now, attention turns to the one who dedicates his life to the divine—the sunvān (the Soma-presser). He who extracts the sacred juice secures his dwelling in expansive prosperity and naturally pushes away the hostility of the world and of false deities. The sacrificer who presses Soma does not merely perform a ritual; he actively gains thousands of gifts and enjoys the continuous favor of the divine. Indra readily bestows upon the devoted Soma-presser an abundance of wealth—abhuvas, meaning riches that well up continuously and sustain life in all its fullness.
Verse 7: He who presses Soma wins an expansive dwelling; the Soma-presser truly worships and casts away all hostility from men and gods. The Soma-presser alone desires and attains thousands of flowing bounties, and to the Soma-presser Indra grants ever-welling riches.
Sāyaṇa explains 'sunvān' as the regular performer of sacrifices. Esoterically, pressing Soma represents the continuous extraction of spiritual delight (ānanda) from the experiences of life, which naturally dissolves all inner enmity and attracts divine opulence.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सुन्वन् | sunvan | one who presses the Soma plant / the devoted sacrificer |
| सहस्रा | sahasrā | thousands, countless bounties |
| आभुवम् | ābhuvam | abundant, welling up, coming into full manifestation |
Imagine a fertile garden blooming abundantly after a fierce cleansing storm, where the gardener receives endless baskets of golden harvest because he tended the sacred stream.