Verses 1, 2, 3
आ च॑र्षणि॒प्रा वृ॑ष॒भो जना॑नां॒ राजा॑ कृष्टी॒नां पु॑रुहू॒त इंद्रः॑ । स्तु॒तः श्र॑व॒स्यन्नव॒सोप॑ म॒द्रिग्यु॒क्त्वा हरी॒ वृष॒णा या॑ह्य॒र्वाङ् ॥
ā́ carṣaṇiprā́ vṛṣabhó jánānām rā́jā kṛṣṭīnā́m puruhūtá índraḥ ǀ stutáḥ śravasyánnávasópa madrígyuktvā́ hárī vṛ́ṣaṇā́ yāhyarvā́ṅ ǁ
ये ते॒ वृष॑णो वृष॒भास॑ इंद्र ब्रह्म॒युजो॒ वृष॑रथासो॒ अत्याः॑ । ताँ आ ति॑ष्ठ॒ तेभि॒रा या॑ह्य॒र्वाङ् हवा॑महे त्वा सु॒त इं॑द्र॒ सोमे॑ ॥
yé te vṛ́ṣaṇo vṛṣabhā́sa indra brahmayújo vṛ́ṣarathāso átyāḥ ǀ tā́m̐ ā́ tiṣṭha tébhirā́ yāhyarvā́ṅ hávāmahe tvā sutá indra sóme ǁ
आ ति॑ष्ठ॒ रथं॒ वृष॑णं॒ वृषा॑ ते सु॒तः सोमः॒ परि॑षिक्ता॒ मधू॑नि । यु॒क्त्वा वृष॑भ्यां वृषभ क्षिती॒नां हरि॑भ्यां याहि प्र॒वतोप॑ म॒द्रिक् ॥
ā́ tiṣṭha rátham vṛ́ṣaṇam vṛ́ṣā te sutáḥ sómaḥ páriṣiktā mádhūni ǀ yuktvā́ vṛ́ṣabhyām vṛṣabha kṣitīnā́m háribhyām yāhi pravátópa madrík ǁ
In this opening movement, the Ṛṣi invokes Indra not merely as a distant deity, but as the cosmic bull and sovereign of beings who charges forth with overwhelming vitality. The poet urges Indra to yoke his brilliant, potent steeds—yoked by prayer itself—and race downward toward the sacrificial enclosure where the pressed Soma awaits. Every descriptive term echoes fullness, generative power, and the irresistible descent of divine force into the human arena. The imagery centers on movement: the swift horses, the descending chariot, and the eager rush of the worshipper's mind toward the divine. Indra is depicted as the king of settlements, the one whom many call upon, bridging the vast distance between heaven and earth through the sheer velocity of sacred song and the intoxicating offering of pressed juice.
Verse 1: Come forward, O Indra, nourisher of creatures, bull of multitudes, king of settlements, invoked by many; praised and longing for our song, with your protection come near to me, harnessing your two mighty, radiant horses.
Verse 2: These potent, bull-like steeds of yours, O Indra, yoked by prayer and bearing mighty cars—mount them and come hither toward us; we call upon you with the pressed Soma.
Verse 3: Mount your powerful chariot, O Bull; your Soma is pressed, sweet honey-liquids are poured out. Yoking your two mighty steeds, O lord of settlements, drive down along the slopes toward me.
Sāyaṇa interprets the 'bull' (vṛṣabha) and 'horses' literally as divine animals and vehicles, while Sri Aurobindo and esoteric commentators see them as symbols of dynamic spiritual force, unyielding energy, and the upward-reaching power of the illumined mind guided by mantra.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| चर्षणिप्राः | carṣaṇiprāḥ | filling or nourishing the settlements of men |
| वृषभः | vṛṣabhaḥ | the bull, showering down blessings |
| पुरुहूतः | puruhūtaḥ | invoked by many |
| हरी | harī | the two bay steeds of Indra |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ब्रह्मयुजः | brahmayujaḥ | yoked by sacred prayer or mantra |
| वृषरथासः | vṛṣarathāsaḥ | having powerful, rain-showering chariots |
| अत्याः | atyāḥ | swift steeds or runners |
| हवामहे | havāmahe | we invoke or call upon |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| परिसिक्ता | pari-siktā | poured around, sprinkled |
| मधूनि | madhūni | sweet juices, honey-like |
| प्रवता | pravatā | downward slope or stream |
| मद्रिक् | madrik | toward me |
Picture a magnificent golden chariot thundering down a mountain slope, pulled by radiant steeds that leap forward at the sound of the priest's chant.
Verses 4, 5
अ॒यं य॒ज्ञो दे॑व॒या अ॒यं मि॒येध॑ इ॒मा ब्रह्मा॑ण्य॒यमिं॑द्र॒ सोमः॑ । स्ती॒र्णं ब॒र्हिरा तु श॑क्र॒ प्र या॑हि॒ पिबा॑ नि॒षद्य॒ वि मु॑चा॒ हरी॑ इ॒ह ॥
ayám yajñó devayā́ ayám miyédha imā́ bráhmāṇyayámindra sómaḥ ǀ stīrṇám barhírā́ tú śakra prá yāhi píbā niṣádya ví mucā hárī ihá ǁ
ओ सुष्टु॑त इंद्र याह्य॒र्वाङुप॒ ब्रह्मा॑णि मा॒न्यस्य॑ का॒रोः । वि॒द्याम॒ वस्तो॒रव॑सा गृ॒णंतो॑ वि॒द्यामे॒षं वृ॒जनं॑ जी॒रदा॑नुं ॥
ó súṣṭuta indra yāhyarvā́ṅúpa bráhmāṇi mānyásya kāróḥ ǀ vidyā́ma vástorávasā gṛṇánto vidyā́meṣám vṛjánam jīrádānum ǁ
As the Sūkta reaches its culmination, the ritual space is laid bare in its full sanctity: the sacred grass is strewn, the hymns are chanted, and the golden Soma flows. The Ṛṣi invites Śakra (Indra) to sit down upon the barhis, partake of the offering, and unyoke his horses as a sign of divine rest and communion. The final verse is a prayer for enduring grace. The poet, speaking as Mānya's singer, asks not just for fleeting favor, but for the sustained possession of divine light, victorious energy, and life-giving sustenance throughout all days. The hymn transforms from a dynamic summons into an intimate communion of divine strength and human aspiration.
Verse 4: This is the god-seeking sacrifice, this the sacred rite, these the prayers, and this the Soma, O Indra. The sacred grass is strewn; come hither, O Śakra, drive forward, sit down and drink, and unyoke your horses here.
Verse 5: O well-praised Indra, come hither toward the prayers of the singer Mānya. May we, praising you, know your protection day by day; may we attain dynamic sustenance and a victorious, life-bestowed field of action.
The reference to 'Mānya's son' connects this hymn to a specific ancestral lineage of seers. Traditional commentators explain the request for 'iṣam' (sustenance) and 'vṛjanam' (strength/abode) as prayers for both physical prosperity and spiritual fortitude.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| देवयाः | devayāḥ | leading to or seeking the gods |
| मियेधः | miyedhaḥ | oblation, sacrificial feast |
| बर्हिः | barhiḥ | strewn sacred grass seat for deities |
| शक्र | śakra | the mighty one, powerful Indra |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सुस्तुतः | su-stutaḥ | well-praised, receiving excellent hymns |
| मान्यस्य | mānyasya | belonging to the seer Mānya |
| इषम् | iṣam | refreshment, vigor, food |
| जीरदानुम् | jīra-dānum | quick-yielding, bestowing active life |
Imagine an honored guest arriving at a feast, stepping off his chariot, sitting comfortably on a fragrant carpet of fresh grass, and sharing a cup of immortality with the host.