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Rigveda · Maṇḍala 1

The Refrain of Abundance and the Stilling of Opposition

📜 7 Verses

Act 1

Acknowledge Our Weakness and Shower Abundance

Verses 1, 2

Verse 1

यच्चि॒द्धि स॑त्य सोमपा अनाश॒स्ता इ॑व॒ स्मसि॑ । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

yácciddhí satya somapā anāśastā́ iva smási ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

Verse 2

शिप्रि॑न्वाजानां पते॒ शची॑व॒स्तव॑ दं॒सना॑ । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

śíprinvājānām pate śácīvastáva daṃsánā ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi approaches Indra with complete transparency and fierce devotion. We confess that without your divine presence, O truthful one, we feel like those who are ignored or left unpraised by the world—vulnerable and overlooked. Yet, because you are Tuvīmagha, the lord of vast and manifold treasures, and Śiprin, the glorious one adorned with jaw-splendor, we invoke your mighty action. The Ṛṣi establishes a hauntingly rhythmic refrain that anchors the entire Sūkta: bringing forth blessings upon us amidst the radiant cows, the swift horses, and the thousands of bounties. It is a powerful psychological and spiritual pivot, moving from an admission of human limitation directly into the demand for divine magnificence.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 1: O truthful drinker of Soma, we feel as though we are left unpraised without you; O heavily bountiful Indra, bring us prosperity among the radiant cows, horses, and thousands.

Verse 2: O Lord of victorious energies and beautiful cheeks, by your mighty deeds, bring us abundance among the brilliant horses and thousands.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Sāyaṇa interprets the 'unpraised' state as an expression of humility before the deity, while Sri Aurobindo sees it as the psychological state of the mortal consciousness awaiting the descent of the divine light.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 1

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
सत्य	satya	true, steadfast, truthful
सोमपा	somapā	drinker of the Soma juice
अनाशस्ताः इव	anāśastāḥ iva	like those who are unpraised or unblessed
तुविमघ	tuvīmagha	one who possesses great and manifold wealth

Verse 2

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
शिप्रिन्	śiprin	having prominent jaws or cheeks
वाजानाम् पते	vājānām pate	lord of prizes, vigor, and battles
दंसना	daṃsanā	by wondrous deeds or miraculous power

🧠

Memory Hook

Picture a beggar standing outside a palace gates, openly admitting their destitution, only for the generous king to throw open the vaults with thousands of horses and cattle.

Act 2

Slumber to the Internal Foes and Wake the Radiant Yields

Verses 3, 4

Verse 3

नि ष्वा॑पया मिथू॒दृशा॑ स॒स्तामबु॑ध्यमाने । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

ní ṣvāpayā mithūdṛ́śā sastā́mábudhyamāne ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

Verse 4

स॒संतु॒ त्या अरा॑तयो॒ बोधं॑तु शूर रा॒तयः॑ । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

sasántu tyā́ árātayo bódhantu śūra rātáyaḥ ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

The Ṛṣi now shifts from petitioning for wealth to dealing with inner and outer obstructions. We ask Indra to cast into deep, unconscious slumber those deceitful forces—the mithūdṛśā, those whose vision is crooked or false—leaving them asleep and unawakening. At the same time, a gorgeous reversal takes place: let the hostile forces (arātayaḥ) remain fast asleep, while our true liberalities and divine gifts (rātayaḥ) awaken into full consciousness. The refrain returns like a drumbeat, sealing this psychic purification with the promise of tangible, thousandfold divine grace.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 3: Put to sleep the two crooked-seeing ones, let them lie down unawakening and fast asleep.

Verse 4: Let those hostile forces slumber, O hero, and let our true gifts and bounties awaken into wakefulness.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Traditional commentary views the 'crooked-seeing' ones as specific human adversaries or demons, whereas psychological readings interpret them as doubt and perverted desire that must be put to sleep.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 3

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
स्वापय	svāpaya	cause to sleep, put to rest
मिथुदृशा	mithu-dṛśā	having a false or deceitful gaze, dual-visioned
अबुध्यमाने	abudhyamāne	unwaking, unconscious

Verse 4

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
ससन्तु	sasantu	let them sleep
अरातयः	arātayaḥ	grudgers, niggards, hostile enemies
रातयः	rātayaḥ	gifts, liberality, bounties

🧠

Memory Hook

Imagine a magical spell of deep sleep cast over a ring of thieves trying to break into a treasury, while the guards inside instantly spring wide-awake.

Act 3

Crushing the Naysayers and the Final Torrent of Grace

Verses 5, 6, 7

Verse 5

समिं॑द्र गर्द॒भं मृ॑ण नु॒वंतं॑ पा॒पया॑मु॒या । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

sámindra gardabhám mṛṇa nuvántam pāpáyāmuyā́ ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

Verse 6

पता॑ति कुंडृ॒णाच्या॑ दू॒रं वातो॒ वना॒दधि॑ । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

pátāti kuṇḍṛṇā́cyā dūrám vā́to vánādádhi ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

Verse 7

सर्वं॑ परिक्रो॒शं ज॑हि जं॒भया॑ कृकदा॒श्वं॑ । आ तू न॑ इंद्र शंसय॒ गोष्वश्वे॑षु शु॒भ्रिषु॑ स॒हस्रे॑षु तुवीमघ ॥

sárvam parikrośám jahi jambháyā kṛkadāśvám ǀ ā́ tū́ na indra śaṃsaya góṣváśveṣu śubhríṣu sahásreṣu tuvīmagha ǁ

📖 Immersive narrative, word breakdowns, and spiritual context

In the grand crescendo of the Sūkta, the tone becomes fierce and uncompromising. The Ṛṣi asks Indra to smash the noisy, braying nuisance—likened metaphorically to an obnoxious donkey or a chattering pest—that speaks with crooked malice. Natural imagery takes over: like the wind sweeping away from the forest or the swift flight of a bird (kuṇḍṛṇācī), let the critics and slanderers be blown into oblivion. Finally, the prayer demands that every single cry of opposition (parikrośa) be crushed and shattered. The refrain echoes one last time, binding all the protection, fierce destruction of negativity, and glorious abundance into a single majestic sweep of divine favor.

💭 Flowing Translation

Verse 5: O Indra, crush the braying donkey that cries out with wicked and crooked intent.

Verse 6: The bird flies far away from the forest, driven by the wind.

Verse 7: Slay every single slanderer and shatter the malicious obstacle completely.

📝 Scholar's Reading Note

Words like 'gardabha' (donkey) and 'kṛkadāśva' are treated by ancient etymologists like Yāska as designations for noisy, foolish detractors who impede the spiritual sacrifice with petty criticism.

📚 Word-by-Word Breakdown

Verse 5

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
गर्दभम्	gardabham	donkey (symbolizing foolish, annoying noise)
मृण	mṛṇa	smash, crush, grind down
नुवन्तम्	nuvantam	sounding, shouting, braying

Verse 6

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
कुण्डृणाच्या	kuṇḍṛṇācyā	a kind of bird or swift creature
वातः	vātaḥ	the wind
वनात्	vanāt	from the forest or wood

Verse 7

Devanāgarī	IAST	Translation
परिक्रोशम्	parikrośam	outcry, reviling, censure
जहि	jahi	strike, slay, kill
जम्भय	jambhaya	crush the jaws of, smash to pieces

🧠

Memory Hook

Visualize a mighty tempest tearing through a dense jungle, snapping dead branches and scattering annoying pests into the infinite sky.