Chapter 2Mandala Two

Book 3. Part Three: Commentaries and Annotated Translations

[12]

[RV II.11–12.1]

Hymn 11 1. []

Sy. Hear my prayer, O Indra; do not hurt me; let us be objects of thy giving of wealth; these foods we have given thee which desire the wealth of the sacrificer & are like flowing rivers, increase thee.

O God-in-mind, hear our call; be not our enemy; may we be elect for the giving of thy treasures of substance; seeking that substance these our abundant energies increase thee, yea, they flow forth as the waters of existence.

Notes.

The energies well forth as the seven forms of conscious force typified by the seven rivers.

here is the “as” of identity, not of similitude. It has more the force of

than of

, but hovers between the two. This sense is evident from the next Rik —

. These abundances of forces,

, are those of the great floods formerly held in by the great Python.

Sy. O Indra, destroyer of the foe, thou hast released many great waters beset by the closed (waters), which thou didst increase. Increasing by our hymns thou hast split downward the destroyer who thought himself immortal.

O God in mind, thou hast released the mighty Ones whom thou didst feed, — yea, O Hero, many waters that were beset by the Python. When he increased by our expressings of him, then did he rend & cast down the destroyer who had dreamed that he was immortal.

The usual sudden transition from the second to the third person; there is no need to take it as an old or irregular form for 3.

- Sy. O Indra, destroyer of the foe, lo the chants & praises, means of happiness, which thou didst swiftly desire, the hymns of praise, yes, the hymns of praise in which thou becomest joyful, these are those shining praises that go forward for thy sake as thou comest to our sacrifice.

Even these expressings of thee, O Hero, O God-in-mind, in which was thy desire, and the affirmations of the violent God, they increased thee; and now lo these energies white & bright in which is thy ecstasy, & they stream forward on his way for the Master of Life.

. It is impossible to understand

And what in the name of common sense are shining praises?

answers to

of the first verse,

recalls the

. The first line of this rik is a parenthesis developing the idea of the expressions which increase Indra, the second returns to the idea of the

, the

— either of Rudra, or of the Maruts who are Rudras & sons of Rudra. The sense is affirmations of the God-mind apt for the Rudra-creation, the struggle of the Pranic powers in the triple world. Hence the waters or energies flow forward for Vayu, the Pranic god, Master of vitality.

. Sayana not understanding how strength can be bright, makes

here =

but in the other three cases (v. 3 & 4) bright. This is hypercritical as well as inconsistent, for he has already admitted “shining praises”. Strength can very well be described as shining or bright; the phrase has a clear & strong significance, unlike shining praises.

. Sayana’s explanation of Surya from

to send, impel is false etymology & false interpretation.

= sun, comes from = to shine, cf

moon. In the Veda it means the Illuminant & Luminous & also in the form

the manifester, producer.

Sy. We become increasers of the fine strength and placers swiftly of the shining thunderbolt in thy two arms. Thou increasing & bright, O Indra, overcome the destroying Asura nations with the Sun for impeller of thy weapon.

White & bright thy strength that we increase, white & bright thy lightning that we place in the two arms of our strength; white & bright increasing thou in us, O God-mind, overcome the nations of the dividers by the light of the Sun of truth.

. Sy. takes “we placing” in the arms of Indra by our prayers, because Indra increased by praise takes the thunderbolt to slay the Asuras.

is middle & would better mean “holding in my two arms”. The arms are the two powers of the mind, intuition & discernment; the thunderbolt is the electric flashing of the divine mind, and we see in the next line that it is in the worshippers

that the god-mind increases & overpowers the Dasyus. Cf also v. 10 where it is Indra as the human being who slays Vritra.

& never as Sy. takes it =

Sy. The Asura placed in a cave, secret, hidden, concealed, illusive, dwelling & also stopping the waters & heaven, thou, O destroyer of thy foes, hast slain by thy power, the thunderbolt.

O Hero, thou hast smitten in thy prowess the Python who was firm in our secret being, secret, concealed in the waters of existence & covered over, & there he dwelt creating forms of illusion and held imprisoned the movement of the waters & the shining of our heavens.

[Sy.] O Indra, let us quickly praise thy great ancient deeds, also thy new ones let us praise; let us praise the thunderbolt shining in thy arms; let us praise the proclaiming (or knowledge-giving) horses of the impelling (or puissant) Indra (or, of Indra as the Sun).

O God-in-mind, now may we affirm in us thy former mighty doings & affirm others that are new & affirm the lightning’s desire in thy arms & affirm thy two shining steeds that are the two powers of perception of the Sun of Truth.

. Intuition & discrimination, the powers of the Truth-consciousness most readily active in the mental plane, or else the higher or revelatory divine perception & the lower or intuitive. This is a decisive passage for the right interpretation of Indra’s brilliant pair of horses.

— or the lighting that gleams; but if so, why should not as applied to the gods mean the Shining Ones & not as Sayana interprets it always, “desiring”?

Sy. Swiftly speeding thy horses, O Indra, sounded a water-dropping sound; the level earth spread itself out (or the earth spread itself on every side); the cloud too, about to go about, played.

Thy two steeds increasing in their plenitude neighed out now their cry that rains down the mind’s clarities; our earth grew equal & spread itself into its utter wideness; this hill of being that was about to move from its base grew full of delight.

[Sy.] The cloud careful to rain sat down (in the sky), it moved making a sound together with the Mothers (the waters or Madhyamika words); the praisers increased the Speech in the distant mid-air; they widened that speech sent by Indra which was making a sound.

The whole hill of being settled down nor faltered in its toil, but laboured & desired with the maternal Waters. They increased that Speech on the far shore of the mind, they widened the rushing stream that Indra set flowing.

may mean both hill & cloud; but when connected with Earth & the Rivers it means usually the Hill of being or articulate formation of our conscious Existence imaged sometimes as a hill, sometimes as a cloud. It now takes a settled base in the wideness of the earth consciousness & labours with the seven waters Indra has set flowing to produce the Truth.

of heaven, the mind

. That is on the borders between the reasoning Mind & the Truth-consciousness.

the Speech or Word of the Truth, the divine form of Thought set sounding by the two horses of Indra which forms the impetuous stream of the intuitive Mind to which Indra gives his impulsion.

[Sy.] Indra split the cunning (deceitful) cloud that was lying upon the great water (or the deceitful demon that lay upon the great (moving) cloud). Heaven & earth shook in their fear of the sounding thunderbolt of this rainer.

God-in-mind has shivered into pieces the Coverer full of his thoughts of illusion who lay against the Great Water. Our heaven & earth shook & were afraid of the lightning of this Lord of abundance as it roared abroad.

Sayana’s learned trick with the word is entirely indefensible. The Great Water is the same

to which reference is made in I.3.12 & other hymns; it is the Vast Truth

kept back from us by Vritra.

10.

[Sy.] The thunderbolt of this rainer of desires roared when the man-helping (or thinking) Indra killed Vritra who had no man (or who thought he was not human). Drinking the Soma offered he obstructed the words of the deceitful Danava.

I do not understand why Sayana should suddenly change the rainer of rain of the last few verses into a rainer of desires.

Sayana’s dealings with

are truly amazing. It is Indra as the human or mental being who slays the Coverer, & for this reason men are described as carrying the thunderbolt in the two arms of Indra. See v. 4. Vritra is, on the other hand, the non-mental being, the non-human. He represents in man those formations of consciousness

which belong properly to the infra-mental material & animal world out of which man has come. Man’s struggle is to rise above these formations which prevent his progress as the mental being.

This means mental formation, consciousness that creates forms. Both Indra & Vritra are

which does not mean deceitful; but the formations of Indra are mental & of the Truth, those of Vritra non-mental, sensory, physical & therefore full of illusions & falsehoods.

Loud roared the lightning of this lord of abundance when the human split apart the non-human; he drank of the wine of delight that had been pressed & he trod down the conscious formations of the Divider with his forms of the illusion.

11.

Sy. O strong Indra, drink indeed this Soma; let the intoxicating Soma juices intoxicate thee; filling the two sides of thy belly increase thee; thus let the filling Soma satisfy Indra.

Drink, O drink indeed the wine of delight, O hero, O God- Mind; may the enrapturing juices fill thee with their ecstasy; may they increase filling thee to thy two sides; rightly pressed out may the wine of the multiplicity foster the growth of the God-mind.

12.

Sy. May we intelligent live in thy heart, O Indra, may we enjoy the work touching thee with a desire for the fruit of the sacrifice. Desiring protection we place the hymn of praise in thee; may we be at once for thy giving of wealth.

Here a preposition, Greek

= in, upon.

to attain, touch, taste, know; cf Latin sapiens, wise; sapor, taste; Gr.

, wise; S.

seven, originally = wise man, rishi.

An adverb, according to the Truth.

is an old Aryan adverbial termination surviving in Latin ¯e, ¯o.

ie the clear expression of the thought, the truth or of Indra.

In thee, O God-mind, may we become illumined; may we know according to the Truth and conquer understanding; seeking increase we confirm in the thought its expression. At once may we be prepared for the giving of thy felicity.

13.

[ ]

Sy. May we who are thine be subject to thee, Indra, by thy leading who desire thy protection & increase the food. O shining one, give us thy felicity most strong in fitness (or, most foe-destroying) and attended by sons & grandsons which we desire.

. One

, the other is the demonstrative pronoun.

. Sayana usually takes = protection or else favour. He does not explain why he suggests another sense here.

we take throughout = increase, expansion.

is the symbol of a battling energy, — the Hero in man. The Ananda is described in the Veda, sometimes, as a heroic conquering joy which overpowers all obstacles.

May we be they of thy troop, O Indra, who by the expansion desire their growth increasing the energy. That felicity most strong in the battle, full of hero energies, which we desire, thou increasest in us, O godhead.

14.

[Sy.] Give us a house, give us a friend, give us, Indra, the Marut strength; & the winds that released together & rejoicing drink the Soma that is being brought forward.

Habitation; Indra gives fresh fields of the spirit to dwell in or widens those we have.

Mitra; the godhead of agreement & harmony in the Truth; not “a friend.” It is the godheads, Mitra, the Maruts, Vayu for whose increase he is asking.

This epithet carries on the idea of the Ananda as a force of conquest & progress.

Thou enrichest our habitation, thou enrichest in us the harmonious godhead, thou enrichest, O god-mind, the host of our thought-powers and those gods of the vitality who one-hearted in their rapture drink the wine that leads us forward.

15.

Sy. Let those (Maruts) by whose help thou becomest intoxicated, swiftly eat the Soma (or, let the Somas with which you get intoxicated quickly go to you); O Indra, making yourself firm drink the satisfying Soma. Thou with the big worshippable Maruts, O hurter of enemies, increasedst us & heaven in the battles.

seems to refer to the Vayus of the last verse.

then means either “come to us” or “manifest themselves”.

goes more naturally with

(

) than with Soma.

The illuminations of the

increase the shining world of mind,

Let them come to us in whom thou hast the ecstasy; drink of the Wine of our delight, O God-in-mind; sate thyself, strengthen thyself. Us in our battles, O thou who winnest through, thou hast entirely increased & heaven by the power of the vast illuminations.

16.

Sy. Those who serve thee the ease-giving, with hymns, O deliverer, become big indeed; those who strewing the grass serve thee, are indeed protected by thee, O Indra, and go to food that is accompanied with a house.

Vast indeed are they who by their expressings of thee make to dwell in them thy peace & bliss, O thou who winnest to the goal; heaping the soul-seat of the sacrifice full of the energy they attain indeed by thee to their expansion, O God-in-mind, and arrive at the plenitude.

17.

[Sy.] O strong Indra, rejoicing drink Soma on the three days of the Abhiplava which are full of hymns; shaking it continually from thy beard in thy satisfaction go with thy two horses to the drinking of the wine offered.

means variegated = the three worlds of different hues,

; the dark physical, the red vital-dynamic & the bright mental. Elsewhere Indra is represented as drinking the human being’s three lakes of Soma (V.29.[7]). The symbol is changed, but the sense is the same.

Sayana’s interpretation is attractive, but the difficulty is that here Indra is represented as going to the drinking & not coming from it. When then should there be Soma on his beard?

O hero, O God-in-mind, rejoicing in the full energy of these three worlds of various hue drink thou the wine of delight; full of pleasure, letting thy beard stream in the heavens come with thy two bright steeds to the drinking of the nectarous yield.

18.

[Sy.] O Indra, hold such strength as that by which thou didst break spiderlike Vritra; thou didst open the luminous sun to the doer of works (or to Kutsa), the destroyer of works remained very much oppressed by thee on thy left side.

is a spider;

must be either spiderish or the web of the spider.

The side away from knowledge; the right is of knowledge, the left of power & its works.

O hero, hold in thy thought the flashing strength by which the destroyer Vritra & his web were rent to pieces & cast down; thou didst uncover the Light for the Aryan; hewn the Divider sank away to the left, O God-in-mind.

19.

[Sy.] May we enjoy those men who by thy protections hurt all rivals & also hurt the destroyers; to us make that subject; thou didst make Visvarupa son of Twashtri subject; also to observe friendship thou didst make him subject to Trita.

The genitive of purpose.

Cf V.41.[20]

For us who shall conquer breaking by thy expressions through all energies that contend with us, the Destroyers by the Aryan doer of works, for us thou didst cleave that universal form of Twashtri’s making; for the Triple Soul thou didst cleave him that ye might have comradeship together.

20.

[Sy.] Thou slewest Arbuda increasing for Trita when he of-fered this intoxicating; as Surya his wheel, so Indra whirled (the Vajra); and with the Angirasas broke Vala — or broke Vala because of whom Surya could not keep his wheel going or he whirled the wheel of Surya & with it broke Vala.

Increasing with this wine that was pressed out of Trita’s ecstasy thou didst lay low Arbuda; thou didst set rolling as Surya his wheel, thou with the Angirasas didst break Vala to pieces.

21.

[Sy.] Now that wealthy gift of thine, O Indra, milks for the praiser his best desire; give it to thy praisers; being enjoyable (or adorable) do not give it to others first. May we have plenty of men (sons & grandsons) and speak a big thing (hymn) in this sacrifice.

[Hymn] 12.

Sayana gives a number of stories invented to explain this hymn: (1) That it was chanted by Indra when engaged in Tapasya and attacked by Dhuni and Chumuri; (2) that it was chanted by Gritsamada at Vena’s sacrifice, Indra having very meanly escaped in Gritsamada’ s form & left the latter to be attacked when he came out of the grove of sacrifice; (3) that it was chanted by Gritsamada at his own sacrifice when the Asuras after Indra’s escape in his form broke into his house & thought him to be Indra disguised as Gritsamada.

. Chief, first. Sayana says “of the gods”, but this is not necessary.

S. preeminent among the intelligent. Again, this rendering is not warranted by the text.

= one who has mind.

means therefore the Supreme Thinker or the supreme mental being.

S. took to protect or overpassed, outstripped.

Sayana follows the Nirukta in these alternative explanations.

is in the Veda simply an intensive form of

and means here “enveloped or encircled with his own being”.

Indra, the Purusha of the divine luminous or intuitive Mind, is the first or supreme thinker or supreme mental being; from his very birth he in his divine power takes the other gods, the other divine principles developing or developed in man into his periphery by the force of his will. They all work in him as in a field. Just as now the ordinary sense mind provides the field for the sensations, emotions, impulses of action to work, so then the supreme Mind & supreme Sense, taking its place, will contain all the other activities of the divinised man.

Nir. 3.21. It is possible, however, that the verb is really

= became subject to him.

is used II.26.1 in the opposite sense to overcome, but it means essentially to enter upon or into relation with, a relation that may be either friendly or the opposite, subordinate or superior.

— his force in the sense of his army; but this is not the ordinary sense of

. Psychologically we can take it as meaning personal force, soul-force, the force of the

human or divine.

S. supplies

— possessed of greatness of his host. This device is as awkward & clumsy as it is unnecessary.

O Asuras, says Sayana. Grit. is explaining to the Asuras that he is a poor weak mortal & not Indra!

Heaven & Earth, the physical & mental consciousness become subject to the divine Mind or are shaken with the grandeur & awe of this mighty advent. For he is full of an aggressive heroic force that subjects all things by its attack & the greatness of his soul-force or divine power encompasses & subdues all things that enter into its orbit.

[13]

[RV II.28]

Selected Hymns of the Rigveda.

this

of the sage

the son of Aditi the self-ruling

all

about, or in relation to

let it be

who

the god

I pray for

of Varuna

- thine

may we be

O Varuna

when we have praised or hymned thee. of the Dawns

luminous, radiant

fires like

over or among thy

may we be

in peace O Varuna

you

of us or for us

O Sons

of Aditi

unvanquished

in relation to something

are capable, able

for the enemy O Gods.

forward, in front

a bourne, limit;

the son of Aditi

who holds apart or variously

law or truth rivers or oceans

of [Varuna]

go. not

they grow weary

not

leave they

manifestation or heaven

by swiftness they fall

not

come, or thou camest may we flourish, be rich

thy

O Varuna

in nectar or immortality.

not

extension, continuity, thread

may be broken

extending, manifesting, opening out

the understanding, buddhi not

substance, material

be lost, fall away, fail of work or deed

in front, before

true, right, satya.

well

O Varuna

O supreme ruler

rope

from a calf

loose

sin

not thy

O warrior not

O Varuna

they who

to thee

in the sacrifice

sin, deviation

doing O mighty one

not

from or of the light

may we go

on all sides

well, entirely

the enemies

mayst thou slaughter

for life our.

adoration, submission

formerly, before

to thee O Varuna

(

same)

another, again

O born in the Tapas

we say, declare. in thee

for

water

on the mountain

like repose

steadfast, unfallen

the laws (

)

supreme

come, go

in this direction, to manifest

now

my actions

not

O King

by another’s deed

may I enjoy, suffer.

not yet dawned

verily

now more, very many

dawns

with

us or our

souls of living beings or life

O Varuna

in them

rule, control.

whatever, if any

of mine

O King

enemy either, whether

friend

in a dream or in the state of dream

fear

afraid

to me spoke, speaks.

thief

who wolf, destroyer

thou

from him protect

us.

not

of Indra

O Varuna beloved

freely giving

may I experience

Not

in prosperity, bliss or delight O King

from right government or control descend

the large, true, vijnanamaya

may we speak

in good strength or with full knowledge.

Conjectural [1]

fr.

old plural or from

(Rt

), existences.

fr.

with

or the principle of vijnana.

very, exceedingly.

(cf

)

full of delight, anandamaya, or else full of capacity, deep, vast, abundant.

for sacrificial action.

fr.

to spread — extension, expansion .. otherwise fame.

abundant, abounding, mighty in being.

[2]

law, rule, dharma (habit of being, swabhava) — ie calm, greatness, majesty, vastness of being and knowledge.

(

to enjoy)

fortunate, happy, glorious or splendid.

, either from

well-established or from

) & meaning substantial being, substance, matter.

in the approach (wooing) of the Dawns by the Fires or at the approach of the Dawns.

to act, move or enjoy violently, to work like a saw, to woo, make love to ().

sky, akasha, the three heavens or the five or the seven.

[3]

= developed strength, or knowledge or full clearness of manifestation. ( to open out, reveal, develop)

as in

— aspiration or expression or self-development.

guide, leader.

[Incomplete]

Provisional Translation May this state (that is manifest in me now) of the sage, the self-king, son of Aditi, be about all beings by the Greatness; Varuna the god who has exceeding delight towards the sacrificial action, — I crave for myself the glory of Varuna in his abundance. May we, O Varuna, in the law of thy being be full of enjoyment and rich in matter when we have hymned thee, like fires that in the approach to the radiant Dawns woo them from sky to sky. O Varuna, our guide & leader, may we dwell in the peace of thee, of thee in the fullness of thy force & the wideness of thy aspiration. You, O ye sons of Aditi unvanquished, have strength, O gods, to combat for us the foe. The son of Aditi hath put forth a bourne, even he that holdeth things apart in their places, and the waters follow Varuna’s law; they weary not, neither do they leave flowing (widening), they have fallen not (from their heaven) though they speed swiftly, O Varuna of the wide spaces. May we advance, O Varuna, for my free movement the circuit of thy law as a lover widens the girdle of his beloved, may not my thread be cut as I expand my understanding nor matter fail for my action as it goes forward. Cleave away from me utterly my fear, O Varuna; be thy grace upon me, O high ruler, O protector of the Law; loosen sin from me as a man loosens the rope from a calf; O noble Varuna, I have no power to meet thy gaze. Let them not slay us who cast down, O mighty One, the man that in the sacrifice to thee doeth sinfulness; let us not wander into exile from the light, but do thou slaughter utterly our opposers that we may live. As we utter our word of submission to thee in front of thee now, hereafter too may we utter it, O Varuna born in the Strength; for because they rest on thee, O thou who confirmest (or, masterest) the heavens, the laws of being abide unfailing like water resting on a mountain. Thou supreme and manifest in thy being, O Varuna, do thou give increase to my works, let me not, O King, taste the fruit of the works of another. Many more are the dawns that have yet to dawn on me; in them all, O Varuna, do thou govern our souls (or, our lives). From whatsoever fear, O King, enemy or friend has spoken to me in dream and I have been afraid, from whatsoever robber or render seeketh to do hurt, protect us from him, O Varuna. May I never know, O Varuna, separation from that Lover & Beloved who is full of the greatness of Mahas and gives me of it bountifully; may I not deviate from felicity or from right control; may we, clear & open in being, speak in the knowledge of the Greatness.