1.54.1
मा नो॑ अ॒स्मिन् म॑घवन् पृ॒त्स्वंह॑सि न॒हि ते॒ अन्त॒: शव॑सः परी॒णशे॑ |
अक्र॑न्दयो न॒द्यो॒ ३ रोरु॑व॒द् वना॑ क॒था न क्षो॒णीर्भि॒यसा॒ समा॑रत ||
URGE us not, Maghavan, to this distressful fight, for none may comprehend the limit of thy strength. Thou with fierce shout hast made the woods and rivers roar: did not men run in crowds together in their fear?
Do not urge us, Maghavan, into this painful fight—none can grasp the limit of your strength; you made rivers and woods roar with fierce shout—did not people crowd together in fear?
Human limitation before Indra's 'antaḥ śavasaḥ'. Roaring that shakes nadyaḥ and vanā evokes sacred dread (bhiyā) that gathers janas—awe as social cohesion before the vajrin.
Respect scale. Don't romanticize conflict with forces you cannot measure; healthy fear can organize collective caution.
1.54.2
अर्चा॑ श॒क्राय॑ शा॒किने॒ शची॑वते शृ॒ण्वन्त॒मिन्द्रं॑ म॒हय॑न्न॒भि ष्टु॑हि |
यो धृ॒ष्णुना॒ शव॑सा॒ रोद॑सी उ॒भे वृषा॑ वृष॒त्वा वृ॑ष॒भो न्यृ॒ञ्जते॑ ||
Sing hymns of praise to Śakra, Lord of power and might; laud thou and magnify Indra who heareth thee, Who with his daring might, a Bull exceeding strong in strength, maketh him master of the heaven and earth.
Sing to Śakra the capable, rich in power; praise Indra who hears you—the daring bull who by bull-strength masters both heaven and earth.
Śakra 'śākin' 'śacīvat'; 'śṛṇvantam'—hearing deity. Vṛṣabha who 'nyṛñjate' rodasi—Indra's vṛṣatva as lordship of dyāvāpṛthivī through daring śavas.
Praise competence that listens. Authority that hears and then acts across whole systems deserves song.
1.54.3
अर्चा॑ दि॒वे बृ॑ह॒ते शू॒ष्यं १ वच॒: स्वक्ष॑त्रं॒ यस्य॑ धृष॒तो धृ॒षन्मन॑: |
बृ॒हच्छ्र॑वा॒ असु॑रो ब॒र्हणा॑ कृ॒तः पु॒रो हरि॑भ्यां वृष॒भो रथो॒ हि षः ||
Sing forth to lofty Dyaus a strength-bestowing song, the Bold, whose resolute mind hath independent sway. High glory hath the Asura, compact of strength, drawn on by two Bay Steeds: a Bull, a Car is he.
Sing to lofty Heaven a strength-giving word—the bold whose resolute mind rules itself; high fame has the Asura compact of force, drawn by two bays: a bull, a chariot is he.
Praise to Dyaus and to Indra as 'asura' in older Vedic sense—life-power being—'svakṣatra' mind. Hari-drawn vṛṣabha-ratha identity of Indra.
Cultivate self-ruled mind and mobile strength; integrated identity (purpose + vehicle) creates durable renown.
1.54.4
त्वं दि॒वो बृ॑ह॒तः सानु॑ कोप॒यो ऽव॒ त्मना॑ धृष॒ता शम्ब॑रं भिनत् |
यन्मा॒यिनो॑ व्र॒न्दिनो॑ म॒न्दिना॑ धृ॒षच्छि॒तां गभ॑स्तिम॒शनिं॑ पृत॒न्यसि॑ ||
The ridges of the lofty heaven thou madest shake; thou, daring, of thyself smotest through Śambara, When bold with gladdening juice, thou warredst with thy bolt, sharp and two-edged, against the banded sorcerers.
You shook the ridge of lofty heaven; daring of yourself you split Śambara; bold with gladdening juice you warred with sharp two-edged bolt against the banded sorcerers.
Śambara-bheda and assault on 'māyinaḥ vrandinaḥ' with aśani. Soma-mada ('mandinā') licenses Indra's dhṛṣat action against collective māyā.
Self-initiated courage plus clear tools can shatter fortified illusion when deception organizes in packs.
1.54.5
नि यद् वृ॒णक्षि॑ श्वस॒नस्य॑ मू॒र्धनि॒ शुष्ण॑स्य चिद् व्र॒न्दिनो॒ रोरु॑व॒द् वना॑ |
प्रा॒चीने॑न॒ मन॑सा ब॒र्हणा॑वता॒ यद॒द्या चि॑त्कृ॒णव॒: कस्त्वा॒ परि॑ ||
When with a roar that fills the woods, thou forcest down on wind's head the stores which Śuṣṇa kept confined, Who shall have power to stay thee firm and eager-souled from doing still this day what thou of old hast done?
When with a forest-filling roar you force down on the wind's head the stores Śuṣṇa confined—who can stop you, firm and eager, from doing today what you did of old?
Śuṣṇa's confined stores released onto 'śvasanasya mūrdhani'. Continuity: 'adya cit kṛṇavaḥ' as 'purā'—Indra's ṛta-work recurs across time for the devotee.
Trust patterns of liberation that worked before; ask what analogous 'today' action releases hoarded essentials.
1.54.6
त्वमा॑विथ॒ नर्यं॑ तु॒र्वशं॒ यदुं॒ त्वं तु॒र्वीतिं॑ व॒य्यं॑ शतक्रतो |
त्वं रथ॒मेत॑शं॒ कृत्व्ये॒ धने॒ त्वं पुरो॑ नव॒तिं द॑म्भयो॒ नव॑ ||
Thou helpest Narya, Turvaśa, and Yadu, and Vayya's son Turvīti, Śatakratu! Thou helpest horse and car in final battle thou breakest down the nine-and-ninety castles.
You helped Narya, Turvaśa, and Yadu, and Turvīti son of Vayya, O Śatakratu; you helped horse and car in the decisive stake and crushed ninety-nine forts.
Clan-help catalogue plus 'ratham etaśam kṛtvye dhane' and 'puro navatiṁ ... nava'. Śatakratu as ally in both kinship and krita (decisive contest).
Show up for allies and for the decisive heat—partial support fails when the ninety-ninth fort still stands.
1.54.7
स घा॒ राजा॒ सत्प॑तिः शूशुव॒ज्जनो॑ रा॒तह॑व्य॒: प्रति॒ यः शास॒मिन्व॑ति |
उ॒क्था वा॒ यो अ॑भिगृ॒णाति॒ राध॑सा॒ दानु॑रस्मा॒ उप॑रा पिन्वते दि॒वः ||
A hero-lord is he, King of a mighty folk, who offers free oblations and promotes the Law, Who with a bounteous guerdon welcomes hymns of praise: for him flows down the abundant stream below the sky.
He is king and true lord who strengthens his people—who offers freely and advances the Law; who with bounty welcomes hymns—for him the abundant stream flows down from heaven.
Ideal rājan satpati: 'rātahavya' promoting 'śās' (command/law), welcoming uktha with rādhas. Cosmic iṣ ('dānu uparā divaḥ') answers such rule—Vedic political theology.
Governance that funds culture, keeps law, and gives freely draws sustainable prosperity from above the daily scramble.
1.54.8
अस॑मं क्ष॒त्रमस॑मा मनी॒षा प्र सो॑म॒पा अप॑सा सन्तु॒ नेमे॑ |
ये त॑ इन्द्र द॒दुषो॑ व॒र्धय॑न्ति॒ महि॑ क्ष॒त्रं स्थवि॑रं॒ वृष्ण्यं॑ च ||
His power is matchless, matchless is his wisdom; chief, through their work, be some who drink the Soma, Those, Indra, who increase the lordly power, the firm heroic strength of thee the Giver.
Matchless is his dominion, matchless his wisdom; through their work let some Soma-drinkers be foremost—those who increase your lordly power and firm heroic strength, O Giver.
'Asamaṁ kṣatram asama manīṣā'. Hierarchy among somapāḥ by 'apas' that 'vardhayanti' Indra's kṣatra and vṛṣṇya—seva that strengthens the divine center.
Elevate contributors who actually grow institutional strength and wisdom—not only those who consume status.
1.54.9
तुभ्येदे॒ते ब॑हु॒ला अद्रि॑दुग्धाश्चमू॒षद॑श्चम॒सा इ॑न्द्र॒पाना॑: |
व्य॑श्नुहि त॒र्पया॒ काम॑मेषा॒मथा॒ मनो॑ वसु॒देया॑य कृष्व ||
Therefore for thee are these abundant beakers Indra's drink, stone-pressed juices held in ladles. Quaff them and satisfy therewith thy longing; then fix thy mind upon bestowing treasure.
For you these many stone-pressed juices in ladles, Indra's drink; quaff them, satisfy your longing, then set your mind on giving treasure.
Camūṣadaḥ / camasāḥ 'adridugdhāḥ' for Indra-pāna. Sequence: tṛp → 'mano vasudeyāya kṛṣva'—satisfaction precedes dāna, modeling graceful Maghavan psychology.
Fill the giver first enough to give well; depleted leaders ration poorly—sustainability of generosity matters.
1.54.10
अ॒पाम॑तिष्ठद्ध॒रुण॑ह्वरं॒ तमो॒ ऽन्तर्वृ॒त्रस्य॑ ज॒ठरे॑षु॒ पर्व॑तः |
अ॒भीमिन्द्रो॑ न॒द्यो॑ व॒व्रिणा॑ हि॒ता विश्वा॑ अनु॒ष्ठाः प्र॑व॒णेषु॑ जिघ्नते ||
There darkness stood, the vault that stayed the waters’ flow: in Vṛtra's hollow side the rain-cloud lay concealed. But Indra smote the rivers which the obstructer stayed, flood following after flood, down steep declivities.
Darkness stood, the vault that held the waters; in Vṛtra's belly the mountain-cloud lay; Indra smote the rivers the obstructer had bound—flood after flood down the slopes.
Tamas as 'dharuṇahvara'; Vṛtra's jaṭhara holding 'parvata'. Indra releases nadyaḥ 'pravaṇeṣu'—hydrological ṛta as spiritual paradigm of blocked potential freed.
Name the dark vault holding your flow; when obstruction breaks, expect cascading release—channel it wisely.
1.54.11
स शेवृ॑ध॒मधि॑ धा द्यु॒म्नम॒स्मे महि॑ क्ष॒त्रं ज॑ना॒षाळि॑न्द्र॒ तव्य॑म् |
रक्षा॑ च नो म॒घोन॑: पा॒हि सू॒रीन् रा॒ये च॑ नः स्वप॒त्या इ॒षे धा॑: ||
So give us, Indra, bliss-increasing glory give us great sway and strength that conquers people. Preserve our wealthy patrons, save our princes; vouchsafe us wealth and food with noble offspring.
So place on us bliss-increasing glory, great people-conquering sway and strength; guard our wealthy patrons, protect the sages; grant us wealth and food with noble offspring.
Closing for 'śevṛdha dyumna', 'janaṣāḷ kṣatra', rakṣā of maghavan and sūri, plus 'svapatyā iṣ'—prosperity with good progeny under Indra's pāhi.
Ask for flourishing that includes mentors, thinkers, livelihood, and next-generation continuity—not lone trophy glory.