1.80.1
इ॒त्था हि सोम॒ इन्मदे॑ ब्र॒ह्मा च॒कार॒ वर्ध॑नम् |
शवि॑ष्ठ वज्रि॒न्नोज॑सा पृथि॒व्या निः श॑शा॒ अहि॒मर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
THUS in the Soma, in wild joy the Brahman hath exalted thee: Thou, mightiest thunder-armed, hast driven by force the Dragon from the earth, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Thus in Soma’s rapture the sacred word has made your increase; O mightiest Thunderer, by ojas you have driven the Serpent from the earth—praising your own sovereignty.
Brahman (sacred formulation) in Soma-mada increases Indra. Ahi driven from pṛthivī inaugurates svarājya—Indra’s self-rule as guardian of ṛta. The refrain ‘arcañ anu svarājyam’ teaches that true sovereignty is hymned as cosmic service, not ego.
Fuel courage with clear purpose, then remove the blockage that starves the commons. Leadership worth praising liberates resources, not merely claims titles.
1.80.2
स त्वा॑मद॒द् वृषा॒ मद॒: सोम॑: श्ये॒नाभृ॑तः सु॒तः |
येना॑ वृ॒त्रं निर॒द्भ्यो ज॒घन्थ॑ वज्रि॒न्नोज॒सार्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
The mighty flowing Soma-draught, brought by the Hawk, hath gladdened thee, That in thy strength, O Thunderer, thou hast struck down Vṛtra from the floods, lauding thine own imperial sway.
The bullish rapture—Soma pressed, hawk-brought—has gladdened you, whereby you struck Vṛtra out from the waters, O Thunderer, by ojas—praising your own sovereignty.
Śyenābhṛta Soma recalls the mythic hawk-fetching of the nectar. Indra’s joy becomes the force that jaghantha Vṛtra nir adbhyaḥ—from the waters—so rivers may run. Svarājya is hydrological and spiritual freedom.
Inspiration must convert into unblocking action: after the ‘lift,’ dismantle whatever dams collective flow.
1.80.3
प्रेह्य॒भी॑हि धृष्णु॒हि न ते॒ वज्रो॒ नि यं॑सते |
इन्द्र॑ नृ॒म्णं हि ते॒ शवो॒ हनो॑ वृ॒त्रं जया॑ अ॒पो ऽर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Go forward, meet the foe, be bold; thy bolt of thunder is not checked. Manliness, Indra, is thy might: stay Vṛtra, make the waters thine, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Go forth, confront, be daring—your vajra is not restrained. O Indra, manly valor is your strength: slay Vṛtra, win the waters—praising your own sovereignty.
Imperatives—prehi, abhīhi, dhṛṣṇuhi—summon Indra’s nṛmṇa and śavas. Vajra unchecked means dharma’s force is not negotiable against adharma’s obstruction. Jaya apaḥ: victory measured by liberated waters.
Bold engagement beats endless analysis when a clear obstruction harms many. Measure victory by what flows again—access, opportunity, life.
1.80.4
निरि॑न्द्र॒ भूम्या॒ अधि॑ वृ॒त्रं ज॑घन्थ॒ निर्दि॒वः |
सृ॒जा म॒रुत्व॑ती॒रव॑ जी॒वध॑न्या इ॒मा अ॒पो ऽर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Thou smotest Vṛtra from the earth, smotest him, Indra, from the sky. Let these life-fostering waters flow attended by the Marut host, lauding thine own imperial sway.
You have struck Vṛtra from upon the earth and from the sky, O Indra; release these life-cherishing waters with the Maruts—praising your own sovereignty.
Vṛtra is cleared from bhūmi and dyu—total vertical liberation. Marutvatīḥ āpaḥ: storm-companions escort jīvadhanyā waters. Indra–Marut synergy is classic Sanātana cosmology of rain and heroism.
Clear blockages at every level—ground operations and high policy—then let life-supporting systems move with their natural allies.
1.80.5
इन्द्रो॑ वृ॒त्रस्य॒ दोध॑त॒: सानुं॒ वज्रे॑ण हीळि॒तः |
अ॒भि॒क्रम्याव॑ जिघ्नते॒ ऽपः सर्मा॑य चो॒दय॒न्नर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
The wrathful Indra with his bolt of thunder rushing on the foe, Smote fierce on trembling Vṛtra's back, and loosed the waters free to run, lauding his own imperial sway.
Indra, angered, with the vajra strides against trembling Vṛtra’s ridge and strikes; he urges the waters toward their course—praising his own sovereignty.
Hīḷita (roused to sacred wrath) Indra strikes Vṛtra’s sānu. Manyu here is dharmic urgency, not petty rage. Waters are codayann toward sarman—impelled to their rightful channel.
Directed anger at systemic harm can be ethical when it opens channels for life rather than feeding endless feud.
1.80.6
अधि॒ सानौ॒ नि जि॑घ्नते॒ वज्रे॑ण श॒तप॑र्वणा |
म॒न्दा॒न इन्द्रो॒ अन्ध॑स॒: सखि॑भ्यो गा॒तुमि॑च्छ॒त्यर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
With hundred-jointed thunderbolt Indra hath struck him on the back, And, while rejoicing in the juice, seeketh prosperity for friends, lauding his own imperial sway.
On the ridge he strikes with the hundred-jointed vajra; Indra, glad in the draught, seeks a path of welfare for his friends—praising his own sovereignty.
Śataparvan vajra—manifold articulated force. Even in mada of andhas (Soma), Indra icchati gātum sakhibhyaḥ—welfare-path for companions. Sovereignty serves friendship (sakhya), a seed of later bhakti-sakha ideals.
Power and celebration must still ask: What path opens for my people? Strength without friend-welfare is empty spectacle.
1.80.7
इन्द्र॒ तुभ्य॒मिद॑द्रि॒वो ऽनु॑त्तं वज्रिन् वी॒र्य॑म् |
यद्ध॒ त्यं मा॒यिनं॑ मृ॒गं तमु॒ त्वं मा॒यया॑वधी॒रर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Indra, unconquered might is thine, Thunderer, Caster of the Stone; For thou with thy surpassing power smotest to death the guileful beast, lauding thine own imperial sway.
O Indra, Stone-caster, Thunderer—unrivaled heroism is yours; that crafty beast you slew by higher craft—praising your own sovereignty.
Anuttam vīryam: Indra’s prowess is unmatched. Māyin mṛga (guileful beast) falls to Indra’s superior māyā—divine skill over demonic illusion. Vedic māyā here is creative mastery in service of ṛta.
Meet sophisticated deception with clearer skill and ethics—not naivety, and not becoming the deceiver.
1.80.8
वि ते॒ वज्रा॑सो अस्थिरन्नव॒तिं ना॒व्या॒ ३ अनु॑ |
म॒हत् त॑ इन्द्र वी॒र्यं॑ बा॒ह्वोस्ते॒ बलं॑ हि॒तमर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Far over ninety spacious floods thy thunderbolts were cast abroad: Great, Indra, is thy hero might, and strength is seated in thine arms, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Your vajras have spread along the ninety navigable streams; great is your heroism, Indra—strength is set in your arms—praising your own sovereignty.
Ninety nāvyā āpaḥ evoke the full network of released rivers. Bāhvoh balam: power embodied, not abstract. Cosmic victory has geographical and bodily reality.
Scale impact across the whole watershed of a system. Embodied competence—skills in the ‘arms’—backs visionary claims.
1.80.9
स॒हस्रं॑ सा॒कम॑र्चत॒ परि॑ ष्टोभत विंश॒तिः |
श॒तैन॒मन्व॑नोनवु॒रिन्द्रा॑य॒ ब्रह्मोद्य॑त॒मर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Laud him a thousand all at once, shout twenty forth the hymn of praise. Hundreds have sung aloud to him, to Indra hath the prayer been raised, lauding his own imperial sway.
Let a thousand praise together; let twenty raise the shout around; hundreds have roared after him—the upraised sacred word for Indra—praising his own sovereignty.
Collective stuti—sahasram, viṃśatiḥ, śatam—shows Indra as focus of communal brahman. Numbers dramatize scale of bhakti and public affirmation of dharmic victory.
Shared celebration of hard-won public goods builds culture. Collective voice can consecrate courage without erasing individual craft.
1.80.10
इन्द्रो॑ वृ॒त्रस्य॒ तवि॑षीं॒ निर॑ह॒न्त्सह॑सा॒ सह॑: |
म॒हत् तद॑स्य॒ पौंस्यं॑ वृ॒त्रं ज॑घ॒न्वाँ अ॑सृज॒दर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Indra hath smitten down the power of Vṛtra,—might with stronger might. This was his manly exploit, he slew Vṛtra and let loose the floods, lauding his own imperial sway.
Indra struck down Vṛtra’s force—strength with stronger strength; great was that manly deed: having slain Vṛtra he released—praising his own sovereignty.
Sahasā sahaḥ: force answered by greater force under ṛta. Pauṃsya (manly exploit) culminates in asṛjat—release. Destruction of Vṛtra is meaningful only as liberation of waters.
Overcome entrenched power with superior organized strength, then prove the win by what you liberate for life.
1.80.11
इ॒मे चि॒त् तव॑ म॒न्यवे॒ वेपे॑ते भि॒यसा॑ म॒ही |
यदि॑न्द्र वज्रि॒न्नोज॑सा वृ॒त्रं म॒रुत्वाँ॒ अव॑धी॒रर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Yea, even this great Pair of Worlds trembled in terror at thy wrath, When, Indra, Thunderer, Marut-girt, thou slewest Vṛtra in thy strength, lauding thine own imperial sway.
Even these two great worlds tremble with fear at your wrath when you, Marut-attended Thunderer, slew Vṛtra by ojas—praising your own sovereignty.
Rodasī tremble at Indra’s manyu—cosmic seriousness of the Vṛtra battle. Marutvān marks the storm-host alliance. Awe before dharmic force is part of Vedic theology of order restored.
Some reckonings rightly awe an entire system. Transformative justice can make ‘both worlds’—institutions and culture—tremble into realignment.
1.80.12
न वेप॑सा॒ न त॑न्य॒तेन्द्रं॑ वृ॒त्रो वि बी॑भयत् |
अ॒भ्ये॑नं॒ वज्र॑ आय॒सः स॒हस्र॑भृष्टिराय॒तार्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
But Vṛtra scared not Indra with his shaking or his thunder roar. On him that iron thunderbolt fell fiercely with its thousand points, lauding his own imperial sway.
Neither by quaking nor by roaring did Vṛtra frighten Indra; upon him the iron, thousand-edged vajra was launched—praising his own sovereignty.
Vṛtra’s terror tactics fail; āyasa sahasrabhṛṣṭi vajra answers. Steadfastness (dhairya) of Indra models the unshaken citta facing adharma’s noise.
Do not be ruled by an opponent’s spectacle of fear. Meet intimidation with precise, well-forged response.
1.80.13
यद् वृ॒त्रं तव॑ चा॒शनिं॒ वज्रे॑ण स॒मयो॑धयः |
अहि॑मिन्द्र॒ जिघां॑सतो दि॒वि ते॑ बद्बधे॒ शवो ऽर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
When with the thunder thou didst make thy dart and Vṛtra meet in war, Thy might, O Indra, fain to slay the Dragon, was set firm in heaven, lauding thine own imperial sway.
When you joined Vṛtra and your thunder-dart in battle with the vajra, O Indra longing to slay the Serpent, your strength stood firm in heaven—praising your own sovereignty.
Samayodayaḥ: ordained combat of aśani and Vṛtra. Śavas badbadhe divi—might fixed in heaven—shows Indra’s power anchored in cosmic station, not random violence.
Commit force only when the confrontation is clear; then plant your strength in a higher principle so the fight does not become chaos.
1.80.14
अ॒भि॒ष्ट॒ने ते॑ अद्रिवो॒ यत् स्था जग॑च्च रेजते |
त्वष्टा॑ चि॒त् तव॑ म॒न्यव॒ इन्द्र॑ वेवि॒ज्यते॑ भि॒यार्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
When at thy shout, O Thunder-armed, each thing both fixed and moving shook, E’en Tvaṣṭar trembled at thy wrath and quaked with fear because of thee, lauding thine own imperial sway.
At your war-cry, O Stone-armed, the still and the moving shake; even Tvaṣṭar quivers in fear at your wrath, O Indra—praising your own sovereignty.
Abhiṣṭana shakes sthā and jagat. Even Tvaṣṭar—divine artisan of the vajra—feels manyu’s awe. Creative power itself respects Indra’s executive dharma when ṛta is at stake.
A rightful stand can move both ‘fixed and moving’ stakeholders. Even makers of tools must heed the ethical use of power.
1.80.15
न॒हि नु याद॑धी॒मसीन्द्रं॒ को वी॒र्या॑ प॒रः |
तस्मि॑न्नृ॒म्णमु॒त क्रतुं॑ दे॒वा ओजां॑सि॒ सं द॑धु॒रर्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
There is not, in our knowledge, one who passeth Indra in his strength: In him the Deities have stored manliness, insight, power and might, lauding his own imperial sway.
For we know none who surpasses Indra in heroism; in him the Gods have placed manly force, purposeful will, and powers—praising his own sovereignty.
Devas deposit nṛmṇa, kratu, and ojāṃsi in Indra—distributed divinity concentrated for the Vṛtra task. Supreme vīrya is a trust of the divine assembly, not solitary ego.
Great capacity is often a deposit of many mentors and allies. Honor the trust by using concentrated power for shared liberation.
1.80.16
यामथ॑र्वा॒ मनु॑ष्पि॒ता द॒ध्यङ् धिय॒मत्न॑त |
तस्मि॒न् ब्रह्मा॑णि पू॒र्वथेन्द्र॑ उ॒क्था सम॑ग्म॒तार्च॒न्ननु॑ स्व॒राज्य॑म् ||
Still as of old, whatever rite Atharvan, Manus sire of all, Dadhyach performed, their prayer and praise united in that Indra meet, lauding his own imperial sway.
That insight which Atharvan, father Manu, and Dadhyañc extended—into that Indra the ancient sacred words and hymns have gathered—praising his own sovereignty.
Closing paramparā: Atharvan, Manu, Dadhyañc stretch dhī; their brahmāṇi and ukthā converge in Indra as of old (pūrvathā). Svarājya stands on ancestral seer-craft—Sanātana continuity of the Vṛtra-victory pattern.
Present victories rest on inherited methods and insights. Gather ancestral best practices into today’s decisive act—then renew the sovereignty of the commons.