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Mantra · Rigveda's two hymns to Manyu, the battle-fury standing with Indra

Manyu Suktam

यस्ते मन्योऽविधद्वज्र सायक सह ओजः पुष्यति विश्वमानुषक् । साह्याम दासमार्यं त्वया युजा सहस्कृतेन सहसा सहस्वता ॥

Also known as Yaste Manyo

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Manyu Suktam is

The Manyu Suktam is the pair of hymns 83 and 84 in the tenth book of the Rigveda, fourteen verses addressed to Manyu, whose name carries the sense of wrath and blazing spirit. The Rigvedic index names its seer as Manyu Tapasa, son of Tapas, so the sage who sees the hymn and the god he praises share one name. The first hymn opens on yaste manyo, its first verse in jagati and the rest in trishtubh; the second opens on tvaya manyo, with three trishtubh verses and then four in jagati. Verse 2 declares Manyu to be Indra, Varuna and Jatavedas at once. Verses 5 and 6 turn personal: the speaker admits to having angered Manyu through want of resolve and asks him to come back as the speaker's own body. The second hymn moves to the field of battle, with heroes in the form of fire sharing Manyu's chariot, and closes asking Varuna and Manyu for wealth of both kinds while the defeated slip away in fear.

How Manyu became Rudra and Narasimha

No tale of composition comes down with these hymns; what tradition keeps instead is a series of answers to the question of who Manyu is. Yaska's Nirukta derives the name from the root man, in its senses of shining, of anger and of striking down. The Shatapatha Brahmana relates that when the other offspring of Prajapati deserted him, Manyu alone remained; Prajapati's tears fell on him, and he became Rudra, hundred-headed, thousand-eyed, with a hundred quivers. Skanda Svamin, commenting on an earlier Rigvedic hymn, makes Manyu the son of Prajapati whom the creator appointed to lead the army of the gods, and through whose help Indra overcame his enemies. The Brahma Purana gives a later account: defeated by the asuras, the gods did penance to Shiva on the Gautami, the Godavari, and Shiva brought Manyu out of his third eye to win the next battle for them. Sayana, the fourteenth-century commentator, reads Manyu as the deity presiding over anger, present in every being of power, and records the hymns' use in the Ajira rite of the Shrauta ritual; the Rigvidhana assigns all fourteen mantras to one who seeks victory over rivals. In the Dvaita tradition of Madhvacharya, Manyu is a name of Narasimha, and Dhirendra Tirtha's commentary reads the whole sukta as his praise. Both hymns also stand in the Atharvaveda, as 4.31 and 4.32, in reverse order.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiयस्ते मन्योऽविधद्वज्र सायक सह ओजः पुष्यति विश्वमानुषक् । साह्याम दासमार्यं त्वया युजा सहस्कृतेन सहसा सहस्वता ॥

Tamilயஸ்தே மந்யோவிதத்வஜ்ர ஸாயக ஸஹ ஓஜஃ புஷ்யதி விஶ்வமாநுஷக் । ஸாஹ்யாம தாஸமார்யம் த்வயா யுஜா ஸஹஸ்க்ருதேந ஸஹஸா ஸஹஸ்வதா ॥

Teluguయస్తే మన్యోఽవిధద్వజ్ర సాయక సహ ఓజః పుష్యతి విశ్వమానుషక్ । సాహ్యామ దాసమార్యం త్వయా యుజా సహస్కృతేన సహసా సహస్వతా ॥

Kannadaಯಸ್ತೇ ಮನ್ಯೋಽವಿಧದ್ವಜ್ರ ಸಾಯಕ ಸಹ ಓಜಃ ಪುಷ್ಯತಿ ವಿಶ್ವಮಾನುಷಕ್ । ಸಾಹ್ಯಾಮ ದಾಸಮಾರ್ಯಂ ತ್ವಯಾ ಯುಜಾ ಸಹಸ್ಕೃತೇನ ಸಹಸಾ ಸಹಸ್ವತಾ ॥

Malayalamയസ്തേ മന്യോഽവിധദ്വജ്ര സായക സഹ ഓജഃ പുഷ്യതി വിശ്വമാനുഷക് । സാഹ്യാമ ദാസമാര്യം ത്വയാ യുജാ സഹസ്കൃതേന സഹസാ സഹസ്വതാ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationyaste manyo'vidhadvajra sāyaka saha ojaḥ puṣyati viśvamānuṣak | sāhyāma dāsamāryaṃ tvayā yujā sahaskṛtena sahasā sahasvatā ||

“Manyu, thunderbolt and arrow, whoever honours you gains strength and vigour, all of it, without a break. With you as our ally, mighty and born of might, may we overcome the hostile one and the stranger alike.”

यस्ते: yaste — whoever ... you
मन्योऽविधद्वज्र: manyo'vidhadvajra — O Manyu, has honoured, O thunderbolt
सायक: sāyaka — O arrow
सह: saha — might
ओजः: ojaḥ — and vigour
पुष्यति: puṣyati — gains, makes grow
विश्वमानुषक्: viśvamānuṣak — all of it, without a break
साह्याम: sāhyāma — may we overcome
दासमार्यं: dāsamāryaṃ — Dasa and Arya, hostile one and stranger alike
त्वया: tvayā — with you
युजा: yujā — as ally
सहस्कृतेन: sahaskṛtena — born of might
सहसा: sahasā — with might
सहस्वता: sahasvatā — mighty

Manyu Suktam lyrics in full

Rigveda 10.83 and 10.84 together, fourteen verses, printed without the Vedic accent marks.

All 14 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Manyu Suktam PDFAll 14 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

यस्ते मन्योऽविधद्वज्र सायक सह ओजः पुष्यति विश्वमानुषक् ।
साह्याम दासमार्यं त्वया युजा सहस्कृतेन सहसा सहस्वता ॥

Manyu, thunderbolt and arrow, whoever honours you gains strength and vigour, all of it, without a break. With you as our ally, mighty and born of might, may we overcome the hostile one and the stranger alike.

Verse 2

मन्युरिन्द्रो मन्युरेवास देवो मन्युर्होता वरुणो जातवेदाः ।
मन्युं विश ईळते मानुषीर्याः पाहि नो मन्यो तपसा सजोषाः ॥

Manyu is Indra; Manyu indeed was the god; Manyu is the priest of the offering, Varuna, Jatavedas the knower of all beings. The peoples of humankind praise Manyu. Protect us, Manyu, in one accord with Tapas.

Verse 3

अभीहि मन्यो तवसस्तवीयान्तपसा युजा वि जहि शत्रून् ।
अमित्रहा वृत्रहा दस्युहा च विश्वा वसून्या भरा त्वं नः ॥

Come here, Manyu, stronger than the strong; with Tapas as your companion, strike down our foes. Slayer of enemies, slayer of Vritra, slayer of the Dasyus, bring us every kind of wealth.

Verse 4

त्वं हि मन्यो अभिभूत्योजाः स्वयम्भूर्भामो अभिमातिषाहः ।
विश्वचर्षणिः सहुरिः सहावानस्मास्वोजः पृतनासु धेहि ॥

For you, Manyu, have overpowering strength; self-born, blazing with wrath, conqueror of the hostile. Seen by all people, enduring and mighty, place vigour in us in the battles.

Verse 5

अभागः सन्नप परेतो अस्मि तव क्रत्वा तविषस्य प्रचेतः ।
तं त्वा मन्यो अक्रतुर्जिहीळाहं स्वा तनूर्बलदेयाय मेहि ॥

Without a share in you, I have fled far away, through my want of devotion to you, the strong and wise one. Being without resolve, I angered you, Manyu; now come to me as my own body, to give me strength.

Verse 6

अयं ते अस्म्युप मेह्यर्वाङ्प्रतीचीनः सहुरे विश्वधायः ।
मन्यो वज्रिन्नभि मामा ववृत्स्व हनाव दस्यूँरुत बोध्यापेः ॥

Here I am, yours; come near to me, turned towards me, enduring one who sustains all. Manyu, wielder of the thunderbolt, turn to me; let us two slay the Dasyus, and know me as your kin.

Verse 7

अभि प्रेहि दक्षिणतो भवा मेऽधा वृत्राणि जङ्घनाव भूरि ।
जुहोमि ते धरुणं मध्वो अग्रमुभा उपांशु प्रथमा पिबाव ॥

Come forward, stand at my right side; then let us two strike down the foes in great number. I offer you the best support, the foremost of the sweet drink; let us two drink it first, quietly.

Verse 8

त्वया मन्यो सरथमारुजन्तो हर्षमाणासो धृषिता मरुत्वः ।
तिग्मेषव आयुधा संशिशाना अभि प्र यन्तु नरो अग्निरूपाः ॥

With you on one chariot, Manyu, companion of the Maruts, breaking through, joyful and bold, let the heroes go forward with sharp arrows, whetting their weapons, in the form of fire.

Verse 9

अग्निरिव मन्यो त्विषितः सहस्व सेनानीर्नः सहुरे हूत एधि ।
हत्वाय शत्रून्वि भजस्व वेद ओजो मिमानो वि मृधो नुदस्व ॥

Blazing like fire, Manyu, overcome; when called, enduring one, be the leader of our army. Having struck down the foes, share out their wealth; showing your strength, drive the adversaries away.

Verse 10

सहस्व मन्यो अभिमातिमस्मे रुजन्मृणन्प्रमृणन्प्रेहि शत्रून् ।
उग्रं ते पाजो नन्वा रुरुध्रे वशी वशं नयस एकज त्वम् ॥

Manyu, overpower the hostile one for us; breaking, crushing and grinding down, go against the foes. Who can withstand your fierce might? Alone-born, you, the master, bring them under your control.

Verse 11

एको बहूनामसि मन्यवीळितो विशंविशं युधये सं शिशाधि ।
अकृत्तरुक्त्वया युजा वयं द्युमन्तं घोषं विजयाय कृण्महे ॥

Manyu, praised as the one among many, sharpen each and every clan for the fight. With you as ally, our brightness unbroken, we raise a resounding shout for victory.

Verse 12

विजेषकृदिन्द्र इवानवब्रवोऽस्माकं मन्यो अधिपा भवेह ।
प्रियं ते नाम सहुरे गृणीमसि विद्मा तमुत्सं यत आबभूथ ॥

Winning victory like Indra, speaking no idle word, be our protector here, Manyu. Enduring one, we sing your dear name; we know the spring from which you came forth.

Verse 13

आभूत्या सहजा वज्र सायक सहो बिभर्ष्यभिभूत उत्तरम् ।
क्रत्वा नो मन्यो सह मेद्येधि महाधनस्य पुरुहूत संसृजि ॥

Thunderbolt and arrow, born together with power, you bear overwhelming, superior strength, conqueror. Manyu, invoked by many, be our friend through your strength in the clash of the great prize.

Verse 14

संसृष्टं धनमुभयं समाकृतमस्मभ्यं दत्तां वरुणश्च मन्युः ।
भियं दधाना हृदयेषु शत्रवः पराजितासो अप नि लयन्ताम् ॥

May Varuna and Manyu give us the wealth of both kinds, gathered and secured. The verse says the enemies, carrying fear in their hearts, shall be defeated and slink away.

The syllable people get wrong

The verb īḷate in Verse 2 (also in jihīḷa, Verse 5, and manyavīḷito, Verse 11) is often read as a plain 'eelate' or as 'eedate'; the ḷ is the Rigvedic retroflex l that stands for ḍ between vowels, made by flicking the tongue tip from behind the hard palate: ee-LA-te, not the l of 'leaf'.

Questions

The hymns treat Manyu as a god in his own right rather than a passing mood. Verse 2 calls him Indra, the priest of the offering, Varuna and Jatavedas, and Sayana explains this as anger dwelling in every powerful being, with Manyu as its presiding deity. The Shatapatha Brahmana says Manyu became Rudra, and later tradition counts Manyu among the eleven Rudras. The hymns themselves picture him with thunderbolt and arrow, riding one chariot with the warriors.

The Rigveda itself never names Narasimha; its fourteen verses address Manyu. The Narasimha reading belongs to the Dvaita tradition, where Madhvacharya held Manyu to be a name of Narasimha, and Dhirendra Tirtha's commentary interprets the sukta as praise of Narasimha as the inner controller of Rudra and the embodiment of knowledge. In that tradition it is heard as a Narasimha hymn, while the older commentary of Sayana reads it as a hymn to the deity of anger.

The line reads 'we know the spring from which you came forth.' It follows the words 'we sing your dear name', so the singers claim to know where Manyu's power rises. Sayana glosses utsa, literally a spring or well, as the one who makes strength rise up, and reads the line as saying that Manyu grows through the praise of his name. The same verse asks him to be the protector of the singers here.

Verse 5 breaks from battle imagery into confession. The speaker says they have been left without a share in Manyu and have fled far, and that through want of resolve, akratu, they angered him. They then ask Manyu to come as their own body, sva tanu, to give strength. Verse 6 completes the reconciliation: 'here I am, yours', asking the thunderbolt-bearer to turn back and to know the speaker as his kin.

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