1

RV 1.171
i: agastya maitrvarui; devat: marudgaa, 3-6 marutvn indra;
chanda: triup

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lT6l P66l 4Hl| |+ (7l |4 P\4P HHl+ + {-{{-{
99 4 F6lPl P66l +PF4l+ (l 67l P+Bl l|4 (4l-
79P Hl 4l6 P+Bl =9lTl 44 |( Ul +PB ( 4lB- + {-{{--
F66lBl +l P66l P74-66 F66l P4l H|4U-
7\4l +- B-6 Tl4l 4+l-4 H(l|+ |4Hl P66l |=l9l + {-{{-(
HFPl( H( 6|49l( 9PlT -l( |4l P66l =Pl+-
4!P-4 (-4l |+|H6l-4 HlB+ 6l-4 Hl TPl P76l +- + {-{{-
4+ Pl+lBH |64-6 7Ul -4|79 H4Bl HH6l+lP
B +l P6| 49 ~4l l 7 7| F|4- B(l(l- + {-{{--
t4P 9l(l- B(l4Bl ++ 4l P6| H44l6(7l-
B9T6|- BlB|( (l+l |4HlP9 4=+ =l(l+P + {-{{-\


Analysis of RV 1.171

Indra and the Thought-Forces


9|6 4 9+l +PBl(P 9|P B16+ | BP|6 6lTlP
lT6l P66l 4Hl| |+ (7l |4 P\4P HHl+ + {-{{-{

prti va en

nmashm emi sktna bhike sumat tur

m
rart maruto vediy

bhir n ho dhatt v mucadhvam vn 1.171.01

2


1. To you I come wi th thi s obei sance, by the perfect Word I seek ri ght
mental i ty from the swi ft i n the passage. Take del i ght, O Maruts, i n the
thi ngs of knowl edge, l ay asi de your wrat h, unyoke your st eeds.

Interpretati on:
To cal m down i s equi val ent to unyoki ng the st eeds i n thi s verse. To
unyoke the steeds may mean to rel ax t he powers by whi ch the tensi on i s
mai ntai ned.
Maruts are the powers of our mental i ty i n Heaven, Vayu i n Antari ksha,
and Agni on Earth. Maruts represent a destructi ve force of the seeki ng
mental i ty; i t i s destructi ve because i t i s seeki ng after t he Di vi ne, whi ch i s
not yet ful l y mani fested here. So everythi ng that i s not di vi ne i n i ts
nature wi l l be as i f demol i shed by them. Therefore Ri shi s al ways speak
about thei r wrath. It i s as i f Maruts are determi ned by the sensual
mental i ty but seeki ng after the di vi ne Truth (they are the younger
brothers of Indra). By the senses i t i s i mpossi bl e to real i ze the Truth and
sti l l they are tryi ng to do so and push the whol e bei ng towards thi s
i mpossi bi l i ty unti l Indra comes from the beyond. It i s onl y when t hey are
uni ted wi th the mental i ty of the Truth of Indra s Li ght that they can
gradual l y fi nd i t even i n the senses. And that i s the whol e secret of our
mental i ty i n the terms of the dynami c real i zati on. One part i s bui l t on the
sensual ment al i ty growi ng from the Ignorance, root ed i n t he Inconsci ent
(Maruts) and the ot her i s free from i t and rooted i n the Suprament al
Truth (Indra), when they meet and agree to work toget her they may
change and transform the whol e bei ng and i ts percepti on of the senses
i nto the dynami c truth of thi ngs.

Vocabul ary:
rarat, rs cl . 2. P. rti ( p. rara), to grant, gi ve , bestow , i mpart ,
yi el d , surrender RV. &c. &c.
ra or ran (cf. ram) 1. 4. P. raati , rayati ; to rej oi ce, be pl eased, take
pl easure i n (l oc. , rarel y acc.) RV.; to gl adden, del i ght, grati fy i b.: Caus.,
to cheer, gl adden, exhi l arate wi th (i nstr. or l oc.) RV.; to be at ease, be
pl eased or sati sfi ed wi th, del i ght i n (l oc.) i b. TS. AV.: Intens. (Subj .
rraat)
ra 1. P. (Dha1t up. xi i i , 2 raati } (Gr. al so pf. rara), to sound, ri ng,
rattl e, j i ngl e Kv. Pur.

99 4 F6lPl P66l +PF4l+ (l 67l P+Bl l|4 (4l-
79P Hl 4l6 P+Bl =9lTl 44 |( Ul +PB ( 4lB- + {-{{--

3
e va stmo maruto nmasvn hrd

ta mnas dhyi dev

pem

yta mnas ju

yy h h

nmasa d vrdh

sa 1.171.02

2. Lo, the hymn of your affi rmati on, O Maruts; i t i s fraught wi th my
obei sance, i t was framed by the heart, i t was establ i shed by the mi nd, O
ye gods. Approach t hese my words and embrace t hem wi th the mi nd; for
of submi ssi on
1
are you the i ncreasers.

Interpretati on:
Maruts are the aspi rati ons of our mental i ty towards the Di vi ne. To t hem
we shoul d surrender our mi nd and heart , them we shoul d affi rm i n our
mental consci ousness, and t hey wi l l i ncrease our surrenderi ngs and make
them grow towards t he real i sati on of the Di vi ne i n our mi nd.


F66lBl +l P66l P74-66 F66l P4l H|4U-
7\4l +- B-6 Tl4l 4+l-4 H(l|+ |4Hl P66l |=l9l + {-{{-(

stut

so no marto mrayantu ut stut maghv mbhaviha

rdhv

na santu komiy

vnni hni vv maruto jig

1.171.03



3. Affi rmed l et the Maruts be beni gn to us, affi rmed the l ord of pl eni tude
has become whol l y creati ve of fel i ci ty. Upward may our desi rabl e
del i ghts2 be upl i fted, O Maruts, upward al l our days by the wi l l towards
vi ctory.

Interpretati on:
When t he Maruts are affi rmed i n our consci ousness, t hen they shoul d be
merci ful to us, and Maghavan, Indra, when he i s affi rmed, shoul d be
most peaceful and bounti ful wi thi n us.
May our sensual del i ghts be upl i fted [to the l i ght of Indra]! And al l the
days, O Maruts, shoul d be seeki ng [thi s i mpossi bl e] vi ctory!

Al l the j oys that t he human bei ng seeks wi th hi s desi re, says Sri
Aurobi ndo, - al l the acti ve energi es of hi s waki ng consci ousness,hi s

1
Namas. Sayana takes namas t hroughout i n hi s f avouri te sense, f ood; f or
i ncreaser s of sal utati on i s obvi ousl y i mpossi bl e. It i s evi dent f rom thi s and
ot her passages that behi nd the physi cal sense of obei sance t he wor d car ri es
wi th i t a psychol ogi cal si gni f i cance whi ch her e di sengages i tsel f cl earl y f r om
the concret e f i gure.
2
Vanni . The word means bot h f orest s and enj oyments or as an adj ecti ve,
enj oyabl e. It has commonl y t he doubl e sense i n t he Veda, t he pl easant
growt hs of our physi cal exi stence, r omi pthi vy.
4
days, as i t i s expressed i n the bri ef symbol i c l anguage of the Veda,must
be upl i fted to t hat hi gher pl ane. By vanni are meant t he recepti ve
sensati ons seeki ng i n al l obj ecti vi ti es the Ananda whose quest i s thei r
reason for exi stence. These, too, are not excl uded. Nothi ng has to be
rej ected, al l has to be rai sed to t he pure l evel s of the di vi ne
consci ousness.

Vocabul ary:
komya mfn. pol i shed (?; = kmya, "l ovel y" Sy.) RV. i , 171, 3.


HFPl( H( 6|49l( 9PlT -l( |4l P66l =Pl+-
4!P-4 (-4l |+|H6l-4 HlB+ 6l-4 Hl TPl P76l +- + {-{{-

asm

d ah tavi

ama ndrd bhiy

maruto rjamna
yumbhya havy

nitni san t

ni r cakrm mrt na 1.171.04

4. I, mastered by thi s mi ghty one, trembl i ng wi th the fear of Indra, O
Maruts, put far away the offeri ngs t hat for you had been made i nt ense.
Let your grace be upon us.

Interpretati on:
I am overwhel med by the presence of that Mi ghty Indra, trembl i ng wi th
fear, O Marut s, from hi s presence!
Remove from us al l sharp and i ntense offeri ngs, be merci ful to us, O
Maruts!
The presence of t he Infi ni te Li ght and Power of the Di vi ne Bei ng whi ch i s
not det ermi ned by senses i s t erri bl e for our sense-bui l t mental i ty. There
must be a gradual i nteracti on between the two, otherwi se the whol e
bei ng can be easi l y destroyed.


Vocabul ary:
tavi a, mfn. strong, energeti c, courageous RV.; m. the ocean U. Sch.;
heaven i b.; n. power, strength (al so pl .) RV. i , 166 , 1 and 9
, 1. A. (wi th prep. al so P.) RV. AV.; to go, to fl y away, escape RV.
Ai tBr.; to attack, hurt TS.; to gl ean, col l ect a few grai ns.
rej , to cause to trembl e or shake RV. (A. ) to shi ne (cf. rj ) Dhtup. vi , 23
to shake, trembl e, qui ver RV.
ni -i ta mfn. sharpened, sharp (l i t. and fi g.) KahUp. MBh. &c.;
sti mul ated, exci ted, eager for (l oc.) st rengt hened, prepared, present ed
RV.
re, i nd. (l oc. ; see rt ) far, far from, outsi de, wi thout RV. AV.
5


4+ Pl+lBH |64-6 7Ul -4|79 H4Bl HH6l+lP
B +l P6| 49 ~4l l 7 7| F|4- B(l(l- + {-{{--

yna m

nsa cityanta usr

vuiu vas vatnm

s no mardbhir vrabha rvo dh ugr ugrbhi sthvira sahod

1.171.05

5. Thou by whom the movement s of the mi nd grow consci ent and
bri l l i ant
3
i n our morni ngs through the bri ght power
4
of the conti nuous
Dawns, O Bul l of the herd,
5
establ i sh by the Maruts i nspi red knowl edge i n
usby them i n thei r energy thou energeti c, steadfast, a gi ver of mi ght.

Interpretati on:
Thi s verse expl ai ns the previ ous precauti on and fear to be overwhel med
by the di vi ne l i ght, cal l i ng and i nvoki ng Indra as the source of our
i l l umi nati ons that al one changes of our mental acti vi ti es, mnsa
ci tayanta, i nto the di vi ne l i ght of knowl edge, usr, by the power of the
eternal trut hs of the Dawn, avas avat nm, when the ti me i s ri ght for
us, vyui u, at the morni ngs of our spi ri tual openi ngs.

It i s i n thi s ti me of our spi ri tual openi ngs that Indra i s to establ i sh i n us
the Knowl edge wi th the hel p of Maruts, and gi ve us hi s Power, for he i s
the Powerful One wi th the hel p of or by the means of the powerful
Maruts.
The Maruts represent the progressi ve illumination of human
mentality, says Sri Aurobi ndo, - unti l from the fi rst obscure
movements of mi nd whi ch onl y j ust emerge out of the darkness of the
subconsci ent, t hey are t ransformed i nto an i mage of t he l umi nous
consci ousness of whi ch Indra i s the Purusha, the representati ve Bei ng.

3
Usr. In t he f emi ni ne t he word i s used as a synonym f or t he Vedi c go,
meani ng at once Cow and ray of l i ght . Usha, the Dawn, al so, i s gomat , gi rt
wi th rays or accompani ed by t he herds of the Sun. Ther e i s i n t he text a
si gni f i cant assonance, usr vy-ui u, one of the common devi ces used by the
Vedi c Ri shi s to suggest a t hought or a connecti on whi ch t hey do not consi der i t
essenti al to bri ng out expressl y.
4
avas. There are a host of words i n t he Veda f or str engt h, f or ce, power and
each of t hem carri es wi th i t i ts own pecul i ar shade of si gni f i cance. avas
usual l y conveys t he i dea of l i ght as wel l as f or ce.
5
Vabha. Bul l , Mal e, Lord or Pui ssant. Indra i s constantl y spoken of as
Vabha or Van. The word i s someti mes used by i tsel f , as her e, someti mes
wi th anot her word gover ned by i t to bri ng out t he i dea of t he herds, e. g.
Vabha mat nm, Lor d of the t hought s, where the i mage of the bul l and the
her d i s pl ai nl y i nt ended.
6
Obscure, they become consci ent; twi l i t, hal f-l i t or turned i nto mi sl eadi ng
refl ecti ons, they surmount t hese defi ci enci es and put on the di vi ne
bri l l i ance. This great evolution is effected in Time gradually, i n the
morni ngs of the human spi ri t, by the unbroken successi on of the Dawns.

t4P 9l(l- B(l4Bl ++ 4l P6| H44l6(7l-
B9T6|- BlB|( (l+l |4HlP9 4=+ =l(l+P + {-{{-\

tuvm phi indra shyaso nr

n bhv mardbhir vaytahe

supraketbhi ssahr ddhno vidy

me vrjna jrdnum 1.171.06

6. Do thou, O Indra, protect the Powers
6
i n thei r i ncreased mi ght; put
away thy wrat h agai nst the Maruts, by t hem i n thy forceful ness uphel d,
who have ri ght percepti ons. May we fi nd the strong i mpul si on that shal l
break swi ftl y through.

Interpretati on:
You prot ect the Heroi c Soul s of men, O Indra, growi ng i n thei r power! Be
one wi th Marut s whose wrath i s gone!
Powerful you hol d them i n thei r ri ght percepti on! May we fi nd the strong
i mpul si on whi ch wi l l make our body, our sacri fi ci al dwel l i ng here, ful l of
nouri shi ng wat ers of del i ght.

Vocabul ary:
avayt a-heas mfn. whose anger i s appeased RV. i , 171 , 6.
ssahi , mfn. (fr. Intens. ) conqueri ng, vi ctori ous i b. (i fc. ) abl e to bear
Nai sh.
vj ana, (once vj -) n. an encl osure, cl eared or fenced or forti fi ed pl ace
(esp. sacri fi ci al encl osure ; but al so `pasture or campi ng ground,
settl ement, town or vi l l age and i ts i nhabi tants ) RV. crookedness,
wi ckedness, decei t, wi l e, i ntri gue i b.
j radnu mfn. droppi ng or spri nkl i ng abundantl y RV. AV.

Commentary

A sequel to the col l oquy of Indra and Agastya, thi s Sukta i s Agastya' s
hymn of propi ti ati on to the Maruts whose sacri fi ce he had i nterrupted at

6
Nn. The word n seems t o have meant or i gi nal l y acti ve, swi f t or st rong. We
have nmna, strengt h, and n tama n m, most pui ssant of the Powers. It came
af terwar ds to mean mal e or man and i n t he Veda i s of t enest appl i ed to t he
gods as t he mal e powers or Pur ushas presi di ng over t he ener gi es of Nat ure as
opposed to t he f emal e power s, who are cal l ed gn.

7
the bi ddi ng of the mi ghti er dei ty. Less di rectl y, i t i s connected i n thought
wi th the 165th hymn of the Mandal a, the col l oquy of Indra and the
Maruts, i n whi ch the supremacy of the Lord of Heaven i s decl ared and
these l esser shi ni ng hosts are admi tted as subordi nate powers who
i mpart to men thei r i mpul si on towards the hi gh truths whi ch bel ong to
Indra. Gi vi ng the energy of your breat h to thei r thoughts of vari ed l i ght,
become i n them i mpel l ers to t he knowl edge of my truths. Whensoever t he
doer becomes acti ve for the work and the i ntel l i gence of the thi nker
creat es us i n hi m, O Maruts, move surel y towards t hat i l l umi ned seer,
such i s the cl osi ng word of the col l oquy, the fi nal i nj uncti on of Indra to
the i nferi or dei ti es.
These verses fi x cl earl y enough the psychol ogi cal functi on of the Marut s.
They are not properly gods of thought, rather gods of energy;
still, it i s in the mind that their energi es become effective. To the
uni nstructed Aryan worshi pper, the Maruts were powers of wi nd, storm
and rai n; i t i s the i mages of the t empest that are most commonl y appl i ed
to them and they are spoken of as t he Rudras, t he fi erce, i mpetuous
ones,a name t hat they share wi th the god of Force, Agni . Al though
Indra i s descri bed someti mes as the el dest of t he Maruts,i ndraj yeho
marudgaa,yet t hey woul d seem at fi rst to bel ong rather to t he
domai n of Vayu, t he Wi nd-God, who i n the Vedi c system i s the Mast er of
Li fe, i nspi rer of that Breath or dynami c energy, cal l ed the Prana, whi ch i s
represent ed i n man by the vi tal and nervous acti vi ti es. But t hi s i s onl y a
part of thei r physi ognomy. Bri l l i ance, no l ess than i mpetuosi ty, i s thei r
charact eri sti c. Everythi ng about them i s l ustrous, t hemsel ves, thei r
shi ni ng weapons, t hei r gol den ornaments, t hei r respl endent cars. Not
onl y do they send down the rai n, the waters, the abundance of heaven,
and break down the thi ngs best est abl i shed to make way for new
movements and new formati ons,functi ons whi ch, for the rest, they
share wi th other gods, Indra, Mi tra, Varuna,but, l i ke them, they al so
are fri ends of Truth, creat ors of Li ght. It i s so that t he Ri shi , Gotama
Rahugana, prays to them, O ye who have the fl ashi ng strength of the
Truth, mani fest that by your mi ght; pi erce wi th your l i ghtni ng the
Rakshasa. Conceal the conceal i ng darkness, repel every devourer, create
the Li ght for whi ch we l ong.
And i n another hymn, Agastya says to t hem, They carry wi th them the
sweetness (of the Ananda) as thei r eternal offspri ng and pl ay out thei r
pl ay, bri l l i ant i n the acti vi ti es of knowl edge. The Maruts, t herefore, are
energi es of the mental i ty, energi es whi ch make for knowl edge. Thei rs i s
not the settl ed t rut h, the di ffused l i ght, but t he movement , the search,
the l i ghtni ng-fl ash, and, when Trut h i s found, the many-si ded pl ay of i ts
separate i l l umi nati ons.
We have seen t hat Agastya i n hi s col l oquy wi th Indra speaks more than
once of the Maruts. They are Indra' s brothers, and t herefore the god
shoul d not st ri ke at Agastya i n hi s struggl e towards perfecti on. They are
hi s i nstruments for that perfecti on, and as such Indra shoul d use them.
8
And i n the cl osi ng formul a of submi ssi on and reconci l i ati on, he prays to
the god to parl ey agai n wi th the Marut s and to agree wi th them so that
the sacri fi ce may proceed i n the order and movement of the di vi ne Truth
towards whi ch i t i s di rected. The cri si s, then, that l eft so powerful an
i mpressi on on the mi nd of the seer, was i n the nature of a vi ol ent
struggl e i n whi ch the hi gher di vi ne Power confronted Agastya and t he
Maruts and opposed thei r i mpetuous advance.
There has been wrath and stri fe between the di vi ne Intel l i gence that
governs t he worl d and the vehement aspi ri ng powers of Agastya' s mi nd.
Both woul d have the human bei ng reach hi s goal ; but not as the i nferi or
di vi ne powers choose must that march be di rected,rather as i t has been
fi rml y wi l l ed and settl ed above by t he secret Intel l i gence that al ways
possesses for t he mani fested i nt el l i gence that sti l l seeks. Therefore the
mi nd of the human bei ng has been turned i nto a battl e-fi el d for greater
Powers and i s sti l l qui veri ng wi th the awe and al arm of that experi ence.
The submi ssi on to Indra has been made; Agastya now appeal s to the
Maruts t o accept the terms of the reconci l i ati on, so that the ful l harmony
of hi s i nner bei ng may be restored. He approaches them wi th the
submi ssi on he has rendered to the greater god and ext ends i t to thei r
bri l l i ant l egi ons.
The perfecti on of the mental stat e and i ts powers whi ch he desi res, t hei r
cl earness, recti tude, truth-observi ng energy, i s not possi bl e wi thout the
swi ft coursi ng of the Thought-Forces i n thei r movement towards the
hi gher knowl edge. But that movement , mi stakenl y di rected, not ri ghtl y
i l l umi ned, has been checked by the formi dabl e opposi ti on of Indra and
has departed for a ti me out of Agastya' s mental i ty. Thus repel l ed, the
Maruts have l eft hi m for other sacri fi cers; el sewhere shi ne thei r
respl endent chari ots, i n other fi el ds thunder t he hooves of thei r wi nd-
footed steeds.
The Seer prays to t hem to put asi de thei r wrath, to take pl easure once
more i n the pursui t of knowl edge and i n i ts acti vi ti es; not passi ng hi m by
any more, l et t hem unyoke thei r st eeds, descend and t ake t hei r pl ace on
the seat of the sacri fi ce, assume thei r share of the offeri ngs.
For he woul d confi rm agai n i n hi msel f these spl endi d energi es, and i t i s a
hymn of affi rmati on that he offers them, the stoma of the Vedi c sages. In
the system of the Mysti cs, whi ch has parti al l y survi ved i n the school s of
Indi an Yoga, t he Word i s a power, the Word creates. For al l creati on i s
expressi on, everythi ng exi sts al ready i n the secret abode of the Infi ni te,
guh hi tam, and has onl y to be brought out here i n apparent form by the
acti ve consci ousness. Certai n school s of Vedi c thought even suppose t he
worl ds to have been creat ed by the goddess Word and sound as fi rst
etheri c vi brati on to have preceded formati on.
In the Veda i tsel f there are passages whi ch treat the poeti c measures of
the sacred mantras, anu ubh, t ri ubh, j agat , gyatr ,as symbol i c of
the rhythms i n whi ch the uni versal movement of thi ngs i s cast.
9
By expressi on then we create and men are even sai d to create the gods
i n themsel ves by the mantra. Agai n, that whi ch we have creat ed i n our
consci ousness by the Word, we can fi x there by the Word to become part
of oursel ves and effecti ve not onl y i n our i nner l i fe but upon the out er
physi cal worl d. By expressi on we form, by affi rmati on we establ i sh. As a
power of expressi on the word i s termed g or vacas; as a power of
affi rmati on, stoma.

In ei ther aspect i t i s named manma or mantra, expressi on of thought i n
mi nd, and brahman, expressi on of the heart or t he soul ,for thi s seems
to have been the earl i er sense of t he word brahman,
7
afterwards appl i ed
to the Supreme Soul or uni versal Bei ng.
The process of formati on of the mantra i s descri bed i n the second verse
al ong wi th the condi ti ons of i ts effecti vi ty. Agastya present s the stoma,
hymn at once of affi rmati on and of submi ssi on, to the Maruts. Fashi oned
by the heart, i t recei ves i ts j ust pl ace i n t he mental i ty through
confi rmati on by the mi nd. The mantra, though i t expresses thought i n
mi nd, i s not i n i ts essenti al part a creati on of the i ntel l ect. To be the
sacred and effecti ve word, i t must have come as an i nspi rati on from the
supra-mental pl ane, termed i n Veda, Ri tam, the Truth, and have been
recei ved i nto the superfi ci al consci ousness ei ther through the heart or by
the l umi nous i ntel l i gence, man . The heart i n Vedi c psychol ogy i s not
rest ri cted to the seat of the emoti ons; i t i ncl udes al l that l arge tract of
spontaneous ment al i ty, nearest to the subconsci ent i n us, out of whi ch
ri se the sensati ons, emoti ons, i nsti ncts, i mpul ses and al l those i ntui ti ons
and i nspi rati ons that travel through t hese agenci es before they arri ve at
form i n the i ntel l i gence.
Thi s i s the heart of Veda and Vedant a, hdaya, hd, or brahman. There
i n the present st ate of manki nd the Purusha i s supposed t o be seated
central l y. Nearer to the vast ness of the subconsci ent, i t i s there that, i n
ordi nary manki nd,man not yet exal ted to a hi gher pl ane where the
contact wi th the Infi ni te i s l umi nous, i nti mate and di rect,the
i nspi rati ons of the Uni versal Soul can most easi l y ent er i n and most
swi ftl y take possessi on of the i ndi vi dual soul . It i s therefore by the power
of the heart that the mantra t akes form. But i t has to be recei ved and
hel d i n the t hought of the i ntel l i gence as wel l as i n the percepti ons of the
heart; for not ti l l the i ntel l i gence has accepted and even brooded upon i t,
can that t rut h of t hought whi ch the t rut h of the Word expresses be fi rml y
possessed or normal l y effecti ve. Fashi oned by t he heart, i t i s confi rmed
by the mi nd.

7
Al so f ound i n t he f orm bh (Bri haspati , Brahmanaspati ); and t her e seem t o
have been ol der f or ms, b han and brahan. It i s f rom br ahan (gen. brahnas)
that, i n al l probabi l i ty, we have the Gr eek phren, phrenos, si gni f yi ng mi nd.

10
But another approval i s al so needed. The i ndi vi dual mi nd has accepted;
the effecti ve powers of the Cosmos must al so accept. The words of the
hymn retai ned by t he mi nd form a basi s for the new ment al posture from
whi ch the future thought-energi es have to proceed. The Maruts must
approach them and take t hei r st and upon t hem, the mi nd of these
uni versal Powers approve and uni te i tsel f wi th the formati ons i n the mi nd
of the i ndi vi dual . So onl y can our i nner or our outer act i on have i ts
supreme effecti vi ty.
Nor have t he Maruts any reason to refuse thei r assent or to persi st i n t he
prol ongati on of di scord. Di vi ne powers who themsel ves obey a hi gher l aw
than the personal i mpul se, i t shoul d be t hei r functi on, as i t i s thei r
essenti al nature, to assi st the mortal i n hi s surrender to the Immortal
and i ncrease obedi ence to the Trut h, the Vast towards whi ch hi s human
facul ti es aspi re.
Indra, affi rmed and accepted, i s no l onger i n hi s contact wi th the mort al
a cause of sufferi ng; the di vi ne touch i s now utterl y creati ve of peace
and fel i ci ty. The Maruts too, affi rmed and accepted, must put asi de thei r
vi ol ence. Assumi ng thei r gentl er forms, beni gnant i n thei r acti on, not
l eadi ng the soul through stri fe and di st urbance, they too must become
purel y benefi cent as wel l as pui ssant agenci es.
Thi s compl ete harmony est abl i shed, Agastya' s Yoga wi l l proceed
tri umphantl y on the new and strai ght pat h prescri bed to i t.

It i s al ways the el evati on to a hi gher pl ane that i s the end,hi gher than
the ordi nary l i fe of di vi ded and egoi sti c sensati on, emoti on, thought and
acti on. And i t i s to be pursued al ways wi th the same pui ssant wi l l
towards vi ctory over al l that resi sts and hampers. But i t must be an
i ntegral exal tati on. Al l the j oys that t he human bei ng seeks wi th hi s
desi re, al l the acti ve energi es of hi s waki ng consci ousness,hi s days, as
i t i s expressed i n the bri ef symbol i c l anguage of the Veda,must be
upl i fted to that hi gher pl ane. By vanni are meant t he recepti ve
sensati ons seeki ng i n al l obj ecti vi ti es the Ananda whose quest i s thei r
reason for exi stence. These, too, are not excl uded. Nothi ng has to be
rej ected, al l has to be rai sed to t he pure l evel s of the di vi ne
consci ousness.
Formerl y Agastya had prepared t he sacri fi ce for the Marut s under ot her
condi ti ons. He had put thei r ful l potenti al i ty of force i nto al l i n hi m that
he sought to pl ace i n the hands of the Thought-Powers; but because of
the def ect i n hi s sacri fi ce he had been met mi dway by the Mi ghty One as
by an enemy and onl y after fear and strong sufferi ng had hi s eyes been
opened and hi s soul surrendered. Sti l l vi brati ng wi th the emot i ons of that
experi ence, he has been compel l ed to renounce t he acti vi ti es whi ch he
had so pui ssantl y prepared. Now he offers the sacri fi ce agai n to the
Maruts, but coupl es wi th that bri l l i ant Name the more pui ssant godhead
of Indra. Let t he Maruts t hen bear no wrath for the i nterrupted sacri fi ce
but accept thi s new and more j ustl y gui ded acti on.
11
Agastya turns, i n the two cl osi ng verses, from the Maruts to Indra. The
Maruts represent the progressi ve i l l umi nati on of human mental i ty, unti l
from the fi rst obscure movements of mi nd whi ch onl y j ust emerge out of
the darkness of the subconsci ent, they are transformed i nto an i mage of
the l umi nous consci ousness of whi ch Indra i s the Purusha, the
represent ati ve Bei ng.
Obscure, they become consci ent; twi l i t, hal f-l i t or turned i nto mi sl eadi ng
refl ecti ons, they surmount t hese defi ci enci es and put on the di vi ne
bri l l i ance. Thi s great evol uti on i s effected i n Ti me gradual l y, i n the
morni ngs of the human spi ri t, by the unbroken successi on of the Dawns.
For Dawn i n t he Veda i s the goddess symbol i c of new openi ngs of di vi ne
i l l umi nati on on man' s physi cal consci ousness. She al ternat es wi th her
si ster Ni ght; but that darkness i tsel f i s a mother of l i ght and al ways
Dawn comes to reveal what the bl ack-browed Mother has prepared. Here,
however, the seer seems to speak of conti nuous dawns, not broken by
these i nterval s of apparent rest and obscuri ty. By the bri l l i ant force of
that conti nui ty of successi ve i l l umi nati ons the mental i ty of man ascends
swi ftl y i nto ful l est l i ght. But al ways the force whi ch has governed and
made possi bl e the t ransformati on, i s the pui ssance of Indra. It i s that
supreme Intel l i gence whi ch through t he Dawns, through the Maruts, has
been pouri ng i tsel f i nto the human bei ng. Indra i s the Bul l of the radi ant
herd, the Master of the t hought-energi es, the Lord of the l umi nous
dawns.
Now al so l et Indra use t he Maruts as hi s i nstruments for t he i l l umi nati on.
By them l et hi m establ i sh the supramental knowl edge of the seer. By
thei r energy hi s energy wi l l be supported i n the human nature and he wi l l
gi ve that nature hi s di vi ne fi rmness, hi s di vi ne force, so that i t may not
stumbl e under the shock or fai l to contai n the vaster pl ay of pui ssant
acti vi ti es too great f or our ordi nary capaci ty.
The Maruts, t hus rei nforced i n strengt h, wi l l al ways need t he gui dance
and prot ecti on of the superi or Power. They are t he Purushas of the
separate thought-energi es, Indra the one Purusha of al l thought-energy.
In hi m they fi nd thei r ful l ness and thei r harmony. Let there then be no
l onger stri fe and di sagreement between thi s whol e and these parts. The
Maruts, accepti ng Indra, wi l l recei ve from hi m the ri ght percepti on of the
thi ngs that have to be known. They wi l l not be mi sl ed by the bri l l i ance of
a parti al l i ght or carri ed too far by the absorpti on of a l i mi ted energy.
They wi l l be abl e to sustai n t he acti on of Indra as he puts forth hi s force
agai nst al l that may yet stand between t he soul and i ts consummati on.
So i n the harmony of these di vi ne Powers and thei r aspi rati ons may
humani ty fi nd that i mpul si on whi ch shal l be strong enough to break
through the myri ad opposi ti ons of thi s worl d and, i n the i ndi vi dual wi th
hi s composi te personal i ty or i n the race, pass rapi dl y on towards the goal
so constantl y gl i mpsed but so di stant even to hi m who seems to hi msel f
al most to have att ai ned.