Tr. O strong one, making vision of knowledge for him who had it not, and form, for what had no form, thou art born with the rays of the dawn of knowledge.
maryāḥ O strong one; thou aketave for him without knowledge (dative in the sense of 'for the sake of') ketum knowledge kļņvan creating ; apeśase for him without form ; peśaḥ form (creating); sam gathering; uşadbhiḥ with the rays of the dawn of knowledge ; ajāyathāḥ are born. That is, thou art born with the collective rise of the aides, the divine rays of knowledge.
maryāḥ: words denoting strength are generally derived from roots meaning hurting. The term dakşa is taken in the sense of strength from dams, dams or damsay, so they say. Because he brings death to the enemies, he is the powerful, strong. In “He is the will, he is Strength" (1.77.3), Sayana's comment also supports this meaning. It is to be noted that the term. marya to indicate strength has been used hundreds of times elsewhere. Here marya is the vocative to Indra. When the car is ready and the horses yoked to it, and the divine rays of knowledge rise together, Indra is manifest. The meaning is that pleased he became visible to the eye of the Rishi. He himself gives that vision to the Rishi. That is why it is said ketum kļņvan, making knowledge. ketu is the eye of knowledge born of inner understanding. This inner sight of knowledge obtained by the grace of Indra will not alone suffice to remain steadily in the divine vision. Some sort of receptacle is needed for such a divine revelation. But that cannot be this earthly body. Just as the outer body is the basis for the outer eye, so too for the inner eye of knowledge an appropriate body becomes necessary for its base. And that body is normally mixed, submerged, concealed, in the inert material consciousness in the physical body of man and hence unmanifest. It is that subtle body perceivable by the divine vision, indicated by the term rūpa that Indra manifests in coming to light—this is the meaning.
This must be noted here; ratha is a special movement, divine, broad and bright. This is presided over by Indra. The horses yoked to it are also shining ones, especially vehicles of power. It is generally possible in the Rik Samhita to grasp the innate nature of the horses of Indra by the words describing their qualities. These are-be it noted-special powers of inner sight, divine manifestations of knowledge. Indra's horses are also described in 2.11.6: “We laud thy steeds, intuitive rays of Surya”, “intuitive rays”, “dwellers in luminous heaven”. Both of these are first brought together by the mantra, the word proceeding from the heart of the Rishi and are then yoked to the car presided over by Indra. That is why Indra's horses are lauded in many mantras as yoked by the Word: “Destroyer of Vritra, mount thy car, thy steeds are yoked by the Word” (1.84.3); “These friendly horses that are yoked by Word I harness by Word” (3.35.4); “Bring hither, O powerful, steeds yoked by the Word, our comrade, renowned by our chants, fond of chant” (8.2.27). There are other such mantras also by which not merely the innate nature of the steeds of Indra-covert or overt-is established, but it is also made known that the word from the heart of the Rishi, the mantra denoted by the term brahma, was the sole means to obtain the riches of divine sight and the like through the grace of the steeds of Indra.
Now after the appearance of Indra, the help of the Maruts is sought for in his work. The Maruts are particular gods who set a divine pace to the mental movements of fierce speed and brilliance. What is said before, that the illumined mind is the domain of Indra, is to be kept in mind. When the intellect of the perfected Rishi enters there, his faculties are reborn therein. This is the second birth of the Maruts in man, the individual. The first birth is like the other Gods in the collective creation for their own function. This rebirth of the Maruts follows the birth of Indra. That is why the legion of the Maruts are celebrated in the Veda as having Indra as the eldest.
The fourth Rik deals with this very topic. We have thus spoken of the birth of the Maruts following the view of the ancients. Actually, however, it is the rebirth of the god-aspiring Rishis themselves for the attainment of divinity.