Rig Veda 9.63.23: Mandala 9, Sukta 63, Mantra 23
Sukta 9.63
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
पवमान नि तोशसे रयिं सोम श्रवाय्यम् । प्रियः समुद्रमा विश ॥
pávamāna ní tośase rayíṃ soma śravā́yyam | priyáḥ samudrám ā́ víśa ||
يا سوما، أيّها المُطهِّر، استقرَّ في بهجتنا وامنحْنا rayi—غِنىً جديرًا بأن تُنصِتَ إليه الإلهامات؛ أيّها الحبيب، ادخلْ في بحرِ الامتلاء.
Word by Word
- पवमान
- O Pavamāna (purifying Soma)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (addressed)Root पवमान- (सोमविशेषः; √पू (पवते) ‘to purify/flow’)
- नि
- down, into; forth (as preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (directional: ‘down/into’)Role क्रियाविशेषण (verb-modifier)Root नि (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- तोशसे
- thou art pleased / thou takest delightVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (वेदिक प्रयोग) — ‘thou art pleased/pleasest thyself’Role क्रिया (मुख्य क्रिया)Root √तुष् (तोषति/तुष्यति) ‘to please, satisfy’
- रयिम्
- wealth, richesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (object of giving/bringing implied)Root रयि-
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधन (addressed)Root सोम-
- श्रवाय्यम्
- fame-worthy, gloriousAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (रयिम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root श्रवाय्य- (श्रवस् ‘fame’ + -य्य; ‘worthy of fame/hearing’)
- प्रियः
- dear, belovedAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject/apposition to Soma)Root प्रिय-
- समुद्रम्
- the ocean, seaNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म/गति-लक्ष्य (goal with motion ‘toward/into the sea’)Root समुद्र-
- आ
- towards, hitherIndeclinableउपसर्ग (towards, hither)Role क्रियाविशेषण (verb-modifier)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- विश
- enter!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (imperative)Root √विश् (विशति) ‘to enter’
Sandhi Notes
- पाठः: पव॑मान॒ नि तो॑शसे र॒यिं सो॑म श्र॒वाय्य॑म् । प्रि॒यः स॑मु॒द्रमा वि॑श ॥ Sandhi resolution: ‘समुद्रम् + आ + विश’ → ‘समुद्रम् आ विश’ (पदपाठे ‘समुद्रम् आ विश’).
- ‘नि’ उपसर्गरूपेण ‘तोशसे’ इत्यनेन सह प्रयुक्तम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma, purifying, settle into our delight and bring wealth worthy of fame; beloved, enter the ocean.
Inner meaning
Purified Soma is invited to ‘sit down’ (ni tośase) in the heart’s gladness—stable Ananda, not passing excitement. From that settled delight comes rayi (richness): increase of inner capacities, luminous resources ‘worthy of hearing’ (śravāyya)—i.e., recognized by the soul and affirmed by inspiration. Finally Soma enters the ‘ocean’ (samudra): the vast plenitude of consciousness where individual joy becomes universal Ananda.
Universal truth
When joy is purified and made steady within, it becomes true wealth—inner richness and lasting fulfillment—opening into a boundless oceanic consciousness.
Themes
inner satisfaction (tośa), abundance (rayi), vastness symbolism (samudra), Soma as beloved indweller
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets (specific r̥ṣi uncertain)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.63.20–24 (sequence), RV 9.86/9.96 (Soma entering waters/ocean; thematic)
Family tradition
Soma hymn tradition emphasizing ‘settling’ of Soma and entry into vastness (samudra imagery)
Significance
The seer’s key move is from dynamic purification to stable establishment and then wideness—Ananda becomes foundational and universal.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Priya (beloved)
- Related deities
- Āpas (cosmic waters, implicit), Indra (receiver of Soma’s strength, contextual)
Cosmic role
Soma returns to the cosmic waters/ocean—source-plenitude—after purification; he distributes abundance (rayi) to the sacrificer.
Inner power
Beloved delight that stabilizes the heart and opens it to vast, oceanic consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna Soma chants during filtration and consecration; ‘entry into ocean’ resonates with Soma returning to waters/vessels
पव॑मान॒ नि तो॑शसे र॒यिं सो॑म श्र॒वाय्य॑म् । प्रि॒यः स॑मु॒द्रमा वि॑श ॥
पव॑मान । नि । तो॑शसे । र॒यिम् । सो॒म॒ । श्र॒वाय्य॑म् । प्रि॒यः । स॒मु॒द्रम् । आ । वि॒श॒ ॥
pavamāna | ni | tośase | rayim | soma | śravāyyam | priyaḥ | samudram | ā | viśa
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4 × ~12
Broad, settling cadence; the second half feels like a ‘merging’ movement.
Invokes calm fullness; supports heart-settling and widening into quiet vastness.
- पवमान (pavamāna)
- Literal: purifying. Symbolic: self-refining delight becoming clear and sattwic
- नि तोशसे (ni tośase)
- Literal: sit down to delight, settle. Symbolic: establish Ananda as a stable base in the being
- रयिम् (rayim)
- Literal: wealth, abundance. Symbolic: inner increase: powers, wideness, supportive conditions, luminous resources
- श्रवाय्यम् (śravāyyam)
- Literal: worthy of hearing/fame. Symbolic: that which the inspired consciousness can receive and affirm; soul-recognized increase
- प्रियः (priyaḥ)
- Literal: beloved. Symbolic: intimate divine sweetness; the delight that the soul naturally loves
- समुद्रम् (samudram)
- Literal: ocean. Symbolic: infinite plenitude; vast consciousness (mahān āpo) of Ananda
Invocation during Soma purification to establish Soma’s ‘delight’ and ‘wealth’ in the sacrificer; stotra usage in Soma-yajña
During Soma’s clarified flow and collection; also as a blessing for abundance
Invocation for Soma to bestow rayi and to complete the purification cycle
A mantra for emotional stabilization and abundance-consciousness; useful in gratitude practice.
pavamāna: from √pū/√pav ‘purify’ as middle participle ‘self-purifying’; tośase: dative of tośa from √tuṣ ‘be pleased, satisfied’; rayim: rayi ‘wealth’ possibly linked to √rā ‘to give’/√ri ‘to flow’ (semantic field of abundance); śravāyyam: desiderative/gerundive sense ‘to be heard’ from √śru ‘hear’; samudra: sam- ‘together’ + udra/udán ‘water’ → gathered waters, plenitude.
rayi as plenitude of being, śravas as inspired hearing/renown (mantric reception), entering the ocean as merging into infinite consciousness
Right joy does not scatter; it settles and widens—this is ṛta in the affective nature.
Śravāyya rayi suggests increase that is true and enduring, not deceptive gain.
From purified essence arises abundance; the individual returns to the cosmic ocean—microcosm into macrocosm.
Vedāntic resonance: oceanic consciousness as brahmic wideness; Integral reading: stable Ananda as basis for transformation.
Ocean = vast consciousness; settling = steadiness of heart; wealth = inner resources; beloved = psychic sweetness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma ‘enters the ocean’—a recurring Vedic image where the clarified flow returns into a vast reservoir. Innerly, the purified delight enters the ocean of consciousness, and from that immersion issues rayi (plenitude) that is śravāyya—fit to be received by inspired hearing.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru (śravāyya) reflects PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’ (cf. Greek klýō, Latin cluēre, English ‘loud’ via different development), showing the IE prestige of ‘hearing’ as fame/revelation; √viś ‘enter’ continues PIE *weik̑- ‘settle/enter’ (broadly comparable to Latin vīcus ‘settlement’ in extended semantic field).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi asks Soma to become an indwelling presence (‘establish into delight’) and to generate inner plenitude (rayi). The relationship is intimate (priyaḥ): Soma is not distant; he is the beloved power entering the practitioner’s vastness (samudra) and making the mind a vessel of inspired reception (śravas).
Establish purified joy in the heart, then expand awareness into oceanic vastness.
Anāhata (settling delight) with sahasrāra/ākāśa-like wideness as ‘samudra’
4-6 breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6) to encourage settling; on exhale imagine merging into an inner ocean
Stable gladness, tender devotion, widening peace.
Chant softly; after chanting, rest attention behind the heart-center, then let the sense of ‘I’ dissolve into a wide, quiet field.
Recensional pitch accents required for exact svara; not fully inferable from plain text.
Keep ‘pavamāna’ bright; soften on ‘ni tośase’; broaden on ‘samudram ā viśa’ as if entering vastness.
(śravāyyam): double ‘yy’ glide; keep ś (palatal) distinct from ṣ, (samudram): clear ‘mu’ and dental d, (viśa): palatal ś sound at end, (tośase): long-ish ‘o’ and clear ś
Soft, warm, inward; allow longer resonance at line endings.
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