Rig Veda 9.11.7: Mandala 9, Sukta 11, Mantra 7
Sukta 9.11
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अमित्रहा विचर्षणिः पवस्व सोम शं गवे । देवेभ्यो अनुकामकृत् ॥
a̱mitra̱-hā vícarṣaṇiḥ páv asva soma śáṃ gáve | devébhyo anukāma̱-kṛt ||
হে সোম, অমিত্ৰ-হন, বিস্তৃত দীপ্ত দৰ্শনসম্পন্ন, পবিত্ৰতাত প্ৰবাহিত হওঁক—গৱে (অন্তৰ-গো, জ্ঞানৰ ৰশ্মি)ৰ শান্তি আৰু সঠিক বৃদ্ধি বাবে; দেৱসকলৰ সত্য ইচ্ছা আমাৰ ভিতৰত পূৰ্ণ কৰা অনুকামকৃত হৈ।
Word by Word
- अमित्रहा
- enemy-slayerAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (सोमः—कर्ता, विशेषणरूपेण)Root अमित्र- + √हन् (हन्॑) → -हा (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
- विचर्षणिः
- wide-ranging / among men (all-pervading)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (सोमः—कर्ता, विशेषणरूपेण)Root वि- + चर्षणि- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मनुष्य/जन’ अर्थे)
- पवस्व
- purify yourself; flow (as purified)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्Role (आह्वान/विधेय) — क्रियाRoot √पू (पवते) ‘to purify, flow’
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधन (आह्वान)Root सोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- शम्
- for welfare; auspiciouslyIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role प्रयोजन/फल-निर्देश (क्रियाविशेषणभावः)Root शम् (अव्यय) ‘well, auspiciously, for welfare’
- गवे
- for the cow; for cattleNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (हितार्थे—‘for the cow/cattle’)Root गो- (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेभ्यः
- for the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-बहुवचनम्Role Sampradāna (हितार्थे—‘for the gods’)Root देव- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अनुकामकृत्
- fulfilling desires; acting according to wishAdjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (सोमः—कर्ता, विशेषणरूपेण)Root अनु- + काम- + √कृ (कर॑ोति) → कृत् (कृदन्त)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अमित्रहा | विचर्षणिः | पवस्व | सोम | शम् | गवे | देवेभ्यः | अनुकामकृत् । Sandhi/phonetics: (1) ‘पवस्व सोम’ = पदान्त ‘पवस्व’ + सम्बोधन ‘सोम’ (विशेष सन्धि-परिवर्तन नहीं). (2) ‘शं गवे’ में ‘शम्’ अव्ययम्
- परम्परागत लेखन में अनुस्वार/मकार-परिवर्तन (शम्/शं) वैदिक-पाठभेदानुसार. (3) ‘देवेभ्यो अनुकामकृत्’ में ‘देवेभ्यः’ (चतुर्थी-बहु) + ‘अनुकामकृत्’ (प्रथमा-एक) — संधि नहीं
- पदविरामे विसर्गः स्पष्टः
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma, slayer of enemies, wide-seeing, flow purified for the welfare of the cow; fulfilling the gods’ desires.
Inner meaning
Soma as purified delight becomes the force that destroys inner hostility (amitra)—doubt, depression, desire-ridden impulses. ‘Wide-seeing’ (vicarṣaṇi) is the luminous range of consciousness that Soma opens. Flow for the peace and increase of the ‘cow’ (go) meaning the rays of knowledge; when delight is purified, knowledge grows without strain. ‘Anukāmakṛt’ indicates alignment: Soma makes our nature consent to the true will of the gods (divine powers) rather than to the cravings of the lower being.
Universal truth
When joy is purified of ego and agitation, it becomes a power that dissolves inner enemies and naturally increases clarity, insight, and harmonious cooperation of the higher faculties.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Inner combat (hostile forces slain), Illumination (go as ray of knowledge)
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.11 (adjacent verses)
Significance
The seer speaks from the standpoint of the inner yajña: Soma is invoked as a conscious force that reforms the nature and aligns it with the devas.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Amitrahā, Vicarṣaṇi, Pavamāna
- Related deities
- Indra, Bṛhaspati (for illumination), Sūrya (vision)
Cosmic role
Purifier and increaser of divine powers; sustainer of gods through the bliss-essence.
Inner power
Ananda that widens consciousness, brings peace, and defeats the ‘coverers’ and hostile formations.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna stotra/recitation during Soma filtration
अ॒मि॒त्र॒हा विच॑र्षणि॒: पव॑स्व सोम॒ शं गवे॑ । दे॒वेभ्यो॑ अनुकाम॒कृत् ॥
अ॒मि॒त्र॒ऽहा । विऽच॑र्षणिः । पव॑स्व । सो॒म॒ । शम् । गवे॑ । दे॒वेभ्यः॑ । अ॒नु॒का॒म॒ऽकृत् ॥
amitra-hā | vi-carṣaṇiḥ | pavasva | soma | śam | gave | devebhyaḥ | anukāma-kṛt
24
3×8 syllables
Bright and forward-flowing; suited to ‘pavasva’ imperative.
Energizes purification; gives a clean, expansive mental space and a sense of victorious clearing.
- अमित्रहा (amitrahā)
- Literal: slayer of enemies/hostiles. Symbolic: destroyer of inner resistances (fear, doubt, craving, inertia)
- विचर्षणिः (vicarṣaṇiḥ)
- Literal: wide-seeing, far-shining. Symbolic: expanded luminous awareness; breadth of vision
- पवस्व (pavasva)
- Literal: flow/purify thyself. Symbolic: self-clarifying movement of Ananda through the being
- शम् (śam)
- Literal: peace, welfare. Symbolic: quietude that stabilizes knowledge
- गवे (gave)
- Literal: for the cow. Symbolic: for the rays of light/knowledge (go as illumination)
- देवेभ्यः अनुकामकृत् (devebhyo anukāmakṛt)
- Literal: fulfilling the gods’ wishes. Symbolic: harmonizing human nature with divine intentions/powers
Soma Pavamāna verses used in Soma pressing/straining (pavamāna stotras) within Soma-yajña cycles such as Agniṣṭoma.
While Soma flows through the pavitra; invoked for protection and increase of beneficent powers
Chant to accompany the streaming Soma and consecrate it toward divine ends
Use as a mantra for clearing negativity before study/meditation; intend ‘peace for the rays of knowledge’—a calm, bright mind.
: amitra (a-mitra ‘non-friend’, hostile) + √han ‘to strike, slay’ → ‘slayer of hostile powers’. : vi- ‘apart, wide’ + carṣaṇi (from √cṛ/√car ‘move, act; also related to ‘seeing/ordering’ in Vedic usage) → ‘wide-ranging/wide-seeing’. : imperative middle, √pū/√pav ‘to purify, clarify, strain’—technical Soma term for clarified flow through the filter and psychologically the clarifying movement in mind. : indeclinable from śam ‘to calm, pacify’ → peace/harmony. : dative singular of go ‘cow’—Vedic polyvalence: ‘cow’ as light-ray/illumination (because go also denotes ‘ray’ and ‘brightness’ in many RV contexts). : anu ‘following, according to’ + kāma ‘desire, intention’ + √kṛ ‘to do, accomplish’ → ‘one who accomplishes in accord with (divine) intention’.
Ṛta (right order through purification and right movement), inner battle of light vs. hostility (amitra as obscuring forces), harmony/śam as settled integration of the being
Purification is the restoration of right order—removing hostile distortions.
‘Anukāmakṛt’ implies consent to the true will (satya-saṅkalpa) of higher powers.
Expansion of vision (vicarṣaṇi) as a creative widening of consciousness.
Integral-Vedāntic reading: devas as psychological powers; Soma as Ananda-force.
A cleansing current moving through the nerves/mind, washing out hostile knots and leaving peaceful luminosity for knowledge to grow.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Soma as the purifier and ‘slayer of enemies’: the flowing delight-power that destroys the amitra (inner hostile formations) and restores the ‘cow’ (go) as illumination/knowledge. The outer image of ritual straining is the inner action of clarifying consciousness so that the rays of knowledge become peaceful and increase.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √han ‘to strike/kill’ (amitra-hā) continues PIE *gʷhen- ‘to slay’ (cf. Avestan jan-, Greek -phonos via different formations; broadly the Indo-European ‘slay’ root complex). √kṛ ‘to do/make’ (anukāma-kṛt) reflects PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘to do, make’ seen across Indo-Iranian (Skt kar-, Av. kar-). √pū/√pav ‘purify’ aligns with Indo-Iranian ritual vocabulary of cleansing/clarifying; while exact PIE linkage is debated, the semantic field of purification is archaic and central to Indo-Iranian liturgical diction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s speech is an injunction/request: Soma is urged to ‘flow’ not merely as ritual liquor but as an inner force that accomplishes divine intentions (devebhyo anukāma-kṛt). The reciprocity is: the human calls Soma into active purification; Soma in return pacifies the being (śam) and increases illumination (gave), enabling the gods’ operations in the human vessel.
Let a current of calm joy widen awareness; offer inner resistances into that stream until they dissolve.
anāhata (peace/śam) flowing upward to ājñā (wide-seeing)
On inhale: ‘pavasva’; on exhale: release ‘amitra’ (hostile thought). 12 cycles.
Expansive, bright, fearless calm.
Name one inner ‘amitra’ (e.g., doubt). Chant once, then feel Soma as a cool luminous flow washing it out; end by inviting knowledge-rays to rise quietly.
Udātta typically on semantically strong words (amitrahā, pavasva, soma, gave); keep svarita transitions smooth (recension-dependent).
Strike ‘pavasva’ clearly; keep ‘śaṃ gave’ gentle and pacifying; do not harden the visarga in devebhyaḥ.
amitrahā: clear long ā at end, vicarṣaṇiḥ: retroflex ṣ, and final ḥ audible but light, pavasva: v not b; keep sv cluster, śaṃ: anusvāra as nasalization before g in gave, anukāmakṛt: long ā in -kā-, crisp kṛt with vocalic ṛ
Bright, victorious, then soften on ‘śaṃ gave’.
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