Rig Veda 9.13.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 13, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.13
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
पवन्ते वाजसातये सोमाः सहस्रपाजसः । गृणाना देववीतये ॥
pávante vā́ja-sātaye sómāḥ sahásra-pājasaḥ | gṛṇānā́ deva-vī́taye ||
বাজসাতয়ৰ—বল-সমৃদ্ধি জয়ৰ—বাবে সোমধাৰাসকল নিজে পৱিত্ৰ হয়; সহস্ৰ-শক্তিসম্পন্ন, স্তোত্ৰে গীত হৈ গীত হৈ, দেববীতয়ৰ বাবে প্রবাহিত হয়—দেৱসকলৰ আনন্দময় অংশগ্ৰহণৰ নিমিত্তে।
Word by Word
- पव॑न्ते
- they purify/flowVerbPresent (laṭ), 3rd person, plural; ĀtmanepadaRole (with subject ‘सोमाः’) — Kriyā (verbal predicate)Root √पू (पवते) ‘to purify, flow’
- वाज॑सातये
- for the winning of prizesNoun (abstract) / purpose-dativeFeminine, Dative singularRole Sampradāna (purpose/benefit: ‘for the winning of prizes’)Root वाजसाति- (वाज ‘prize, strength’ + साति ‘winning, gaining’)
- सोमा॑ः
- the Soma (drops)NounMasculine, Nominative pluralRole Kartā (subject)Root सोम-
- स॒हस्र॑पाजसः
- of thousandfold strength / very mightyAdjective (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa-type compound used adjectivally)Masculine, Nominative plural (agreeing with ‘सोमाः’)Role Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of the subject)Root सहस्रपाजस्- (सहस्र ‘thousand’ + पाजस् ‘strength, might, vigor’)
- गृ॒णा॒ना
- praising / singingVerbal adjective (participle)Present active participle, Masculine Nominative plural (agreeing with ‘सोमाः’)Role Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (describing the subject while acting)Root √गॄ/√गृ (गृणाति/गृणते) ‘to sing, praise’ → present participle
- दे॒ववी॑तये
- for the gods’ enjoyment / for divine receptionNoun (abstract) / purpose-dativeFeminine, Dative singularRole Sampradāna (purpose/benefit: ‘for the gods’ enjoyment/for divine reception’)Root देववीति- (देव ‘god’ + वीति ‘pursuit, enjoyment, reception; (ritual) divine enjoyment/banquet’)
Sandhi Notes
- देव-वीतये
- वाज-सातये. Accents as in Saṃhitā: पव॑न्ते, वाज॑सातये, सोमा॑ः, सहस्र॑पाजसः, दे॒ववी॑तये
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Soma streams (in ritual, the expressed juice) are purified through the filter for the gaining of vāja (prize/strength). They are ‘thousand-powered’ and flow while being praised, for the gods’ enjoyment/participation.
Inner meaning
The currents of Soma—waves of luminous Ananda released by inner aspiration—self-clarify (pavante) as consciousness is refined. This purification is for vājasātaye: the attainment of effective spiritual force and victorious capacity in life. ‘Thousand-energied’ indicates abundant, many-sided dynamisms of delight. The hymn (gṛṇānāḥ) is the mantra-force of the seeker’s soul-call that invites the divine powers (deva-vīti) to take glad possession and collaborate in the being.
Universal truth
When delight is purified by sincerity and right rhythm, it becomes a many-powered energy that naturally attracts higher faculties; praise/affirmation aligned with truth turns inner joy into effective strength and divine participation.
Themes
Victory/attainment, Empowerment, Soma purification, Praise-song
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.13.1-10 (same sūkta context), RV 9.61 (pavamāna purification theme), RV 9.62 (Soma as clarifier and inspirer)
Family tradition
Pavamāna Soma hymn tradition (inner purification through the ‘filter’ as central symbol).
Significance
The seer-vision here is of Ananda not as pleasure but as a purifying power that calls the gods (higher faculties) into embodied participation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (self-purifying), Indu (bright drop), Pavitra (of the filter, implied), Madhu (honeyed delight, implied)
- Related deities
- Agni (leader of inner sacrifice), Indra (illumined mind that receives Soma), Aśvins (helpers in the journey of awakening), Maruts (energies that accompany the surge)
Cosmic role
Principle of delight and immortality that, when clarified, becomes the food of the gods and the energizer of right action and right seeing.
Inner power
Ananda that purifies mind-life, increases luminous force (vāja), and opens the being to divine influx.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (Pavamāna chants during filtering)
पव॑न्ते॒ वाज॑सातये॒ सोमा॑: स॒हस्र॑पाजसः । गृ॒णा॒ना दे॒ववी॑तये ॥
पव॑न्ते । वाज॑ऽसातये । सोमाः॑ । स॒हस्र॑ऽपाजसः । गृ॒णा॒नाः । दे॒वऽवी॑तये ॥
pavante | vāja-sātaye | somāḥ | sahasra-pājasaḥ | gṛṇānāḥ | deva-vītaye
24
3 pādas of ~8 syllables each
swift, forward-driving, bright cadence suited to ‘flowing’ imagery
evokes a clean upward surge; supports clarity, aspiration, and energization of the inner being
- पव॑न्ते (pavante)
- Literal: they purify/clarify themselves. Symbolic: self-refining movement of consciousness; spontaneous clarification of delight-mind
- सोमाः (somāḥ)
- Literal: Soma juices/drops. Symbolic: currents of divine Ananda, immortalizing delight in the system
- वाजसातये (vājasātaye)
- Literal: for winning the vāja (prize, strength). Symbolic: attainment of plenitude of force; victorious effectiveness of the soul’s dynamis
- सहस्रपाजसः (sahasra-pājasaḥ)
- Literal: thousand-powered/strong-limbed. Symbolic: innumerable energies of delight; many faculties empowered by Ananda
- गृणानाः (gṛṇānāḥ)
- Literal: being hymned/praised. Symbolic: mantric affirmation; soul’s voiced aspiration shaping inner currents
- देववीतये (deva-vītaye)
- Literal: for the gods’ enjoyment/coming. Symbolic: invitation for divine powers to enter, partake, and work within
Pavamāna chanting while Soma is purified; aimed at vāja-sāti (winning power) and deva-vīti (divine participation).
during Soma-yāga sequences, especially while Soma is strained through the pavitra
chanting to accompany the flow/clarification and offering to the gods
use as a mantra of inner cleansing: before meditation or after emotional turbulence to ‘clarify the currents’
vāja: commonly ‘prize/food’, but from a strength/plenitude semantic (vigour, abundance of force); hence ‘vāja-sāti’ = winning of forceful plenitude. pājas ‘strength, might, radiance’ (often a luminous power) → sahasra-pājasa ‘manifoldly potent’. gṛṇ- < √gṛ ‘to praise’ links speech-act to efficacy.
Ṛta (purification as ordered right movement), Shakti/force (vāja, pājas), Mantra efficacy
The ‘self-purifying’ flow symbolizes consciousness aligning to Ṛta—right rhythm and right movement.
Clarification implies removal of mixture/falsehood so the current becomes truth-bearing.
From the churn/pressing of experience arises purified delight that sustains the gods (higher powers) and renews the worlds within.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: Ananda as a fundamental plane supporting illumination and power.
A moving stream of delight in the nerves and mind, clarified through discrimination and aspiration, becoming fuel for higher functioning.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- ‘Purified Soma wins vāja’: the Soma-streams, praised by hymns, purify for vāja-sāti and divine participation. Inner sense: clarified delight becomes power-of-accomplishment (vāja) and invites the gods’ operative presence.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The praise-to-power link (gṛṇānāḥ → efficacy) is a hallmark of IE ritual poetics. Hyperbolic sahasra- compounds (‘thousand-’) are a common archaic intensifier across IE traditions to mark superhuman potency.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s hymn (gṛṇ-) is not ornament but the channel that shapes Soma’s purification into force (vāja/pājas). Soma reciprocates by becoming ‘thousand-powered’ in the aspirant’s field and enabling the gods’ participation (deva-vīti).
Feel a cool, luminous ‘flow’ of delight rising and clarifying the mind; offer it upward as nourishment to higher consciousness.
Anāhata to Ājñā (heart-delight lifted to illumined mind)
gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow inhale imagining ‘Soma’ rising; exhale releasing impurities
quiet joy with alert clarity; receptive uplift
Chant, then sit: observe where delight is mixed with restlessness; let the mantra ‘filter’ it into a clear, wide, steady sweetness.
Use Rigvedic tri-svara (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as marked in the saṃhitā; exact svara per syllable should follow a pada-text with accents.
Keep udātta syllables lifted and clear; let svarita ‘fall-rise’ be smooth on compound words like sahasrapājasaḥ.
pavante: clear ‘va’ and dental ‘t’, vājasātaye: long ā in vāja-, and sātaye with crisp ‘t’, sahasrapājasaḥ: pronounce ‘j’ as voiced palatal; keep compound continuous, devavītaye: vīti as ‘vii-ti’ with long ī
bright, flowing, lightly nasal resonance; avoid harsh attack
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