Rig Veda 9.75.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 75, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.75
- Rishi
- Soma-pavamāna seer tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
ऋतस्य जिह्वा पवते मधु प्रियं वक्ता पतिर्धियो अस्या अदाभ्यः । दधाति पुत्रः पित्रोरपीच्यं नाम तृतीयमधि रोचने दिवः ॥
ṛtásya jihvā́ pavate mádhu priyáṃ vaktā́ pátir dhiyó asyā́ adā́bhyaḥ | dádhāti putráḥ pitrór apī́cyaṃ nā́ma tṛtī́yam ádhi rocané diváḥ ||
ঋতৰ জিহ্বা পৱিত্ৰ হৈ বৈ যায়—মধুৰ, প্ৰিয়; এই ধীৰ-প্ৰেৰিত বাণীৰ অব্যাহত অধিপতি আৰু বক্তা। পুত্ৰই পিতৃ-মাতৃৰ গোপন নাম—তৃতীয়—দ্যৌৰ দীপ্ত ৰোচনাত স্থাপন কৰে।
Word by Word
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/true law)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- जिह्वा
- tongueNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवते
- purifies/flows (as the purifying Soma)Verbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot पू (धातु; पुनाति/पवते)
- मधु
- sweetness; honey; sweet (drink)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः सम्भवः)Role कर्मRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रियम्
- dear; beloved; pleasingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (मधु इति कर्मणि विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- वक्ता
- speaker; uttererNoun (agent)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बद्धः/समनाधिकरणः)Root वच् (धातु) → वक्तृ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- पतिः
- lord; masterNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (समनाधिकरणः वक्ता इत्यस्य)Root पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- धियः
- of thought/insight; of prayerNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन (वेदिके -यस्-रूपम्)Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root धि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्याः
- of this (her/this one)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अदाभ्यः
- unassailable; not to be deceived/overcomeAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (समनाधिकरणः—वक्ता/पतिः)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्)Root अ-दाभ्य (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + दाभ्य < दभ्)
- दधाति
- places; sets; bestowsVerbलट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot धा (धातु)
- पुत्रः
- sonNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- पित्रोः
- of (his) two parents (father and mother)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; द्विवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपिच्यम्
- secret; hidden; to be kept backAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (नाम इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root अपिच्य (प्रातिपदिक; वेदिक)
- नाम
- nameNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तृतीयम्
- thirdAdjective (ordinal)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (नाम इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक; क्रमवाचक)
- अधि
- upon; over; inIndeclinableअव्यय; उपपद-प्रयोगःRole अधिकरण-सम्बन्धसूचकRoot अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- रोचने
- in the shining realm; in the luminous spaceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot रोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- of heaven; of the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्यः): ऋतस्य | जिह्वा | पवते | मधु | प्रियम् | वक्ता | पतिः | धियः | अस्याः | अदाभ्यः || दधाति | पुत्रः | पित्रोः | अपिच्यम् | नाम | तृतीयम् | अधि | रोचने | दिवः || 1) ‘वक्ता पतिः’ इति समनाधिकरण-द्वयम् (कर्तरि) — संहितायां केवलं पदक्रमः। 2) ‘धियः अस्याः’ = ‘of her thought/insight’ (षष्ठी-षष्ठी सम्बन्धः)
- 3) ‘पित्रोः अपिच्यं नाम’ = ‘the secret name of the two parents’ (षष्ठी + कर्म)
- 4) ‘अधि रोचने दिवः’ = ‘upon/in the luminous realm of heaven’ (अधि + सप्तमी)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, as the ‘tongue of Ṛta’, flows as sweet honey; he is the faultless lord and utterer of inspired thought. The Son establishes the hidden third name of the Parents in the luminous heaven.
Inner meaning
The purified Soma-consciousness becomes the articulate power (jihvā) of Truth (ṛta): the inner Word that tastes and expresses the sweetness of divine experience. This Truth-Word governs the movements of inspiration (dhī) without error (adābhyaḥ). The ‘Son’—the manifested delight-consciousness born of the two cosmic Parents (Heaven and Earth / Spirit and Nature)—brings out a concealed principle (‘hidden name’) and fixes it in the supramental Light (‘rocana of heaven’): the third power beyond the dualities, where Truth is self-luminous.
Universal truth
When consciousness is purified, speech and thought become instruments of Truth rather than ego. The deepest reality has a concealed key; when revealed and established in the higher mind, life aligns naturally with harmony and right order.
Themes
mantric ontology, truth-speech, hidden name, Satyam-Ritam-Brihat trajectory
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-pavamāna seer tradition (Mandala 9)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda Mandala 9 (Pavamāna collection), especially truth/speech-focused verses such as 9.73, 9.74, 9.76 (thematic parallels)
Family tradition
Pavamāna Soma hymns are largely from the Kānva and Aṅgiras lineages preserved as a specialized liturgical–mystical corpus; individual verse seers are often not singled out in later lists.
Significance
The ‘seer’ here is the collective yogic vision of Soma as a process of purification: bliss becoming truth-speech and establishing the hidden key in the luminous consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- ṛtasya jihvā (tongue of Ṛta), adābhyaḥ (faultless), vaktā (speaker/utterer), patir dhiyo (lord of inspirations)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Uṣas, Sūrya
Cosmic role
Purifier and carrier of the immortal essence; mediates between the human field and the luminous heaven by clarifying consciousness.
Inner power
Ananda that turns into truth-guided speech and intuition; the power that reveals the ‘secret name’ and stabilizes it in higher awareness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-pavamāna chant during Soma pressing and filtration (pavamāna-stotra context)
ऋ॒तस्य॑ जि॒ह्वा प॑वते॒ मधु॑ प्रि॒यं व॒क्ता पति॑र्धि॒यो अ॒स्या अदा॑भ्यः । दधा॑ति पु॒त्रः पि॒त्रोर॑पी॒च्यं१॒॑ नाम॑ तृ॒तीय॒मधि॑ रोच॒ने दि॒वः ॥
ऋतस्य॑ । जि॒ह्वा । प॒व॒ते॒ । मधु॑ । प्रि॒यम् । व॒क्ता । पतिः॑ । धि॒यः । अ॒स्याः । अदा॑भ्यः । दधा॑ति । पु॒त्रः । पि॒त्रोः । अ॒पी॒च्य॑म् । नाम॑ । तृ॒तीय॑म् । अधि॑ । रो॒च॒ने । दि॒वः ॥
ṛtasya | jihvā | pavate | madhu | priyam | vaktā | patiḥ | dhiyaḥ | asyāḥ | adābhyaḥ | dadhāti | putraḥ | pitroḥ | apīcyam | nāma | tṛtīyam | adhi | rocane | divaḥ
48
4 pādas × 12 syllables
Expansive, forward-driving cadence suited to ‘flowing’ imagery (pavate).
Creates a broad, luminous mental space; supports contemplative clarity and the sense of a steady truth-current.
- ṛta
- Literal: cosmic order, truth-law. Symbolic: the intrinsic Truth that arranges thought, speech, and life in harmony
- jihvā
- Literal: tongue. Symbolic: the tasting/uttering power of consciousness; the Truth-word
- pavate
- Literal: flows, purifies itself. Symbolic: the stream of clarified awareness moving toward luminosity
- madhu
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: ananda—sweet delight of divine experience
- dhī
- Literal: inspired thought, vision. Symbolic: intuitive intelligence receiving higher light
- adābhya
- Literal: unassailable, faultless. Symbolic: truth-conscious guidance not deceived by desire/ignorance
- putraḥ
- Literal: son. Symbolic: the manifested divine delight/illumined consciousness born from the cosmic parents
- pitror
- Literal: of the two parents. Symbolic: Heaven–Earth; Spirit–Nature; Purusha–Prakriti as a dual foundation
- apīcya
- Literal: hidden, secret. Symbolic: the occult key-name/principle in the depths
- nāma
- Literal: name. Symbolic: essential vibration/principle; the ‘true designation’ of a power
- tṛtīyam
- Literal: the third. Symbolic: the third principle beyond duality—supramental mediation
- rocana divaḥ
- Literal: luminous realm of heaven. Symbolic: plane of higher light where truth is self-revealing
Used in Soma purification context; emphasizes the mantric/utterance dimension of Soma as Ṛta’s tongue
During Soma extraction/clarification sequences in Soma-yajña
Chanting while Soma is filtered and led into vessels; invocation of purity and right order
Use as a meditation-chant for truthful speech, purification of intention, and aligning thought with inner order (ṛta).
jihvā: tongue; in RV often the ‘tongue of Agni’ or here ‘tongue of Ṛta’—speech as truth-manifestation. madhu: honey/sweet; also ‘mead’ in IE poetic lexicon (cf. Avestan madu-, Slavic medu). adābhya: from √dabh ‘to harm/deceive’; negative prefix a- indicates inviolability. rocaná: from √ruc ‘shine’—luminous world. ‘Parents’ (pitroḥ) often dyāvā-pṛthivī; ‘son’ as emergent third (Soma/Agni/Surya depending on context).
Ṛta as expressive Word (jihvā), nāman (hidden name) as occult essence, third principle emerging from dual parents
Soma is explicitly the ‘tongue’/expression of Ṛta—Truth becomes articulate in the human instrument.
The ‘hidden name’ suggests an essential truth-principle revealed and fixed in higher consciousness.
The ‘third name’ evokes a mediating creative principle that reconciles heaven and earth through luminous manifestation.
Proto-Vedāntic and Aurobindonian supramental reading: Ananda → Truth-Word → higher light establishment.
Sweetness = bliss; flow = purification; tongue = truth-expression; heaven’s rocana = higher mind/supramental light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- ‘The tongue of Ṛta’ and the ‘hidden third name’: a myth of revelation where Truth itself becomes speech/flow (Soma as Ṛta’s jihvā), and the emergent ‘son’ establishes a concealed essence (nāma) in the luminous heaven—bringing the secret into manifest light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu belongs to a famous Indo-European poetic word for honey/mead (Skt. mádhu, Av. maδu-, Slavic medŭ, etc.). √ruc ‘shine’ underlies rocaná ‘shining realm’, paralleling IE luminosity lexicon. The abstract ‘name’ as power also echoes an old IE sacral poetics where naming is world-making.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer presents Soma as the flawless master of dhī and as the very utterance of Ṛta. The human work is to align inspiration to this inviolable speech; the divine act is to set the hidden essence into the luminous plane, making the inner truth a stable, operative reality.
Let the breath carry a ‘truth-current’ through speech and thought; feel sweetness (madhu) as calm Ananda behind words.
Viśuddha (throat)
Slow exhale chanting; brief pause after each pāda to ‘taste’ silence before the next utterance.
Quiet, luminous witness with intuitive speech arising from stillness.
Before speaking or deciding, repeat the mantra and inwardly offer speech to Ṛta; notice when words become simpler, truer, less reactive.
Use Vedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per Śākala tradition; if unavailable, maintain a gentle rise on key words (ṛtasya, madhu, rocane, divaḥ) and settle at pāda ends.
Keep clarity on compound accents: ṛtásya jihvā́; madhú priyám; nā́ma tṛtī́yam; rocané diváḥ.
ṛta: vocalic ṛ as a short ‘ri’ with retroflex quality, jihvā: aspirate ‘hv’ lightly; lengthen ā, pavate: ‘v’ as soft labio-dental; clear ‘te’, adābhyaḥ: long ā; ‘bhya’ conjunct cleanly, rocane: ‘c’ as ‘ch’ unaspirated; final e clear
Clear, resonant, slightly nasalized sustain on long vowels; calm sweetness rather than force.
27
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
