Rig Veda 9.10.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 10, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.10
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
हिन्वानासो रथा इव दधन्विरे गभस्त्योः । भरासः कारिणामिव ॥
hinvānā́so ráthā iva dadhanviré gábhastyoḥ | bhárāsaḥ kāríṇām iva ||
Denn, angetrieben wie Wagen, spannen sie sich in den beiden Händen; Träger sind sie, gleich den Werkmeistern.
Word by Word
- हि॒न्वा॒नासः
- impelling, setting in motion (they)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वर्तमान सक्रिय कृदन्तः, शतृ-प्रत्ययः)Role KartāRoot √ह्नु/√हिनु (प्रेरणे) → हिन्वान (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- रथाः
- chariotsNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ) / Adhikaraṇa (उपमा-निर्देशे)Root रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root इव (निपात)
- दधन्विरे
- they sped/ran forthVerbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परोक्श), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role (क्रिया)Root √धन्व्/√धनु (वेगगमने/धावने; वैदिक) → दधन्विरे
- गभस्त्योः
- in/at the two hands; in the two rays/armsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, षष्ठी/सप्तमी, द्विवचनम् (वैदिके रूपसाम्यं: -योः)Role Adhikaraṇa (स्थाने/आश्रये) / सम्बन्ध (षष्ठ्यर्थे)Root गभस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरासः
- loads, burdensNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वैदिक बहुवचन -आसः)Role Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ) / Adhikaraṇa (उपमा-निर्देशे)Root भरस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भार/वहन’ अथवा ‘भरण’)
- कारिणाम्
- of the doers/workersNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ ‘to do/make’ + इन्)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root इव (निपात)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: हिन्वानासः | रथाः | इव | दधन्विरे | गभस्त्योः | भरासः | कारिणाम् | इव । 1) ‘रथा॑ इव’ = रथाः + इव (विसर्गलोपः/सन्धिः: -ाः इ- → -ा इ-). 2) ‘कारिणा॑मिव’ = कारिणाम् + इव (म् + इ → मि; अनुस्वार/मकार-सन्धिः). 3) ‘गभ॑स्त्योः’ वैदिके षष्ठी/सप्तमी-द्विवचनयोः एकरूपता (-योः) सम्भवति
- अर्थानुसारं ‘in the two hands/rays’ (सप्तमी) वा ‘of the two hands/rays’ (षष्ठी) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Urged on like chariots, they stretch in the two hands; they are bearers like craftsmen.
Inner meaning
The Soma-currents, once impelled (hinvānāsaḥ), extend themselves within the ‘two hands’ (gabhastyoḥ): the twin grasp of higher powers—often read psychologically as the twofold hold of illumination and force (knowledge and will). As ‘bearers’ (bharāsaḥ) they carry and shape experience like artisans (kāriṇām), forming the substance of delight into workable inner realizations.
Universal truth
Spiritual energy is not vague rapture: when rightly held by knowledge and will, it becomes a skilled maker—shaping life-substance into forms that can carry truth in action.
Themes
Soma pressing as inner craftsmanship, Embodiment of force, Dynamic purification
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.10.1, Rig Veda 9.10.3
Significance
The seer emphasizes ‘formation’: the Vedic yoga is a making (kṛ) of the inner sacrifice—energies must be held, directed, and fashioned, not merely released.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Indu
- Related deities
- Tvaṣṭṛ (the shaper), Viśvakarman, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Mediates between formless delight and formed power—carrying the essence into the hands of the gods for effective work.
Inner power
Ananda disciplined by a twofold grasp (knowledge/will), becoming a ‘craft’ that builds stable realizations.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering chants
हि॒न्वा॒नासो॒ रथा॑ इव दधन्वि॒रे गभ॑स्त्योः । भरा॑सः का॒रिणा॑मिव ॥
हि॒न्वा॒नासः॑ । रथाः॑ऽइव । द॒ध॒न्वि॒रे । गभ॑स्त्योः । भरा॑सः । का॒रिणा॑म्ऽइव ॥
hinvānāsaḥ | rathāḥ-iva | dadhanvire | gabhastyoḥ | bharāsaḥ | kāriṇām-iva
Two pādas displayed
Taut, stretching rhythm—mirrors ‘dadhanvire’ (they extend).
Creates a sense of being ‘held’ and ‘shaped’—helpful for stabilizing scattered energy.
- hinvānāsaḥ
- Literal: being urged on, impelled. Symbolic: aspiration-driven energies set in motion by the inner call
- gabhastyoḥ
- Literal: in the two hands (or rays/grasp). Symbolic: the dual grasp—illumined mind and effective will; also the ‘two rays’ that seize and direct the flow
- bharāsaḥ
- Literal: bearers, carriers. Symbolic: supporting powers that hold and transmit the ananda-force into the system
- kāriṇām
- Literal: of craftsmen/artisans. Symbolic: conscious formative intelligence—skill that organizes experience
Describes Soma handled/pressed and carried through grasping ‘hands’ (ritual hands; inwardly divine agencies), aligning the physical pressing with inner formation.
During the directed flow/handling of Soma in ritual sequence.
Recited as Soma is grasped/handled, filtered, and borne toward offering.
For channeling energy into craft: study, music, writing, disciplined practice—invoking ‘skillful bearing’ rather than impulsive force.
hinvānāsaḥ from √hi/√hinv ‘impel’ (causative/denominative motion). gabhasti ‘hand/ray’ is Vedic; often links physical grasp with luminous ray (semantic bridge: ‘grasping’ = ‘raying’). bhṛ ‘bear’ from PIE *bʰer- (English bear, Latin ferō). kārin from √kṛ ‘do/make’ (PIE *kwer-/*ker- ‘make’ debated; but √kṛ is central Indo-Iranian). dadhanvire is textually tricky; treated as ‘they extend/spread’ in context with motion and ‘hands’.
Formation (crafting of consciousness), Divine grasp/ray (gabhasti as hand and light), Carrying of delight-substance (bhṛ)
‘Craftsmanship’ implies ṛta as correct measure and proportion in inner building.
True holding (gabhasti) prevents distortion; delight is shaped by truth, not desire.
Manifestation as skilled formation: the streams become bearers and makers—ananda into organized power.
Vedic psychology of formation (kṛ, takṣ): creation as conscious crafting of the being.
The flow is seized by ‘two hands’—directed currents that turn raw energy into shaped capacity.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as ‘crafted and borne’ by divine hands: the mythic action is artisanal—Soma streams are shaped like a work of the gods, carried as a formed power into the sacrifice and the soul.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- bhṛ (bear) is a clear PIE inheritance (*bʰer-). The ‘craftsman/doer’ kārin (√kṛ) belongs to a broad IE poetic theme where making/doing is sacred formation, not mere labor.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and participates: by naming the ‘hands’ and ‘craftsmen’, he recognizes superhuman agencies shaping the offering; his speech aligns human handling with divine formation of consciousness.
Hold the delight-current in a twofold way: clarity (see) and power (do).
Ājñā (clarity/holding) with Maṇipūra (power/bearing).
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for 8 rounds, then chant softly, feeling the ‘two hands’ as awareness on both sides of the spine (iḍā/piṅgalā balance).
Collected, skillful, quietly powerful.
After chanting, choose one concrete action that embodies the inner delight (a crafted step). Let ananda become workmanship.
Chant according to Saṃhitā accents; keep ‘gabhastyoḥ’ clearly articulated, as it carries the key image.
Do not rush consonant clusters: ‘dadhanvire’ and ‘gabhastyoḥ’ should be deliberate to evoke ‘stretching’ and ‘holding’.
hinvānāsaḥ: ‘nv’ cluster clean; long ā, dadhanvire: soft dental ‘dh’ voiced aspirate, gabhastyoḥ: ‘bh’ voiced aspirate; ‘sty’ cluster clean; long ‘oḥ’, bharāsaḥ: roll ‘r’ lightly; final ḥ, kāriṇām: long ā, retroflex ṇ
Steady, shaped, artisan-like precision; less dramatic, more controlled.
9
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.
