Rig Veda 9.58.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 58, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.58
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
आ ययोस्त्रिंशतं तना सहस्राणि च दद्महे । तरत्स मन्दी धावति ॥
ā yáyos triṃśatáṃ tánā sahásrāṇi ca dadmahe | tarát sa mandī dhā́vati ||
Zu jenen beiden (Strömen/Mächten) nehmen wir und setzen fest — dreißig in ihrer Ausdehnung und dazu Tausende; er, der erfreuende Soma, geht darüber hinaus und eilt weiter.
Word by Word
- आ
- forth; towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात; क्रियायोगे ‘आ-’ = ‘towards, forth’Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- ययोः
- of the two (whose)Pronounपुं/नपुं; षष्ठी-द्विवचन (Genitive Dual) ‘of the two who/which’Role सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)Root य (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; यद्-)
- त्रिंशतम्
- thirtyNumeral/Adjectiveनपुंसक; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)Role कर्म (as quantified object with दद्महे)Root त्रिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- तना
- in succession; continuously; by extensionIndeclinableअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणRoot तन (अव्यय; ‘by extension/continuously’—Vedic adverb)
- सहस्राणि
- thousandsNounनपुंसक; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Nom./Acc. pl.)Role कर्म (object with दद्महे)Root सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- दद्महे
- we give; we bestowVerbलट्/विधिलिङ्? (Vedic usage); आत्मनेपद; उत्तम-पुरुष बहुवचन; ‘we give/let us give’ (contextually: ‘we bestow/offer’)Role क्रिया (मुख्य क्रियापद)Root दा (दाने) धातु
- तरत्
- he crosses; he overcomesVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष एकवचन; (Vedic injunctive/gnomic present sense possible) ‘he crosses/overcomes’Role क्रियाRoot तॄ (तरणे) धातु
- स
- hePronounपुं; प्रथमा-एकवचनRole कर्तृ (subject of तरत्/धावति)Root स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; तद्-)
- मन्दी
- joyfully; with exhilarationAdjective (used adverbially) / Noun-like epithetस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (or adverbial use as manner)Role विशेषण/क्रियाविशेषण (manner with धावति)Root मन्दी (प्रातिपदिक; Vedic adj. ‘gladdening/joyful/with exhilaration’)
- धावति
- runs; rushesVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot धाव् (गत्यर्थे) धातु
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): आ | ययोः | त्रिंशतम् | तना | सहस्राणि | च | दद्महे | तरत् | स | मन्दी | धावति । विशेष: ‘ययोः’ = यद्-सर्वनामस्य षष्ठी-द्विवचनम्। ‘दद्महे’ Vedic रूप—दा धातोः आत्मनेपदी बहुवचन (प्रयोगे ‘we bestow/offer’)
- ‘तरत्’ Vedic present/injunctive-like 3sg from तॄ
- ‘मन्दी’ Vedic विशेषणम्, प्रायः क्रियाविशेषणवत् ‘joyfully’ इति।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Toward those two (streams/powers) we take and establish—thirty in extension and thousands besides; the gladdening Soma crosses beyond and runs on.
Inner meaning
The seeker aligns with the twin luminous powers and ‘establishes’ (dadmahe) structured capacities: ‘thirty’ suggests a complete set of functional powers or measures (a symbolic fullness of organized faculties), while ‘thousands’ indicates inexhaustible further enrichments. Soma’s glad flow both organizes the being (measure, number) and also exceeds all measure (overflow), carrying consciousness beyond limitation.
Universal truth
Spiritual growth has two sides: orderly formation of stable capacities and an ever-exceeding overflow of new possibilities; joy is the key force that does both.
Themes
Soma-ritual, measure-and-plenitude, ordered-ascent
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.58.2, Rig Veda 9.58.3
Significance
Emphasizes that Soma-yoga is not only ecstasy but also formation—number, measure, and stable embodiment of powers.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Mandī (gladdening), Pavamāna (purifying)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa (measure, law), Indra (breakthrough beyond limits), Viśvakarman (formation/ordering)
Cosmic role
Orders and nourishes creation through delight; gives both measured forms and superabundant increase.
Inner power
Ananda that structures the nature (tanā: extension) while continuously transcending it.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering sequences
आ ययो॑स्त्रिं॒शतं॒ तना॑ स॒हस्रा॑णि च॒ दद्म॑हे । तर॒त्स म॒न्दी धा॑वति ॥
आ । ययोः॑ । त्रिं॒शत॑म् । तना॑ । स॒हस्रा॑णि । च॒ । दद्म॑हे । तर॑त् । सः । म॒न्दी । धा॒व॒ति॒ ॥
ā | yayoḥ | triṃśatam | tanā | sahasrāṇi | ca | dadmahe | tarat | saḥ | mandī | dhāvati
48
4 × ~12; refrain closure repeated
A ‘counted’ feel (triṃśatam) followed by expansive overflow (sahasrāṇi), then the rushing refrain.
Creates a sense of establishing inner order, then being carried into wideness and beyond.
- ā yayoḥ
- Literal: toward/of those two. Symbolic: orientation to the twin luminous currents/powers
- triṃśatam tanā
- Literal: thirty in extension/spread. Symbolic: complete organized set of inner faculties/powers (measure, order, formation)
- sahasrāṇi ca
- Literal: and thousands. Symbolic: overflowing, uncountable realizations beyond the formed set
- dadmahe
- Literal: we give/establish. Symbolic: we consciously found and embody the received powers
- tarat sa mandī dhāvati
- Literal: he crosses beyond, the gladdening runs. Symbolic: the bliss-current surpasses resistance and keeps advancing
Soma purification and offering: the measured gains (triṃśatam…tanā) suggest ordered stages of pressing/filtering and the regulated reception of Soma’s powers.
During pavamāna recitation; possibly as part of a series with repeated refrain
Chant while Soma flows; offerings synchronized with the cadence
Use to balance discipline and surrender: first affirm stable formation (measure), then allow overflow (thousands) in meditation.
√tan 'to stretch, extend' indicates continuity of the gain through the whole ‘span’ of the work; the numeral triṃśat- can function as a ritual/structural totality (a complete set) rather than a casual count. √tṛ and √dhāv as in 9.58.3 reinforce the formula: overpassing + swift streaming of Soma’s force.
ṛta as measure and right proportion, abundance arising from ordered process, crossing beyond obstruction
‘Thirty in extension’ suggests measured formation under ṛta; the flow remains right-going.
True formation is not rigid; satya allows both order and surpassing.
Manifestation as measured worlds arising from delight, yet delight always exceeds its forms.
Integral/Vedāntic: ananda as both formative and transcendent.
Structured channels of practice (ethical/mental formation) plus spontaneous overflow of realization.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is ‘measured plenitude’: Soma’s gifts arrive both as structured completeness (triṃśatam…tanā) and as uncountable overflow (sahasrāṇi). Inwardly, the yogic-ritual process yields definite formations of power and then an exceeding abundance.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tan ‘stretch’ reflects PIE *ten- ‘to stretch’ (cf. Latin tendere, English ‘tension’), here marking continuity/extension of attainment. The coupling of √tan with numeration is a common archaic strategy to encode ‘measured order’—a hallmark of Indo-European poetics around cosmic/ritual regularity.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The aspirant-community does not merely ‘receive’ but ‘establishes inwardly’ (dadmahe) the gifts in a measured progression (triṃśatam…tanā). Soma’s role is the self-propelling delight that carries the being beyond limits (tarat) once the ordered receptivity is in place.
Hold a clear intention to embody a stable set of qualities (truth, calm, strength, goodwill, clarity), then relax into an unbounded joy beyond enumeration.
Maṇipūra (formation/strength) harmonized with Sahasrāra (overflow beyond measure)
Counted breathing (e.g., 6-6) for ‘triṃśatam’ sense of measure, then release into uncounted natural breath for ‘sahasrāṇi’.
From structured concentration to expansive, flowing absorption.
Do not cling to the ‘thirty’ as a rigid scheme; let it be a supportive order that the Soma-flow can exceed.
Rigvedic svara; give measured steadiness to triṃśatam tanā, then widen on sahasrāṇi, and accelerate slightly into the refrain.
Keep triṃśatam crisp (retroflex ṭ not present; but ‘ṃś’ cluster clear), tanā with long ā; maintain refrain as a single flowing unit.
triṃśatam: nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘ś’, keep ‘ś’ palatal, tanā: long ā, do not shorten, yayoḥ: ‘yoḥ’ clean, avoid ‘yau’
Measured and steady in first half, then more expansive and flowing in the refrain.
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.
