Rig Veda 9.63.13: Mandala 9, Sukta 63, Mantra 13
Sukta 9.63
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Not derivable with certainty from provided excerpt alone
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सोमो देवो न सूर्योऽद्रिभिः पवते सुतः । दधानः कलशे रसम् ॥
sómo devo ná sū́ryo ádribhiḥ pavate sutáḥ | dádhānaḥ kalaśé rásam ||
Soma, ein Gott wie die Sonne: von den Steinen gepresst, strömt er in Läuterung dahin und setzt im Krug (kalaśa) den Saft, den rasa, ein.
Word by Word
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक) < √सु (सवने/प्रसवने) इति व्युत्पत्तिः (परम्परागत)
- देवः
- the god; divineNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक) < √दिव् (दीप्तौ)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थे निपातःRoot न (निपात)
- सूर्यः
- the SunNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role उपमान (उपमेयः सोमः)Root सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अद्रिभिः
- with stones (pressing-stones)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवते
- is purified/flows (as purified)Verbलट् (वर्तमाने), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Root √पू (पवने/शोधने) — आत्मनेपदम्
- सुतः
- pressed, expressedAdjective/Participleभूतकृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root √सु (सवने/प्रसवने) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- दधानः
- bearing, placingParticipleवर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root √धा (धारणे) → दधान (शतृ-प्रत्ययः)
- कलशे
- in the vessel/jarNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
- रसम्
- juice, sap (Soma-juice)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot रस (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सोमः देवः न सूर्यः | अद्रिभिः पवते सुतः | दधानः कलशे रसम् || 1) सूर्यः + (अद्रिभिः) इत्यत्र पदान्त-विसर्गः ‘सूर्योऽद्रिभिः’ रूपेण: अकारादौ परे विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः (RV संहितायां) तथा अवग्रहः। 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न
- ‘सोमो’ इत्यादि संहितारूपे पदान्त-विसर्ग-लोप/परिवर्तनं संहितापाठ-नियमेन।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, godlike as the Sun, pressed by stones, flows in purification, placing the rasa (sap/essence) in the vessel.
Inner meaning
Soma is ‘like the Sun’ because purified delight becomes illumination: it reveals, warms, and organizes consciousness. The ‘stones’ (adri) are the pressures of discipline and tapas that extract the essence from life. As Soma purifies, it establishes ‘rasa’—the essential delight—within the ‘kalaśa’, the inner vessel of the being (mind-heart-life-body as a consecrated cup).
Universal truth
Through disciplined pressure and purification, delight becomes luminous and stable; it can be housed in the being as a lasting essence rather than a fleeting excitement.
Themes
Soma-ritual, solar symbolism, essence/delight, purification
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.5, 9.61 (Soma as shining/solar and purifying, broad parallels), RV 9.109 (Soma placing sweetness/essence, thematic parallels)
Family tradition
A common Pavamāna motif: Soma as solar, as pressed, as establishing rasa in a vessel—shared across many seer strands in Maṇḍala 9.
Significance
The seer-vision identifies a key yogic law: Ananda is not opposed to light; when purified, it becomes solar illumination and stable essence in the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- deva, sūrya-sadṛśa (sun-like, here), suta, pavamāna
- Related deities
- Sūrya (as archetype of illumination), Agni (as purifier/worker, implied)
Cosmic role
Transforms the raw sap of existence into a luminous essence that nourishes gods and worlds.
Inner power
Illuminating delight that stabilizes realization (rasa) in the inner vessel.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing with stones and filtration into vessels (kalaśa), accompanied by Pavamāna recitations
सोमो॑ दे॒वो न सूर्योऽद्रि॑भिः पवते सु॒तः । दधा॑नः क॒लशे॒ रस॑म् ॥
सोमः॑ । दे॒वः । न । सूर्यः॑ । अद्रि॑ऽभिः । प॒व॒ते॒ । सु॒तः । दधा॑नः । क॒लशे॑ । रस॑म् ॥
somaḥ | devaḥ | na | sūryaḥ | adri-bhiḥ | pavate | sutaḥ | dadhānaḥ | kalaśe | rasam
Not derivable with certainty from provided excerpt alone.
Declarative, shining; imagery centers on brilliance and containment (vessel).
Produces a sense of warm clarity and inner ‘settling’ of sweetness.
- somo devo
- Literal: Soma, a god. Symbolic: divine delight as a conscious power
- na sūryaḥ
- Literal: like the Sun. Symbolic: illumining Ananda; delight that becomes light and law
- adribhiḥ
- Literal: by stones. Symbolic: tapas, pressure of practice, concentrating forces that extract essence
- pavate
- Literal: purifies/flows in purification. Symbolic: self-clarification of consciousness
- sutaḥ
- Literal: pressed. Symbolic: essence drawn out from experience by inner work
- kalaśe
- Literal: in the vessel. Symbolic: the consecrated inner container—steady receptacle of realization
- rasam
- Literal: sap/juice/essence. Symbolic: essential delight; distilled Ananda
Soma pressing (adri) and collection in kalaśa; purification sequence
At the pressing/straining stage when Soma is collected and readied for offering.
Chant while Soma is pressed by stones and poured into the collecting vessel; affirm its solar purity and essence.
A practice for stabilizing joy: after effort (tapas), let delight settle in the heart as a steady ‘rasa’ rather than seeking stimulation.
sū́rya- from √svar/√sur ‘shine’ (solar illumination). ádri- ‘stone’ (pressing stone), ritual image; psychologically ‘pressure’ that expresses hidden essence. dádhānaḥ from √dhā ‘to place, establish’ indicates stabilizing the rasa in the kalaśa (container). rasa from √ras ‘to taste’ → experiential essence/delight.
rasa (essence/delight), illumined consciousness (Sūrya imagery), stabilization of inner experience (√dhā)
Sun-like Soma suggests Ṛta: illumination that orders the flow of life; rasa is established in the right vessel when aligned.
Solar Soma reveals satya—truth becomes self-evident when the essence is purified.
From pressure (tapas) arises essence (rasa) that builds and sustains forms (vessel/world).
Vedantic rasa-doctrine in seed-form; yogic transmutation of energy into stable Ananda.
midday (solar fullness, by symbolism)
Sun = awakened consciousness; stones = concentrated discipline; vessel = steady receptivity; juice = delight-essence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma’s identification with solar divinity: the pressed Soma becomes ‘like the Sun’, a classic Vedic mythic equation where the luminous drink is an agent of inner sunrise. The mythic act is the extraction and containment of rasa—essence—so it can act within the sacrificer.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rasa ‘sap/essence’ ties to sensory ‘taste’ semantics (√ras), while śravas/kléos (elsewhere) shows the same archaic poetic economy of ‘substance’ and ‘renown’. The participial construction (sutáḥ ... dádhānaḥ) is an old Indo-European style of chaining actions without subordinate clauses.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The verse is contemplative: the seer witnesses Soma’s divine process and implicitly aligns the human vessel (kalaśa) with receptivity. Soma is not merely invoked but recognized as a solar power establishing delight as a stable inner substance.
Feel a sun-like clarity above; invite purified sweetness to descend and settle in the heart-vessel.
Anāhata (vessel of rasa) and Ājñā (solar clarity)
Inhale imagining golden solar light; exhale imagining white Soma nectar settling into a cup at the heart.
Luminous calm; stable sweetness.
After disciplined work, pause in stillness; let the ‘rasa’ consolidate—do not immediately spend the gained energy in restless activity.
Vedic accents per recension; maintain clarity on ‘sūryo’ and ‘pavate’ as semantic peaks.
Let the first half shine (slightly brighter tone), then soften on ‘kalaśe rasam’ to convey settling/establishing.
somo: o long and rounded, sūryo: long ū; ry cluster clear, adribhiḥ: dhri-like cluster? here ‘dri’ crisp; visarga at end light, pavate: pa-va-te, dental t, dadhānaḥ: dh aspirated; long ā; final visarga, kalaśe: ś palatal; e long, rasam: short a, nasal m
Warm, luminous, then gently inward on the close.
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