Rig Veda 9.71.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 71, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.71
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अद्रिभिः सुतः पवते गभस्त्योर्वृषायते नभसा वेपते मती । स मोदते नसते साधते गिरा नेनिक्ते अप्सु यजते परीमणि ॥
ádribhiḥ sutáḥ pavate gábhastyor vṛṣā́yate nábhasā vépate matī́ | sá modate násate sā́dhate girā́ nénikte apsú yájate parī́maṇi ||
Von den Steinen gepresst strömt er in die fassenden Hände; er wird zum Stier an Kraft, und mit der Weite lässt er den Gedanken erzittern, zum Erwachen. Er freut sich, naht heran und vollbringt es durch das inspirierte Wort; in den Wassern gewaschen, bringt er Verehrung dar in der umkreisenden Vollkommenheit.
Word by Word
- अद्रिभिः
- with the pressing-stonesNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot अद्रि- (प्रातिपदिक) < √अद्/अर्द् (कठोर/शिला-भाव) (निरुक्तपरम्परा)
- सुतः
- pressed (Soma)Participle (Adjective/Noun)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot √सु (सुनोति ‘to press, extract’) → सुत- (कृदन्त, क्त)
- पवते
- flows/purifies itselfVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √पू (पवते ‘to purify, flow’)
- गभस्त्योः
- in/at the two hands (rays)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी विभक्ति, द्विवचन (वेदे प्रायः ‘द्वयोः’ = ‘in/at the two hands/rays’)Role अधिकारणRoot गभस्ति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वृषायते
- acts vigorously/like a bullVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √वृष्/वृषा-य (वृषायते ‘to act as a bull, be vigorous’)
- नभसा
- with mist/cloud (vapour)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot नभस्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- वेपते
- quiversVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √विप्/वेप् (वेपते ‘to tremble, quiver’)
- मती
- with thought/intentNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot मति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- he/that (Soma)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मोदते
- rejoicesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √मुद् (मोदते ‘to rejoice, be glad’)
- नसते
- draws near/attainsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √नस् (नसते ‘to approach/attain; be near’) (वेदिक)
- साधते
- accomplishesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √साध् (साधते ‘to accomplish, make successful’)
- गिरा
- with song/utteranceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot गिर्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- नेनिक्ते
- has cleansed/brightened itselfVerbलिट् (परोक्ष/परफेक्ट), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप)Role क्रियाRoot √निज्/निञ्ज् (नेनिक्ते ‘to wash, cleanse, make bright’) (वेदिक परस्मै/आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः)
- अप्सु
- in the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole अधिकारणRoot अप्- (प्रातिपदिक)
- यजते
- worships/sacrificesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √यज् (यजते ‘to worship, sacrifice’)
- परीमणि
- all around, around the edgeIndeclinable (adverbial compound)अव्यय (स्थान/परिसरवाचक)Role अधिकारणRoot परि + मणि- (प्रातिपदिक) (वेदे ‘परिमणि’ = ‘around/at the rim, all around’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): अद्रिभिः | सुतः | पवते | गभस्त्योः | वृषायते | नभसा | वेपते | मती | सः | मोदते | नसते | साधते | गिरा | नेनिक्ते | अप्सु | यजते | परीमणि । विशेषः: ‘परीमणि’ इति पदं संहितायां ‘परि + मणि’ इत्यस्य अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः
- ‘गभस्त्योः’ द्विवचन-रूपं (षष्ठी/सप्तमी) वेदेषु ‘द्वयोः/द्वयोर्’ अर्थे अधिकारणत्वेन प्रायः। उच्चारणचिह्नाः (॑/॒) संहितापाठानुसारं
- पदपाठे सामान्यतः अनुदात्त-स्वरित-व्यवस्था पृथक्कृत्य दृश्यते।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pressed by stones, Soma flows in the hands; he grows strong, and with vastness makes the thought tremble. He rejoices, draws near, accomplishes by song; washed in waters, he worships in encircling perfection.
Inner meaning
The ‘stones’ (adri) are the pressures of discipline and tapas that extract the essence; the ‘hands’ are the active faculties that hold and direct the flow. As Soma purifies, he becomes vṛṣāyate—virile, masterful power—and by ‘nabhas’ (vastness) he shakes the mind (matī) into awakened receptivity: thought trembles because it is being lifted beyond its habitual limits. Soma ‘draws near’ (nasate) to the inner altar; he ‘accomplishes by girā’—by inspired word, mantra, and true expression the transformation becomes effective. ‘Washed in the waters’ indicates cleansing in the streams of clarity and life-energy; then the purified delight itself becomes a worshipper, establishing the being in ‘parīmaṇi’—a surrounding wholeness/perfection, like a protective circle of integrality.
Universal truth
Under disciplined pressure, the essence of joy emerges; when it widens consciousness, thought awakens and true speech becomes effective; purification culminates in a stable wholeness where life itself becomes worship.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Inner purification, Awakening of inspired thought, Mantra efficacy
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna seer tradition (Book 9)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.71.1, RV 9.71.2, RV 9.71.4
Family tradition
Pavamāna hymns: experiential liturgy of purification; seer-voices often function as ‘process descriptions’ of inner yoga.
Significance
Highlights the classic Aurobindonian movement: tapas extracts essence → wideness awakens mind → mantra makes realization effective → wholeness stabilizes.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- suta (pressed), pavamāna (purifying), vṛṣan-like (potent)
- Related deities
- Agni (inner sacrifice), Indra (illumined mind), Sarasvatī (inspired word)
Cosmic role
Transforms pressed essence into a widening, awakening power; establishes worship as a state of being.
Inner power
Ananda that widens consciousness and turns thought into a trembling openness for illumination; word-power becomes effective.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and straining; offering preparation
अद्रि॑भिः सु॒तः प॑वते॒ गभ॑स्त्योर्वृषा॒यते॒ नभ॑सा॒ वेप॑ते म॒ती । स मो॑दते॒ नस॑ते॒ साध॑ते गि॒रा ने॑नि॒क्ते अ॒प्सु यज॑ते॒ परी॑मणि ॥
अद्रि॑ऽभिः । सु॒तः । पा॒व॒ते॒ । गभ॑स्त्योः । वृ॒षा॒यते॑ । नभ॑सा । वेप॑ते । म॒ती । सः । मो॒द॒ते॒ । नस॑ते । साध॑ते । गि॒रा । ने॒नि॒क्ते । अ॒प्ऽसु । यज॑ते । परी॑मणि ॥
adri-bhiḥ | sutaḥ | pavate | gabhastyoḥ | vṛṣāyate | nabhasā | vepate | matī | saḥ | modate | nasate | sādhate | girā | nenikte | ap-su | yajate | parīmaṇi
48
4 × 12 (probable)
Wave-like: flow → swell → tremble → settle; mirrors streaming and encircling perfection.
Induces a sense of widening and subtle vibration in the mind—good for transitioning from effort to receptive meditation.
- adri (अद्रि)
- Literal: pressing stone. Symbolic: discipline/tapas that extracts the essence
- gabhastī (गभस्ति)
- Literal: hand, ray, grasp. Symbolic: active powers/faculties that hold and direct the flow
- vṛṣāyate (वृषायते)
- Literal: becomes a bull, grows potent. Symbolic: sovereign strength of purified force
- nabhas (नभस्)
- Literal: sky, vastness. Symbolic: wideness of higher consciousness
- matī (मती)
- Literal: thought, intelligence. Symbolic: mind awakened beyond habit; receptive illumination
- girā (गिरा)
- Literal: song/word. Symbolic: inspired speech/mantra as effective power
- apsu (अप्सु)
- Literal: in the waters. Symbolic: in cleansing streams of life and clarity
- parīmaṇi (परीमणि)
- Literal: around, encircling perfection. Symbolic: integral wholeness; protective completeness
Soma pressing (sutáḥ) and purification in waters; recitation aligned with flowing Soma through cleansing mediums.
During Soma flow through hands/filters and subsequent washing/clarifying stages.
Chanted to accompany the streaming Soma and its purification in waters, affirming effective hymn-power.
Use during breathwork or after asana: feel energy streaming, widening, and settling into wholeness.
pavate (√pū/√pav): purifying flow; central to Pavamāna Soma. matí (from √man ‘think’): not discursive thought but luminous, inspired ideation; ‘trembling’ (vepate) marks awakening under the pressure of wideness (nabhas). gabhasti: ‘hand’ and ‘ray’ overlap—supporting the inner reading of ‘hands of light’ holding the flow.
Purification as transformation of mind (matī), Wideness (nabhas) as condition for inspired vibration, Soma as inner yajamāna/priest (yajate)
Parīmaṇi suggests a surrounding order—consciousness held in ṛta rather than scattered.
Girā as true speech that accomplishes (sādhate) when aligned with Satya.
Extraction → widening → expression → stabilization: a micro-cosmic creation of the purified being.
Yoga-psychological exegesis: mind’s awakening through wideness (nabhas) and mantra (brahman/girā).
Stones = pressure of practice; hands = conscious agency; sky = wideness; waters = cleansing flow; circle = integrality/protection.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘pressed-and-purified god’ myth: Soma, released by pressure (adri), flows, is washed in waters, and becomes the effective power of sacrifice. Mythically it is the transformation of raw potency into luminous, worshipping force—an inner alchemy of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yaj (yajate) connects to PIE *h₁yeh₁g- ‘to worship/sacrifice’ (cf. Avestan yaz-). The semantic pairing of flow/purify (pavate) with waters (apsu) reflects an archaic Indo-Iranian ritual lexicon.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi depicts Soma as the awakener of matí: through Soma’s widening force, thought vibrates into inspired capacity, and the word (girā) becomes siddhi (sādhate). Soma is thus both object of offering and the inner agent enabling the offering.
Let disciplined effort release a subtle joy-current; widen attention; allow thought to ‘tremble’ open rather than control.
viśuddha (girā/true expression) and sahasrāra (wideness)
Slow inhalation ‘streaming up’ + brief natural kumbhaka to feel ‘vepate matī’ (thought-vibration) + long exhale settling into ‘parīmaṇi’.
Widened, subtly vibrating clarity; integrative calm.
After 5 minutes of steady breathing, chant once and sit silently noticing where the mind becomes spacious; allow one truthful sentence (girā) to arise from that space.
Observe udatta/anudatta/svarita; keep ‘pavate’ flowing and avoid chopping syllables; allow slight lift on key verbs (pavate, vṛṣāyate, modate, y).
Let pāda 1 ‘flow’, pāda 2 ‘widen’, pāda 3 ‘rejoice/approach’, pāda 4 ‘settle’—shape voice accordingly.
‘adribhiḥ’ with clear bh aspiration; final visarga light., ‘gabhastyor’ keep -styo- cluster clean., ‘nenikte’ pronounce ne-nik-te (no extra vowel)., ‘parīmaṇi’ lengthen ī; retroflex ṇ if present in your śākhā pronunciation norms.
Fluid and resonant, with a widening openness on ‘nabhasā’.
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