Rig Veda 9.109.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 109, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.109
- Devata
- Soma as offering to Indra and the Viśve Devāḥ
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
इन्द्रस्ते सोम सुतस्य पेयाः क्रत्वे दक्षाय विश्वे च देवाः ॥
índras te soma sutásya peyā́ḥ krátve dákṣāya víśve ca devā́ḥ ||
Indra beberá de ti, oh Soma, cuando seas prensado; y todos los dioses también — por el krátu, la voluntad elevada, y por la dákṣa, la destreza luminosa de la acción recta.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रः
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतस्य
- of the pressed (Soma)Participle (verbal adjective) used as nounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root सु (धातु) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
- पेयाḥ
- drinkable / to be drunkAdjective (predicative)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (विसर्गः पदान्ते)Role विधेय-विशेषण (कर्तृ-सम्बन्धी)Root पा (धातु) → पेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, यत्/अनीय-भाव: ‘to be drunk’)
- क्रत्वे
- for (his/your) resolve, will, ritual powerNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दक्षाय
- for skill/ability (dakṣa)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allAdjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चित)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक अव्ययRole समुच्चयRoot च (निपात)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चित)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्रः ते सोम सुतस्य पेयाः | क्रत्वे दक्षाय विश्वे च देवाः || 1) इन्द्र॑स्-ते → इन्द्रः + ते (विसर्ग-सन्धि: स्/ः + त). 2) सोम सु॒तस्य॑: ‘सोम’ सम्बोधन
- ‘सुतस्य’ षष्ठी-एकवचन. 3) पेया॒: → पेयाः (पदान्त विसर्ग). 4) विश्वे॑ च दे॒वाः: ‘विश्वे’ (प्रथमा बहु) + ‘देवाः’ (प्रथमा बहु) समुच्चित कर्तृ
- ‘च’ अव्यय
The meaning
Outer meaning
When Soma has been pressed, Indra drinks it; and the Viśve Devāḥ (All-Gods) also drink—for kratu (purposeful will) and for dakṣa (skill/power of right action).
Inner meaning
When the inner Soma (delight-essence) is expressed and purified, it becomes drinkable by Indra (illumined mind-power) and by all the divine faculties (Viśve Devāḥ). The psychic delight feeds (i) kratu—an uplifted, directive will that chooses the truth, and (ii) dakṣa—the luminous executive intelligence that can organize life and works in harmony with the Truth.
Universal truth
Higher consciousness is sustained by an inner joy that has been clarified by discipline; that joy empowers both aspiration (will) and effective right action (skill), integrating the whole being.
Themes
Soma-ritual, assimilation of delight, will and right action, collective gods
The seer
Significance
In the Soma-Pavamāna corpus, the seer-voice is often a collective priestly-psychic seeing: the mantra speaks from the standpoint of inner sacrifice where delight is refined into a force that can be received by illumination (Indra) and harmonized powers (Viśve Devāḥ).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (as offering to Indra and the Viśve Devāḥ)
- Epithets
- suta (pressed), pavamāna (self-purifying/clarifying), pīyūṣa (nectar, implicit in the hymn context)
- Related deities
- Indra, Viśve Devāḥ, Agni
Cosmic role
The divine delight that circulates between earth and heaven, enabling the gods to act and the worlds to be harmonized.
Inner power
Ananda that becomes a conscious substance: it feeds illumination (Indra) and coordinates the many god-powers (Viśve Devāḥ) for right will and right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (Pavamāna) with offering to Indra/All-Gods
इन्द्र॑स्ते सोम सु॒तस्य॑ पेया॒: क्रत्वे॒ दक्षा॑य॒ विश्वे॑ च दे॒वाः ॥
इन्द्रः॑ । ते॒ । सो॒म॒ । सु॒तस्य॑ । पे॒याः॒ । क्रत्वे॑ । दक्षा॑य । विश्वे॑ । च॒ । दे॒वाः ॥
indraḥ | te | soma | sutasya | peyāḥ | kratve | dakṣāya | viśve | ca | devāḥ
Anuṣṭubh (probable, based on common RV 9 usage and compact 4-pāda cadence)
32
4 pādas of ~8 syllables each
Compact, directive, mantra-like clarity; quick turns around key nouns (Indra, Viśve Devāḥ, kratu, dakṣa).
Builds a sense of ‘offering received’: the listener feels inner energies being gathered and coordinated into will and skill.
- soma (सोम)
- Literal: Soma plant/juice; pressed offering. Symbolic: Purified delight, bliss-substance of consciousness that nourishes the gods within
- sutasya (सुतस्य)
- Literal: of the pressed (Soma). Symbolic: Delight expressed from experience through tapas, inquiry, and offering
- peyāḥ (पेया:)
- Literal: to be drunk / drinkable. Symbolic: Made fit for assimilation by the illumined mind and divine powers
- indra (इन्द्र)
- Literal: Indra, Vedic deity. Symbolic: Divine Mind/illumination-force that breaks obstruction and widens consciousness
- viśve devāḥ (विश्वे देवाः)
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: The totality of divine faculties in the human being (light, harmony, power, joy, truth) acting together
- kratu (क्रतु)
- Literal: resolve, intention, will. Symbolic: Uplifted will aligned to truth; the soul’s consenting aspiration
- dakṣa (दक्ष)
- Literal: skill, ability, power; also a deity-name. Symbolic: Luminous discernment and right execution—intelligence that organizes works according to ṛta
Soma pressing and offering (graha); inwardly, extraction and assimilation of delight to strengthen will and right action
During Soma-yajña sequences (pressing, filtering, offering; especially Indra/Viśve Devāḥ cups)
Chanted while Soma is filtered and made ready for libation; invocation that the gods ‘drink’ the clarified essence.
Use as a pre-work or pre-meditation invocation: offer one’s emotional energy to be purified into clear will (kratu) and competent action (dakṣa).
suta (√su ‘press’) marks the inner ‘pressing’—the extraction of essence from experience. peyāḥ (√pā ‘drink’) implies assimilation: the gods ‘drink’ as the human system takes in and transforms delight. kratu is the shaping will (often decisive intelligence-in-action). dakṣa (from √dakṣ ‘be able, be competent’) is the power of right, luminous effectiveness—skill aligned with ṛta.
kratu (effective will), dakṣa (right skill/competence), collective divine powers (Viśve Devāḥ)
Soma’s purification makes the inner substance fit for ṛta—so that will and action align with cosmic order.
The ‘drink’ becomes effective when it supports truth-directed will and truthful execution.
The gods are strengthened by Soma; strengthened gods sustain and build the worlds within the sacrificer.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral Yogic reading (Aurobindonian): Ananda as a substantive power supporting illumination and right works.
The ‘pressed’ juice corresponds to distilled experience; the ‘drinking’ is assimilation by higher faculties; the shared drinking by Indra and All-Gods signals integrated functioning of the whole being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘drinking of Soma by the gods’: the divine powers assimilate the pressed essence to increase their capacities. Psychologically, purified delight is taken up by the inner faculties to intensify will (kratu) and right efficiency (dakṣa).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pā ‘drink’ corresponds to PIE *peh₃- ‘drink’ (cf. Latin pōtus, Greek pínō), showing an inherited ritual-physiological metaphor for incorporation. The semantic pairing of kratu/dakṣa reflects an early Indo-European concern with effective intention and competent execution.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames offering as empowerment: when the human presses out the essence (suta), the gods ‘drink’—i.e., the inner powers become capable of higher will and surer action, returning strength and order to the sacrificer’s life.
Offer emotional energy into the heart as Soma; let it clarify into two capacities: (1) truth-will (kratu) and (2) luminous execution (dakṣa).
Anāhata (heart) to Ājñā (illumined mind) axis
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or 4-4-6 breathing; on exhale, ‘offer’ the Soma; on inhale, receive clarity.
Collected, uplifted, capable—quiet power ready for right action.
Before action, pause: feel joy without excitement; let it become a clear intention (kratu) and an intelligent plan (dakṣa). Repeat the mantra to unify scattered impulses.
Not specified here; chant with standard RV recitation rules: maintain udatta peaks on marked syllables (e.g., -,,,, ).
Let udatta syllables be slightly raised and brighter; keep anudatta grounded; svarita as a gentle fall-rise where applicable in your śākhā tradition.
indraḥ: final visarga softly aspirated, soma: ‘o’ long and rounded, sutasya: dental ‘t’, clear ‘sya’, kratve: cluster ‘tv’ clean, no extra vowel, dakṣāya: ‘kṣ’ as a single cluster, not ‘k-sha’ separated, viśve: palatal ‘ś’ (as in ‘sh’ but sharper)
Clear, steady, offering-tone (as if placing a cup on the altar of the mind).
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