Rig Veda 9.15.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 15, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.15
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
एष पुरू धियायते बृहते देवतातये । यत्रामृतास आसते ॥
eṣá purū́ dhíyāyate bṛhaté devátātaye | yátrāmṛ́tāsa āsáte ||
Este Soma se mueve con muchos despertares del pensamiento, hacia lo Vasto y hacia la plenitud divina — allí donde los poderes inmortales toman asiento en nosotros.
Word by Word
- एषः
- this (one), hePronoun (Demonstrative)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एष-
- पुरू
- much, manyAdjective (indeclinable in Vedic usage here)अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘many/much’ (quantifier) modifying implied action/qualityRole KaraṇaRoot पुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- धियायते
- he/it thinks, is inspired, is set in motion by thoughtVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role KartāRoot धी (धातु; ‘to think/meditate’) → denominative/ātmanepada formation
- बृहते
- for the great (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot बृहन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवतायतये
- for divinity, for (attaining) godhoodNoun (abstract)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot देवतायतु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘divinity/being divine, divine state’)
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinableस्थानवाचक-अव्ययम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot यत्र (अव्यय)
- अमृतासः
- the immortalsNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- आसते
- they sit, abideVerbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role KartāRoot आस् (धातु; ‘to sit’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: एषः | पुरू | धियायते | बृहते | देवतायतये | यत्र | अमृतासः | आसते || 1) ए॒ष → एषः (प्रथमा-एकवचन ‘एतद्’ का वैदिक रूप)
- 2) देवता॑तये → देवतायतये (देवता + यतये/अयतये; संधि में ‘आ + य’ → ‘ाय’)
- 3) यत्रा॒मृता॑स॒ → यत्र अमृतासः (स्वर-संधि/पद-संधि में ‘यत्र + अमृतासः’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
This Soma moves with many thoughts toward the Vast and toward divine plenitude, where the deathless ones sit.
Inner meaning
Purified Soma awakens ‘many dhīs’—multiple illuminative formations of thought—and travels toward bṛhat (the Vast consciousness) and devatāti (the divine state/plenitude of the gods). ‘Where the immortals sit’ indicates the settled poise of higher powers within the inner being once the delight is clarified and made fit for them.
Universal truth
As consciousness is purified, thought becomes manifold illumination, and the being naturally ascends into wideness and divine fullness where enduring powers of truth can establish themselves.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Ascent to the Vast, Establishment of the immortals
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.15.1, Rig Veda 9.15.3, Rig Veda 9.15.4, Rig Veda 9.15.5
Significance
The mantra expresses the seer’s hallmark realization: purification does not merely cleanse, it multiplies luminous ideation and establishes the immortals (higher powers) as an inner seat (āsana) in human consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Bṛhat-gāmī (going to the Vast), Devātāti-gāmī (going to divine plenitude)
- Related deities
- Indra, Aditi (vastness), Viśve Devāḥ
Cosmic role
Mediator-essence that carries offerings upward and brings divine powers downward; a bridge from mortal limitation to immortal seat.
Inner power
Ananda that widens the mind and makes it a stable throne for truth-forces (amṛta).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants during pressing/straining
ए॒ष पु॒रू धि॑यायते बृह॒ते दे॒वता॑तये । यत्रा॒मृता॑स॒ आस॑ते ॥
ए॒षः । पु॒रु । धि॒या॒ऽय॒ते॒ । बृ॒ह॒ते । दे॒वऽता॑तये । यत्र॑ । अ॒मृता॑सः । आस॑ते ॥
eṣaḥ | puru | dhiyāyate | bṛhate | deva-tātaye | yatra | amṛtāsaḥ | āsate
48
4 × ~12; expansive cadence matching bṛhat (the Vast).
Broad, spacious, with a feeling of widening on each pāda.
Encourages inner expansion and receptivity; supports meditation on wideness and divine inhabitation.
- puru
- Literal: many, abundant. Symbolic: multiplicity of awakenings; rich formations of insight
- dhiyāyate
- Literal: he thinks/meditates; is moved by thought. Symbolic: the active luminous ideation that accompanies purification
- bṛhate
- Literal: to the Vast. Symbolic: wide consciousness beyond narrow ego-bound mind
- devatātaye
- Literal: toward godhead/divine condition. Symbolic: entry into the plane of divine powers and their plenitude in the being
- amṛtāsaḥ
- Literal: the immortals. Symbolic: deathless powers of light, truth, and bliss स्थापित within
Soma-pavamāna cycle: verses for the flowing/filtered Soma during pressing and purification (pavamāna-stotra context in Soma sacrifice such as Agniṣṭoma).
During Pavamāna recitations as Soma is made fit for the gods.
Chant to accompany filtering and offering; mentally ‘seat’ the gods in the clarified consciousness.
Use to cultivate inner wideness before meditation; a mantra for moving from mental fragmentation to luminous multiplicity and stable peace.
Key roots: bṛhaté < √bṛh ‘to expand, grow’ → Vastness as widened consciousness; dhī ‘inspired thought’ (from √dhī/√dhyai ‘to think, contemplate’) in dhiyāyate (middle) suggests inward self-movement of intelligence; devatā-tāti: devatā ‘divine power’ + tāti ‘extension/totality’ (√tan ‘to stretch’ as semantic support for ‘plenitude’); amṛta ‘deathless’ = a- (negation) + mṛta ‘mortal’ (√mṛ ‘to die’).
Bṛhat (the Vast), Amṛta (deathless state), Devāḥ as powers of consciousness rather than anthropomorphic beings
The many dhīs are r̥ta-forms—right ideas aligned to the Vast.
Immortals ‘sit’ where truth is stable, not fluctuating opinion.
Establishing a divine seat within the human—microcosmic enthronement of higher principles.
Integral Vedāntic trajectory: wideness (bṛhat) as condition for divine manifestation.
Vast = widened consciousness; seat = stable establishment of higher powers; many thoughts = many rays/forms of illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ascent/flow of Soma toward Bṛhat (the Vast) culminating in the ‘seat’ of the immortals: a mythic pattern where the purified essence rises to the higher world and establishes the divine powers in the human vessel.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- bṛhaté aligns with PIE *bʰerǵʰ- / *bʰreh₂g- notions of rising/height/growth (semantic field ‘expand, grow’); āsate from √ās ‘sit’ parallels PIE *h₁eh₁s- ‘to sit’ (cf. Latin sedēre from *sed-, but Indo-European has multiple ‘sit’ roots; Vedic √ās is securely archaic). amṛta as privative a- + mṛta reflects inherited Indo-European privation morphology.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer witnesses Soma as an inner agency: Soma’s movement ‘by dhī’ implies the rishi’s inspired intelligence is both instrument and field; the devatā-tāti indicates reciprocal increase—human aspiration offers purification, and the divine powers respond by taking stable seat (āsate) in consciousness.
Enter ‘bṛhat’: on each repetition, let awareness widen beyond the body-mind; invite the ‘amṛta’ powers to take their seat as steady peace and luminous thought.
Heart (anāhata) for wideness + Ājñā for luminous dhī.
Inhale: widen (bṛhat). Exhale: offer upward (devatāti). Pause: feel ‘āsate’—settled immortals.
Widened, quietly illumined, inwardly inhabited by higher forces.
After a few recitations, sit still and notice multiple fine insights arising without strain; let them organize into a single vast poise rather than mental chatter.
Three-tone Vedic; emphasize bṛhate and devatātaye with clear udatta lift; keep yatrāmṛtāsa āsate as a settling cadence.
Let the first half expand (eṣa purū dhiyāyate bṛhate); soften and deepen on the second half (yatrāmṛtāsa āsate).
bṛhate: clear vocalic ṛ., devatātaye: articulate long ā and dental t., amṛtāsaḥ: keep ṛ and visarga audible but light.
Spacious, resonant, unhurried; allow lengthened vowels to create wideness.
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