Rig Veda 9.21.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 21, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.21
आस्मिन्पिशङ्गमिन्दवो दधाता वेनमादिशे । यो अस्मभ्यमरावा ॥
ā́smín piśáṅgam indavo dádhāta venám ā́diśe | yó asmábhyam arā́vā ||
En este lugar, oh gotas de Soma, poned el fulvo resplandor; infundid el vena, el anhelo, para la proclamación. El que es generoso con nosotros, que despierte en nosotros ese deseo.
Invocation to establish Soma’s radiant force and the inspired yearning that leads to revelation; ritually tied to Soma’s bestowal of ‘vena’ (seeking impulse) upon the chanter.
vena (inspired longing) as动力 for knowledge, revelation/indication (ādiś) as guidance from higher truth
Establishing the right inner light and longing aligns the being with r̥ta: knowledge comes by ordered revelation, not by mental strain.
Ādiśa implies direct showing: satya as self-evident truth when the inner light is set.
Illumination installed in the field of nature; aspiration as the creative impulse that calls forth revelation.
Vedic psychology of revelation: desire transformed into intuition and seeing.
Sunrise-gold implied by piśaṅga (tawny radiance).
Golden light = awakened illumination in mind/heart; drops = infusions of delight; vena = aspirational intuition; revelation = direct inner seeing.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The implantation of ‘vena’—the inspired longing that leads to revelation—by Soma’s radiant presence. Mythically, Soma gives the seeker the golden light and the urge-to-see; psychologically, aspiration is itself a divine gift placed in the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vená aligns well with the IE desire-root *wenh₁- (cf. Latin Venus, venia; Germanic *wun- ‘joy, desire’). √dhā ‘place’ is PIE *dʰeh₁-. These support an old formula: the god ‘places’ desire/impulse in the human.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi requests not merely gifts but the inner condition for revelation: Soma must establish both radiance (piśaṅga) and seeking (vena). The reciprocity is transformative—Soma’s bounty becomes aspiration and guidance within the chanter.
Install a warm golden light in the inner field; awaken quiet aspiration that naturally turns toward revelation.
Anāhata (warmth/vena) rising to Ājñā (revelatory seeing).
Slow meditative breathing (6–6), visualizing golden Soma drops descending on inhale and spreading as radiance on exhale.
Quietly luminous, receptive, aspiration-filled.
Chant softly; then sit with attention in the heart: feel a golden glow; let a simple question arise—‘Show me what is true now’—and remain receptive rather than mentally searching.
Rigvedic three-tone; exact udatta/anudatta/svarita requires a marked recension text.
Chant as a gentle ‘installation’: slightly lengthen long vowels (ā, ī) without speeding; keep final ḥ/visarga audible where present.
: long ā at start; keep ‘smin’ cluster clear., : nasal ṅ before g; keep ‘pi’ short, ‘śaṅ’ clear., : clean dental n; avoid turning into ‘vem’., : long ā; articulate di-śe with palatal ś., : roll light r; long ā sustained.
Warm, intimate, steady; emphasize resonance over volume.
27
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.
