Rig Veda 9.27.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 27, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.27
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna with Sūrya as illuminative associate
- Rasa
- Hasya (mirth) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एष सूर्येण हासते पवमानो अधि द्यवि । पवित्रे मत्सरो मदः ॥
eṣá sū́ryeṇa hāsate pávamāno ádhi dyávi | pavítre matsaró mádaḥ ||
Este Soma, al purificarse, ríe con el Sol en lo alto del cielo; sobre el filtro se vuelve arrobamiento y embriaguez — éxtasis que impulsa hacia la Verdad.
Word by Word
- एषः
- this (one), hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एष-
- सूर्येण
- with/by the SunNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- हासते
- laughs, smilesVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √हस् (हसँ)
- पवमानः
- being purified, purifying (Soma)Adjective (participle)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (एषः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root √पू (पवते) → पवमान (वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinable (preverb/preposition)अव्ययम्Role अधिकरण-सम्बन्धे (उपरि/अधिष्ठाने)Root अधि
- द्यवि
- in/on the skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (वेदिक-रूपम्: द्यवि = दिवि)Role अधिकरणRoot द्यौ/दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवित्रे
- in the filter (sieve)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सरः
- the exhilarator, intoxicating oneNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (मदः इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बन्धि-नाम)Root मत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदः
- intoxication, exhilarationNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ/भावः (नामवाक्ये मुख्यपदम्)Root मद (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: एष (nom. sg.) + सूर्येण (instr. sg.) → no external sandhi
- हासते is finite verb. पवमानो अधि द्यवि → पवमानः (nom. sg.) + अधि (avyaya) + द्यवि (Vedic loc. sg. = दिवि). पवित्रे मत्सरो मदः → पवित्रे (loc. sg.) + मत्सरः (nom. sg.) + मदः (nom. sg.)
- final visarga in मत्सरः is often written without explicit visarga before a voiced consonant in saṃhitā-style orthography. Accent marks (udātta/svarita) are preserved in the given saṃhitā text but are not re-marked per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
This purifying Soma laughs with the Sun upon heaven; on the filter it becomes rapture and intoxication (mada).
Inner meaning
As Soma purifies, it comes into conscious union with Sūrya—the inner Sun of illumination. ‘Laughing with the Sun’ indicates a spontaneous joy that is identical with clarity: delight and truth-light are no longer opposed. Upon the ‘heaven’ (dyavi)—the wide mental sky—this purified Soma becomes matsara/mada: an ecstasy that drives the being toward truth, not toward confusion. The intoxication is divine—an uplift of consciousness, not a fall into vital excitement.
Universal truth
True happiness is luminous. When joy is purified and aligned with inner truth, it becomes a clear ecstasy that lifts the mind into wideness and makes life radiant.
Themes
Soma-ritual, joy, illumination, purification
The seer
- Rishi
- Ascribed to the Soma Pavamāna cycle; specific rishi not securely identified for this verse in the provided source.
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.27.1, Rig Veda 9.27.2, Rig Veda 9.27.3, Rig Veda 9.27.4, Rig Veda 9.27.6
Family tradition
A Soma-seer tradition focused on ānanda as a mode of knowledge: delight that ‘laughs with the Sun’.
Significance
This verse encodes a key yogic sign: joy becomes self-luminous (with Sūrya), indicating purification of the vital and mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Sūrya as illuminative associate)
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (purifying), Mada (ecstasy), Sun-companion (sūryeṇa)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Indra (illumined mind), Agni (inner fire that prepares the offering)
Cosmic role
Soma and Sūrya together represent bliss and illumination—twin powers that establish the luminous heaven in the human being.
Inner power
Joy that is simultaneously clarity; ecstatic energy that reveals truth and widens the mind.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants during filtration; association with Sūrya suggests chanting when clarity/illumination is invoked in the rite.
ए॒ष सूर्ये॑ण हासते॒ पव॑मानो॒ अधि॒ द्यवि॑ । प॒वित्रे॑ मत्स॒रो मद॑: ॥
ए॒षः । सूर्ये॑ण । हा॒स॒ते॒ । पव॑मानः । अधि॑ । द्यवि॑ । प॒वित्रे॑ । म॒त्स॒रः । मदः॑ ॥
eṣaḥ | sūryeṇa | hāsate | pavamānaḥ | adhi | dyavi | pavitre | matsaraḥ | madaḥ
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3×8 (typical Gāyatrī).
Light and bright; a ‘smiling’ cadence with a buoyant rise.
Induces uplifted cheerfulness and clarity; supports a sattvic, luminous mood.
- sūryeṇa
- Literal: with the Sun. Symbolic: with inner illumination, truth-seeing consciousness
- hāsate
- Literal: laughs. Symbolic: spontaneous delight of the awakened being; freedom from shadow
- adhi dyavi
- Literal: upon/in heaven. Symbolic: in the wide mental sky; higher mind-plane
- pavitre
- Literal: on the purifier/filter. Symbolic: in the process of discrimination and refinement
- matsaraḥ
- Literal: rapture/exhilaration (also ‘eager/impetuous’ in other contexts). Symbolic: intense uplift that impels toward the goal when purified
- madaḥ
- Literal: intoxication, ecstasy. Symbolic: divine intoxication—ānanda-force that raises consciousness
Moment of Soma’s passage on the pavitra; evokes the luminous joy accompanying purification in the Soma offering.
During Soma flow on the filter, especially in sequences praising Soma’s brightness and exhilaration.
Straining and offering; celebratory chanting as Soma becomes ‘bright’ and ‘joy-giving’.
A mantra for depression/mental heaviness: align breath with a visualization of sunlight in the mind; cultivate ‘luminous joy’ rather than excitement.
: √hās ‘laugh, beam’ (middle 3sg). : from √svar/√sū? associated with shining; Sūrya as illuminer. dyavi: locative of dyu ‘sky, shining’. pavitra: instrument ‘that which purifies’ from √pū. matsara: in Soma hymns often ‘exhilaration’ (semantic shift from later ‘jealousy’). mada: from √mad ‘to rejoice, be intoxicated’—psychologically ‘divine ecstasy’.
ananda (mada as divine delight), illumination (Sūrya), purification/discernment (pavitra)
When Soma laughs with Sūrya, joy is in ṛta—aligned with truth and right movement.
Sūrya is the revealer; the ecstasy is truthful, not delusive.
Union of light and delight as a creative principle: illumination crowned by bliss.
Integral Vedantic-Yogic: ānanda is a power of consciousness, not merely emotion.
morning/noon (implied by Sūrya’s brilliance)
Sun = awakened discernment; laughter = freedom of consciousness; heaven = wide clear mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The union of Soma and Sun: the purifying Soma laughs/gleams with Sūrya in the heavenly mind, turning the act of filtration into an experience of rapturous power (matsara, mada) that supports the ascent toward truth-consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu ‘sky’ continues PIE *dyew-; √mad ‘be intoxicated/rejoice’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan mad-), reflecting an inherited poetic theme of sacred exhilaration. The instrumental sūryeṇa marks companionship/means, a common inherited case-function.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer frames purification not as austerity but as luminous joy: as the practitioner ‘filters’ experience, Soma reciprocates by awakening delight (mada) and aligning it with solar discernment, making inner progress sustainable and radiant.
Rest attention in the ‘inner sun’ at the brow; invite a quiet laughter of the heart as joy clarifies thought.
Ājñā (inner sun/clarity) with Anāhata (joy) integration.
Sūrya-bhedana (gentle, if appropriate) or simple slow inhalation visualizing sunlight filling the head-space; exhale as ‘pavitra’ cleansing.
Luminous, cheerful, clear—ecstasy without agitation.
Chant 9 times at dawn or before study/creative work. After chanting, sit 3 minutes: notice a ‘smile in the mind’—clarity that feels joyful.
Rigvedic three-tone accents; keep a bright lift on sūryeṇa and hāsate according to accent marks in the source text.
Do not rush hāsate; let it ‘smile’ in sound. Keep adhi dyavi as a spacious phrase.
sūryeṇa: sūr-ye-ṇa, clear ‘ry’ cluster, hāsate: hā-sa-te, long ā; soft ‘h’, matsaraḥ: mat-sa-raḥ, dental ‘s’ (not ṣ), madaḥ: ma-daḥ, keep short vowels crisp
Light, smiling, resonant; avoid heaviness to preserve the ‘sun-laugh’ quality.
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