Rig Veda 9.39.1: Mandala 9, Sukta 39, Mantra 1
Sukta 9.39
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आशुरर्ष बृहन्मते परि प्रियेण धाम्ना । यत्र देवा इति ब्रवन् ॥
āśúr arṣa bṛhánmate pári priyéṇa dhā́mnā | yátra devā́ íti brávan ||
Fluye veloz, oh Soma, hacia el de vasta mente, en torno según la ley amada de tu morada luminosa, allí donde los dioses, al pronunciarlo, afirman el eterno «Es».
Word by Word
- आशुः
- the swift oneAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot आशु (प्रातिपदिक) < PIE *h₂eḱ- ‘swift’ (adj.)
- ऋष
- rush / speed forthVerbलोट् (Vedic injunctive/imperative nuance), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया) —Root ऋष् (धातु) ‘to go/move, rush’
- बृहन्मते
- for the great purpose / to the lofty intentNoun (compound)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot बृहन्मति (प्रातिपदिक) = बृहन् + मति ‘great-mindedness/ great thought’
- परि
- around; forth (as preverb)Indeclinableअव्ययRole (क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्ग) —Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- प्रियेन
- with/through the dear (beloved)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाम्ना
- by (its) abode/radianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot धामन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘abode, seat; (also) radiance/ordinance’
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinable (relative adverb)अव्ययRole अधिकरणRoot यत्र (अव्यय)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- इति
- thusIndeclinable (quotative)अव्ययRole (वाक्य-चिह्न) —Root इति (अव्यय)
- ब्रुवन्
- speaking / sayingVerb (present participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot ब्रू (धातु) ‘to say, speak’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आशुः | ऋष | बृहन्मते | परि | प्रियेन | धाम्ना | यत्र | देवाः | इति | ब्रुवन् || 1) ‘आशुर॑र्ष’ = ‘आशुः’ + ‘ऋष’ (विसर्ग-लोपः/सन्धिः: उः + ऋ → उर्; लिखिते ‘आशुर्’). 2) ‘धाम्ना । यत्र’ इत्यत्र विरामेण सन्धिः न कृतः
- सततपाठे सामान्यतः ‘देवा इति’ (अ + इ → ए) सम्भवः, परन्तु ऋग्वैदिकपाठे पदविभागः एव ग्राह्यः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Swift Soma, stream forth around the vast-minded (bṛhanmate) by your beloved dwelling/law (priyeṇa dhāmnā), to where the gods say ‘iti’—affirming existence.
Inner meaning
The purifying delight is urged to move swiftly around and establish the ‘vast mind’—the wideness of truth-consciousness (bṛhat). By its own ‘dear dhāman’ (luminous home/principle of being), Soma forms a protective and consecrating circumference (pari) around the awakened truth-mind. It carries the seeker to that plane where the illumined powers spontaneously affirm the eternal Reality—‘It is’ (iti bruvan): a direct certitude of being, not belief.
Universal truth
True spiritual experience culminates in an unshakable affirmation of Reality; delight, when purified, widens the mind and carries consciousness into the domain where truth is self-evident.
Themes
Soma-ritual, purification, ascent to the gods, Satyam-R̥tam-Bṛhat (implicit)
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.39.2-4 (same hymn sequence), RV 9.113 (affirmation of the world of light)
Significance
The seer-voice here functions as the yogic injunction: ‘Flow!’—a directive to the delight-force to establish wideness and truth-certainty in the mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- āśu (swift), pavamāna (purifying), bṛhanmate-priya (dear to the vast mind)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (lord of bṛhat speech), Indra (illumined mind), Varuṇa-Mitra (Rita/Satya guardians)
Cosmic role
Mediator of planes—carrying consciousness to the god-world where truth is affirmed.
Inner power
Ananda that widens mind into bṛhat and seals it with certitude (śraddhā born of experience).
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna stotra during Soma purification and offering
आ॒शुर॑र्ष बृहन्मते॒ परि॑ प्रि॒येण॒ धाम्ना॑ । यत्र॑ दे॒वा इति॒ ब्रव॑न् ॥
आ॒शुः । अ॒र्ष॒ । बृ॒ह॒त्ऽम॒ते॒ । परि॑ । प्रि॒येण॑ । धाम्ना॑ । यत्र॑ । दे॒वाः । इति॑ । ब्रव॑न् ॥
āśuḥ | arṣa | bṛhat-mate | pari | priyeṇa | dhāmnā | yatra | devāḥ | iti | bravan
Likely Gāyatrī or Anuṣṭubh-type short meter (RV 9.39 often uses triṣṭubh/jagatī mixtures across verses in different recensions)
Requires padic syllable count with accent marks.
Imperative, quick, and circling—mirrors āśu + pari (swift circumambulation).
Invokes speed and wideness; the repeated open vowels encourage expansion of breath and mind.
- आशुः (āśuḥ)
- Literal: swift. Symbolic: rapid descent/ascent of consciousness when channels are purified
- अर्ष (arṣa)
- Literal: stream!. Symbolic: let the higher current flow unobstructed
- बृहत्मते (bṛhat-mate)
- Literal: to/for the vast-minded. Symbolic: toward the wide truth-mind (bṛhat consciousness)
- परि (pari)
- Literal: around. Symbolic: encompassing consecration; protective widening
- धामन् (dhāman)
- Literal: dwelling, luminous seat, law. Symbolic: native plane of light; intrinsic principle of being
- यत्र देवाः (yatra devāḥ)
- Literal: where the gods (are). Symbolic: plane of illumined faculties/powers
- इति ब्रवन् (iti bravan)
- Literal: say ‘thus/it is’. Symbolic: direct truth-certitude; ontological affirmation
Soma-pavamāna context: verses for the flowing/straining Soma in Soma sacrifice (e.g., Agniṣṭoma sequence within Soma-yajña)
As Soma is filtered and made ready; accompanying circumambulating flow into vessels.
Chant to ‘set Soma in motion’ toward the देवयजन plane—symbolically inviting the gods.
Use before meditation to establish ‘bṛhat’ (wideness): chant, then sit with awareness expanding around the head and heart, affirming quietly ‘It is’.
āśu- ‘swift’ (adj., from √aś ‘to move quickly, reach’). arṣa: imperative 2sg from √arṣ ‘to flow, move, rush’ (Vedic). bṛhat-mati: tatpuruṣa ‘having vast thought’ from bṛhánt ‘the Vast’ (< √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’) + mati ‘thought, intelligence’ (< √man ‘to think’). dhāman- ‘abode/seat/law’ from √dhā ‘to place, establish’; instrumental sg dhāmnā. bravan: 3pl imperfect/ injunctive-like form from √brū ‘to speak’.
Bṛhat (the Vast), truth-affirmation (‘iti’ as recognition of being), R̥ta implied through dhāman as ordered station/law
priyeṇa dhāmnā: the beloved luminous law that orders the flow.
‘iti bruvan’—truth as immediate affirmation.
Ascent to the devāḥ plane where being is self-evident.
Vedantic-yogic: Sat as foundational; bṛhat as widened consciousness.
A swift current of delight encircling and stabilizing the widened truth-mind, lifting awareness to the plane of luminous certitude.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Soma-as-stream of consciousness’ mythologem: Soma rushes toward its dhāman (luminous station) and arrives at the realm where the gods utter affirmation. Mythically, Soma’s flow is the passage from mixed mortal substance to divine clarity; psychologically, it is the inner current of delight/illumination moving into the Vast (Bṛhat) where truth becomes self-evident (‘iti’).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key verbs √arṣ ‘flow/rush’ aligns with Indo-European imagery of sacred flow (cf. PIE *ers- ‘move, flow’ proposed in some etymologies; cautious). √brū ‘speak’ reflects inherited speech-act sacrality (PIE *bʰreh₂w- ‘to speak’ often cited). bṛh- ‘grow, expand’ is a clear Indo-Iranian inheritance (Skt √bṛh ~ Av. bərəz- ‘high, exalted’), supporting the shared “vast/high” sacral register.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s address is an imperative collaboration: the human will calls Soma to ‘flow’ into the Vast-minded truth-state. Soma responds as an inner power establishing the soul in its dhāman, culminating in the gods’ confirming utterance. The reciprocity is experiential: aspiration (call) invokes descent/flow (Soma), which then yields revelation (the gods’ ‘iti’).
Establish bṛhat (wideness) and Sat-certitude (‘It is’).
Ajna (truth-vision) with a widening field; Anahata for inclusive expansion.
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while feeling ‘pari’—awareness expanding around you.
Wide, lucid, affirmative being-consciousness.
Chant 3–9 times; then rest in silent certainty ‘It is’ without mental argument, letting the sense of being fill the space around the head and chest.
Not fully recoverable here; recommend learning from a Śākala chanting audio. Keep a gentle rise on imperatives (arṣa) and a settling cadence on bravan.
Emphasize āśur arṣa (invocation), then soften through pari priyeṇa dhāmnā, and end with a clear, resolved cadence on iti bravan.
āśur: long ā, ś as palatal fricative, bṛhanmate: vocalic ṛ; cluster -nm- kept clear, priyeṇa: ‘ye’ distinct, not ‘jye’, dhāmnā: long ā; conjunct mnā articulated smoothly, bravan: short a in -van, not ‘vān’
Bright, directive, slightly ringing; avoid heaviness to preserve āśu (swiftness).
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