Rig Veda 9.6.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 6, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.6
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अभि त्यं मद्यं मदमिन्दविन्द्र इति क्षर । अभि वाजिनो अर्वतः ॥
abhí tyáṃ mádyaṃ mádam índav índra íti kṣara | abhí vājíno árvataḥ ||
Hacia ese éxtasis embriagador, hacia esa bebida — «para Indra», oh gota de Soma— así fluye. Fluye también hacia los caballos vājina, hacia los corceles veloces.
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय (गत्यर्थे/अभिमुख्ये)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- त्यम्
- that (him/it)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (सामान्यतः पुं.), द्वितीया एकवचन (एनक्लिटिक/वैदिक रूप)Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मद्यम्
- intoxicating drink; meadNoun/Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदम्
- intoxication, exhilarationNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दु
- Soma (drop)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचनRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- इति
- thusIndeclinableउद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्त्यर्थक अव्ययRoot इति (अव्यय)
- क्षर
- flow! stream!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यम पुरुष, एकवचनRoot क्षर् (धातु)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वाजिनः
- of the prize-winner; of the swift/strong oneAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (वैदिक: -इन्-प्रातिपदिकस्य षष्ठी)Role Sampradāna (लक्ष्य/हित) / सम्बन्धRoot वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्वतः
- of the steed, of the horseNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sampradāna (लक्ष्य/हित) / सम्बन्धRoot अर्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (वैदिक संधि-विच्छेद): अ॒भि | त्यम् | मद्यम् | मदम् | इन्दु | इन्द्र | इति | क्षर || अ॒भि | वाजिनः | अर्वतः || 1) ‘इन्द॒विन्द्र’ = ‘इन्दु इन्द्र’ (उ + इ → व्-आगम: इन्दु + इन्द्र → इन्द्विन्द्र; संहितायां ‘इन्दविन्द्र’)
- 2) ‘मद॒मिन्द॒विन्द्र’ = ‘मदम् इन्दु इन्द्र’ (म् + इ → मि…; ततः इन्दु+इन्द्र संधि यथोक्त)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma-drop, flow toward the intoxicating rapture ‘for Indra’; stream also toward the swift steeds (arvataḥ) of the possessors of plenitude (vājinaḥ).
Inner meaning
Soma is directed toward Indra: the illumined mind that can receive and wield the ecstatic force. The ‘madyam mada’ is not mere intoxication but the uplift of consciousness into luminous joy-power. The ‘steeds’ are the dynamic energies that carry the seeker’s movement—vital forces disciplined for victory; Soma must also feed these carriers so action becomes swift, victorious, and aligned with illumination.
Universal truth
Delight must empower both vision and execution: illumination (Indra) and the forces of action (steeds) are strengthened by the same purified joy, turning aspiration into effective progress.
Themes
Soma-to-Indra, Ecstasy, Force and victory, Dynamic movement
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.6
Significance
The seer links ecstasy to victorious intelligence and effective dynamism: not trance alone, but Ananda that arms the illumined mind and mobilizes the life-forces.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (explicitly oriented to Indra)
- Epithets
- indu (drop), pavamāna (purifying), madyam (rapture-giving)
- Related deities
- Indra, Vāyu (often paired with Soma), Maruts (forces that accompany Indra)
Cosmic role
Soma supplies the gods with strength; Indra especially drinks Soma to break the coverer and release the lights and waters.
Inner power
Delight that becomes force for illumination and conquest of resistance; energizes both mind and vital action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing/filtration with Indra orientation (Indra-drinking sequences)
अ॒भि त्यं मद्यं॒ मद॒मिन्द॒विन्द्र॒ इति॑ क्षर । अ॒भि वा॒जिनो॒ अर्व॑तः ॥
अ॒भि । त्यम् । मद्य॑म् । मद॑म् । इन्दो॒ इति॑ । इन्द्रः॑ । इति॑ । क्ष॒र॒ । अ॒भि । वा॒जिनः॑ । अर्व॑तः ॥
abhi | tyam | madyam | madam | indo iti | indraḥ | iti | kṣara | abhi | vājinaḥ | arvataḥ
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3 pādas × 8 syllables (possible resolution with Vedic sandhi)
Quick imperative flow—like urging the stream forward toward its targets.
Stimulates energy and confidence; helpful for activating will and clarity before action.
- indu
- Literal: drop of Soma. Symbolic: a concentrated unit of Ananda-force entering the system
- madyam mada
- Literal: intoxicating intoxication/ecstasy. Symbolic: rapture that lifts mind beyond limitation into luminous power
- indra iti
- Literal: ‘for Indra’. Symbolic: for the illumined mind-principle; orientation of delight toward light and victory
- kṣara
- Literal: flow, stream. Symbolic: release of inner nectar; active movement of Ananda
- vājinaḥ
- Literal: possessors of vāja; vigorous, plenitude-bearing. Symbolic: energies/faculties that carry plenitude of force and capacity
- arvataḥ
- Literal: steeds, swift horses. Symbolic: vital energies as carriers of action and progress
Soma is directed toward Indra’s share in the Soma sacrifice; also linked with the ‘steeds’ motif—energising the sacrificer’s powers for victory and accomplishment.
When Soma is prepared for Indra; during invocations that direct Soma to Indra’s share
Directing the flow/offer to Indra; supporting the ‘Indra’ function of breaking obstacles
Chant before demanding work: offer delight to the illumined mind, then to the ‘steeds’—your disciplined energies for execution.
√mad ‘rejoice, be intoxicated’ underlies madá/mádya: in Soma hymns, ‘intoxication’ is elevated to inspired rapture. √kṣar ‘to flow’ is the characteristic verb for Soma’s streaming clarity. vāja- is polyvalent: ‘prize/food’ outwardly, but rooted in strength/abundance—hence ‘plenitude of force’ inwardly; vājín- ‘possessed of vāja’ becomes an epithet of energised powers/steeds.
ānanda as divine ecstasy (madá reinterpreted), indriya-shakti / power of luminous mind (Indra), dynamic force (vāja) as spiritual energy
Right-directed Soma makes action (steeds) serve illumination, not impulse—restoring ṛta in dynamism.
Indra’s ‘victory’ is the establishment of truth-light in mind and life.
Release of powers for progress; Soma as catalyst for evolutionary advance.
Psychological Veda: Indra as illumined mind; horses as life-energies; Soma as Ananda fueling both.
Flow=descent of delight; horses=vital energies; Indra=illumined intelligence receiving and directing the force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- ‘Soma flowing to Indra’—the empowering drink that increases Indra’s victorious might. Psychologically, the clarified delight-force streams into the luminous mind (Indra) and energises the ‘steeds’—the swift executive forces of the being—to carry consciousness beyond obstruction.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad relates to PIE *med- ‘to be wet/drunk/intoxicated; to be excited’ (seen across IE in drink/intoxication semantics). índra is Indo-Iranian-specific as a theonym, but the formula ‘X íti’ marking intended recipient is an archaic performative feature. árvant- ‘steed’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan aurvant-), reflecting shared poetic vocabulary.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer does not merely praise; he directs the Soma-current with intention (‘for Indra’), implying mastery of the inner rite: aspiration channels delight into the Indra-power, which in turn releases and harnesses the dynamic energies (steeds) for the seeker’s progress.
Offer the rising joy to the ‘Indra’ in you (clear seeing); then send it into the life-energies so action becomes swift and true.
Ājñā (Indra/illumined mind) + Maṇipūra (horses/drive)
Kapālabhāti light rounds (if suitable) followed by calm breathing; feel Soma-joy stabilize in the forehead
Energised clarity; victorious resolve without strain
On ‘indra iti’ pause briefly to feel orientation toward light; then on ‘vājino arvataḥ’ feel energies align and move as one team.
Accents not provided; keep imperative ‘kṣara’ with clear udātta emphasis as per marked text when available.
Articulate the quoted intention ‘indra iti’ distinctly; maintain momentum into ‘kṣara’.
abhi: short ‘a’, clear ‘bh’, tyam: palatal ‘y’ light, madyam: ‘dy’ cluster clean; avoid ‘j’ sound, madam: dental ‘d’, indo: pure ‘i’ + ‘ndo’ cluster, indra iti: separate words; roll ‘r’, kṣara: ‘kṣ’ cluster crisp (not ‘khsh’), vājinaḥ: long ā; soft ‘j’, arvataḥ: ‘rv’ cluster; final visarga light
Bright, forceful but controlled; like urging a stream forward
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