Rig Veda Sukta 11
Mandala 9Sukta 119 Mantras

Sukta 11

Sukta 9.11

Devata

Soma Pavamāna (Indu)

Cet hymne au Soma Pavamāna appelle l’Indu purifié à être chanté tandis qu’il s’écoule à travers les filtres, se hâtant vers les dieux et rendant accessibles les puissances divines. Il loue la douceur et la force vivifiante du Soma et le supplie d’accorder richesse, vigueur héroïque et compagnie victorieuse — surtout en union avec Indra.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 9.11

Mantras

Mantra 1

उपास्मै गायता नरः पवमानायेन्दवे । अभि देवाँ इयक्षते ॥

Chantez près de lui, ô hommes, à Indu le Pavamāna; s’élançant en avant, il va vers les dieux et met à portée les puissances divines.

Mantra 2

अभि ते मधुना पयोऽथर्वाणो अशिश्रयुः । देवं देवाय देवयु ॥

Vers toi les Atharvans se sont appuyés avec un lait miellé ; le divin s’élance vers le Divin — celui qui aime les dieux, avide des dieux.

Mantra 3

स नः पवस्व शं गवे शं जनाय शमर्वते । शं राजन्नोषधीभ्यः ॥

Purifie-toi pour nous en paix et en bienfaisance : paix pour la Vache, paix pour les hommes, paix pour le coursier ; et paix, ô Roi, pour les plantes.

Mantra 4

बभ्रवे नु स्वतवसेऽरुणाय दिविस्पृशे । सोमाय गाथमर्चत ॥

Chantez maintenant un hymne à Soma — brun-doré, puissant de lui-même, rougeoyant, touchant le ciel : Soma, la joie qui s’élève.

Mantra 5

हस्तच्युतेभिरद्रिभिः सुतं सोमं पुनीतन । मधावा धावता मधु ॥

Purifiez le Soma pressé avec les pierres qui glissent des mains ; cours, ô doux, vers le miel — dans l’état empli de miel.

Mantra 6

नमसेदुप सीदत दध्नेदभि श्रीणीतन । इन्दुमिन्द्रे दधातन ॥

Asseyez-vous tout près avec révérence ; mêlez-le au caillé, enrichissez-le. Déposez la goutte lumineuse, Indu, en Indra.

Mantra 7

अमित्रहा विचर्षणिः पवस्व सोम शं गवे । देवेभ्यो अनुकामकृत् ॥

Ô Soma, tueur des forces hostiles, au vaste regard, — coule en ta purification pour le bien de la Vache ; pour les dieux, accomplisseur du désir.

Mantra 8

इन्द्राय सोम पातवे मदाय परि षिच्यसे । मनश्चिन्मनसस्पतिः ॥

Ô Soma, tu es versé et mis à couler tout autour — pour qu’Indra te boive, pour l’ivresse qui élève ; tu es le seigneur de l’esprit, et même l’esprit est sous ta loi.

Mantra 9

पवमान सुवीर्यं रयिं सोम रिरीहि नः । इन्दविन्द्रेण नो युजा ॥

Ô Soma qui te purifies, apporte-nous la plénitude de la force héroïque et l’abondance des richesses ; ô goutte lumineuse, attelée à Indra, sois notre compagne dans la conquête.

Inside Sukta 11

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    An exhortation to sing close to the purifying Indu as he advances toward the gods, bringing divine presence within reach.

  2. Development

    Ritual images intensify: Soma is pressed by stones, purified, and urged to run with sweetness—his flow becomes both offering and power.

  3. Climax

    A direct petition for suvīrya and ṛayi, with Soma explicitly yoked with Indra as the force of conquest and victory.

  4. Where it settles

    The hymn settles into assured request and alignment: purified Soma, allied with Indra, is invoked to remain a sustaining companion and benefactor.

The deity: Soma Pavamāna

  • In the VedaSoma as the ‘purifying’ (pavamāna) stream—pressed by stones, running through woolen sieves, bright, honeyed, and exhilarating—who goes to the gods and empowers their might.
  • Cosmic functionMediator and invigorator: he quickens Indra and the gods, sustains ṛta through consecrated flow, and translates earthly pressing into divine nourishment and victorious force.
  • Inner significanceThe clarified current of consciousness: the mind’s raw impulses are ‘pressed,’ filtered, and refined into luminous joy (ānanda), courage, and focused power aligned with truth.

The seer

  • Anukramaṇī-attributed seer (Pavamāna Soma tradition; specific ṛṣi uncertain)Associated with the Ninth Maṇḍala’s Soma-Pavamāna corpus, where hymns are organized around the ritual and mystical process of Soma purification rather than a single, clearly named family seer.

Famous verses

उपास्मै गायता नरः पवमानायेन्दवे । अभि देवाँ इयक्षते ॥
Verse 9.11.1Sets the hymn’s ritual and devotional frame: singing to Pavamāna Indu who ‘goes to the gods,’ making divine powers approachable through the Soma stream.Read verse 9.11.1 →
madhāv ā dhāvatā madhu
Verse 9.11.5Gives the vivid core of the Pavamāna action—pressed by stones and purified—urging Soma to ‘run with sweetness,’ capturing the sensory and symbolic heart of Soma purification.Read verse 9.11.5 →
indreṇa no yujā
Verse 9.11.9Culminating prayer for heroic force and abundance, and the key alliance motif: Soma as Indu yoked with Indra for victory and companionship.Read verse 9.11.9 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Purifier (pavamāna) and clarifier
  • Honeyed sweetness (madhu) and delight-giver
  • Luminous drop/stream (indu)
  • Ritual potency that ‘reaches the gods’
  • Allied with Indra for victory and strength

Also by this seer

  • Connected broadly to RV Maṇḍala 9 (Pavamāna hymns) used in Soma pressing liturgy
  • Later ritual recensions and Sāmavedic chant traditions draw heavily on Mandala 9 verses

The rite, step by step

  • Soma stalks are pressed with stones (adri) to express the juice
  • The expressed Soma is mixed/clarified and guided to the strainer (often woolen filter)
  • Pavamāna flow is accompanied by sung stotras/recitations invoking Indu’s purification
  • Purified Soma is collected in vessels and offered in libations to the deities
  • Petitions are made for ṛayi (wealth), suvīrya (heroic vigor), and victory with Indra

Offerings

  • Purified Soma libations
  • Ghee/clarified butter (as accompanying oblation in the broader rite)
  • Grain-cakes or supplementary offerings depending on the Soma ritual context

Frequently Asked Questions

The hymn addresses Soma as Pavamāna—Indu, the purified Soma-juice flowing through the strainer—often invoked as a power that strengthens the gods and blesses the worshiper.

“Pavamāna” means “purifying” or “being purified.” It refers to Soma as he is clarified in the ritual, symbolizing a refined, luminous power that becomes fit for offering.

Indra is Soma’s chief beneficiary and ally in many Vedic hymns. This sukta asks Soma, yoked with Indra, to bring strength, wealth, and victory—linking ritual offering to heroic power.

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