Rig Veda 9.97.24: Mandala 9, Sukta 97, Mantra 24
Sukta 9.97
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
पवित्रेभिः पवमानो नृचक्षा राजा देवानामुत मर्त्यानाम् । द्विता भुवद्रयिपती रयीणामृतं भरत्सुभृतं चार्विन्दुः ॥
pavitrébhíḥ pavamā́no nṛ-cákṣā rājā́ devā́nām utá mártyānām | dvitā́ bhuvad rayi-pátī rayīṇā́m ṛtáṃ bharat su-bhṛtáṃ cā́rv índuḥ ||
Se purifiant à travers les filtres, le Pavamāna, voyant des hommes, devient roi des dieux et aussi des mortels. D’une double manière il devient seigneur des abondances ; le bel Indu apporte vers nous la Vérité, fermement tenue.
Word by Word
- पवित्रेभिः
- with/through the strainers (purifiers)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole करणRoot पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक) < पू (धातु, ‘शोधने/पवने’) + -त्र (करणे)
- पवमानः
- being purified; flowing (Soma)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/मान) ‘being purified/flowing (as Soma)’Role कर्तृRoot पू (धातु, ‘शोधने/पवने’) → पवमान (वर्तमानकृदन्त)
- नृचक्षाः
- man-seeing; having men as his gaze (i.e., watching over men)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot नृ + चक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक) (बहुव्रीहि)
- राजा
- kingNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRoot उत (निपात)
- मर्त्यानाम्
- of mortalsNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- द्विता
- a second time; again; in twofold mannerIndeclinableअव्यय (काल/पुनरुक्त्यर्थे) ‘द्विधा/पुनः/द्वितीयवारम्’Root द्विता (अव्यय)
- भुवत्
- became; came to beVerbपरस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष; एकवचन; लुङ्/आर्ष-लुङ् (विधिलिङ्-रहित ‘injunctive’ प्रयोग) ‘became/comes to be’Root भू (धातु, ‘सत्तायाम्’) → भूवत् (लुङ्/आर्ष-आदेश; injunctive/aorist-like)
- रयिपती
- lord of wealthNoun (title) / Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (भुवत् इत्यस्य)Root रयि + पति (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुष)
- रयीणाम्
- of richesNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतम्
- ṛta; truth/cosmic orderNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- भरत्
- bears; bringsVerbपरस्मैपद; 3 पुरुष; एकवचन; (आर्ष) वर्तमान/इंजंक्टिव ‘bears/bring’Root भृ (धातु, ‘भरणे’) → भरत् (वर्तमान/इंजंक्टिव-प्रयोग)
- सुभृतम्
- well-borne; well-supportedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्त ‘well-borne/well-supported’Role कर्म (ऋतम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root सु- + भृत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) < भृ ‘to bear’
- चारु
- beautiful; pleasingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (इन्दुः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दुः
- the Soma dropNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृ (भरत् इत्यस्य)Root इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) ‘Soma-drop’
Sandhi Notes
- प॒वित्रे॑भि॒: → पवित्रेभिः (विसर्ग-लेखन)
- पव॑मानो → पवमानः (ओ/अः पदान्त-रूप)
- नृ॒चक्षा॒ → नृचक्षाः (आर्ष प्रथमा-एकवचन)
- दे॒वाना॑मु॒त → देवानाम् + उत
- द्वि॒ता (अव्यय)
- भु॑वद् → भुवत् (पदान्त्)
- रयि॒पती॑ (प्रथमा-एकवचन)
- रयी॒णाम् (षष्ठी-बहु)
- ऋ॒तं (द्वितीया-एक)
- भ॑र॒त्सु-भृ॑तं → भरत् + सुभृतम् (त् + स् संयोग)
- चार्विन्दु॑: → चारु + इन्दुः (उ + इ = वि-प्रवेश/यण्-आदेशः: उइ → वि; पदान्ते विसर्गः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purifying himself through the filters, Soma, the seer of men, becomes king of gods and mortals. In a double way he becomes lord of riches; the lovely Indu brings the well-held Truth to us.
Inner meaning
Through successive purifications (pavitra), Soma becomes nṛcakṣā—inner vision for the human being, the faculty that truly ‘sees’. Thus he is rājā of devas and mortals: delight-consciousness governs both the higher powers and the embodied nature when purified. ‘Dvitā’ indicates a twofold lordship of plenitudes: inner riches (light, peace, joy) and outer effectiveness (harmonized life-force). He bears into us ṛtam subhṛtam—truth well-established, not momentary insight but held and integrated.
Universal truth
Purification makes consciousness sovereign: when delight is clarified, it rules both spirit and life and brings a stable truth that can be lived, not merely glimpsed.
Themes
Soma as king, purification through discrimination, Truth brought into embodiment, spiritual wealth (rayi)
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seers (Pavamāna-maṇḍala collective)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.83 (pavitra imagery), RV 9.97.23 (dharma/ṛta)
Family tradition
Ninth Maṇḍala as a yogic-ritual technology of purification culminating in sovereignty (rājya) of the inner being.
Significance
The seers articulate a mature stage: Soma not only flows but becomes king—purified delight establishes stable truth in the human.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pavamāna, nṛcakṣā, rājā, cāru indu
- Related deities
- Agni (leader of sacrifice), Indra (illumined mind), Mitra-Varuṇa (truth-law)
Cosmic role
Purifier and sovereign essence; mediator between deva-consciousness and mortal embodiment; bearer of established truth.
Inner power
Gives inner sight, harmonizes higher and lower nature, and installs truth as a living order within the system.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna stotra during Soma filtration (pavitra) and collection
प॒वित्रे॑भि॒: पव॑मानो नृ॒चक्षा॒ राजा॑ दे॒वाना॑मु॒त मर्त्या॑नाम् । द्वि॒ता भु॑वद्रयि॒पती॑ रयी॒णामृ॒तं भ॑र॒त्सुभृ॑तं॒ चार्विन्दु॑: ॥
प॒वित्रे॑भिः॒ । पव॑मानः । नृ॒ऽचक्षा॑ । राजा॑ । दे॒वाना॑म् । उ॒त । मर्त्या॑नाम् । द्वि॒ता । भु॒व॒त् । र॒यि॒ऽपतिः॑ । र॒यी॒णाम् । ऋ॒तम् । भ॒र॒त् । सुऽभृ॑तम् । चारु॑ । इन्दुः॑ ॥
pavitrebhiḥ | pavamānaḥ | nṛ-cakṣā | rājā | devānām | uta | martyānām | dvitā | bhuvat | rayi-patiḥ | rayīṇām | ṛtam | bharat | su-bhṛtam | cāru | induḥ
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4 × 12 syllables
Regal and steady; balanced phrasing supports the theme of sovereignty and ‘well-held’ truth.
Induces composure and authority; helps the listener feel purified, centered, and inwardly crowned.
- पवित्रेभिः (pavitrebhiḥ)
- Literal: through filters/strainings. Symbolic: stages of purification—discernment, tapas, refinement of nature
- पवमानः (pavamānaḥ)
- Literal: self-purifying. Symbolic: self-evolving consciousness refining itself by inner law
- नृचक्षा (nṛcakṣā)
- Literal: seer of men. Symbolic: faculty of true perception awakened in the human instrument
- राजा देवाना॑म् उत मर्त्यानाम्
- Literal: king of gods and mortals. Symbolic: sovereignty of purified Ananda over higher faculties and embodied nature
- द्विता (dvitā)
- Literal: in a double way. Symbolic: twofold plenitude: inner spiritual wealth and outer harmonized power
- रयिपतिः (rayipatiḥ)
- Literal: lord of riches. Symbolic: master of plenitudes—energies, capacities, realizations
- ऋतम् सुभृतम् (ṛtam subhṛtam)
- Literal: truth well-held. Symbolic: truth integrated and stabilized in character and action
- चारु इन्दुः (cāru induḥ)
- Literal: lovely Indu. Symbolic: beautiful, attractive essence of delight drawing the being upward
Central Pavamāna moment: Soma through pavitra, then offered as ṛta-bearing king; used in Soma pressing sequences
At the purification stage, highlighting Soma’s kingship and the rite’s aim: establish ṛta within the sacrificer and cosmos.
Chant while Soma passes through filters; affirm its sovereignty and its gift of ṛta to the yajamāna.
A ‘purification and sovereignty’ mantra for daily practice: use after cleansing breath or before meditation to stabilize truth in the mind.
pavitra ‘filter’ from √pū ‘purify’ marks the rite as an epistemic/psychic filtration. nṛ-cakṣā ‘man-seeing’ (cakṣ ‘see’) indicates Soma as revealer to human consciousness. rayi (from √rā/√ri ‘to give, bestow’ or linked to ‘wealth/plenitude’) is read inwardly as fullness of being; ‘dvitā’ suggests Soma’s sovereignty both in the divine planes and in the mortal embodiment.
Ṛta (well-held truth), bridging divine and human, rājan (inner sovereignty), rāyi as plenitude of being
Explicit: Soma bears ṛtam subhṛtam into us—truth that becomes stable order.
Subhṛtam implies Satya as held essence, not merely moving ṛta.
Integration of planes: gods and mortals unified under one sovereign consciousness.
Aurobindo-Kashyap psychological Vedism: devas = faculties; kingship = mastery of nature by purified Ananda.
Filters = purification disciplines; flow = continuous practice; kingship = mastery; riches = spiritual powers and harmonized life-energies.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘filtered king’ mythologem: Soma, clarified by pavitra, becomes sovereign of both gods and mortals and carries ṛta as a stable possession. The rite enacts the ascent/descent link—Truth made holdable in the human vessel.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājā continues PIE *h₃rḗǵs. cakṣ ‘see’ relates to PIE *kʷekʷ-/*kek- ‘see/show’ (broadly). √bhṛ ‘bear’ is PIE *bher- (Eng. bear), a strong IE inheritance used here for ‘carrying Truth’—a classic IE poetic construction.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer describes Soma as the power that grants human sight and governs both planes; the implied ask is to ‘bear ṛta’ into the sacrificer. The relationship is transformational: by accepting the filtered Soma, the human becomes capable of holding Truth steadily (su-bhṛta).
Purify and enthrone: feel the mind filtered of noise; let a sovereign calm rule thoughts and impulses.
Sahasrāra/Ājñā (inner sight) with grounding into Anāhata (well-held truth)
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) before chanting; then natural breath while sensing ‘filters’ clarifying the inner stream.
Clear, steady, integrative awareness; truth felt as a settled presence.
Chant 3–9 times after breath-cleansing; then sit silently, affirming one truth you will ‘hold well’ in speech and action today.
RV svaras; keep ‘pavitrébhiḥ’ clean—do not swallow visarga; maintain tonal clarity across long compounds.
Slightly emphasize ‘rājā’ and ‘ṛtam’ as semantic pillars; full stop at || for settling effect.
: ‘tr’ cluster crisp; final ‘bhiḥ’ with visarga, : vocalic ‘ṛ’ and ‘kṣ’ clear, : dental ‘t’, : ‘bhṛ’ with vocalic ‘ṛ’
Pure, steady, resonant; minimal vibrato; let phrases ‘filter’ smoothly.
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