Rig Veda 9.73.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 73, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.73
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna in alliance with Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
पितुर्मातुरध्या ये समस्वरन्नृचा शोचन्तः संदहन्तो अव्रतान् । इन्द्रद्विष्टामप धमन्ति मायया त्वचमसिक्नीं भूमनो दिवस्परि ॥
pitúrmā́tur adhyā́ yé sám asvarann ṛcā́ śócantaḥ saṃdáhanto avratā́n | índradviṣṭām ápa dhamanti māyáyā tvájam ásiknīṃ bhū́mano divás pári ||
પિતા અને માતાથી તેઓ ઋચા દ્વારા એકસ્વર બની ઊઠે છે; દહતાં તેઓ અવ્રત—નિયમવિહિન ગતિઓને ભસ્મ કરે છે. માયા—આકાર આપતી દૃષ્ટિની શક્તિથી તેઓ ઇન્દ્રદ્વિષ્ટ અંધારી ચામડીને ફૂંકી દૂર કરે છે, દ્યૌના ચારે તરફ વ્યાપેલા વિશાળ વિસ્તાર પરથી.
Word by Word
- पितुः
- of the fatherNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root पितृ-
- मातुः
- of the motherNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root मातृ-
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRole अधikaraṇa (locative sense: over/upon)Root अधि
- ये
- who (they)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot यद्-
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्गRoot सम्
- अस्वरन्
- they sounded, sangVerbलुङ् (aorist); 3 पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (of ‘ये’)Root स्वर् (स्वरति) / √स्वर्
- ऋचा
- with a hymn/verseNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole करणRoot ऋच्-
- शोचन्तः
- burning, blazingVerbवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (participial, qualifying ‘ये’)Root √शुच् (शोचति)
- संदहन्तः
- burning up, consumingVerbवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (participial, qualifying ‘ये’)Root सम्+√दह् (दहति)
- अव्रतान्
- the vowless/impious (ones)Adjective (substantivized)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot अ-व्रत-
- इन्द्रद्विष्टाम्
- Indra-hated (demoness/hostility)Adjective (kṛdanta)स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्म (object of ‘धमन्ति’)Root इन्द्र-द्विष्ट- (इन्द्र + √द्विष्)
- अप
- away, offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अप
- धमन्ति
- they blow (away)Verbलट्; 3 पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (of ‘ये’)Root √ध्मा (धमति)
- मायया
- by (their) magic/powerNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole करणRoot माया-
- त्वचम्
- skin, hideNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot त्वच्-
- असिक्नीम्
- black, darkAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole विशेषण (of ‘त्वचम्’)Root असिक्नी-
- भूमनः
- of the earth/ground (of the expanse)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन (Vedic usage)Role सम्बन्धRoot भूमन्-
- दिवः
- of heaven/skyNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot दिव्-
- परि
- around, from aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRole अपादान/अधिकरण (spatial: around/from about)Root परि
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: (1) पितुर्मातुरध्या → पितुः + मातुः + अधि (visarga before m becomes r; ‘अधि’ appears as ‘अध्या’ before vowel by Vedic sandhi). (2) समस्वरन् → सम् + अस्वरन्. (3) नृचा → ऋचा (Vedic orthography/Padapāṭha often gives ऋचा; ‘नृ’ is not taken as separate pada here). (4) शोचन्तः सं॒दह॑न्तो → शोचन्तः + संदहन्तः. (5) इन्द्रद्विष्टामप → इन्द्रद्विष्टाम् + अप. (6) मायया त्वचमसिक्नीम् → मायया + त्वचम् + असिक्नीम्. (7) भूम॑नो दि॒वस्परि॑ → भूमनः + दिवः + परि (visarga before p becomes s). Accent marks retained as in Saṃhitā
- pada-forms are given without accent for morphology
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Soma-purifying streams, born of the Father and Mother, unite in harmony through the hymn; they burn up the lawless. By māyā (formative power) they blow away the dark covering hated by Indra from the wide space around heaven.
Inner meaning
From Spirit (Father) and Nature (Mother)—or from the higher mental and vital origins—the movements of Soma-consciousness rise and become one in the inspired Word (ṛc). When the inner Fire of aspiration is kindled, these purified currents consume the “avratāḥ” (unruled, undisciplined impulses). Through māyā as luminous formative vision (not illusion), the seeker expels the “black skin” (asiknī tvac) of obscurity that Indra (illumined mind) rejects, clearing the wide inner heaven (divaḥ) of consciousness.
Universal truth
When higher intention and receptive nature harmonize in true speech, inner heat transforms disorder; clarity then removes the subconscious veil that blocks illumination, opening a vast, sky-like awareness.
Themes
Purification, Indra vs. darkness, Removal of coverings, Inner fire
The seer
- Rishi
- Ascribed in tradition to a Soma-Pavamāna seer of the Pavitra (IX) corpus; exact rishi uncertain for 9.73 in many listings
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.73.1-9 (Pavamāna sequence)
Significance
The anonymity of many Pavamāna verses reflects a collective yogic laboratory: the ‘seer’ is the purified consciousness itself, speaking from the process of inner clarification and ascent.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Indra as allied power of illumination)
- Epithets
- pavamāna (self-purifying), śuci (pure/bright), madhu (honeyed bliss), indrapriya (dear to Indra)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Varuṇa
Cosmic role
Purifies the offerings and establishes the luminous order by which the gods increase; releases the light by removing coverings.
Inner power
A current of ananda and clarified mind-substance that, when filtered through right speech and discipline, becomes a force that expels obscurity and empowers illumination (Indra).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna recitation during filtering)
पि॒तुर्मा॒तुरध्या ये स॒मस्व॑रन्नृ॒चा शोच॑न्तः सं॒दह॑न्तो अव्र॒तान् । इन्द्र॑द्विष्टा॒मप॑ धमन्ति मा॒यया॒ त्वच॒मसि॑क्नीं॒ भूम॑नो दि॒वस्परि॑ ॥
पि॒तुः मा॒तुः । अधि॑ । आ । ये । स॒म्ऽअस्व॑रन् । ऋ॒चा । शोच॑न्तः । स॒म्ऽदह॑न्तः । अ॒व्र॒तान् । इन्द्र॑ऽद्विष्टाम् । अप॑ । ध॒म॒न्ति॒ । मा॒यया॑ । त्वच॑म् । असि॑क्नीम् । भूम॑नः । दि॒वः । परि॑ ॥
pituḥ | mātuḥ | adhi | ā | ye | sam-asvaran | ṛcā | śocantaḥ | sam-dahantaḥ | avratān | indra-dviṣṭām | apa | dhamanti | māyayā | tvacam | asiknīm | bhūmanaḥ | divaḥ | pari
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4 pādas of ~12 syllables each
Long, forward-driving cadence suited to process and movement (streams rising, burning, blowing away).
Builds a sustained inner momentum; supports visualization of purification and the widening of ‘heaven’ in consciousness.
- pitṛ
- Literal: father. Symbolic: Spirit / higher origin; conscious principle that begets the ascent
- mātṛ
- Literal: mother. Symbolic: Prakṛti / Nature; receptive matrix of experience and formation
- ṛcā
- Literal: with a hymn/verse. Symbolic: inspired speech that aligns energies into truth-rhythm
- śocantaḥ
- Literal: burning, shining. Symbolic: psychic heat of aspiration; tapas that purifies
- avratān
- Literal: lawless, without vow. Symbolic: unregulated impulses; ego-driven movements resisting inner order
- māyā
- Literal: measuring/forming power. Symbolic: luminous formative vision that shapes truth into effective force
- tvacam asiknīm
- Literal: dark skin/covering. Symbolic: veil of ignorance; subconscious opacity hiding the light
- indradviṣṭām
- Literal: hated by Indra. Symbolic: that which the illumined mind rejects—obscurity and obstruction
- divaḥ
- Literal: of heaven/sky. Symbolic: higher consciousness; luminous mind-plane
Soma purification as inner/external burning away of impurities; recited in Soma pressing sequences
During Soma-pavitra phase as Soma is strained and offered
Chanting while Soma flows through the filter; invoking purification and removal of impurity/obstruction
Use as a mantra of inner cleansing: before meditation, pair with breath and the intention to dissolve tamas and compulsive patterns.
mātṛ/pitṛ (mother/father) are archaic kin terms (PIE *méh₂tēr, *ph₂tḗr). ṛc- from √arc/ṛc ‘to praise, shine’ (RV ṛc as inspired verse). śoc- √śuc ‘to shine, burn’ → tapas-like inner heat. vrata- (see above) negated as a-vrata ‘undisciplined’. dham- √dham ‘to blow’ (expel coverings). māyā from √mā ‘to measure, form’ → formative intelligence/skill. tvac ‘skin’ as metaphor for covering; asiknī ‘dark’ (obscurity).
tapas (inner heat) as purifier, māyā as formative intelligence, struggle of light vs. obscurity, vrata as self-law
Purification is the restoration of ṛta by burning the avratāḥ and clearing the ‘sky’ of consciousness.
Truth manifests as clarity once the dark covering is removed; speech becomes a vehicle of satya when aligned with ṛta.
Unveiling: creation proceeds by removing coverings so light can act in the wide expanse.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral yogic reading (Aurobindo): ascent of consciousness and transformation of nature.
Heat = tapas; wind = prāṇa clearing; sky = widened mind; flowing Soma = bliss-intelligence stream.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The removal of the dark covering (tvac asiknī) is the classic ‘unveiling’ myth: the forces of the hymn and purification burn the lawless and drive away obscurity hated by Indra. It parallels the Vṛtra/covering motif, but internalized as ignorance-cover driven from the luminous field.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The father/mother dyad is an inherited IE cosmological grammar (heaven-father, earth-mother). The verb √dham ‘blow’ has IE parallels in breath/wind semantics; the ‘skin/covering’ metaphor for darkness is also broadly IE (covering = ignorance).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi participates through ṛc (effective speech) and tapas (burning clarity). The Devatā (Soma/Indra-force) responds by expelling the obscuring envelope—suggesting that revelation requires both disciplined utterance and divine force.
Dissolving the ‘dark skin’—identify one habitual obscurity (fear, dullness, compulsion) and offer it into the purifying stream of awareness.
Ājñā (clarity/illumination) and Anāhata (heart-widening sky-space)
Exhale-focused clearing: slow inhale (gather), longer exhale (blow away the covering) for 9 cycles.
From tamasic heaviness to sattvic clarity and widened inner space.
Chant once slowly, then repeat 3 or 9 times; after each repetition, pause and feel the ‘sky’ above the head brighten while the chest widens.
Use standard Rigvedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per śākhā; key lifts often occur on verbs of ascent/clearing (ā, dhamanti).
Keep udātta crisp on content-words; avoid flattening compounds like indradviṣṭām, tvacam asiknīm.
pitur mātur: keep short i/u; light dental t, samasvarann: nasal + doubled s/cluster—smoothly ‘sama-svaran’, ṛcā: vocalic ṛ clear, not ‘ri’, saṃdahantaḥ: anusvāra before d = ‘san-dah’, indradviṣṭām: ṣṭ cluster articulated; retroflex ṣ, asiknīm: short i; ‘kṇ’ cluster firm, bhūmano: long ū, divas pari: divas with soft v; pari rolled r
Bright, steady, slightly forceful on the clearing phrases; end with a widening, open tone.
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