Rig Veda 10.175.1: Mandala 10, Sukta 175, Mantra 1
Sukta 10.175
- Rishi
- Late-maṇḍala ritual hymn context addressing the soma-pressing implements
- Devata
- Grāvāṇaḥ with Savitṛ as the impelling deity
- Chandas
- Likely Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
प्र वो ग्रावाणः सविता देवः सुवतु धर्मणा । धूर्षु युज्यध्वं सुनुत ॥
prá vo grāvāṇaḥ savitā deváḥ suvatu dhármaṇā | dhū́rṣu yujyadhvaṃ sunutá ||
Aage badho, pakadne wale patthar. Savita devta tumhe dharam ke saath chalayega. Apni jagah par jud jao aur Soma ko nikaalo.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- वः
- of you; for youPronoungenitive plural (enclitic)Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/for you) / sambandhaRoot युष्मद् (pronoun)
- ग्रावाणः
- pressing-stones (for Soma)Nounmasculine, nominative pluralRole Kartā (subject)Root ग्रावन् (prātipadika)
- सविता
- Savitṛ (the Impeller)Nounmasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (subject)Root सवितृ (prātipadika)
- देवः
- the godNounmasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (apposition to सविता)Root देव (prātipadika)
- सुवतु
- may he impel; let him set in motionVerbimperative, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRoot √सू (सुवति) / √सु (to impel, set in motion)
- धर्मणा
- by (right) order; by established law/riteNounneuter, instrumental singularRole Karaṇa (means/manner)Root धर्मन् (prātipadika)
- धूर्षु
- on the yoke-poles / in the yokesNounfeminine, locative pluralRole Adhikaraṇa (locus)Root धूर् (prātipadika)
- युज्यध्वम्
- yoke yourselves; be yokedVerbimperative, 2nd person plural, ātmanepadaRoot √युज् (to yoke, join)
- सुनुत
- press out (Soma)Verbimperative, 2nd person plural, parasmaipadaRoot √सु (to press out, extract Soma)
Sandhi Notes
- External sandhi is minimal in this pāda-text
- Segmenting as: प्र | वः | ग्रावाणः | सविता | देवः | सुवतु | धर्मणा | धूर्षु | युज्यध्वम् | सुनुत
- Notable points: (1) वः is enclitic gen.pl
- of युष्मद् used with directive प्र (‘forth for you’)
- (2) युज्यध्वम् shows Vedic imperative 2pl ātmanepada with -ध्वम्
- (3) Accent marks in the saṃhitā (वो॑, सवि॒ता, दे॒वः, सु॑वतु॒, धर्म॑णा, धू॒र्षु, यु॑ज्यध्वं, सुनु॒त) are preserved in recitation but do not change pada segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Forward, O pressing-stones; may Savitṛ the god impel you by dharma. Yoke yourselves on the pressing-seats; press out (the Soma).
Inner meaning
The ‘pressing-stones’ are the disciplined powers that crush the raw substance of experience to release Soma—inner delight and immortalizing essence. Savitṛ is the divine Impeller who sets the yoga of transformation in motion ‘by dharmaṇā’: by the right law of working, not by egoic strain. ‘Yoke yourselves’ indicates self-organization of energies upon a stable seat (dhūrṣu): the being gathers, aligns, and begins the extraction of bliss from life’s material.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires right impulsion and right method: when our faculties are aligned to the law of truth, the hidden delight can be distilled from ordinary experience.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Savitṛ (impulsion), Ritual implements as powers, Inner alchemy (essence-extraction)
The seer
- Rishi
- RV 10.175 is a late-maṇḍala Soma-pressing hymn; Anukramaṇī attribution varies by edition/recension for these ritual-implement sūktas.
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.175.2, Rig Veda 10.175.3, Rig Veda 10.175.4
Significance
The seer frames ritual instruments as conscious powers—an opening for the psychological reading: the rishi teaches how the inner sacrifice is set in motion by divine impulsion (Savitṛ) and disciplined pressing (grāvāṇaḥ).
The deity
- Devata
- Savitṛ (with Grāvāṇaḥ as addressed operative powers)
- Epithets
- devaḥ (the luminous one), impeller by dharma (dharmaṇā suvatu)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Uṣas, Agni, Soma, Pūṣan
Cosmic role
Sets beings and worlds in right motion; awakens and impels the rhythms of ṛta.
Inner power
Initiating force that turns aspiration into effective practice; awakens the will to right action and steady progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (abhisava) invocations to the pressing-stones and the act of pressing.
प्र वो॑ ग्रावाणः सवि॒ता दे॒वः सु॑वतु॒ धर्म॑णा । धू॒र्षु यु॑ज्यध्वं सुनु॒त ॥
प्र । वः॒ । ग्रा॒वा॒णः॒ । स॒वि॒ता । दे॒वः । सु॒व॒तु॒ । धर्म॑णा । धूः॒ऽसु । यु॒ज्य॒ध्व॒म् । सु॒नु॒त ॥
pra | vaḥ | grāvāṇaḥ | savitā | devaḥ | suvatu | dharmaṇā | dhūḥ-su | yujyadhvam | sunuta
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3 pādas × 8 syllables (typical Gāyatrī cadence)
Quick, propulsive, mantra-like command rhythm—well-suited to ‘pra’ and ‘yujyadhvam’.
Energizes and organizes; gives a sense of being ‘set in motion’ and aligned.
- ग्रावाणः (grāvāṇaḥ)
- Literal: pressing-stones. Symbolic: disciplined faculties/forces that press the essence out of experience
- सविता (savitā)
- Literal: Savitṛ (Impeller). Symbolic: divine impulsion that initiates and guides right movement
- धर्मणा (dharmaṇā)
- Literal: by dharma, by right law. Symbolic: alignment with ṛta; right functioning of mind-life-body
- धूर्षु (dhūrṣu)
- Literal: on the pressing-seats/boards. Symbolic: stable basis of practice; the collected poise of the being
- युज्यध्वम् (yujyadhvam)
- Literal: yoke yourselves. Symbolic: self-discipline; harnessing energies into one direction
- सुनुत (sunuta)
- Literal: press out (Soma). Symbolic: extract the inner delight/Ananda through tapas and method
Soma-pressing (Soma-yajña) instructions/invocation; practically during pressing; inwardly, disciplined extraction of the ‘Soma’ (delight/essence) from life-substance.
At the start or during the pressing sequence; as an exhortation to begin the work under Savitṛ’s impulsion.
Setting the grāvāṇaḥ in motion, yoking them to the pressing boards, initiating extraction of Soma juice.
Before meditation/prāṇāyāma: invoke Savitṛ to impel practice by right law; then ‘yoke’ attention to a chosen support (breath/mantra) and ‘press out’ calm delight.
grāvan ‘pressing stone’ from √grā/√grah? (traditional derivations vary; functionally ‘crusher/press’). Savitṛ from √sū ‘to impel, vivify’ (PIE *sewH- ‘to set in motion’ often compared). dharmaṇā from √dhṛ ‘to hold’ → that which upholds right action; psychologically, the right inner discipline that sustains transformation. √yuj (PIE *yeug-) ‘yoke’ (cf. Latin iugum, English yoke) frames the rite as inner harnessing of energies.
dharma as right law of action (support of ṛta in works), transmutation: extracting essence (soma) from experience
Savitṛ impels by dharma/ṛta—cosmic order becomes psychological order in practice.
Right impulsion prevents distortion; the extracted Soma is true delight, not excitement.
Release of hidden essence from matter through ordered force—microcosm of creation by tapas.
Yoga of works/consecration (Aurobindo): divine impulsion + disciplined method yields Ananda.
dawn/morning (Savitṛ’s impulsion)
Stones = firm disciplines; pressing = transformative tapas; Soma = distilled bliss; sun-impulsion = awakening power that sets practice moving.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The consecrated extraction of Soma: the mythic act where delight/immortality is released by the right impulsion (Savitṛ) and disciplined yoking. Psychologically, the ‘stones’ are inner faculties that, when yoked, press out the hidden rasa of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yuj ‘yoke’ reflects PIE *yeug- (yoke/iugum). Savitṛ from √sū aligns with IE motion/impulsion semantics. √dhṛ ‘hold’ parallels stabilizing roots across IE (cf. Greek thronos is not direct; better to keep to Indo-Iranian: dhar- as ‘support’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi addresses not only a god (Savitṛ) but the ritual powers embodied in tools; the relationship is operative: invocation is a command for right functioning—outer pressing and inner disciplined extraction—under dharma.
Right impulsion (Savitṛ) + disciplined extraction (Soma): let the breath ‘press’ out calm delight from the body-mind.
maṇipūra (will/discipline) with support from ājñā (right guidance)
4-4-6 breathing for 12 rounds; on exhale silently ‘sunuta’—release and distill.
Active collectedness (saṃhita śakti) leading to subtle joy.
Sit upright (dhūḥ). Invoke Savitṛ as the force of right beginning. Then gather scattered energies (‘yoke yourselves’) and stay with the felt essence of quiet delight for 5 minutes.
Mixed Vedic accents; without full svara notation, chant with gentle rise on lexically accented words (savitā, devaḥ, dharmaṇā) and even cadence across 3 pādas.
Let ‘prá’ be a clear forward thrust; keep ‘suvatu dharmaṇā’ as a single smooth phrase; pause lightly at the danda.
grāvāṇaḥ: sustain long ā (grā-vā), dhūḥsu: keep visarga light before s, yujyadhvam: clear palatal y and cluster jya
Bright, initiating, slightly percussive to mirror ‘pressing’.
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