Rig Veda 10.85.9: Mandala 10, Sukta 85, Mantra 9
Sukta 10.85
- Devata
- Soma
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
सोमो वधूयुरभवदश्विनास्तामुभा वरा । सूर्यां यत्पत्ये शंसन्तीं मनसा सविताददात् ॥
sómo vadhūyúr abhavad aśvínāstām ubhā́ varā́ | sū́ryāṁ yát pátye śáṃsantīṁ mánasā savitā́ ádadāt ||
सोम दूल्हा बनके सूर्या को माँगा। अश्विन भाई भी उसके लिए रेडी थे। जब सूर्या ने अपने पति को हाँ कहा, तब सविता ने अपने मन से उसे दान कर दिया। यह अंदर की इच्छा से होता है जब दो लोग सच में जुड़े हैं।
Word by Word
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक) < √सु (सु- ‘to press/extract’ → सोम ‘pressed juice’)
- वधूयुः
- a bride-seeker, suitorNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समास/विशेषणरूपेण सोमस्य)Root वधूयु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘bride-seeking/suitor’)
- अभवत्
- becameVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √भू (भवति)
- अश्विनौ
- the two AśvinsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचनRole KartāRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ताम्
- herPronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उभा
- bothAdjective/Pronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (अश्विनौ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषण)Root उभ (सर्वनाम/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- वराः
- suitors/wooersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (अश्विनोः विशेषणरूपेण)Root वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सूर्याम्
- Sūryā (the maiden/bride)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सूर्या (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- which/thatPronoun/Relativeनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धसूचकं ‘which/that’)Role Karma (शंसन्तीम् इत्यस्य कर्म-सम्बन्धे) / सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पत्ये
- for (her) husbandNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- शंसन्तीम्
- praising/declaringParticipleवर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (सूर्याम् विशेषयति)Root √शंस् (to praise/declare) → शंसन्ती (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
- मनसा
- with (her) mind, mentallyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सविता
- SavitṛNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अददात्
- gaveVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √दा (to give)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सोमः | वधूयुः | अभवत् | अश्विनौ | ताम् | उभा | वराः | सूर्याम् | यत् | पत्ये | शंसन्तीम् | मनसा | सविता | अददात् । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) सोमो॑ = सोमः (विसर्गः + अ- आरम्भः → ओ) । (2) अश्विना॑स्ताम् = अश्विनौ + ताम् (औ + त् → आस्त्/आस्- संधि-रूपेण; संहितायां ‘अश्विनास्ताम्’) । (3) यत्पत्ये = यत् + पत्ये (त् + प् → त्प्) । (4) सविताददात् = सविता + अददात् (अ + अ → आ) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma is the wooer of the bride; the Aśvins are the chosen attendants. When Sūryā praises/affirms her husband, Savitṛ gives her by the mind.
Inner meaning
Divine Bliss (Soma) draws the soul toward union as the attractive force of immortality. The Aśvins stand as twin powers that make the transition safe and integral. Savitṛ—impeller of Truth—confers the luminous consciousness (Sūryā) through manas: the consenting mind/inner will that assents to the Divine Lord. Union is sealed not by outer force but by inner consent and glad affirmation.
Universal truth
Lasting union with truth is granted through consent of the inner mind and the pull of bliss; helpers of harmony stand by, but the decisive act is the soul’s affirmation.
Themes
wedding hymn, sacred consent, divine ordination, union through delight
The seer
- Rishi
- Within RV 10.85 Sūryā-vivāha tradition; specific seer for this verse not securely fixed
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.85.9 (within the sūkta)
Family tradition
Wedding hymn transmitted for gṛhya usage; also read as an inner allegory of the soul’s union with the Divine
Significance
The rishi places the decisive spiritual act in ‘manasā’—the consenting inner mind—showing yoga as conscious assent, not mere ritual.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma, Aśvins, Savitṛ (with Sūryā as the soul-principle)
- Epithets
- Soma (amṛta, madhu—implied), Aśvinau (nā́satyā—often associated), Savitṛ (impeller, prasavitṛ)
- Related deities
- Agni (carrier of offering), Uṣas (awakening), Indra (illumination)
Cosmic role
Soma: delight that immortalizes; Aśvins: guardians of passages and restorers; Savitṛ: ordainer/impeller who ‘gives’ beings their right motion and relations.
Inner power
Soma: ananda drawing consciousness upward; Aśvins: balancing of prāṇa and mind; Savitṛ: luminous intention that seals the choice in truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Vivāha: blessing of union and consent
सोमो॑ वधू॒युर॑भवद॒श्विना॑स्तामु॒भा व॒रा । सू॒र्यां यत्पत्ये॒ शंस॑न्तीं॒ मन॑सा सवि॒ताद॑दात् ॥
सोमः॑ । व॒धू॒ऽयुः । अ॒भ॒व॒त् । अ॒श्विना॑ । आ॒स्ता॒म् । उ॒भा । व॒रा । सू॒र्याम् । यत् । पत्ये॑ । शंस॑न्तीम् । मन॑सा । स॒वि॒ता । अद॑दात् ॥
somaḥ | vadhū-yuḥ | abhavat | aśvinā | āstām | ubhā | varā | sūryām | yat | patye | śaṃsantīm | manasā | savitā | adadāt
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4 × ~11 syllables
Balanced and declarative; alternating attraction (Soma) and assent (manasā)
Induces sweetness and consent—an inward ‘yes’—while keeping clarity and measure.
- सोमः (somaḥ)
- Literal: Soma (nectar). Symbolic: divine bliss/ananda that attracts and sustains transformation
- वधूयुः (vadhū-yuḥ)
- Literal: desiring the bride; wooer. Symbolic: bliss-force that seeks to unite with the soul-nature
- अश्विना (aśvinā)
- Literal: the Aśvins. Symbolic: twin integrators/healers guiding transition
- वरा (varā)
- Literal: chosen (pair). Symbolic: selected harmonizing powers for the work
- शंसन्तीम् (śaṃsantīm)
- Literal: praising, declaring. Symbolic: affirmation/acceptance of the Divine within
- मनसा (manasā)
- Literal: by the mind. Symbolic: inner consent; mental assent aligned with the psychic choice
- सविता (savitā)
- Literal: Savitṛ, the impeller. Symbolic: Truth-impulsion that ordains and empowers right movement
Wedding giving (kanyādāna-like moment): Savitṛ as ordainer gives Sūryā through manas (consent); Aśvins as witnesses/helpers; Soma as delight that draws the union.
During verses that affirm the bride’s giving and the auspicious agencies attending
Recitation as sanctification of consent and auspicious escorting powers
For inner vows/commitments: chant to align mind with truth-impulsion (Savitṛ) and invite bliss (Soma) to make discipline sustainable.
vadhū-yu: yu ‘desiring’ from √yu/√yuj? (Vedic desiderative formation) + vadhū ‘bride’. savitṛ: from √sū/√su ‘impel, set in motion’ (Savitṛ as impeller). manas: from √man ‘think’. adadāt: aorist of √dā ‘give’ (PIE *deh₃-).
consent of mind (manasā) as inner sacrament, impulsion/ordination (Savitṛ) as right movement, delight (Soma) as attractor toward union
Savitṛ ‘gives’ according to ṛta—right arrangement of forces.
Śaṃsantī: affirmation aligned with truth, not compulsion.
The cosmos advances by impulsion (Savitṛ) and delight (Soma) working through conscious assent.
Integral yoga reading: bliss and will cooperate; mind’s consent is a gate for higher power.
twilight-to-dawn continuum (Soma/night delight and Savitṛ/day impulsion)
Ananda draws; Truth impels; the mind consents—resulting in stable union.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The divine marriage-giving: Savitṛ, as cosmic impeller, bestows the solar bride through mind/consent; Soma is the wooing delight; the Aśvins stand as twin helpers—an archetype of union achieved by right impulsion and inner assent.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- adadāt from √dā (PIE *deh₃-) and manas from √man are inherited; the divine twins motif again reflects an Indo-European pattern. The instrumental manasā encodes agency through the inner instrument (mind), a key Vedic psychological innovation built on inherited grammar.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer presents the rite as an inner law: Savitṛ’s ‘giving’ operates through manas, implying that human union (and inner integration) must be sealed by conscious assent. The Devatās are not mere patrons but active shapers of the inner movement toward harmony.
Feel Soma as sweetness in the heart; offer the mind’s consent to Savitṛ’s higher impulsion; invite Aśvins to balance breath and nerves.
anāhata (Soma-ananda) with ājñā (Savitṛ-illumined intention)
Inhale ‘so’ (mentally), exhale ‘ham’ (mentally) for 12 cycles; then chant once, resting in heart-sweetness.
Quiet gladness with clear intention; consentful surrender.
After chanting, repeat inwardly: “By the mind aligned to truth, I accept the Divine leading.” Watch for a subtle sweetness that makes effort effortless.
Rigvedic accenting with careful udātta lifts on deity-names (somaḥ, savitā) as marked in a proper svara text; keep overall smoothness to match Soma’s sweetness.
Do not rush ‘vadhūyur’; soften into ‘śaṃsantīm’; land clearly on ‘manasā’.
somaḥ: ‘o’ long; visarga soft, vadhūyur: long ‘ū’; ‘yur’ as one unit, aśvinā: ‘śv’ conjunct, śaṃsantīm: anusvāra before ‘s’ as nasalization; long ‘īṃ’, savitādadāt: articulate ‘dadāt’ with dental ‘d’ and long ‘ā’
Soft, nectar-like, continuous; minimal harshness on consonants
3
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