Rig Veda 2.14.9: Mandala 2, Sukta 14, Mantra 9
Sukta 2.14
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अध्वर्यवः कर्तना श्रुष्टिमस्मै वने निपूतं वन उन्नयध्वम् । जुषाणो हस्त्यमभि वावशे व इन्द्राय सोमं मदिरं जुहोत ॥
ádhvaryavaḥ kártanā śruṣṭím asmai váne ní-pūtaṃ váne ún nayadhvam | juṣāṇó hastyám abhí vāvaśe vaḥ índrāya sómaṃ madiráṃ juhota ||
अध्वर्यु प्रीस्ट्स, सोम के लिए सब सही से तैयार करो। जंगल में सोम को साफ करो और ऊपर उठाओ। इंद्र उस्से लेकर तुम्हारी ताकत की तरफ आवाज़ करेगा। नशे वाला सोम इंद्र को चढ़ाओ।
Word by Word
- अध्वर्यवः
- O adhvaryu-priestsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अध्वर्यु- (प्रातिपदिक)
- कर्तना
- with/by (ritual) action; by performanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (वेदिक रूप)Role करणRoot कृ (धातु) → कर्तन- (कृदन्त/नाम)
- श्रुष्टिम्
- obedience; attentive serviceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot श्रुष्टि- (प्रातिपदिक; √श्रु/श्रुष् ‘to heed, obey’ से)
- अस्मै
- to him (i.e., Indra)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अयम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वने
- in the wood; in the forestNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot वन- (प्रातिपदिक)
- निपूतम्
- well-purifiedAdjective/Participleनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot नि-√पू (धातु) → निपूत- (कृदन्त, भूतकृदन्त)
- वनः
- of the wood (wooden vessel/pressing-place)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वेदिक/काव्य प्रयोग: ‘of the wood’)Role सम्बन्धRoot वन- (प्रातिपदिक)
- उन्नयध्वम्
- lift up; raise; bring upVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root उद्-√नी (धातु)
- जुषाणः
- enjoying; accepting gladlyParticipleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (कर्तरि)Role कर्तृRoot √जुष् (धातु) → जुषाण- (कृदन्त, वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- हस्त्यम्
- mighty/elephant-like (strong)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot हस्त्य- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘हाथी/हस्ति-सम्बद्ध’)
- अभि
- towards; uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRole (क्रिया-विशेषण)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वावशे
- he longs/cries out (for)Verbलिट्/परिप्रासिक वेदिक रूप (पुनरुक्त/तीव्रार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole (क्रिया)Root √वश्/√वाश् (धातु; वेदिक ‘to desire/long for, cry out for’) → वावशे
- वः
- of you / to you (priests)Pronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध/सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot इन्द्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमम्
- Soma (juice)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदिरम्
- intoxicating; exhilaratingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषण)Root मदिर- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जुहोत
- offer; pour as oblationVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदRole (क्रिया)Root √हु (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): अध्वर्यवः | कर्तना | श्रुष्टिम् | अस्मै | वने | निपूतम् | वनः | उन्नयध्वम् || जुषाणः | हस्त्यम् | अभि | वावशे | वः | इन्द्राय | सोमम् | मदिरम् | जुहोत || प्रमुख सन्धि: (1) वने निपूतम्—सन्धि नहीं (स्वर-संयोग पर विराम)। (2) वन उन्नयध्वम् → वनः उन्नयध्वम् (पाठ में ‘वन॒ उन्न॑यध्वम्’ के पीछे पदपाठानुसार ‘वनः’ षष्ठी एकवचन; विसर्ग लोप/पाठभेद सम्भव)। (3) इन्द्राय सोमम्—सन्धि नहीं।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Adhvaryus should fashion the well-yoking for Indra; Soma purified in the wood is to be raised up from the wood. Indra, accepting it, roars toward their mighty strength; offer the intoxicating Soma to Indra.
Inner meaning
‘Fashion the yoking’ means organize the life-force so it can carry the divine intention. ‘Wood’ (vana) is the raw material of nature—our embodied vital substance; Soma is purified there when the raw energies are pressed and clarified. ‘Raise it up’ indicates sublimation: lift refined delight from the vital into the illumined mind. Indra’s ‘roar’ is the surge of awakened power responding to our offered strength—divine mind taking possession of the purified energies.
Universal truth
Spiritual practice is the art of harnessing and uplifting raw energies into refined joy; when offered upward, higher consciousness responds with increased force and protection.
Themes
Soma preparation, Indra exhilaration, ritual engineering as inner discipline
The seer
- Rishi
- Gṛtsamada (Āṅgirasa)
- Lineage
- Āṅgirasa
- Other hymns
- RV 2.14.8, RV 2.14.10 (contextual continuation in the hymn), RV 2.13
Family tradition
Āṅgiras method: press, purify, and uplift—release the hidden light by right labor (adhvara) and offering.
Significance
This verse is almost a manual of inner yajña: craft discipline, purify delight in the vital, uplift it, and feed the illumined mind.
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Maghavan, Vṛtrahan, Soma-pā (Soma-drinker, implied)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Maruts
Cosmic role
Receives Soma and amplifies strength; turns human force into divine victory.
Inner power
Possession and direction of vital power by illumination; the ‘roar’ of awakened mastery.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing, purification, and offering to Indra
अध्व॑र्यव॒: कर्त॑ना श्रु॒ष्टिम॑स्मै॒ वने॒ निपू॑तं॒ वन॒ उन्न॑यध्वम् । जु॒षा॒णो हस्त्य॑म॒भि वा॑वशे व॒ इन्द्रा॑य॒ सोमं॑ मदि॒रं जु॑होत ॥
अध्व॑र्यवः । कर्त॑न । श्रु॒ष्टिम् । अ॒स्मै॒ । वने॑ । निऽपू॑तम् । वने॑ । उत् । न॒य॒ध्व॒म् । जु॒षा॒णः । हस्त्य॑म् । अ॒भि । वा॒व॒शे॒ । वः॒ । इन्द्रा॑य॒ । सोम॑म् । मदि॒रम् । जु॒हो॒त॒ ॥
adhvaryavaḥ | kartana | śruṣṭim | asmai | vane | ni-pūtam | vane | ut | nayadhvam | juṣāṇaḥ | hastyam | abhi | vāvaśe | vaḥ | indrāya | somam | madiram | juhota
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4×11; repeated ‘vane… vane…’ gives a grounded, embodied refrain-like feel within the meter.
Crafting-and-lifting rhythm: grounded in the first half, rising in the imperatives ‘ut nayadhvam’ and culminating in ‘juhota’.
Encourages embodiment plus ascent—feels like drawing energy up the spine and offering it forward.
- कर्तन (kartanā)
- Literal: fashion, make, shape. Symbolic: conscious formation of inner discipline; deliberate self-crafting
- श्रुष्टिम् (śruṣṭim)
- Literal: yoking/gear, well-yoked arrangement. Symbolic: harnessed vital energies; aligned instruments of action
- वने (vane)
- Literal: in the wood/forest. Symbolic: the vital-physical substance; the ‘raw’ field where energies grow
- निपूत (nipūta)
- Literal: well-purified. Symbolic: refined emotion/joy after filtering out turbulence
- उत् नयध्वम् (ut nayadhvam)
- Literal: raise up, lead upward. Symbolic: sublimation—lifting energy to higher centers
- मदिर (madira)
- Literal: intoxicating/exhilarating. Symbolic: ecstatic Ananda that breaks limitations without dullness when purified
- हस्त्यम् (hastyam)
- Literal: mighty/elephantine strength. Symbolic: great vital power under the rule of illumined mind
Practical Soma-pressing/handling instruction; emphasizes preparation (kartanā), purification (ni-pūta), elevation (ud-nī), and offering (juhota).
During Soma preparation (pressing/filtering) and presentation to the deity.
Prepare/yoke implements, purify Soma, lift and carry it to offering, pour oblation.
As a practice of ‘energy hygiene’: refine stimulation (food/media/emotion) into clear joy, then lift it into meditation rather than dispersing it.
√juṣ ‘enjoy, accept, favor’ marks the deity’s consent—Soma is not mechanical fuel but a consciously received delight. vaná ‘wood/forest’ also denotes the pressing-wood context; symbolically, the ‘forest’ is the proliferating vital field from which essence is extracted and then ‘raised up’ (ud-nī).
divine consent and enjoyment (juṣāṇa), elevation of essence (ud-nī) from vital to illumined level
Right formation (kartanā) and right uplift (ut-nayana) are movements of ṛta—orderly ascent of energies.
Purification in ‘wood’ means truthfully working with nature, not suppressing it; then uplifting it.
Transformation of the vital substance into divine delight-power offered to the gods.
Integral transformation: nature is refined and elevated, not rejected.
Wood = embodied vitality; purification = filtering impulses; raising up = ascent of prāṇa; roar = awakening of empowered mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘raising of Soma’ and Indra’s responsive roar: the delight extracted from the growth-world is lifted and offered, and the divine power answers by intensifying strength. Inner sense: purified rasa is elevated and the illumined force responds with energized action.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √juṣ has Indo-Iranian correspondences expressing ‘favor/acceptance’, reflecting a shared sacral economy of offering and divine consent. The imperative chain (kartanā… nayadhvam… juhota) is typical of archaic ritual command style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi directs the human ritual faculties to prepare and elevate the offering; Indra is portrayed as actively ‘accepting’ and responding. The reciprocity is immediate: right preparation and uplifted offering evoke the god’s intensification of power within the sacrificers.
Harness-and-lift: feel raw energy in the belly (vital ‘wood’), purify it with awareness, then raise it to the brow as clear joy and offer it to the inner Indra.
maṇipūra → anāhata → ājñā (uplift sequence)
Breath ‘lifting’ practice: inhale from navel to chest to brow (3-stage awareness), exhale offering from brow outward; repeat with mantra.
Energized clarity; controlled ecstasy (madira) without agitation.
Before chanting, briefly ‘shape the yoke’: straighten spine, set intention. During ‘ut nayadhvam’, consciously draw attention upward. End with a quiet inner offering and a pause to feel Indra’s answering force.
Triṣṭubh; keep repeated ‘vane’ phrases even; udātta emphasis on imperatives (kartanā, ut nayadhvam, juhota) and on ‘indra’.
Mark a small lift on ‘ut’ (upward motion) and a fuller, resonant finish on ‘somam madiraṃ juhota’.
kartanā: retroflex ṇ? (here ‘nā’ long; keep dental n clear per recitation), vane: short a, clear ‘ne’, nipūtam: long ū, ut nayadhvam: separate ‘ut’ cleanly before ‘na-’, juṣāṇo: retroflex ṣ, long ā, vāvaśe: repeat ‘va’ lightly, keep ś clear
Energizing, upward-leaning, resonant; avoid harshness—aim for ‘exhilarated control’.
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