Rig Veda 9.10.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 10, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.10
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
राजानो न प्रशस्तिभिः सोमासो गोभिरञ्जते । यज्ञो न सप्त धातृभिः ॥
rājā́no ná práśastibhiḥ sómāso góbhir añjate | yajñó ná saptá dhātṛ́bhiḥ ||
जैसे राजा लोग अपनी तकरीब से तैयार होते हैं, वैसे सोम की धारें रोशनी से चमक रही हैं। यह एक यज्ञ जैसा है जो सात लोग मिल के संभालते हैं। सब सही तरीके से हो रहा है।
Word by Word
- राजानः
- kings (lords)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) < √राज् (दीप्तौ/राज्ये)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक निपात ("like")Root न (उपमा/निपात)
- प्रशस्तिभिः
- with praises, by laudationsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot प्रशस्ति (स्त्री) < प्र-√शंस् (स्तुतौ) + क्तिन्
- सोमासः
- the Soma (drops)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- गोभिः
- with cows (i.e., with milk)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- अञ्जते
- anoint themselves / are anointedVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot √अञ्ज् (अञ्जने/लेपने)
- यज्ञः
- the sacrificeNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole KartāRoot यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) < √यज् (देवपूजासंगतिकरणदानेषु)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक निपात ("like")Root न (उपमा/निपात)
- सप्त
- sevenAdjective (Numeral)अव्ययवत्; (विशेषणम्) —; बहुवचनार्थक ("seven")Root सप्त (संख्याशब्द)
- धातृभिः
- with the (seven) arrangers/establishers (priests)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot धातृ (पुं) < √धा (धारणे/विधाने) + तृच्
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: राजानः | न | प्रशस्तिभिः | सोमासः | गोभिः | अञ्जते || यज्ञः | न | सप्त | धातृभिः || विशेष-सन्धि: (1) प्रशस्तिभिः: प्रशस्ति + भिस् → प्रशस्तिभिः (विसर्ग-लोप/रूपान्तरणः). (2) धातृभिः: धातृ + भिस् → धातृभिः.
- ‘न’ उपमान-निपातः द्विवारम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Like kings with praises/consecrations, the Soma streams anoint themselves with cows (light); like a sacrifice with seven priests/upholders they take form.
Inner meaning
Soma-currents assume sovereignty (rājānaḥ): through right affirmations (praśasti) they are ‘consecrated’ and then anointed with the rays of knowledge (gobhiḥ). They become a yajña—an ordered inner work—upheld by seven sustaining powers (sapta dhātṛbhiḥ): the complete set of harmonizing principles that hold the being in truth-order.
Universal truth
True spiritual kingship is inner: when consciousness is praised/affirmed in truth, it is anointed by illumination and organized by universal supports into a stable work of transformation.
Themes
Consecration, Sevenfold order, Light as adornment (go)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.10.1, Rig Veda 9.10.4
Significance
The seer’s vision integrates delight (Soma) with order (yajña) and illumination (go): the goal is not ecstasy alone but a governed, kingly consciousness upheld by a complete harmony (the ‘seven’).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Rājā (king) in his streams, Pavamāna
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Ādityas, Seven Ṛṣis / seven powers (symbolic)
Cosmic role
Consecrates and illumines; builds the yajña as an ordered field where gods can act.
Inner power
Self-anointing illumination: ananda becomes sovereign clarity and structured transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma anointing/flow hymns within Soma yajña
राजा॑नो॒ न प्रश॑स्तिभि॒: सोमा॑सो॒ गोभि॑रञ्जते । य॒ज्ञो न स॒प्त धा॒तृभि॑: ॥
राजा॑नः । न । प्रश॑स्तिऽभिः । सोमा॑सः । गोभिः॑ । अ॒ञ्ज॒ते॒ । य॒ज्ञः । न । स॒प्त । धा॒तृऽभिः॑ ॥
rājānaḥ | na | praśasti-bhiḥ | somāsaḥ | gobhiḥ | añjate | yajñaḥ | na | sapta | dhātṛ-bhiḥ
Two pādas displayed
Regal and balanced; parallel similes (‘like kings… like a sacrifice…’) create symmetry.
Stabilizing and dignifying—invites composure, mastery, and ordered clarity.
- rājānaḥ
- Literal: kings. Symbolic: sovereign states of consciousness; mastery over the nature
- praśasti-bhiḥ
- Literal: with praises/commendations. Symbolic: true affirmations/mantric recognitions that consecrate the inner forces
- gobhiḥ
- Literal: with cows. Symbolic: with rays of light/knowledge
- añjate
- Literal: they anoint/oint themselves. Symbolic: self-illumination; taking on the luminous substance
- yajñaḥ
- Literal: sacrifice. Symbolic: the inner work—offering and transformation
- sapta dhātṛbhiḥ
- Literal: with seven upholders/establishers. Symbolic: seven sustaining principles/powers that stabilize the ordered consciousness (often linked to seven rays/worlds/functions)
Consecratory imagery (anointing) suits Soma’s filtering and ‘clarification’; the ‘seven dhātṛs’ aligns with sevenfold ritual supports and inwardly seven powers that uphold the work.
During purification and offering; imagery of consecration aligns with ritual unction and praise.
Chanting as Soma is filtered and offered; ‘anointing’ corresponds to sanctifying the offering and the sacrificer’s state.
For leadership and self-mastery: chant before decisions; use as inner ‘consecration’ to truth and orderly action.
rājan ‘king’ from PIE *h₃rēǵ- ‘to rule’ (Latin rēx). praśasti from √śaṃs ‘praise’ (PIE *ḱens-? debated; but Indo-Iranian stable). añjate from √añj ‘anoint’ (cf. Latin unguō ‘anoint’ is different root; semantic parallel). dhātṛ from √dhā (PIE *dʰeh₁-). go as rays/illumination is a central Vedic symbolic polysemy.
Sovereignty (rājan) as mastery of consciousness, Seven upholders (sapta dhātṛ) as supports of R̥ta, Yajña as inner transformation
The yajña ‘with seven upholders’ is ṛta embodied—an ordered cosmos mirrored in the practitioner.
Illumination (go) is the substance of satya entering the mind; praise (praśasti) must be truthful recognition, not flattery.
Cosmos as sacrifice: the streams become the yajña itself, structured by seven sustaining powers.
Vedic cosmology of yajña as universal process; integral reading: inner yajña constructs the higher consciousness.
Illumination anoints consciousness into sovereignty; the being becomes a seven-supported altar of transformation.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘royal consecration’ of Soma: Soma becomes kingly by anointing with ‘cows’ (rays), while the sacrifice is upheld by seven establishers—an image of ordered sovereignty of light in the inner yajña.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rājānaḥ reflects PIE *h₃rēǵ- (rex), showing the Indo-European sacral kingship motif. dhātṛ continues PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘set/establish’, a core IE root for cosmic ordering.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi praises as consecration (praśasti): his word is part of the anointing, enabling Soma to assume sovereign function in the seeker; the rishi and Soma cooperate in establishing the sevenfold order of the work.
Consecrate the mind: affirm truth (praśasti) and invite rays of knowledge to ‘anoint’ thought and feeling; establish the sevenfold balance (body-life-mind and higher triad).
Ājñā (illumination) with Sahasrāra (sovereignty of higher light); grounding through Mūlādhāra as ‘support’ (dhātṛ).
Slow exhale emphasis (inhale 4, exhale 6) while contemplating ‘anointing with light’.
Collected, luminous, governed.
Make seven quiet offerings (one per breath) of: body, breath, sensation, emotion, thought, intuition, silence—then chant once and sit in the ‘kingly’ stillness.
Maintain the parallelism with even tonal arcs; keep the udātta lifts on key nouns (rājānaḥ, somāsaḥ, gobhiḥ, yajñaḥ, sapta).
Pause lightly after each simile segment (‘rājāno na… | … gobhir añjate’), then resume with equal weight on the second comparison.
rājānaḥ: long ā; final ḥ soft, praśastibhiḥ: ‘ś’ palatal; ‘bh’ voiced aspirate, gobhir: hard ‘g’, clear ‘bh’, añjate: ‘ñj’ cluster; short vowels crisp, dhātṛbhiḥ: retroflex ṭṛ; ‘bh’ aspirate
Regal, even, resonant; avoid excessive speed.
7
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