Rig Veda 9.108.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 108, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.108
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अभि द्युम्नं बृहद्यश इषस्पते दिदीहि देव देवयुः । वि कोशं मध्यमं युव ॥
abhí dyumnáṃ bṛhád yáśa íṣas-pate didī́hi deva deva-yúḥ | ví kóśaṃ madhyamáṃ yúva ||
हे देवता, चमक के दिख। तू बड़ा यश वाला है और पूर्णता का स्वामी है। भगवान को ढूंढने वाले लोग तुझे चाहते हैं। तू हमारे अंदर का खज़ाना खोल दे जो बीच में है।
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards, overIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; governs accusative; direction ‘towards/over’Role Adhikaraṇa (directional/goal marker)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- द्यु॒म्नम्
- splendour, brillianceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot द्यु॒म्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- बृ॒हत्
- great, loftyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (द्यु॒म्नम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma (qualifier)Root बृ॒हत् (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- यशः
- fame, gloryNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (वैदिके -स् लोप/विकल्पः; ‘यशः’)Role KarmaRoot यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इषस्पते
- O lord of refreshment/strength (bestower of vigour)Noun (vocative epithet)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole (Sambodhana) — addressed deityRoot इषस् + पति (समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
- दिदी॒हि
- shine forth, blazeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole (Kriyā) — imperative actionRoot दीदी (धातु: √दीप्/√दी ‘to shine’; वैदिके ‘दीदी’ इति धातुरूप-प्रयोगः)
- देव
- O godNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole (Sambodhana)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवयुः
- god-seeking, devoted to the godsAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (सम्बोधनार्थेऽपि प्रथमा-रूपप्रयोगः वैदिके सम्भवः) अथवा विशेषणरूपेण संबोधनस्य ‘देव’ इत्यस्यRole Kartā (as subject/epithet of the addressed one) / (Sambodhana as epithet)Root देव + यु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘देवयु’ = देवेषु यु/युज्-भावः ‘god-seeking/devoted to the gods’)
- वि
- apart, widelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; sense ‘apart, asunder, widely’Role (Upasarga to verb/idea) — manner/intensityRoot वि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- कोशम्
- container, sheath, vessel (cask)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot कोश (प्रातिपदिक)
- मध्यमम्
- middle, centralAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (कोशम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Karma (qualifier)Root मध्यम (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- युव
- O young one (youthful)Adjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन (देवतासंबोधनम्)Role (Sambodhana)Root यु (धातु/प्रातिपदिक; वैदिके ‘युव’ = ‘युवा/युवन्’ इत्यस्य रूपभेदः)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अभि | द्युम्नम् | बृहत् | यशः | इषस्पते | दिदीहि | देव | देवयुः | वि | कोशम् | मध्यमम् | युव । 1) ‘बृहद्यशः’ इति संहितायां बृहत् + यशः → बृहद्यशः (त् + य → द्य). 2) ‘देव देवयुः’ इति संहितायां विसर्ग/व्यञ्जन-सन्धिः न विशेषः
- ‘देवयुः’ वैदिक-प्रयोगे प्रथमा/सम्बोधन-रूपेण उपपद्यते. 3) ‘युव’ इति वैदिकं संबोधन-रूपं ‘युवा/युवन्’ इत्यस्य रूपान्तरम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
O lord of plenitude, shine toward great glory; blaze, O god, desired by the god-seeking one; open wide the middle treasury (storehouse).
Inner meaning
Soma as īṣaspati (lord of spiritual plenty) is invoked to illumine our consciousness toward bṛhad yaśas—vast fame/glory meaning the expansive manifestation of the divine in us. The ‘devayú’ (god-seeking aspiration) calls the inner fire of delight to blaze, and to open the ‘middle treasury’: the intermediate plane between mind and physical—vital/heart store of energies—so that the hidden powers become available for the yoga of transformation.
Universal truth
When aspiration is sincere, the inner abundance responds: illumination increases and the blocked inner resources open.
Themes
illumination, opening of inner store, Soma-ritual, ascent through the middle world
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer tradition (Book 9); individual attribution for 9.108.9 is not consistently specified in common indices.
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.108.1-13
Family tradition
Soma hymns preserved as liturgical-seer corpus; emphasis on experiential purification rather than genealogical rishi memory in many listings.
Significance
The rishi-function is aspiration (devayú): the inner seeker whose call opens the ‘middle treasury’ where transformation becomes practicable.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- īṣaspati (lord of plenitude), deva (god), didīhi (the blazing one, by invocation)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Giver of vigor, inspiration, and luminous victory; opens hidden riches for gods and humans.
Inner power
Ananda that turns into luminous force (dyumna) and releases blocked energies in the mid-being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna stotra during Soma filtration/pressing.
अ॒भि द्यु॒म्नं बृ॒हद्यश॒ इष॑स्पते दिदी॒हि दे॑व देव॒युः । वि कोशं॑ मध्य॒मं यु॑व ॥
अ॒भि । द्यु॒म्नम् । बृ॒हत् । यशः॑ । इषः॑ । प॒ते॒ । दि॒दी॒हि । दे॒व॒ । दे॒व॒ऽयुः । वि । कोश॑म् । म॒ध्य॒मम् । यु॒व॒ ॥
abhi | dyumnam | bṛhat | yaśaḥ | iṣaḥ | pate | didīhi | deva | deva-yuḥ | vi | kośam | madhyamam | yuva
44
Probable 4 pādas with 11-syllable feel; second hemistich may be catalectic in the provided excerpt.
Invocatory and bright; quick lift on didīhi, then opening gesture on vi kośam.
Energizes aspiration and produces a felt ‘unsealing’ in the heart-vital region.
- द्यु॒म्नम् (dyumnam)
- Literal: splendour, luminous power. Symbolic: illumined force in the mind; victorious clarity
- बृ॒हत् यशः (bṛhat yaśaḥ)
- Literal: great fame/glory. Symbolic: wide manifestation of divine consciousness; expansive victory
- इषः पते (iṣaḥ pate)
- Literal: lord of refreshment/plenty. Symbolic: master of inner plenitude—right energies and inspirations
- दिदीहि (didīhi)
- Literal: shine, blaze. Symbolic: kindle the inner radiance; intensify conscious delight
- देवयुः (devayuḥ)
- Literal: one who seeks the gods. Symbolic: aspiring soul turning from desire to the divine
- कोशम् मध्यमम् (kośam madhyamam)
- Literal: the middle treasury/store. Symbolic: the intermediate sheath/plane: heart-vital store of prāṇa, courage, joy; the ‘mid-region’ to be opened
Invocatory verse within Soma purification; calls Soma to shine and to ‘open the kośa’—release of stored powers/boons for the sacrificer.
As Soma is purified and invoked to increase dyumna and open ‘riches’ for the sacrifice.
Chant while Soma flows through the filter; intention: illumination and release of powers.
Use as an ‘opening’ mantra before meditation or creative work: invoke inner radiance and unseal the mid-heart store of energy.
dyumná- from dyu ‘sky/light’ → ‘luminous power’. √dī ‘to shine’ gives didīhi (reduplicated imperative). iṣ- ‘impulsion/nourishment’ (cf. iṣṭi ‘sacrifice’ as energized seeking). kośa- ‘container/treasury’ later ‘sheath’; here a store of energies/boons. madhyamá- indicates the ‘middle world’ (rajas), psychologically the intermediate nature that must be opened to the higher light.
iṣ (divine impulsion/plenitude), opening of the middle nature (madhyama kośa), movement toward bṛhat (the Vast)
Implicit: true plenitude and glory arise when Soma is purified (pavamāna) and ordered toward the divine.
Illumination (dyumna) as a mode of satya becoming active in mind.
Unveiling/manifestation: opening the kośa releases what is latent into expression.
Integral Yoga reading: transformation requires opening the intermediate nature (vital/heart) to divine ananda-force.
dawn-like (illumining impulse, though not explicitly Uṣas)
Light = awakened intelligence; treasury = latent energies/samskāras transmuted into usable force when opened by Soma.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The opening of the ‘treasury’ (kośa) by a shining deity: a recurrent Vedic motif of hidden riches/powers being unlocked by the luminous force. In the inner sense, Soma’s light opens the intermediate sheath where energies are stored and blocked.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu- ‘sky/daylight’ is a central PIE root (*dyew-) with wide cognates (Greek Zeus, Latin Iuppiter via *Dyeu-pəter). The semantic continuity supports dyumná as ‘sky-born radiance’ turned into inner glory.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer (deva-yuḥ) is a ‘divine-seeker’ whose aspiration calls forth response: Soma is asked to blaze and actively open the inner container. The reciprocity is aspiration (stoma/longing) answered by illumination and release of plenitude.
Invoke Soma to blaze in the heart and illumine the mind; feel an inner ‘store’ opening in the mid-region (between navel and heart/heart and throat).
Maṇipūra–Anāhata bridge (the ‘middle’ store of power and joy).
Bhrāmarī-like gentle humming on didīhi (optional), then silent exhale imagining a chest-door opening on vi kośam.
Bright, aspiring, empowered; inner resources accessible without strain.
When blocked or depleted, repeat the mantra 9–27 times, then sit quietly and notice what energy or insight emerges from the ‘middle treasury’.
Chant with clear udātta lift on dyumnam, bṛhat, didīhi, kośam; keep enclitics light.
Make didīhi the sonic ‘spark’; slight pause after devayuḥ; then open the phrase on vi kośam.
didīhi: articulate both long ī vowels (di-dī-hi)., yaśaḥ: final visarga lightly aspirated., kośam: ś is palatal (not ṣ).
Bright and focused, like a flame; avoid heaviness.
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