Rig Veda 9.13.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 13, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.13
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh/Jagatī-class line length
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
अपघ्नन्तो अराव्णः पवमानाः स्वर्दृशः । योनावृतस्य सीदत ॥
apaghṇánto arā́vṇaḥ pávamānāḥ svardṛ́śaḥ | yónāv ṛtásya sīdata ||
सोम रस अपने आप को साफ़ करता है। वो बुरी और टेढ़ी ताकतों को तोड़ देता है। यह सोम धारें सूरज की दुनिया देखती हैं। वो सत्य के गर्भ में बैठ जाती हैं।
Word by Word
- अपघ्नन्तः
- striking away, dispellingAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ) ‘-न्त’Role कर्तृ (of the implied action ‘they sit/settle/flow’)Root अप-घ्न (√हन् ‘to strike/kill’ with preverb अप) → kṛdanta अपघ्नन्त्
- अराव्णः
- harmless, non-injuringAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to पवमानाः) / विशेषणRoot अराव्ण (prātipadika; Vedic epithet, lit. ‘non-harming / not injuring’; used of Soma-pavamāna)
- पवमानाः
- the purifying ones (Soma-streams), as they purify themselvesNoun/Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्) आत्मनेपदीRole कर्तृRoot √पू (pū ‘to purify’) → पवमान (present middle participle)
- स्वर्दृशः
- heaven-seeing, seeing the light (of heaven)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (apposition to पवमानाः) / विशेषणRoot स्वर् (heaven/light) + √दृश् (to see) → स्वर्दृश् (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa-type epithet)
- योनौ
- in the womb/seat, in the source (vat)Nounपुं/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (commonly m.), सप्तमी एकवचन (Vedic locative)Role अधिकरणRoot योनि (prātipadika)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation to योनौ) / अधिकरण-सम्बन्धRoot ऋत (prātipadika)
- सीदत
- let them sit/settle; may they take their seatVerbलोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (governing the subject: अपघ्नन्तः…पवमानाः)Root √सद् (to sit, settle, sink down)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अपघ्नन्तः | अराव्णः | पवमानाः | स्वर्दृशः | योनौ | ऋतस्य | सीदत । 1) अ॒प॒घ्नन्तो॒ → अपघ्नन्तः (nom. pl. ending -अः; visarga in pada)
- 2) अरा॑व्ण॒: → अराव्णः (visarga)
- 3) स्व॒र्दृश॑: → स्वर्दृशः (visarga)
- 4) योना॑वृ॒तस्य॑ → योनौ ऋतस्य (au + ṛ- sandhi: औ + ऋ → आवृ; hence योना॑वृ॒तस्य = योनौ + ऋतस्य)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The purifying Soma-streams, smiting hostile crooked powers, beholding the sun-world, sit in the womb of Ṛta.
Inner meaning
As the delight-currents purify, they actively strike down distortions (arāvṇaḥ: crooked/hostile). They become ‘svardṛśaḥ’—capable of seeing the supramental/sun-world (svar). Established in the ‘womb of ṛta’, they settle into the matrix of truth-order where right movement becomes spontaneous.
Universal truth
Purification is not passive: it removes inner crookedness and establishes consciousness in truth-order, from which higher vision naturally dawns.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Light vs. Darkness, Establishment in Ṛta, Inner yajña (psychological sacrifice)
The seer
Significance
The rishi-gesture here is ‘establishment’: not only to purify and fight distortion, but to seat the consciousness in ṛta as a new base of operation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Svardṛś (sun-world-seeing), Apaghnant (smiting)
- Related deities
- Sūrya/Savar (as svar), Indra (as illumined mind), Varuṇa/Mitra (ṛta guardians)
Cosmic role
Carries the essence that enables the gods’ vision; restores ṛta by cleansing crookedness from the streams of life.
Inner power
Purifying ananda that straightens the being and opens supramental sight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna chants in Soma yajña (purification/straining)
अ॒प॒घ्नन्तो॒ अरा॑व्ण॒: पव॑मानाः स्व॒र्दृश॑: । योना॑वृ॒तस्य॑ सीदत ॥
अ॒प॒ऽघ्नन्तः॑ । अरा॑व्णः । पव॑मानाः । स्वः॒ऽदृशः॑ । योनौ॑ । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । सी॒द॒त्स॒ ॥
apa-ghnantaḥ | arāvṇaḥ | pavamānāḥ | svaḥ-dṛśaḥ | yonau | ṛtasya | sīdata
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3×8 syllables
Purifying, forward-flowing; second pāda lifts toward ‘svar’.
Induces a sense of cleansing with an upward ‘opening’ into light, ending in grounded settling (sīdata).
- pavamānāḥ
- Literal: purifying (soma-streams). Symbolic: self-clarifying currents of delight-consciousness
- apaghnantaḥ
- Literal: striking away, smiting. Symbolic: active removal of inner distortions and resistances
- arāvṇaḥ
- Literal: crooked, hostile, injuring. Symbolic: perverse tendencies, warped desire, falsehood, subconscious twistings
- svaḥ-dṛśaḥ
- Literal: seeing/holding the vision of svar (sun-world). Symbolic: supramental sight; luminous discernment beyond mental twilight
- yoni
- Literal: womb, source, seat. Symbolic: origin-matrix of right becoming; stable foundation of sādhanā
- ṛtasya
- Literal: of ṛta (truth-order). Symbolic: law of right movement; harmony of being and action
Pavamāna sequence in Soma sacrifice (Soma pressing and purification through the filter; chanted in the context of the Soma ritual, esp. Agniṣṭoma-related performances).
During Soma filtering and consecration of the offering streams
Recitation to support purification and right placement of Soma in the rite
Use after emotional agitation: chant to ‘straighten’ inner movement and re-seat attention in truthfulness and order.
apaghṇantaḥ: apa- + √han ‘to strike, slay’ (present participle, nom. pl. m.), ‘striking away/down’. arāvṇaḥ: from a- (privative/negative) + a notion of straightness/rightness; used for hostile, injuring, perverting agencies (contextually ‘non-ṛta’). pavamānāḥ: √pū ‘to purify/cleanse’ (middle present participle), Soma as self-purifying flow. svardṛśaḥ: svar/svaḥ ‘luminous world’ + √dṛś ‘to see’ (bahuvrīhi), ‘those whose seeing is of svah’. yoni: ‘womb, origin, seat’ (loc. sg. yonau). ṛta: √ṛ ‘to fit, move rightly’ → ṛta ‘that which is rightly ordered/true’. sīdata: √sad ‘to sit, settle’ (imperative/2nd pl. or injunctive-like form in Vedic usage), ‘sit/settle (there)’.
Ṛta (cosmic order, truth-law), purification/clarification of consciousness, victory over obstruction (tamas/ignorance)
Explicit: Soma takes seat in the yoni of ṛta—truth-order becomes the base.
Seeing svar implies alignment with satya (truth of being) beyond surface appearances.
Right order is a generative womb; purification returns the streams to their source-law.
Integral-Vedic psychology: ascent to svar through ananda-purification and removal of crooked formations.
dawn-to-sunrise (suggested by ‘svar’ vision)
Streams = prāṇic-mental currents; sun-world = higher clarity; womb of ṛta = stable inner lawfulness where thoughts/actions align.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘purifying Soma’ as a victorious divine current that strikes down hostile powers and then is enthroned in Ṛta. Mythically: Soma’s battle and triumph; psychologically: the clarified delight/force of consciousness removes obstruction and becomes stable in the truth-order (satyam-ṛtam).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key verbal roots are archaic and Indo-European: √han ‘strike/kill’ (PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike, slay’), √dṛś ‘see’ (PIE *derk- ‘to see’), √sad ‘sit’ (PIE *sed- ‘sit’). ṛta ‘right order’ aligns conceptually with Indo-Iranian *ṛta/arta (Avestan aša/arta) as a shared mythic-ethical-cosmic principle.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s speech directs Soma not merely as an external libation but as an inward power: the Rishi invokes Soma’s act of purification and victory so that it ‘takes its seat’ in Ṛta within the human vessel. The reciprocity is implicit: the human offers aspiration/clarifying action; Soma grants luminous vision (svardṛś) and stable truth-order in return.
Let the breath become a ‘stream’; on exhale, release crooked impulses; on inhale, receive higher light; then rest in a felt sense of inner rightness (ṛta).
Ājñā (svar-dṛś) with grounding into Anāhata (stable seat)
4-4-6 breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 6) while mentally repeating key words: pavamāna—svar—ṛta.
Sattvic clarity, ordered flow, quiet strength.
After chanting, write one ‘crookedness’ to abandon (arāvṇaḥ) and one ‘right movement’ to adopt (ṛta); commit for the day.
Accents indicated in Saṃhitā (e.g.,,, :); full melodic svara requires śākhā-specific notation.
Let ‘apaghnanto’ be articulated with firmness; lift on accented syllables; soften and lengthen the cadence into ‘yonāv ṛtasya sīdata’.
apaghnantaḥ: distinct ‘ghn’ cluster, arāvṇaḥ: long ā; ‘vṇ’ conjunct, svaḥ-dṛśaḥ: visarga on svaḥ; retroflex/clear ‘dṛ’, yonau: ‘yo-nau’ diphthong au, ṛtasya: vocalic ṛ, not ‘ri’
Clear and steady; end with a settling, downward grounding tone.
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