Rig Veda 9.16.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 16, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.16
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shringara (love)
प्र त्वा नमोभिरिन्दव इन्द्र सोमा असृक्षत । महे भराय कारिणः ॥
prá tvā namóbhiḥ índava índra sómā asṛkṣata | mahé bhárāya kāríṇaḥ ||
इंद्र के लिए सोम की धारें छोड़ी जा रही हैं। प्रणाम के साथ यह बह रहे हैं। जो लोग यह करता हैं वो बड़ा बोझ उठा रहे हैं। ताकत और पूर्ति दोनों लाते हैं।
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- त्वा
- you (thee)Pronounaccusative singular (2nd person)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (त्वद्)
- नमोभिः
- with obeisances, with salutationsNounneuter instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot नमस्
- इन्दवः
- the drops (of Soma)Nounmasculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot इन्दु
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)masculine vocative singularRole (Sambodhana)Root इन्द्र
- सोमाः
- SomasNounmasculine nominative pluralRole Kartā (apposition to इन्दवः)Root सोम
- असृक्षत
- have flowed/streamed forthVerbaorist (sigmatic/ṣ-aorist), 3rd person plural, parasmaipadaRole (Kriyā)Root सृज्
- महे
- to the great (one)Adjective (used substantively)masculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot महत्
- भराय
- for bearing/support; for the (ritual) offering/bringingNounmasculine dative singularRole Sampradāna (purpose/recipient)Root भर
- कारिणः
- the doers, makers (active ones)Noun/Adjectivemasculine nominative pluralRole Kartā (epithet of इन्दवः/सोमाः)Root कारिन् (from √कृ, agent noun)
Sandhi Notes
- Pada resolution: प्र त्वा नमोभिः इन्दवः इन्द्र सोमाः असृक्षत । महे भराय कारिणः ।
- ‘नमोभिः’ = नमस् + भिस् (instr.pl.)
- ‘असृक्षत’ is aorist 3pl of √सृज् with internal strengthening/retroflexion per Vedic morphology. Accent marks in the given saṃhitā: त्वा॒ (anudātta), नमो॑भिः (udātta on मो), इन्द्र॑व (udātta on इन्द्र-), इन्द्र॒ (anudātta), सोमा॑ (udātta on मा), भरा॑य (udātta on रा), कारिण॑ः (udātta on ण)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma streams are sent forward to you, O Indra, with acts of homage, for a great bearing/bringing by the doers.
Inner meaning
When the inner makers (kāriṇaḥ—powers of formation in mind and life, or the conscious practitioner’s faculties) offer reverence (namas: surrender) they release the Soma-currents toward Indra, the illumined Mind. The purpose is mahat bharāya: a great ‘carrying’—the transport of consciousness from limitation to wideness, and the bearing of divine force into works and life.
Universal truth
Reverence and surrender release inner energies toward higher intelligence; then a greater capacity ‘to bear’ life and to carry truth into action is born.
Themes
Indra-Soma synergy, Release of the flow, Inner victory preparation
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (traditional)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.5-1.9 (Indra invoked by Kāṇvas, traditional), RV 9.48 (Soma purification), RV 9.61 (Soma for Indra)
Family tradition
Kāṇva hymns frequently join Indra and Soma: illumination strengthened by delight, producing victorious capacity in works.
Significance
The seer-line highlights the practical yoga: not only purification, but release toward Indra for effective bearing in life and work (karman).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (as receiver of Soma), supported by Soma
- Epithets
- Maghavan (bounteous), Vṛtrahan (slayer of the Coverer), Śakra (powerful)
- Related deities
- Soma Pavamāna, Maruts, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Indra governs luminous force: he breaks the coverings, releases the rays (go) and waters, and establishes wideness in consciousness.
Inner power
Illumination, decisive intelligence, courage to break resistance; strengthened by Soma-Ananda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma offering within Soma-yajña; Pavamāna context where Soma is made fit for Indra
प्र त्वा॒ नमो॑भि॒रिन्द॑व॒ इन्द्र॒ सोमा॑ असृक्षत । म॒हे भरा॑य का॒रिण॑: ॥
प्र । त्वा॒ । नमः॑ऽभिः । इन्द॑वः । इन्द्र॑ । सोमाः॑ । अ॒सृ॒क्ष॒त॒ । म॒हे । भरा॑य । का॒रिणः॑ ॥
pra | tvā | namaḥ-bhiḥ | indavaḥ | indra | somāḥ | asṛkṣata | mahe | bharāya | kāriṇaḥ
24
3×8
Invocatory and energetic; ‘pra’ openings create a forward thrust
Builds aspiration and release; the cadence supports offering (namas) and empowerment (bharāya).
- नमोभिः (namobhiḥ)
- Literal: with salutations. Symbolic: surrender, self-offering that opens the channels
- इन्दवः (indavaḥ)
- Literal: bright drops/streams. Symbolic: currents of clarified delight and luminous energy
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind-force, illumined leadership in the being
- असृक्षत (asṛkṣata)
- Literal: were released/let loose. Symbolic: unblocked flow of Ananda-energy toward higher consciousness
- महे भराय (mahe bharāya)
- Literal: for great bearing/carrying. Symbolic: capacity to hold wideness, to carry force into life, to sustain transformation
- कारिणः (kāriṇaḥ)
- Literal: makers/doers. Symbolic: formative powers in us—thought, will, speech, action—aligned to the sacrifice
Soma offering to Indra within Soma-yāga; energizing Indra for victory over inner obstructions
At points of offering/recitation calling Indra to drink and be strengthened
Libation to Indra; recitation with gestures of offering/salutation
Use before demanding tasks: offer the day’s energies inwardly to the higher mind; ask for ‘great bearing’—capacity, steadiness, victorious clarity.
namo-bhiḥ: instr. pl. of namas from √nam ‘to bow, incline’ → inner ‘alignment’; indavaḥ: nom. pl. of indu ‘drop, Soma’ (also ‘bright’ nuance); asṛkṣata: aorist/middle of √sṛj ‘to let go, release, send forth’ (PIE *sreu̯g- ‘let flow/loose’ semantic field overlaps with ‘streaming’ imagery); bhara-: from √bhṛ ‘to bear, carry’ (PIE *bher-), here ‘bearing of plenitude/force’; kāriṇaḥ: agent noun from √kṛ ‘do, make’ indicating formative agencies.
Namas (reverent self-offering as alignment), Indra as victorious intelligence-force, Rita through right-directed offering
Right offering (namas) aligns human energies with Ṛta, enabling right action and victory over disorder.
Indra drinks purified truth-joy; illumination acts as satya-force in the mind.
Expansion (bṛhat): Soma-fed Indra creates wideness by breaking inner limitation.
Vedic integral psychology: surrender releases energies; illumination transforms works.
Streams = currents of refined feeling/energy; offering = alignment; great bearing = increased capacity of the nervous and mental being to hold higher force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The empowering of Indra by Soma: the streams are ‘released’ to Indra so the victorious power can act. Inwardly, delight-essence is directed to the illumined Mind-Force to enable the breaking of resistances and the carrying (bhara) of a greater consciousness into life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhṛ ‘bear’ (bharāya) is a clear PIE *bher- cognate set (Skt bhárati, Gk phérō, Lat ferō). √nam ‘bow’ has broad IE parallels in gesture/semantics of inclination. The release verb √sṛj connects to the IE poetic motif of ‘setting free’ waters/flows, a structural trope in Vedic and wider IE traditions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi (and the inner kāriṇaḥ) enact namas—self-offering as right orientation—so Indra can receive Soma. The exchange is empowerment: the human side offers clarified force; Indra returns increased capacity for conquest and a ‘great bearing’ of the work toward completeness.
Offer (namas) the life-force upward; feel Soma-like sweetness rise to the brow as strength and clarity.
Maṇipūra (power/bearing) supported by Ājñā (Indra-illumination)
On inhale, feel ‘pra’ lifting energy; on exhale, offer it upward with a sense of bowing (namas).
Aspiring, empowered, widened
Practice ‘inner salutation’ before action: pause, bow inwardly, release energies to the higher intelligence; then act from the widened, steadier capacity (mahat bhara).
Respect accent marks from the text; keep the opening ‘pra’ bright and lifted; allow ‘indra’ vocative to ring with udātta prominence where marked.
Do not rush ‘namobhiḥ’; let it sound like an actual bow—slight softening, then release into ‘asṛkṣata’.
namobhiḥ: visarga light, not harsh, indavaḥ: short ‘i’, clear ‘vaḥ’, asṛkṣata: cluster ‘kṣ’ crisp, bharāya: bha voiced aspirate, long ā
Energizing, confident, with devotional warmth
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