Rig Veda 9.28.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 28, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.28
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
एष सूर्यमरोचयत्पवमानो विचर्षणिः । विश्वा धामानि विश्ववित् ॥
eṣá sū́ryam arocayat pávamāno vícarṣaṇiḥ | víśvā dhā́māni viśvá-vit ||
यह सोम साफ हो रहा है और सूरज को चमका दिया है। यह लोगों में घूमता है और सब जानता है। यह हर जगह अपनी रोशनी फैला रहा है।
Word by Word
- एषः
- this (one), hePronoun (demonstrative)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एष-
- सूर्यम्
- the SunNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरोचयत्
- made (it) shine, caused to shineVerbलङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; णिजन्त-धातु: रोचय-Role क्रियाRoot √रुच् (रुचँ दीप्तौ) + णिच् (causative)
- पवमानः
- purifying (Soma), flowingAdjective/Participle (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (आत्मनेपदीय-शानच्/मानच्-प्रत्ययः) अर्थे: ‘purifying/flowing’Role कर्तृ (एषः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root √पू (पूञ् पवने/शोधने) → पवमान (वर्तमानकृदन्त)
- विचर्षणिः
- far-seeing; widely ruling/observantNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (एषः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root वि-चर्षणि (प्रातिपदिक; ‘all-seeing/men-seeing, widely influential’)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (धामानि इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- धामानि
- abodes, stations; (also) ordinances/splendoursNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot धामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्ववित्
- knower of all (things)Adjective/Noun (agentive)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कृदन्त-प्रायः (विद्-धातोः ‘वित्’ प्रकारः)Role कर्तृ (एषः/पवमानः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root विश्व-विद् (समास; √विद् ‘to know’ → -वित् ‘knowing’)
Sandhi Notes
- संधि-विच्छेदः: एषः सूर्यं अरोचयत् पवमानः विचर्षणिः । विश्वा धामानि विश्ववित् ॥ 1) एष + (ः) → एषः (प्रथमा-एकवचन). 2) सूर्य॑म् + अरोचयत्: पदान्त-म् + अ- आरम्भे संधिः न परिवर्तते (अनुस्वार/मकारः यथावत्). 3) अरोचयत् + पवमानः: त् + प् परे ‘त्प’ संयोगः (लिप्यन्तरे ‘अरोचय॒त्पव॑मानो’). 4) पवमानः + विचर्षणिः: विसर्गः/स्वर-संधि विशेषः न
- पदच्छेदे पृथक्. 5) विश्वा + धामानि: संधि न. 6) धामानि + विश्ववित्: संधि न. वैदिक-स्वर (उदात्त/अनुदात्त/स्वरित) चिह्नाः मूलपाठानुसारं
- पदच्छेदे रूपाणि अविकृतानि।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purifying Soma has made the Sun shine; moving widely among men, the all-knower enters all domains.
Inner meaning
As Soma purifies (pavamāna), it brings out Sūrya—the inner sun of illumination—so that the mind’s daylight becomes manifest. ‘Vicarṣaṇiḥ’ suggests wide movement/vision in human consciousness: Soma’s clarified delight travels through our active life and reveals truth in every domain (dhāman). Thus Ananda is the condition for stable illumination.
Universal truth
Illumination is sustained not only by effort or intellect but by a purified joy that makes the inner sun emerge and light every part of life.
Themes
illumination, Soma-ritual, pervasion, knowledge
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.28.1, Rig Veda 9.28.2, Rig Veda 9.28.3, Rig Veda 9.28.4
Significance
The seer’s culminating insight is illuminative: Soma’s purification is not merely cleansing but revelatory—bringing out the inner Sun and extending knowledge through all domains of the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pavamānaḥ, vicarṣaṇiḥ, viśvavit
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Purifier who reveals Sūrya and sustains the luminous order across worlds.
Inner power
Ananda as revealer: joy clarified becomes a light-bearing force that manifests inner truth-sun and spreads it through life and mind.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants celebrating the clarified Soma’s effects
ए॒ष सूर्य॑मरोचय॒त्पव॑मानो॒ विच॑र्षणिः । विश्वा॒ धामा॑नि विश्व॒वित् ॥
ए॒षः । सूर्य॑म् । अ॒रो॒च॒य॒त् । पव॑मानः । विऽच॑र्षणिः । विश्वा॑ । धामा॑नि । वि॒श्व॒ऽवित् ॥
eṣaḥ | sūryam | arocayat | pavamānaḥ | vi-carṣaṇiḥ | viśvā | dhāmāni | viśva-vit
44
4 x 11 (approx.)
Expansive and luminous; a widening cadence matching ‘vicarṣaṇiḥ’ and ‘viśvā dhāmāni’.
Produces a sense of inner sunrise and wideness; supports clarity and optimism.
- सूर्यम् (sūryam)
- Literal: the Sun. Symbolic: inner illumination, supramental/light of truth in the mind
- अरोचयत् (arocayat)
- Literal: made shine forth, illumined. Symbolic: brings to manifestation; causes revelation
- पवमानः (pavamānaḥ)
- Literal: purifying. Symbolic: clarifying movement that removes mixture and prepares for light
- विचर्षणिः (vicarṣaṇiḥ)
- Literal: moving/acting among men; widely active. Symbolic: pervasive operation through the human instrument; wide vision and effective movement
- विश्ववित् (viśvavit)
- Literal: knower of all. Symbolic: integral gnosis that sees the right place of each movement
- धामानि (dhāmāni)
- Literal: domains/seats. Symbolic: all parts/planes of being to be illumined
Soma’s purification culminating in illumination; ritually, Soma is offered to awaken the gods and the solar clarity.
During/after filtration as Soma is offered and its boon of light is invoked
Chant to consecrate the purified flow and invoke illumination for the rite
Morning recitation to invoke inner sunrise; helpful before learning, teaching, or decision-making.
arocayat: causative from √ruc ‘shine’ (PIE *leuk- ‘light’ is a common comparator though √ruc is Indo-Iranian; semantic alignment with ‘light’ roots). vi-carṣaṇi: from carṣaṇi ‘men/peoples’ (and/or movement among them), with vi indicating wide distribution. dhāman from √dhā ‘place’. viśva-vit from √vid ‘know/see’ (PIE *weyd-).
awakening of truth-light (Sūrya), pervasion of all domains (dhāmāni), integral knowledge (viśva-vit)
The shining of Sūrya is the manifestation of ṛta-vision; right order becomes visible.
Sun = satya-dṛṣṭi (truth-seeing) emerging through purification.
Revelation as creation: the sun’s emergence reorganizes domains into clarity.
Aurobindonian: Ananda (Soma) as a necessary companion of illumination (Sūrya) for integral transformation.
dawn/morning (symbolic)
Sun = awakened illumination in mind; purification = removal of desire-mixture; wide movement = integration into daily life and human relations.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma makes the Sun shine: the purified delight-force awakens the solar truth-light, then as viśva-vit pervades all dhāmāni—mythically the cosmic illumination; psychologically the emergence of clear seeing across the whole being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid in viśva-vit from PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’. sūrya belongs to Indo-Iranian solar vocabulary; the causative arocayat shows productive morphological inheritance (causatives as a common Indo-European strategy for ‘make X do’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s offering aims at illumination rather than mere rite-fulfillment: Soma is invoked as the inner agent that kindles the solar faculty of truth-perception and then organizes all inner domains under that light.
Visualize a cool Soma-stream purifying the mind, then a golden sun rising in the forehead-space, sending rays into all parts of life.
Ājñā (inner sun) with Sahasrāra opening as wideness
Gentle sūrya-bhedana (right-nostril inhale) for a few rounds, then neutral breathing while chanting to stabilize illumination without agitation.
Clear, wide, quietly joyful luminosity.
Chant at dawn or before focused work; afterward sit 2–5 minutes in silent ‘sun-gazing’ inwardly—allow rays to touch any dark or confused domain without judgment.
Let ‘sūryam arocayat’ be sung with a rising brightness; keep ‘pavamānaḥ’ steady and pure; broaden tone on ‘viśvā dhāmāni’.
Slightly lengthen ‘sūryam’ and ‘arocayat’ to evoke shining; pause cleanly at the danda to feel the ‘sun revealed’.
sūryam (long ū), arocayat (c = ‘ch’ sound in some traditions? here ‘c’ is palatal stop; keep ‘ro-ca-yat’ clear), pavamānaḥ (ā long; visarga light), vicarṣaṇiḥ (ṛ; retroflex ṣ), viśvavit (ś)
Bright, open-throated, widening resonance; avoid harshness to keep the ‘purified’ quality.
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