Rig Veda 9.28.6: Mandala 9, Sukta 28, Mantra 6
Sukta 9.28
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
एष शुष्म्यदाभ्यः सोमः पुनानो अर्षति । देवावीरघशंसहा ॥
eṣá śuṣmy ádābhyaḥ sómaḥ punānó arṣati | devā́-vīr aghaśaṃsa-hā́ ||
यह सोम बहुत ताकतवाला है, कोई उस्से हरा नहीं सकता। वो बह रहा है और साफ भी कर रहा है। भगवान की शक्ति लेकर आता है। बुरी बातें और पाप को खत्म कर देता है।
Word by Word
- एषः
- this (one)Pronoun (demonstrative)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (with सोमः)Root एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एष-
- शुष्मी
- mighty, vigorousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of सोमः)Root शुष्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक; from शुष्म ‘might, vigor’)
- अदाभ्यः
- unharming, invincible, not to be deceivedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of सोमः)Root दभ् (धातु ‘to harm, deceive’) + नञ्/अ- (neg.) → अदाभ्य-
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनानः
- purifying himself / being purifiedParticiple (present middle)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (कर्तरि), वर्तमानकालिकःRole Kartā (qualifier of सोमः)Root पू (धातु ‘to purify’) → पुनान- (शानच्/आनच्-प्रत्यय, आत्मनेपदी वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- अर्षति
- flows, streamsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role Kriyā (of Kartā सोमः)Root ऋष् (धातु ‘to flow, move swiftly’)
- देवावीः
- protector/helper of the godsNoun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (apposition/epithet of सोमः)Root देवावी (प्रातिपदिक; देव + अवि/अवी ‘protector, helper’)
- अघशंसहा
- slayer of evil-speaking / destroyer of malignant praiseAdjective (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa-type epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (qualifier of सोमः)Root अघशंसह (प्रातिपदिक; अघ- ‘evil’ + शंस- ‘praise/utterance’ + हन्/ह (√हन् ‘to slay’) → -हा ‘slayer’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: एषः | शुष्मी | अदाभ्यः | सोमः | पुनानः | अर्षति | देवावीः | अघशंसहा । 1) ए॒ष शु॒ष्म्यदा॑भ्य॒: = एषः शुष्मी अदाभ्यः (विसर्गलोपः/संध्यभावः पदसंहितायाम्; शुष्मी + अदाभ्यः संधिरहितः)
- 2) सोम॑: पुना॒नो = सोमः पुनानः (विसर्गः पकारे पूर्वं ‘ः’ रूपेण)
- 3) दे॒वा॒वीर॑घशंस॒हा = देवावीः अघशंसहा (ः + अ → ः/र्-आदेशः संहितायाम्; पदपाठे पृथक्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The purifying Soma, powerful and invincible, flows in its stream; it brings the gods’ heroic powers and destroys evil-speaking/hostile utterance.
Inner meaning
Soma Pavamāna is the descending-current of divine Ananda (bliss) that purifies the being as it flows through mind, life, and body. As it moves, it awakens and “brings forward” the deva-vīraḥ—heroic divine energies (clarities, courage, right impulses) in the adhvaryu-like inner work. It slays aghaśaṃsa—inner hostile formations: falsehood-speaking, self-accusing, despairing, or perverse speech-thought that supports sin (agha) and obscures aspiration.
Universal truth
When bliss-consciousness is made pure and steady, it naturally summons higher powers and dissolves the inner voices of distortion; truth-speaking and luminous force replace self-defeating narratives.
Themes
protection, purification, right speech, Soma-ritual
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.28 (Pavamāna cycle context), Rig Veda 9.29 (adjacent Pavamāna hymn cluster)
Family tradition
Ninth Maṇḍala is largely a liturgical-mystical collection transmitted by multiple ṛṣi-families; individual verse attribution here is uncertain.
Significance
The ‘unknown’ ṛṣi functions as a representative seer of the Soma-yoga: the vision is less personal biography and more a repeatable inner process—purification by Ananda leading to victory over falsehood.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- punāna (purifying), śuṣmī (mighty), adābhya (invincible), aghaśaṃsahā (slayer of hostile speech)
- Related deities
- Agni, Indra, Sūrya, Uṣas, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
The self-clarifying nectar that circulates between heaven and earth, sustaining gods and worlds; the ‘pressed’ essence that becomes luminous, strengthening the cosmic order (ṛta).
Inner power
Ananda-śakti that purifies the mind’s movements, sweetens and uplifts the vital, and establishes truth-speaking and victorious force in the psyche.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna recitations)
ए॒ष शु॒ष्म्यदा॑भ्य॒: सोम॑: पुना॒नो अ॑र्षति । दे॒वा॒वीर॑घशंस॒हा ॥
ए॒षः । शु॒ष्मी । अदा॑भ्यः । सोमः॑ । पु॒ना॒नः । अ॒र्ष॒ति॒ । दे॒व॒ऽअ॒वीः । अ॒घ॒शं॒स॒ऽहा ॥
eṣaḥ | śuṣmī | adābhyaḥ | somaḥ | punānaḥ | arṣati | deva-avīḥ | aghaśaṃsa-hā
Likely Triṣṭubh (common in Soma Pavamāna verses; 4 pādas of ~11 syllables)
44
4 x 11 (approx.; exact count depends on saṃhitā syllabification and sandhi)
Forward-driving, heroic cadence suited to ‘victory’ and ‘slaying’ motifs.
Builds inner momentum and confidence; supports the sense of a clean, forceful current washing through the being.
- śuṣmī
- Literal: mighty, full of force. Symbolic: concentrated spiritual energy of Ananda that can act in the nature
- adābhyaḥ
- Literal: invincible, not to be harmed/deceived. Symbolic: unalterable purity of the higher consciousness, untouched by lower mixture
- somaḥ punānaḥ
- Literal: Soma while purifying. Symbolic: bliss-consciousness in the act of clarifying mind-life and refining desire into aspiration
- arṣati
- Literal: flows, streams. Symbolic: continuous descent/circulation of higher delight through the channels of the being
- deva-avīḥ (devāvīḥ)
- Literal: the gods’ heroic ones / bringing divine heroes. Symbolic: emergence of divine faculties: illumined will, courage, right discernment, victorious energy
- aghaśaṃsa-hā
- Literal: slayer of evil/hostile speech. Symbolic: power that cuts off false inner speech: doubt, denial, malice, self-sabotage, and untruthful thought-forms
Purified Soma as protective and purgative power; used to ward off evil speech/ill-will and to secure divine heroic support in the Soma sacrifice.
During Soma-yajña sequences when Soma is filtered through the pavitra and offered
Chanting to accompany flowing/straining Soma and its offering to the gods
As a purification-and-truth mantra: used before meditation to clear negative self-talk and establish a luminous, courageous inner tone.
adābhya: a- + √dabh ‘to injure/deceive’ → ‘unassailable’. √arṣ ‘flow’ (distinct from √kṣar though similar semantics). agha ‘evil, harm’ + śaṃsa ‘utterance, proclamation, praise’ (√śaṃs ‘recite/praise’) + -hā (√han). devā-vīḥ: vī ‘heroic power/strong man’ (PIE *wiHro- ‘man’ is often compared; Sanskrit vīra ‘hero’ is inherited Indo-European).
invincibility through truth (adābhya), purification as ethical-psychic cleansing, right speech vs. hostile speech (śaṃsa)
Soma’s ‘right flow’ restores harmony by removing distortive speech-forms and aligning thought with ṛta.
Aghaśaṃsa (false/hostile speech) is opposed; Soma establishes satya-vāk (truth-speaking).
Purification as re-creation: the being is re-formed by a higher essence flowing through it.
Proto-Vedāntic and Yogic reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): Soma as Ananda and higher consciousness-force.
A clear descending stream of delight-consciousness that rinses the nerves and mind, leaving luminous quiet strength.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as purifier and slayer of hostile utterance: the flowing, invincible Soma destroys aghaśaṃsa (evil speech/falsehood), a mythic combat transposed into the ethical-psychological domain of truth versus distortion.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- vīra/vī- ‘hero’ is commonly derived from PIE *wiHro- ‘man’ (cf. Latin vir). √han ‘slay’ corresponds to PIE *gʷhen- ‘strike/kill’ (cf. Greek theínō, Avestan jan-). √dabh is Indo-Iranian; the privative a- is inherited PIE negation.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer seeks inner protection and truth-speech: by invoking Soma’s invincibility and purifying flow, the practitioner receives divine heroic support (devā-vīḥ) and a cleansing of the speech-mind from hostile or false formations (aghaśaṃsa).
Let a ‘cool-bright stream’ of bliss descend through the head into the heart and navel, silently repeating the sense: ‘purify my speech-thought; establish truth.’
Ājñā to Anāhata (clarity to psychic-heart)
Slow nasal breathing; inhale ‘receiving the flow’, exhale ‘releasing hostile speech’; optional 1:2 exhale ratio.
Quiet, luminous vigilance (śānta-vīra): calm strength.
Before japa or meditation, observe inner speech for 2–3 minutes; on each exhale, drop one recurring false/hostile phrase; on inhale, invite a single truthful intention to replace it.
Use Vedic three-tone contour (anudātta–udātta–svarita) as per Śākala tradition; exact svara requires pada-with-svara notation from a svara-text.
Lift on key verbs/nouns (arṣati, punānaḥ, somaḥ); keep compounds (aghaśaṃsahā) clean and firm; avoid flattening udātta peaks.
eṣa (e-ṣa) with clear retroflex ṣ, śuṣmī: keep ś soft-palatal; do not merge ṣm cluster—articulate ṣ + m, adābhyaḥ: long ā; bhy as a conjunct (bhy-aḥ), punānaḥ: long ā; nasalize lightly on naḥ, aghaśaṃsahā: gha voiced; śaṃ nasalization; final hā with long ā
Clear, steady, slightly resonant; firm on ‘victory’ terms without harshness.
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