Rig Veda 9.30.6: Mandala 9, Sukta 30, Mantra 6
Sukta 9.30
- Devata
- Soma for Indra
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
सुनोता मधुमत्तमं सोममिन्द्राय वज्रिणे । चारुं शर्धाय मत्सरम् ॥
sunótā mádhumattamaṃ sómam índrāya vájriṇe | cā́ruṃ śárdhāya matsarám ||
सोम को अच्छे से निचोड़ो और इंद्र के लिए तैयार करो। इंद्र अपने हाथ में वज्र पकड़े हैं। यह रस इतना अच्छा है कि सब लोग खुश हो जाते हैं।
Word by Word
- सुनोत
- Press/extract (ye)VerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person plural, parasmaipadaRole (predicate verb; governs कर्म ‘सोमम्’)Root √सु (सुवति/सुनोति ‘to press, extract (Soma)’)
- मधुमत्तमम्
- the most honeyed/sweetestAdjectiveMasculine, accusative singular; agrees with ‘सोमम्’Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root मधुमत् (adj. ‘honeyed, sweet’) + -तम (superlative)
- सोमम्
- Soma (juice)NounMasculine, accusative singularRole कर्मRoot सोम (prātipadika)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNounMasculine, dative singularRole सम्प्रदानRoot इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- वज्रिणे
- for the vajra-wielderNoun/Adjective (epithet)Masculine, dative singular; in apposition to ‘इन्द्राय’Role सम्प्रदान (same recipient as ‘इन्द्राय’)Root वज्रिन् (adj./noun ‘wielder of the vajra’)
- चारुम्
- lovely, pleasingAdjectiveMasculine, accusative singular; agrees with ‘मत्सरम्’Role कर्म (qualifier of the object)Root चारु (adj. ‘pleasant, lovely’)
- शर्धाय
- for the host/bandNounNeuter, dative singularRole सम्प्रदानRoot शर्ध (n. ‘troop, host, band’)
- मत्सरम्
- intoxicating exhilarationNounMasculine, accusative singularRole कर्म (as a further object/appositive to ‘सोमम्’ or as what is produced/offered)Root मत्सर (m. ‘intoxication; exhilaration; (Soma-)rapture’)
Sandhi Notes
- Pada resolution (no complex external sandhi here): ‘सोमम् इन्द्राय’ remains separate (anusvāra before vowel is retained in Saṃhitā)
- ‘इन्द्राय वज्रिणे’ are two datives in apposition (same recipient)
- ‘चारुं शर्धाय’ shows regular accusative + dative sequence without fusion
- Accents as in Saṃhitā: सुनोता (udātta on ता), मधु॑मत्तमं (udātta on मधु), सोम॒म् (udātta on सोम), इन्द्रा॑य (udātta on द्रा), व॒ज्रिणे॑ (udātta on णे), चारुं॒ (udātta on चारुं), शर्धा॑य (udātta on र्धा), मत्स॒रम् (udātta on सर)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Press out the most honey-rich Soma for Indra the thunderbolt-bearer; press the beautiful exhilaration for the host.
Inner meaning
A call to the inner workers (powers of aspiration) to extract the richest Ananda and offer it to Indra, the force of luminous mind armed with the vajra (decisive truth-force). The ‘beautiful matsara’ is not mere intoxication but an ecstasy that rallies the śardha—our gathered energies—into harmonious, victorious action.
Universal truth
When delight is consciously distilled and offered to higher intelligence, it becomes a unifying ecstasy that organizes the whole being for decisive progress.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Indra-victory, ecstasy (mada/matsara), inner empowerment
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.30
Significance
Imperative tone suggests a practical sādhanā instruction: do not wait for delight—press it out by tapas and offer it to the higher mind for transformative action.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma for Indra (Indra as principal recipient)
- Epithets
- madhumattama (of richest sweetness), vajrin (thunderbolt-wielder)
- Related deities
- Maruts (hosts), Agni
Cosmic role
Soma is the nectar; Indra is the warrior of light who uses that nectar to conquer Vṛtra-like obstruction and release the rays.
Inner power
Indra’s vajra = concentrated truth-force; Soma = bliss that becomes dynamis; together they produce victorious transformation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and offering to Indra; stotra urging the pressing
सु॒नोता॒ मधु॑मत्तमं॒ सोम॒मिन्द्रा॑य व॒ज्रिणे॑ । चारुं॒ शर्धा॑य मत्स॒रम् ॥
सु॒नोत॑ । मधु॑मत्ऽतमम् । सोम॑म् । इन्द्रा॑य । व॒ज्रिणे॑ । चारु॑म् । शर्धा॑य । म॒त्स॒रम् ॥
sunota | madhumat-tamam | somam | indrāya | vajriṇe | cārum | śardhāya | matsaram
32
4 pādas × 8 syllables
Commanding, drum-like; suited to exhortation
Stirs will and collective energy; ends with a lift into ‘cāruṃ… matsaram’ (beautiful ecstasy).
- सुनोत (sunota)
- Literal: Press out!. Symbolic: Extract the essence through inner practice and concentration
- मधुमत्तम सोम (madhumattama soma)
- Literal: Most honey-rich Soma. Symbolic: Highest, purest Ananda distilled from experience
- इन्द्र वज्रिन् (indra vajrin)
- Literal: Indra, wielder of the thunderbolt. Symbolic: Illumined mind with decisive power to break resistance
- चारु (cāru)
- Literal: Beautiful, pleasing. Symbolic: Harmonious delight—sattvic sweetness
- शर्ध (śardha)
- Literal: Host, troop. Symbolic: The assembled inner powers (faculties, energies, impulses) aligned to the work
- मत्सर (matsara)
- Literal: Intoxication, exhilaration. Symbolic: Spiritual rapture/ardor that lifts the being beyond tamas without disorder
Soma pressing and offering for Indra; preparation of the invigorating draught for the ‘vajrin’ in a Soma sacrifice
At pressing times (savanas), especially in Indra-oriented offerings
Pressing Soma, preparing the draught, offering to Indra; energizing the ‘host’ of ritual powers
Use before demanding work or inner confrontation: convert joy into organized force; chant as an invocation for decisive clarity and collective harmony.
: imperative 2pl from √ ‘to press out (Soma)’. ‘vajra-bearing’ from ‘thunderbolt’ + possessive -in. : from √ ‘to be exhilarated/intoxicated’ with derivational nuance of rousing excitement; in Soma hymns, the energizing ecstasy. : ‘troop, host’ (collectivity), often of Maruts/war-band; psychically the gathered faculties.
obstruction-breaking (vajra as force of truth against darkness), collective powers (śardha as integrated faculties), madhu/mada (delight and ecstasy as fuel for right action)
The ‘beautiful’ ecstasy is rita-aligned joy that harmonizes the many parts into one action.
Vajra symbolizes truth’s decisive cut through falsehood and confusion.
Distillation of bliss and its distribution to the powers mirrors how higher consciousness organizes the multiplicity.
Vedic yoga of transformation: Ananda empowering Vijñāna/Indra to govern Prāṇa/host.
Pressing = inner concentration; vajra = lightning-like discrimination; host = life-forces gathered and directed.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The forging of Indra’s victory through Soma: by pressing out the sweetest Soma, the sacrificer supplies the divine warrior-mind with the exhilarating force needed to shatter obstruction (vajra-function).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √ ‘press’ is a specialized Vedic ritual verb; √ ‘be exhilarated’ is Indo-Iranian (cf. Avestan mad-). The epithet vajrin encodes the storm-warrior archetype whose weapon breaks resistance, a common Indo-European poetic pattern (weapon-bearing epithets).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Command-form (sunota) shows the seer directing the sacrificial action: human effort extracts Soma; Indra receives and converts it into decisive force for the collective (śardha), implying an inner discipline that feeds the power of victorious illumination.
Actively ‘press out’ joy by recollection of the Divine and offer it to the illumined mind for decisive action.
Maṇipūra (will/fire)
Kapalabhāti (mild, if suitable) or strong exhale emphasis; then stillness and offering upward.
Energized clarity—ardor without agitation.
1) Sit upright; kindle will in the navel-center. 2) Generate a sweet uplifting feeling (bhāva). 3) Offer it to the brow as Indra-force. 4) Feel the ‘host’ of inner parts align and obey a single luminous intention.
Rigvedic accents as transmitted; imperatives often carry a natural lift—keep the tonal rise on ‘sunotā’ and ‘indrāya’.
Deliver ‘sunotā’ as a clear command; broaden and sweeten tone on ‘madhumattamam’; firm emphasis on ‘vajriṇe’; lyrical finish on ‘cāruṃ… matsaram’.
‘sunotā’: long ō (su-nō-tā)., ‘vajriṇe’: keep ‘jri’ conjunct clear (vaj-ri-ṇe)., ‘śardhāya’: aspirate ‘dh’ (śar-dhā-ya)., ‘matsaram’: keep ‘ts’ crisp (mat-sa-ram).
Firm, bright, rallying.
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