Rig Veda 9.35.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 35, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.35
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
तं गीर्भिर्वाचमीङ्खयं पुनानं वासयामसि । सोमं जनस्य गोपतिम् ॥
taṃ gī́rbhir vā́cam-īṅkhayáṃ punānáṃ vāsayāmasi | sóma jánasya gópatim ||
हम सोम को अपने गानों से ढाँक देते हैं। यह सोम सबको साफ करता है और शब्द को चलाता है। हम उसे लोगों का रक्षक बना देते हैं।
Word by Word
- तम्
- him; that (Soma)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- गीर्भिः
- with hymns/utterancesNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot गीर् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्तुति/वाणी’)
- वाचम्
- speech; voiceNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot वाच् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
- ईङ्खयम्
- stirring/impelling (one)Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot ईङ्खय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘चल/कम्प’ भाव—‘कम्पयन्तम्/प्रेरयन्तम्’ इत्यर्थे)
- पुनानम्
- purifying (himself); being purifiedParticipleपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्मRoot √पू (पवने) → पुनान (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ/शानच्)
- वासयामसि
- we cause to dwell/array; we clothe/adornVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot √वास् (वासने/वासयति ‘वासयति, सुगन्धयति/आच्छादयति’)
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot सोम (पुंलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
- जनस्य
- of the peopleNounपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root जन (पुंलिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
- गोपतिम्
- lord/protector of cattle (and wealth)Nounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (तम् इत्यस्य समानाधिकरण/विशेष्य)Role कर्मRoot गो-पति (तत्पुरुष समास; पति ‘lord’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: तम् | गीर्भिः | वाचम् | ईङ्खयम् | पुनानम् | वासयामसि | सोम | जनस्य | गोपतिम् । 1) गीर्भिः+वाचम् → गीर्भिर्वाचम् (विसर्ग/र्-सन्धि). 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न
- ‘सोम’ सम्बोधनः पृथक्। ‘ईङ्खयम्’ तथा ‘पुनानम्’ ‘तम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणद्वयम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
With hymns we ‘clothe’ him—the purifying Soma who sets speech in motion; we establish Soma as the lord/guardian of the people’s cows (wealth).
Inner meaning
Inspired utterance (gīḥ) and awakened speech (vāc) are not mere praise but the very substance that ‘robes’ the descending Ananda (Soma). As Soma purifies, he sets the Word into living movement—speech becomes mantra, carrying truth-force. Then he becomes gopati: guardian of the rays of knowledge (go), protecting and increasing illumination in the collective nature (janasya).
Universal truth
When speech is inspired and purified, it becomes a vehicle of truth that protects and nourishes collective understanding; true leadership is guardianship of light, not possession of outer wealth.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Vāc (creative Word), Recovery/guardianship of the Cows (illumination)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.35, Rig Veda 9.36
Significance
The anonymous seerhood here is communal: the mantra itself models how collective aspiration (our chants) collaborates with Soma to awaken the Word and safeguard light.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Punāna (the Purifier), Vācam-īṅkhaya (stirrer of the Word), Gopati (guardian of the Rays)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (vāc), Bṛhaspati (lord of mantra), Indra (illumined mind)
Cosmic role
Purifies the offering and the worlds; establishes inspired speech; guards and multiplies luminous wealth.
Inner power
Ananda as a truth-vibration: it cleanses speech and turns it into effective mantra that protects knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavāmāna recitation during Soma filtration; also suitable in vāg-related invocations within Soma sequences
तं गी॒र्भिर्वा॑चमीङ्ख॒यं पु॑ना॒नं वा॑सयामसि । सोम॒ जन॑स्य॒ गोप॑तिम् ॥
तम् । गीः॒ऽभिः । वा॒च॒म्ऽई॒ङ्ख॒यम् । पु॒ना॒नम् । वा॒स॒या॒म॒सि॒ । सोम॑म् । जन॑स्य । गोऽप॑तिम् ॥
tam | gīḥ-bhiḥ | vācam-īṅkhayam | punānam | vāsayāmasi | somam | janasya | go-patim
48
4×12 (approx.)
Even, mantra-like swing—supports ‘stirring’ of speech.
Encourages clarity of articulation; makes the listener feel speech becoming luminous and ordered.
- गीर्भिः (gīrbhiḥ)
- Literal: with songs/hymns. Symbolic: inspired vibrations that shape consciousness
- वाचमीङ्खयम् (vācam-īṅkhayam)
- Literal: stirring/impelling speech. Symbolic: awakening the mantra-word; making expression a force of truth
- पुनानम् (punānam)
- Literal: purifying. Symbolic: clarifying the mixed nature; separating truth from obscurity
- गोपतिम् (go-patim)
- Literal: lord of cows. Symbolic: guardian/master of rays of knowledge and luminous perceptions
- जनस्य (janasya)
- Literal: of the people. Symbolic: the collective parts of the being; also the community consciousness
Soma-pavamāna stotra context: verses accompanying the flowing/straining of Soma through the filter (pavitra) in Soma-yajña (e.g., Agniṣṭoma cycle).
As Soma is strained and collected; when establishing Soma as protective power for the rite/community
Chanting while Soma flows; offering of clarified Soma; affirmation of Soma as gopati
Before speaking/teaching: chant to purify speech, reduce reactivity, and speak as a guardian of truth and understanding.
Key terms: (1) īṅkhayám: from √īṅkh/√iṅkh ‘to move, shake, stir’ (causative sense here with vā́cam), indicating Vāc as dynamic creative vibration rather than mere speech. (2) punāná: present middle participle from √pū ‘to purify, clarify’; Soma is the principle that clarifies the mixed vital-mental substance into a luminous flow. (3) vāsayāmasi: causative/denominative from √vas ‘to dwell, to clothe’; mantra ‘clothes’ the deity with a workable form in the human vessel and installs the force. (4) gópatim: go- ‘cow’ (also ray, light, knowledge) + pati ‘lord’; ‘cows’ in RV symbolism frequently denote illuminations recovered/guarded from obscurity—hence Soma as custodian of inner light-wealth.
R̥ta as right movement of consciousness through purified order, Vāc as creative power (mantric consciousness), purification as inner alchemy (from mixture to clarity)
Purified speech aligns expression with ṛta; ‘clothing’ Soma suggests giving form to truth-force.
Vāc becomes a carrier of satya when moved by Soma’s purification.
Word as formative power; Soma as energizer of vāc in manifestation.
Mantra-śakti emphasis (Vedic seed of later Śabda/Spanda intuitions)
The ‘clothing’ is giving a pure form to delight; cows are rays of insight; speech is the channel through which light becomes communicable power.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘guardianship of the cows’ mythologem appears in compressed form: Soma is made gó-pati, lord of the ‘cows’—not cattle but illuminations/rays of knowledge. The action is not a raid but an inner safeguarding and ordering of light-wealth within the human collectivity (janasya) through purification.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- páti ‘lord’ continues PIE *pótis (cf. Greek πόσις, Latin potis ‘able/master’ in derivatives). √pū ‘purify’ aligns with PIE *pewH- ‘to cleanse/purify’ (broadly reflected in Indo-Iranian purification lexemes). The centrality of ‘Word’ (Vāc) as efficacious speech parallels the archaic Indo-European poetics where the properly formed utterance effects reality.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer-community (‘we’) actively ‘clothes/installs’ Soma with gīḥ (inspired chants): the human side offers shaped Vāc, while Soma reciprocates by purifying consciousness and becoming gó-pati—stabilizing and protecting the seekers’ inner light-wealth. It is a reciprocity of formation (mantra) and transformation (purification → illumination).
Let breath carry a subtle sweetness up the throat; feel speech arising from stillness and truth, not agitation.
Viśuddha (purification of expression) with Ajna support
Soft ujjayi or gentle throat-breath; on exhale, articulate clearly to ‘stir’ vāc without strain.
Luminous quietude with articulate power.
Practice ‘truth-speech’: pause, feel Soma (quiet joy) in the chest/throat, then speak only what increases clarity and goodwill—be ‘gopati’ of the inner rays.
Rigvedic accenting as per śākhā tradition (udātta lift, svarita fall, anudātta support); maintain clear pitch contours across compounds like vācam-īṅkhayam.
Give extra clarity to consonant clusters; keep vowels long where marked; avoid rushing the compound vācamīṅkhayam—articulate in one smooth flow.
gīrbhir: long ‘ī’; ‘rbh’ cluster—lightly tap r, keep bh voiced-aspirate, vācam: ‘c’ as ‘ch’ (palatal stop), īṅkhayam: nasalization on ‘īṅ’; ‘kh’ aspirated, punānam: long ‘ā’, gopatim: ‘go’ long open; dental ‘t’
Clear, resonant, slightly sweet; prioritize diction (vāc).
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