Rig Veda 9.36.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 36, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.36
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स विश्वा दाशुषे वसु सोमो दिव्यानि पार्थिवा । पवतामान्तरिक्ष्या ॥
sá víśvā dāśúṣe vásu sómo divyā́ni pā́rthivā | páv atām ā́ntarikṣyā ||
जब सोम साफ होता है तो देने वाले को सब कुछ देता है। आसमान की चीज़ें देता है, धरती की चीज़ें भी देता है। बीच वाली दुनिया की चीज़ें भी उसको मिलती हैं।
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स-
- विश्वानि
- all (things)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- दाशुषे
- to the worshipper / to the giverNoun/Participle (recipient epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot दाश्वस् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दाś/दाश् ‘to worship, give, serve’)
- वसु
- wealth, goodNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिव्यानि
- heavenly (things)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- पार्थिवा
- earthly (things)Adjective (used substantively)नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (वैदिक-रूपम्: -आ = -ानि)Role कर्मRoot पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवते
- purifies himself / flows clearVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot √पू (पवते) ‘to purify, flow (as Soma)’
- अन्तरिक्ष्या
- in/through the mid-region (atmosphere)Adjective (used adverbially)स्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम् (करणे/अधिकरणे प्रयोगः)Role अधिकरणRoot अन्तरिक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘belonging to the midspace’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः | विश्वानि | दाशुषे | वसु | सोमः | दिव्यानि | पार्थिवा | पवते | अन्तरिक्ष्या । 1) स + विश्वा(नि) → स विश्वा… (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते छन्दसि/संहितायाम्)
- 2) विश्वा॑ (संहिता-रूपम्) = विश्वानि (पदपाठः)
- 3) पार्थि॑वा (संहिता-रूपम्) = पार्थिवा(नि) (वैदिके नपुंसक-द्वितीया-बहुवचने -आ इति छान्दस-प्रत्ययः)
- 4) पव॑ता॒मान्तरि॑क्ष्या = पवते + अन्तरिक्ष्या (ए/अ संधिः: ए + अ → एऽ; संहितायां अवग्रह-लोपः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
May Soma, as he purifies, bring all riches to the giver—heavenly, earthly, and those of the mid-region.
Inner meaning
The ‘giver’ (dāśuṣ) is the one who offers—who yields egoic claim in the inner sacrifice. To such a being, Soma brings ‘all riches’ (vasu): divine (divyāni) illuminations and inspirations; earthly (pārthivā) stability and embodied capacity; and mid-world (āntarikṣyā) life-force powers—prāṇic energies, courage, and dynamic movement. Purified delight integrates all three worlds of the being (mind, life, body) into a harmonious abundance.
Universal truth
When one gives oneself to the truth (inner offering), purified joy returns as a complete prosperity of mind, life, and body.
Themes
Boon-bestowal, Three worlds, Soma purification, Spiritual wealth (vasu)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.36, Rig Veda 9.37
Family tradition
A liturgical-soteriological voice: prosperity is redefined as integrated powers across the three worlds, granted by purified Soma to the surrendered giver.
Significance
The verse links dakṣiṇā (giving/offering) with inner wealth: surrender invites a descending completeness—light, force, and stability.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Vasu-dā (giver of riches, implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (power), Agni (sacrifice), Vasus (wealth-powers)
Cosmic role
Distributor of divine ‘wealth’ across the cosmic planes; the clarified essence that nourishes gods and worlds.
Inner power
Bestows integrated capacities: illumination (heaven), vitality (mid-world), embodiment (earth).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering with distribution of Soma and dakṣiṇā (gifts)
स विश्वा॑ दा॒शुषे॒ वसु॒ सोमो॑ दि॒व्यानि॒ पार्थि॑वा । पव॑ता॒मान्तरि॑क्ष्या ॥
सः । विश्वा॑ । दा॒शुषे॑ । वसु॑ । सोमः॑ । दि॒व्यानि॑ । पार्थि॑वा । पव॑ताम् । आ । अ॒न्तरि॑क्ष्या ॥
saḥ | viśvā | dāśuṣe | vasu | somaḥ | divyāni | pārthivā | pavatām | ā | antarikṣyā
Two half-verses.
Expansive enumerative cadence (divyāni–pārthivā–āntarikṣyā) giving a ‘three-world’ fullness.
Creates a sense of widening and completeness; encourages balanced aspiration (not one-sided spirituality).
- दा॒शुषे (dāśuṣe)
- Literal: to the giver/offerer. Symbolic: the surrendered practitioner who offers ego and desire
- वसु (vasu)
- Literal: riches, goods. Symbolic: powers and fulfillments—inner resources of consciousness
- दिव्यानि (divyāni)
- Literal: heavenly. Symbolic: higher mind light, inspiration, intuition
- पार्थिवा (pārthivā)
- Literal: earthly. Symbolic: bodily steadiness, grounded capacity, health of nature
- अन्तरिक्ष्या (āntarikṣyā)
- Literal: belonging to the mid-space. Symbolic: life-force dynamism, prāṇa, emotional-vital energies
- पवतात् (pavatāt)
- Literal: may he purify/flow purifying. Symbolic: ongoing refinement of delight into power
Blessing formula within Soma-pavamāna: the purified Soma is invoked to bestow vasu across the three worlds upon the sacrificer/offerer.
During Soma rites emphasizing prosperity and support of the sacrificer/offerer.
Chant while Soma is made ready and offered; intention of receiving ‘vasu’ as divine support.
Use as a mantra for integrated well-being: clarity (mind), energy (life), stability (body) for those practicing generosity and self-offering.
Key terms: (1) dāśuṣe: dative of present participle from √dāś ‘offer, give’—the ‘giver’ is one who participates in exchange with the gods by self-offering. (2) vasu: ‘good/wealth’—symbolically, fullness of consciousness, energies, joys, capacities. (3) divya/pārthiva/āntarikṣa: the tripartite cosmos also maps to inner planes: luminous mind (div), embodied foundation (pṛthivī), and vital dynamic (antarikṣa). Soma’s purification distributes plenitudes across all three.
tripartite cosmos as inner planes, exchange of offering (dāśuṣ) and boon (vasu), purification as harmonization across planes
Right giving aligns with ṛta; Soma returns ṛta-consistent ‘wealth’ (powers) rather than mere acquisition.
Divine riches are forms of truth-power in different planes.
Harmonization of the triple cosmos within the human microcosm.
Integral yoga reading: spiritual realization must descend into life and body (antarikṣa/pṛthivī), not remain only ‘divine’ (dyu).
Sky = higher mind; mid-space = prāṇic field; earth = physical embodiment; Soma = delight that nourishes all.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘three-world plenitude’ mythologem: Soma’s purified flow distributes riches of heaven, earth, and mid-world. In inner terms, it is the harmonizing descent of plenitude into mind, life, and body for the one who offers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The three-tier cosmos (sky/mid/earth) is a widespread Indo-European cosmological pattern. The dative dāśuṣe encodes the archaic reciprocity economy of IE ritual poetics: giving/offer → divine return (vasu).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The relationship is explicitly reciprocal: the dāśuṣ (giver) offers; Soma responds by bringing vasu in all planes. The seer frames prosperity as integrated spiritual fullness rather than isolated material gain.
Receive ‘vasu’ as capacities: ask for clear mind, strong prāṇa, steady body—offered back to the Divine work.
Maṇipūra (vital power) balanced by Sahasrāra/Ājñā (higher light) and Mūlādhāra (grounding)
Three-part breath (dirgha): abdomen–chest–clavicle; silently map to earth–mid–heaven while chanting.
Integrated, balanced, ‘whole-being’ aspiration.
After chanting, reflect: What is my offering today? Then list one ‘divine’ (insight), one ‘mid’ (energy), one ‘earth’ (habit/health) support to cultivate.
Not precisely determinable without svara notation; chant with steady Vedic accenting and clear triadic emphasis on divyāni/pārthivā/āntarikṣyā.
Slightly emphasize each ‘world’ term as a separate offering of meaning; keep ‘pavatām’ as the hinge word.
dāśuṣe: long ā; retroflex ‘ṣ’, divyāni: ‘vy’ cluster clean, pārthivā: aspirate ‘th’ (not dental t), āntarikṣyā: long ā; ‘kṣy’ conjunct carefully (kṣ + yā)
Warm, steady, blessing-like tone.
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