Sukta 42
Sukta 9.42
Soma Pavamāna (Hari)
This short Pavamāna Soma hymn praises the tawny Soma as he is pressed and purified through the filter, described as generating the luminous spaces of heaven and even the sun “in the waters.” It links the ritual act of straining Soma with a cosmic act of illumination and life-giving flow, and ends by asking Soma to purify himself for the sacrificers and bestow expansive nourishment, cattle, heroes, horses, and strength.
Mantras
Mantra 1
जनयन्रोचना दिवो जनयन्नप्सु सूर्यम् । वसानो गा अपो हरिः ॥
वो आसमान की रोशनी पैदा करता है। वो पानी में सूरज पैदा करता है। वो पीला रंग है, किरणों में लिपटा हुआ। वो पानी में रहता है, चमक रहा है।
Mantra 2
एष प्रत्नेन मन्मना देवो देवेभ्यस्परि । धारया पवते सुतः ॥
यह सोम एक ऐसा देवता है जो पुराने ज़माने से चला आ रहा है। वो दूसरों देवताओं के पास जाता है। जैसे पानी बह के चलता है, वैसे यह भी बहता है। यह सोम निचोड़ा हुआ है और भगवान के काम आता है।
Mantra 3
वावृधानाय तूर्वये पवन्ते वाजसातये । सोमाः सहस्रपाजसः ॥
सोम की ताकत बढ़ती रहती है, वो तेज़ी से आगे बढ़ता है। यह जीतने के लिए साफ होता है। इसमें हज़ारों रोशनी की ताकत है।
Mantra 4
दुहानः प्रत्नमित्पयः पवित्रे परि षिच्यते । क्रन्दन्देवाँ अजीजनत् ॥
जैसे दूध निकालते हैं वैसे यह पुरानी मीठी चीज़ निकालता है। उसको साफ करने वाले में डालते हैं। यह आवाज़ करता है और देवताओं को जगाता है।
Mantra 5
अभि विश्वानि वार्याभि देवाँ ऋतावृधः । सोमः पुनानो अर्षति ॥
सोम ऐसे चलता है जैसे सब अच्छी चीज़ें उसके नीचे आ जाएँ। वो सच्चाई से बढ़ने वाले देवताओं के ऊपर से गुज़रता है। यह खुद को साफ करता है और आगे बढ़ता रहता है।
Mantra 6
गोमन्नः सोम वीरवदश्वावद्वाजवत्सुतः । पवस्व बृहतीरिषः ॥
हे सोम, तुम निचोड़े जा चुके हो। अब खुद को साफ करो और हमें बदाम, ताकत और अश्ह दे दो। तुम्में ज्ञान की रोशनी है, बहुत ताकत है। हमें बड़ी-बड़ी चीज़ें दे के आगे बढ़ाओ।
Inside Sukta 42
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Soma’s purification is portrayed as a creative act: he “brings to birth” the luminous realms of heaven and the sun within the waters.
- Development
The hymn develops the image of Soma as a flowing, tawny radiance clothed in rays and waters, whose ancient sweetness is milked out and poured into the purifier.
- Climax
At the height, Soma’s living movement and ‘cry’ is said to awaken/bring forth the gods—ritual sound and purified flow become divine generation.
- Where it settles
The hymn resolves in a direct request: Soma should purify himself for the worshippers and pour out vast nourishment—granting cattle, heroes, horses, and winning power.
The deity: Soma Pavamāna
- In the VedaSoma as “Pavamāna” is the pressed, flowing, self-purifying draught that runs through the woolen filter (pavitra), tawny (hari) in color, sweet as milk, and vocally celebrated as he “cries out” and quickens divine powers.
- Cosmic functionMediator between worlds: his purified flow sustains ṛta (cosmic order), invigorates the gods, and renews light and vitality in the cosmos, mirroring the sun’s emergence and the waters’ life-bearing power.
- Inner significanceThe clarified, upward-moving current of consciousness—purified speech and mind—where inner ‘light’ is born in the waters of life and the seeker is strengthened with expansive nourishment (iṣ) and vigor.
The seer
- Anukta (attributed to the Soma Pavamāna tradition)Many Mandala 9 hymns are preserved as liturgical songs for the Soma pressing; several are transmitted without a firmly named rishi, reflecting collective priestly composition and refinement within Soma ritual lineages.
Famous verses
janayan rocanā divo … janayann apsu sūryam
pavitre pari ṣicyate
pavasva bṛhatīr iṣaḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Pavamāna (self-purifying, flowing)
- Hari (tawny/golden, radiant)
- Filtered through pavitra (woolen sieve)
- Sweet, milk-like essence (payaḥ)
- Life-giving, light-generating power
- Bestower of wealth: cattle, heroes, horses, strength
Also by this seer
- Connected with the broader Pavamāna corpus of Mandala 9 used in Soma pavitra (straining) rites
- Associated with the Udgatṛ/Hotṛ liturgical repertoire for Soma purification chants
The rite, step by step
- Press Soma stalks (savana) to extract the juice
- Mix/prepare with water (and customary additives as per śrauta practice)
- Strain through the pavitra (woolen filter) into collecting vessels
- Offer libations to the deities (notably Indra and the gods) while reciting/singing Pavamāna verses
- Distribute portions according to the rite; conclude with petitions for prosperity and strength
Offerings
- Pressed Soma juice (suta soma)
- Soma libations poured into the fire/offer-ladle sequence
- Water used in purification/flow
Frequently Asked Questions
The deity is Soma Pavamāna—Soma as the pressed and purified sacred drink, praised while it flows through the filter (pavitra).
It links the ritual purification of Soma with cosmic illumination: Soma is described as generating heavenly light and even the sun in the waters, and then is asked to grant prosperity and strength.
Because the verses accompany the Soma-pressing rite: Soma juice is extracted and strained through a woolen sieve, and this physical purification is poetically treated as a spiritual and cosmic cleansing that empowers gods and people.
Ask anything about Sukta 42 of the Rig Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
