Sukta 47
Sukta 9.47
This short Pavamāna hymn celebrates Soma as he is purified and made fit for offering, growing in might through “right-doing” and surging forth with invigorating power. It highlights Soma’s capacity to generate Indra’s heroic energy (indriya) and even the thunderbolt-like force that arises when praise is born, while also portraying Soma as a bestower of wealth and victory in contests.
In this hymn
Addressed to
Mantras
Mantra 1
अया सोमः सुकृत्यया महश्चिदभ्यवर्धत । मन्दान उद्वृषायते ॥
सोम ने सही काम करके अपनी ताकत बढ़ा ली। वो इतना बड़ा हो गया कि सब देखने लगे। अब वो खुश हो के उठा है और आगे बढ़ के बहने लगा है।
Mantra 2
कृतानीदस्य कर्त्वा चेतन्ते दस्युतर्हणा । ऋणा च धृष्णुश्चयते ॥
सोम जो काम करता है, वो जाग उठता है। वो दुश्मन ताकत को मारता है। वो कर्ज और हिम्मत वाली चीजों को अपने पास इकट्ठा कर लेता है।
Mantra 3
आत्सोम इन्द्रियो रसो वज्रः सहस्रसा भुवत् । उक्थं यदस्य जायते ॥
सोम से इंद्र की ताकत पैदा होती है। उसका आनंद ऐसी बिजली बन जाता है जो हज़ारों लोगों की ताकत रखता है। जब भक्त उसकी तारीफ करते हैं, तब यह होता है।
Mantra 4
स्वयं कविर्विधर्तरि विप्राय रत्नमिच्छति । यदी मर्मृज्यते धियः ॥
सोम खुद एक रिशि है जो सब संभालता है। वो ज्ञानी लोगों के लिए खज़ाना ढूंढता है। जब इंसान के विचार साफ हो जाते हैं, तब यह मिलता है।
Mantra 5
सिषासतू रयीणां वाजेष्वर्वतामिव । भरेषु जिग्युषामसि ॥
तू धन और संपन्नता का मालिक है, जैसे तेज़ घोड़े दौड़ में आगे निकलते हैं। लड़ाई में तू जीतने वाले के पास है।
Inside Sukta 47
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Soma is declared to have grown to greatness through ‘right-doing’ and now rises, surging forth with vigorous outpouring.
- Development
The hymn links Soma’s purified essence to divine potency: his rasa becomes Indra’s force, and from him inspired praise (uktha) is born.
- Climax
The peak assertion is the transformation of Soma’s rapture into Indra’s thousand-powered vajra—power emerging precisely when hymn and inspiration arise.
- Where it settles
It closes by portraying Soma as the impelling lord of riches and as the ally of victors in contests and battles, stabilizing the hymn’s promise in practical boons.
The deity: Soma Pavamāna
- In the VedaHe is praised as swelling to greatness, pouring forth with virile force, and as the generative sap from which inspired speech and heroic potency arise.
- Cosmic functionMediator of vitality and divine power: Soma renews strength, awakens inspiration (uktha), and empowers Indra’s victorious force, sustaining both ritual order and cosmic dynamism through the flow of the purified essence.
- Inner significanceThe clarified consciousness that emerges through discipline and refinement: when the mind’s ‘juice’ is purified, it becomes rapture, courage, and articulate praise—an inner vajra that breaks inertia and supports victory over obstacles.
The seer
- Anukta (tradition not explicit for RV 9.47)In the Soma Pavamāna corpus (Mandala 9), several hymns are transmitted without a clearly preserved seer-name; the focus is the liturgical voice of the Soma-pressing rite rather than a personalized rishi signature.
Famous verses
अया सोमः सुकृत्यया महश्चिदभ्यवर्धत । मन्दान उद्वृषायते ॥आत्सोम इन्द्रियो रसो वज्रः सहस्रसा भुवत् । उक्थं यदस्य जायते ॥सिषासतू रयीणां वाजेष्वर्वतामिव । भरेषु जिग्युषामसि ॥Attributes of the deity
- Purifying flow (pavamāna)
- Exhilarating rasa (sap/rapture)
- Source of inspired speech (uktha)
- Empowerer of Indra’s indriya (heroic force)
- Bestower of wealth and plenitude (rayi)
- Victory-bringing in contests (vāja, bhara)
Also by this seer
- Associated broadly with the Pavamāna (Soma purification) hymns of Rig Veda Mandala 9 in the Śākala tradition where specific rishi attribution is occasionally left unstated in later summaries.
The rite, step by step
- Press Soma stalks and collect the expressed juice (savana).
- Filter the juice through the strainer (pavitra), praising Soma as he ‘becomes pure’.
- Mix/prepare the clarified Soma according to rite, keeping it fit for the gods.
- Offer Soma as libation, especially in relation to Indra’s empowerment.
- Recite/chant the hymn to seal the intention: growth to greatness, birth of praise, and victory-bestowing plenitude.
Offerings
- Purified Soma juice (libation)
- Accompanying oblations customary to the Soma rite (as prescribed in the broader yajña context)
Frequently Asked Questions
It praises Soma while he is being purified (pavamāna), describing how he grows in power, inspires sacred speech, and supports strength and victory for the worshipper.
Because Soma’s clarified ‘rasa’ is seen as the energizing force behind Indra’s heroism—when praise and inspiration arise, that same power becomes vajra-like, able to overcome obstacles.
Plenitude (rayi), success in contests (vāja), and victory in battles (bhara), along with the inner vigor and inspired speech that come from purified Soma.
Ask anything about Sukta 47 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.
