Rig Veda 9.6.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 6, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.6
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
अभि त्यं पूर्व्यं मदं सुवानो अर्ष पवित्र आ । अभि वाजमुत श्रवः ॥
abhí tyáṃ pū́rvyaṃ mádaṃ suvānó arṣa pavítra ā́ | abhí vā́jam utá śrávaḥ ||
हे सोम, उस पुराने खुशी वाले नशे की तरफ बह। नीचे गिर और साफ होने के लिए चल। ताकत और नाम की तरफ बह जाओ।
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; गत्यर्थे/अभिमुख्येRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- त्यम्
- that (him/it)Pronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (वैदिके), द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पूर्व्यम्
- ancient, primevalAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (त्यम् इति सह विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot पूर्व्य (पूर्व + यत्/य प्रत्यय; विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- मदम्
- intoxication; exhilaration (rapture)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुवानः
- pressing/expressing (the Soma)Participleवर्तमानकृदन्तः (शानच्), प्रथमा एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गःRole KartāRoot √सु (सुनोति) + शानच् (वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त)
- अर्ष
- flow! rush!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Root √ऋष्/√अर्ष् (गत्यर्थः; ‘to flow, rush’)
- पवित्रः
- through/into the filter (sieve)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (वैदिके रूपभेदः); अत्र अधिकरणभावे ‘पवित्रे’ इत्यर्थःRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither; to, intoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; ‘आ’ = ‘hither, to’Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वाजम्
- strength; prize; (victorious) mightNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्Root उत (अव्यय)
- श्रवः
- fame; gloryNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (वैदिके -स् → -ः)Role KarmaRoot श्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अभि | त्यम् | पूर्व्यम् | मदम् | सुवानः | अर्ष | पवित्रः | आ || अभि | वाजम् | उत | श्रवः || 1) ‘अभि त्यं’ इत्यत्र संधिः न विशेषः। 2) ‘सुवानो अर्ष’ = ‘सुवानः अर्ष’ (विसर्गस्य ओकारादेशः/वैदिक-प्रयोगः; पदपाठे ‘सुवानः’)। 3) ‘पवित्र आ’ = ‘पवित्रः आ’ (विसर्गलोप/रूपभेदः; पदपाठे ‘पवित्रः’)। 4) ‘श्रवः’ वैदिके ‘श्रवस्’ इत्यस्य पदान्त-रूपम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma, pressed out, flow toward the ancient ecstasy; run into the purifier; flow toward plenitude (vāja) and toward fame (śravas).
Inner meaning
The ‘ancient ecstasy’ (pūrvyam mada) is the perennial Ananda known to the seers—older than the present mental-vital formations. Soma, when expressed (suvānaḥ), must enter the pavitra (purifier): the refining consciousness that separates truth-joy from craving-joy. The outcome is vāja (plenitude of force/capacity) and śravas (luminous hearing/fame): the soul’s wide receptivity to truth and its effective expression/manifestation in life.
Universal truth
True joy is perennial and self-authenticating; when refined through inner purification it becomes both power (capacity to act) and a luminous resonance (truth-hearing and truthful expression) that naturally ‘spreads’ as spiritual influence.
Themes
Soma pressing, Purifier (pavitra), Ancient ecstasy, Power and glory
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.6
Significance
This vision defines the yogic sequence: expression → purification → power and truth-resonance. It is a concise map of transformation central to Aurobindo/Kashyap’s psychological reading.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- suvāna (pressed forth), pavamāna (purifying), pūrvyamada-prada (giver of ancient ecstasy—implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (vāja/victory), Bṛhaspati (śravas as inspired word/hearing), Sūrya (truth-light guiding purification)
Cosmic role
Soma is the immortal essence that, when purified, becomes the effective power behind victorious works and luminous renown.
Inner power
Ananda refined into stable capacity (vāja) and truth-resonance (śravas) in mind, speech, and action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration/pressing chant in Pavamāna cycle
अ॒भि त्यं पू॒र्व्यं मदं॑ सुवा॒नो अ॑र्ष प॒वित्र॒ आ । अ॒भि वाज॑मु॒त श्रव॑: ॥
अ॒भि । त्यम् । पू॒र्व्यम् । मद॑म् । सु॒वा॒नः । अ॒र्ष॒ । प॒वित्रे॑ । आ । अ॒भि । वाज॑म् । उ॒त । श्रवः॑ ॥
abhi | tyam | pūrvyam | madam | suvānaḥ | arṣa | pavitre | ā | abhi | vājam | uta | śravaḥ
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3 pādas × 8 syllables (probable)
Concentrated and progressive; each pāda advances the process (ancient ecstasy → purifier → fruits).
Builds a stepwise inner ascent; good for short japa leading into silence.
- pūrvyam
- Literal: ancient, former. Symbolic: primordial Ananda; the timeless delight behind evolution
- mada
- Literal: ecstasy, rapture. Symbolic: uplifted consciousness beyond limitation
- suvānaḥ
- Literal: being pressed out. Symbolic: delight consciously expressed from within through practice
- pavitra
- Literal: purifier, filter. Symbolic: inner discernment and refining intelligence/psychic sieve
- vāja
- Literal: prize, strength, plenitude. Symbolic: capacity, effective force, abundance of right power
- śravas
- Literal: fame, glory; hearing. Symbolic: luminous receptivity to truth and its resonant expression in the world
Verse accompanies Soma’s expressed flow into the pavitra (filter), aiming at strengthening (vāja) and śravas (renown/glory) for the sacrificer and the gods.
As Soma is pressed and directed into the purifier; also as intention for the fruits of Soma
Chant while Soma enters the strainer; mentally align with purification and intended gains (vāja, śravas)
Use as a ‘process mantra’ for practice sessions: (1) contact joy, (2) refine it, (3) turn it into capacity and truthful influence.
suvāná- from √su ‘press Soma’ (specialised ritual verb) → indicates the manifested essence extracted from the concealed plant/being. pavítra ‘purifier/strainer’ from √pū ‘purify’ with instrumental suffix -tra. śrávas from √śru ‘hear’ means ‘fame’ (what is heard of one), but psychologically extends to the soul’s capacity to ‘hear’ the truth—receptive illumination.
primordial foundation (pūrvyam) as perennial spiritual experience, purification leading to power (vāja), śravas as receptive truth-hearing
Pavitra is the mechanism of ṛta: it orders energies so fruits are right and harmonious.
Śravas as ‘wide hearing’ of truth indicates Satya entering consciousness as revelation and right expression.
Evolutionary conversion of essence (Soma) into force (vāja) and luminous manifestation (śravas).
Integral Vedism: purification is not negation but transmutation of delight into power and truth-expression.
Pressing=bringing inner essence forward; filter=discernment; fruits=capacity and truth-resonant influence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘pressed Soma entering the purifier’ mythologem: the essence is extracted and refined to recover the ‘ancient’ (pūrvyam) rapture known to the forefathers. Psychologically, the seeker recovers a perennial delight by pressing out inner essence and passing it through discriminating purification, yielding force (vāja) and luminous recognition (śravas).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ is from PIE *ḱleu̯- ‘hear, be famed’ (cf. Greek klýō, Latin cluēre, Old English hlӯtan/hlӯd family). The semantic bridge ‘hearing’ → ‘fame’ is pan-Indo-European, preserving archaic poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer instructs the Soma-force to move into the pavitra and thereby re-attain the ‘ancient’ ecstasy—showing the r̥ṣi as a technician of consciousness: by right process (pressing, filtering), the divine delight becomes operative as strength and illumined renown in the human vessel.
Contact the ‘ancient joy’ beneath thoughts; let it pass through calm discernment; offer the purified joy to become capacity and truthful resonance.
Sahasrāra/Ājñā (ancient joy/light) → Viśuddha (śravas: truth resonance) → Maṇipūra (vāja: capacity)
Slow inhalation with ‘pūrvyam mada’; brief pause at brow; exhale with ‘pavitre ā’ feeling refinement; rest in stillness on ‘vājam…śravaḥ’.
Quiet wonder with empowered clarity
After chanting, listen inwardly (śravas) for a subtle directive; then act with measured force (vāja), keeping delight as the sap.
Accents not provided; chant with clear rise on key targets (pūrvyam, pavitre, vājam, śravaḥ) once verified in marked Saṃhitā.
Make the three intentions audible: (1) toward ancient ecstasy, (2) into the purifier, (3) toward fruits; slight pause between pādas.
pūrvyam: long ū; ‘rv’ cluster clean, madaṃ: final ‘ṃ’ nasalized, suvāno: ‘vā’ long; keep ‘no’ clear, arṣa: retroflex ‘ṣ’; do not soften to ‘sha’, pavitra ā: separate ‘ā’ as direction ‘toward/into’, vājam: long ā, uta: short ‘u’, śravaḥ: palatal ‘ś’; visarga light
Focused, ascending, ending in a resonant open tone on śravaḥ
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