Rig Veda 9.61.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 61, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.61
- Rishi
- RV 9 Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
परि णो अश्वमश्वविद्गोमदिन्दो हिरण्यवत् । क्षरा सहस्रिणीरिषः ॥
pári no áśvam aśvavíd gómad indo híraṇyavat | kṣárā sahasríṇīr íṣaḥ ||
सोम, हमारे गिर्द बहो और घोड़े जैसी तेज़ ताकत लाओ। चमकदार किरणों और सोने जैसी रोशनी लाओ। हज़ारों तरह की बढ़ाव और वृद्धि की शक्तियाँ बहा दो।
Word by Word
- परि
- around, all aroundIndeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण)Role Adhikaraṇa (परितः/समन्तात्—क्रियाविशेषण)Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- णः
- to us / for us; ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचनस्य एन्क्लिटिक रूप ‘नः’ (Vedic: णः) = ‘our/to us’ (contextually दत्तिः/हितार्थः)Role Sampradāna (हितार्थे ‘to us/for us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्वम्
- a horseNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (प्राप्य/प्रदत्त-वस्तु)Root अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्ववित्
- finder/knower of horsesAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इन्दोः विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण कर्तृ-सम्बन्धः)Root अश्व-विद् (विद् ‘to know/find’ → ‘वित्’)
- गोमत्
- possessing cows; rich in cattleAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इन्दोः विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root गो-मत् (मतुप् प्रत्ययान्त)
- इन्दो
- O Indu (Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole (सम्बोधन) — संबोधितः कर्ताRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिरण्यवत्
- golden; possessing goldAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इन्दोः विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root हिरण्य-वत् (वतुप् प्रत्ययान्त)
- क्षर
- flow; stream forthVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम?—वेदिके प्रायः 2nd sg. परस्मैपद: ‘क्षर’ = ‘flow!’Role (क्रिया) — इन्दोः प्रवाह-क्रियाRoot क्षर् (धातु)
- सहस्रिणीः
- thousandfold; in thousandsAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (इषः विशेषणम्)Role Karma (इषः—प्राप्य-वस्तु-विशेषणम्)Root सहस्रिन्/सहस्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘having thousands’)
- इषः
- refreshments; nourishment; invigorating draughtsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वेदिके ‘इषः’ = ‘इषाः’)Role Karma (क्षर—यत् प्रवहति)Root इष्/इषा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘refreshment, nourishment, strength’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: ‘परि॑ णो॒ अश्व॑मश्व॒विद्गोम॑दिन्दो॒ हिर॑ण्यवत् । क्षरा॑ सह॒स्रिणी॒रिष॑: ॥’। पदच्छेदः: ‘परि | णः | अश्वम् | अश्ववित् | गोमत् | इन्दो | हिरण्यवत् | क्षर | सहस्रिणीः | इषः’। ‘अश्वम् + अश्ववित्’ संधौ केवलं संहितासंयोगः
- ‘अश्वविद् + गोमत्’ में ‘द्ग’ संयोग (विद् + गो-)। ‘गोमत् + इन्दो’ → ‘गोमदिन्दो’ (त् + इ → दि, जश्त्व/संधि)। ‘सहस्रिणीः + इषः’ संहितायां ‘सहस्रिणीरिषः’ (ईः + इ → ईरि- संयोग)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma is asked to flow around us bringing horse-winning force, rich in cows and gold; pour thousandfold impulsions.
Inner meaning
The purified delight is invoked to surround and fill the seeker with victorious vital energy (aśva—swift power of action), luminous rays of knowledge (go—cows), and golden light (hiraṇya—radiant splendor). From that clarified source should pour a thousandfold iṣaḥ—impulsions of increase: inspirations, motivations, and life-energies aligned to the light.
Universal truth
When joy is purified, it becomes abundance: it energizes action, illumines understanding, and multiplies constructive impulses for growth.
Themes
Boon-request, Illumination, Force and swiftness, Soma as increaser
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.61
Family tradition
Part of the Pavamāna Soma transmission; seer attribution for this sūkta requires Anukramaṇī.
Significance
The seer articulates a triple enrichment: power (aśva), light (go/hiraṇya), and increase (iṣ). This is a concise map of integral transformation—energy, knowledge, and growth.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Indu, Pavamāna, Go-mat (luminous), Hiraṇya-vat (golden)
- Related deities
- Indra, Sūrya (golden light motif), Aśvins (vital mastery)
Cosmic role
Bestower of strength, light, and increase; the flowing essence that nourishes the gods and fertilizes the worlds.
Inner power
A bliss-current that converts into dynamic energy, luminous understanding, and abundant right impulses.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration/pressing chant
परि॑ णो॒ अश्व॑मश्व॒विद्गोम॑दिन्दो॒ हिर॑ण्यवत् । क्षरा॑ सह॒स्रिणी॒रिष॑: ॥
परि॑ । नः॒ । अश्व॑म् । अ॒श्व॒ऽवित् । गोऽम॑त् । इ॒न्दो॒ इति॑ । हिर॑ण्यऽवत् । क्षरा॑ । स॒ह॒स्रिणीः । इषः॑ ॥
pari | naḥ | aśvam | aśva-vit | go-mat | indo iti | hiraṇya-vat | kṣarā | sahasriṇīḥ | iṣaḥ
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4 pādas of ~12 syllables each
Expansive and flowing; supports imagery of abundance and thousandfold outpouring.
Energizes without strain; evokes fullness and prosperity of inner forces.
- परि (pari)
- Literal: around. Symbolic: pervasive protection and saturation of consciousness
- अश्वम् / अश्ववित् (aśvam / aśvavit)
- Literal: horse / horse-winning. Symbolic: vital force and mastery of dynamic energy
- गोमत् (gomat)
- Literal: possessing cows. Symbolic: rich in rays of knowledge and illumination
- हिरण्यवत् (hiraṇyavat)
- Literal: golden. Symbolic: radiant light-substance; splendour of higher consciousness
- क्षरा (kṣarā)
- Literal: pour, flow out. Symbolic: continuous outflow of clarified energy into the nature
- सहस्रिणीः इषः (sahasriṇīḥ iṣaḥ)
- Literal: thousandfold impulsions/nourishments. Symbolic: multiplied inspirations and growth-forces, abundant right movements
Recited/sung in Soma purification; requests for aśva/go/hiraṇya are innerized as requests for force, illumination, and luminous plentitude.
During Pavamāna recitations as Soma is made to stream and is praised for boons
Chant to invite strength (aśva), illumination (go/hiraṇya), and increase (iṣ) into the sacrifice
A mantra for students/creators: invoke energetic focus, clarity, and abundant inspiration before learning or creative work.
(aśva) from PIE *h₁éḱwos ‘horse’ retains the ancient Indo-European prestige-symbol; psychologically in RV, the ‘horse’ often encodes speed, force, and victorious movement. (go) is multivalent: ‘cow’ and ‘ray/light’ (from √gā/√gam associations and Vedic usage), hence gomad ‘rich in illuminations’. (hiraṇya) ‘gold’ connotes solar splendor; - forms possessive adjective. / (iṣ) relates to ‘impulse, refreshment, nourishment’—a driving increase.
increase (iṣ) as growth of consciousness, illumination (go) as knowledge-rays, plenitude of force (aśva) as effective action in R̥ta
The ‘thousandfold iṣaḥ’ are right movements when they arise from purified Soma—aligned with ṛta rather than desire.
Go-mat and hiraṇya-vat point to truth-light manifesting as understanding and radiance.
Abundance as creation: multiplication of right impulses builds the inner world and outer works.
Integral yoga reading: ananda generates both knowledge and power for works.
Horses = swift prāṇic energies; cows = rays of insight; gold = supramental/solar radiance; thousandfold flow = abundant inspirations.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘bestowal of cows and horses’ motif—recast as Soma’s outpouring of illumination (go) and dynamic force (aśva). The mythic gift is not material cattle but the recovered rays of knowledge and the swift energies that carry the sacrifice forward.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- aśva < PIE *h₁éḱwos is a strong IE retention. sahasra ‘thousand’ corresponds to Indo-Iranian *sahásra- (Avestan hazāŋra-). The possessive -vat is a productive inherited adjectival strategy (cf. Latin -ātus in function though not cognate).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asks Soma to ‘pervade’ (pári) the collective being and to supply the needed instruments of the path: illumination (go), effective dynamism (aśva), and luminous value (hiraṇya), culminating in ‘iṣ’—the many impulsions by which the soul’s journey becomes victorious and ordered.
Invite purified delight to pervade you and convert into energy, light, and abundant right impulses.
Svadhisthana/Manipura (vital energy ‘aśva’) and Ajna (light ‘go/hiraṇya’)
Ujjayi (soft) with visualization of golden-white flow; on exhale, feel ‘kṣarā’—outpouring of iṣaḥ through the nerves.
Bright, energized calm; readiness for right action.
After settling, repeat the mantra and feel three gifts: (1) steady energy, (2) clear seeing, (3) many wholesome impulses. Choose one impulse and act on it with simplicity.
Not specified in input; chant smoothly with slight lift on vocatives and imperatives; exact udatta mapping needs pada-svara source.
Stress: pári ṇo… | aśvavíd | gómad índo | hiraṇyávat | kṣárā | sahasríṇīr íṣaḥ.
Retroflex ‘ṣ’ in iṣaḥ; keep visarga light, ‘kṣ’ in kṣarā as conjunct (kṣa), Do not flatten long ā in kṣarā
Bright, flowing, slightly uplifting tone.
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