Rig Veda 9.62.21: Mandala 9, Sukta 62, Mantra 21
Sukta 9.62
- Rishi
- Jamadagni
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ नः सोमं पवित्र आ सृजता मधुमत्तमम् । देवेभ्यो देवश्रुत्तमम् ॥
ā naḥ sómaṃ pavítra ā sṛ́jatā mádhumattamam | devébhyo devaśrúttamam ||
हमारे लिए सोमा को साफ करके बहाओ। वो सबसे मीठा है और देवता उसकी आवाज़ सुनते हैं। अंदर के देवता भी इससे लेते हैं और खुश होते हैं।
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, untoIndeclinableupasarga (preverb), direction ‘towards/unto’Root आ (upasarga)
- नः
- for us, ourPronoungenitive plural (enclitic) ‘of us/our’Role Sampradāna (beneficiary/possessor) (contextual)Root अस्मद्
- सोमम्
- Soma (the pressed/filtered soma)Nounmasculine accusative singularRole KarmaRoot सोम-
- पवित्रे
- in/through the strainer (filter)Nounneuter locative singularRole AdhikaraṇaRoot पवित्र-
- आ
- forth, towardsIndeclinableupasarga (preverb) with √सृज्Root आ (upasarga)
- सृजत
- release, let flowVerbimperative, 2nd person plural, parasmaipadaRole (implicit) Kartā = addressed agents (priests/pressers/filters)Root √सृज् (सृजति)
- मधुमत्तमम्
- the most honey-sweet, most nectar-richAdjectivemasculine accusative singular; superlative (-तम) agreeing with सोमम्Role Karma (qualifier of object)Root मधुमत्- (from मधु + मतुप्)
- देवेभ्यः
- for the godsNounmasculine dative pluralRole SampradānaRoot देव-
- देवश्रुत्तमम्
- most famed with/among the gods; most god-approvedAdjectivemasculine accusative singular; superlative (-तम) agreeing with सोमम्Role Karma (qualifier of object)Root देवश्रुत्- (देव + श्रुत् ‘heard/approved by the gods’)
Sandhi Notes
- Pada resolution: न॒: → नः (enclitic gen. pl. of अस्मद्)
- प॒वित्र॒ आ → पवित्रे आ (loc. sg. ‘in the strainer’ + preverb आ; RV pada-text commonly shows pवित्रे)
- सृ॒जता॒ → सृजत (imperative 2pl of √सृज्; final -a of pada-text reflects metrical/saṃhitā spelling)
- मधु॑मत्तमम् and देव॒श्रुत्त॑मम् are superlative adjectives in -तम modifying सोमम्
- Accents (udātta/svarita) are as in saṃhitā: सोमं॑, मधु॑मत्तमम्, दे॒वेभ्यो॑, देव॒श्रुत्त॑मम्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pour/release for us Soma into the purifier; send it forth most honey-rich, most ‘heard by the gods’, for the gods.
Inner meaning
Let the delight-consciousness be released into the inner filter (pavitra)—the discerning, truth-separating faculty—so it emerges as the richest sweetness (madhumattama). ‘Most divinely-heard’ (devaśruttama) indicates a vibration that the higher powers readily receive: the purified offering becomes immediately effective in the inner worlds.
Universal truth
When experience is purified through discernment and aspiration, it becomes a refined sweetness that higher consciousness can ‘hear’ and respond to; purity makes the offering efficacious.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Invocation, Offering-to-the-gods, Delight-force
The seer
- Rishi
- Jamadagni (traditional attribution for this hymn-segment; explicit in 9.62.24)
- Lineage
- Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.62.24 (explicit naming)
Family tradition
Bhṛgu lineage: fiery aspiration, tapas, and transformative purification; often bridges Agni (will) and Soma (delight).
Significance
Jamadagni’s ‘fire’ (agni) temperament illuminates Soma yoga: delight is not indulgence but a clarified offering produced by tapas and truth-filtering.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (purifying), Madhumat (honeyed), Devaśruta (heard by the gods)
- Related deities
- Vishve Devāḥ, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Purified Soma is the oblation that sustains the gods and opens the paths between human and divine worlds.
Inner power
A current of bliss that becomes more potent as it is filtered through truth; it awakens responsive higher forces.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration and offering in Soma-yajña
आ न॒: सोमं॑ प॒वित्र॒ आ सृ॒जता॒ मधु॑मत्तमम् । दे॒वेभ्यो॑ देव॒श्रुत्त॑मम् ॥
आ । नः॒ । सोम॑म् । प॒वित्रे॑ । आ । सृ॒जत॑ । मधु॑मत्ऽतमम् । दे॒वेभ्यः॑ । दे॒व॒श्रुत्ऽत॑मम् ॥
ā | naḥ | somam | pavitre | ā | sṛjata | madhumat-tamam | devebhyaḥ | devaśrut-tamam
48
4×12 (expected); the syntax supports long, pouring cadence.
Extended vowels and flow-verbs create a ‘pouring’ rhythm.
Encourages a sense of release and inner cleansing; stabilizes attention while invoking sweetness.
- सोमम् (somam)
- Literal: Soma. Symbolic: delight-substance of consciousness, nectar of being
- पवित्रे (pavitre)
- Literal: in/into the purifier (filter). Symbolic: inner instrument of purification—discrimination, sincerity, truth-filter
- सृजत (sṛjata)
- Literal: release, let flow. Symbolic: allow the current of Ananda to move freely, unblocked by resistance
- मधुमत्तमम् (madhumattamam)
- Literal: most honeyed. Symbolic: highest, most refined bliss—sweetness without mixture of desire
- देवश्रुत्तमम् (devaśruttamam)
- Literal: most heard by the gods. Symbolic: most attuned to higher planes; mantra/experience that reaches and awakens inner deities
- देवेभ्यः (devebhyaḥ)
- Literal: for the gods. Symbolic: for the awakened powers in the being to increase and act
Soma sacrifice (Agniṣṭoma and related Soma-yāgas): verses used during pressing, filtering through the pavitra, and offering to the gods.
At the moment of letting pressed Soma run through the filter into the collecting vessel.
Directing the flow into pavitra; consecrating it as fit for devas.
Chant when beginning meditation: ‘release the sweetness into the inner purifier’—a cue to let emotions pass through discernment into calm joy.
sṛjata: √sṛj ‘to let go, emit, send forth’ (2pl impv., causative sense in ritual diction). pavitra: from √pū ‘to purify’ + -tra instrument suffix, ‘means of purification/filter’. madhumat-tama: madhumat ‘honeyed, sweet’ from madhu; -tama superlative. devaśrut-tama: śruta from √śru ‘to hear’; compound suggests ‘best heard/most hearkened to by the gods’, i.e., most efficacious offering/utterance.
R̥ta (right flow/order implied by purified streaming), inner purification (śuddhi through discernment), divine receptivity (deva-śruti as response of higher powers)
Pavitra symbolizes r̥ta’s separating power—ordering the mixed movements into truth-aligned flow.
Devaśruta: truth-vibration that reaches the higher planes; Satya is what the gods can ‘hear’.
The gods are strengthened by refined Ananda; inner creation proceeds by feeding higher functions with purified delight.
Integral Vedāntic reading: purification transforms desire-joy into Ananda.
Letting life-energy flow through discrimination so it becomes sweetness rather than craving.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Soma-as-stream’ mythologem: the pressed delight is released into the purifier and made fit for the gods. Innerly, consciousness releases a refined joy-current through the discerning filter so the divine faculties can partake.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ (śruta) aligns with PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear, be famed’ (cf. Greek klúō, English ‘loud’ via semantic drift in fame/sound; and ‘clew’ in Indo-European fame cluster). √sṛj ‘let go/flow’ is an Indo-Aryan development in the semantic field of release/emanation; the formulaic imperatives mark performative speech typical of archaic IE poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity of offering and response: the seer commands the release of the refined Soma so that the inner gods ‘hear’ and answer. The rishi’s speech-act (mantra) shapes the flow; Soma as devatā becomes both the substance offered and the power that purifies the sacrificer.
Imagine a white stream descending into the heart, passing through a ‘gold filter’ of sincerity and discernment, emerging as calm sweetness.
Viśuddha (purification) with support to Ājñā (clarity)
Inhale on ‘ā naḥ somam’; exhale steadily through ‘pavitra ā sṛjatā…’; brief pause to sense inner resonance.
Quiet receptivity; purified joy without agitation.
Set an intention of truthfulness; then chant, feeling every emotion ‘strained’ into a finer essence; conclude with silent listening for inner response.
Svara not provided; maintain classical Vedic monotone with gentle udātta rises at semantic peaks.
Slight emphasis: ‘sómam’, ‘pavitré’, ‘mádhumattamam’, ‘deváśruttamam’. Keep caesura after each pada.
pavitra: v is soft labio-dental; keep ‘tri’ crisp, sṛjata: ṛ is vocalic—short, rolled quality, madhumattamam: geminate tt—hold briefly, devaśruttamam: śr cluster—palatal ś + rolled r; double t in ttamam
Smooth, flowing, ‘poured’ tone; avoid hard attack.
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