Rig Veda 9.63.22: Mandala 9, Sukta 63, Mantra 22
Sukta 9.63
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
पवस्व देवायुषगिन्द्रं गच्छतु ते मदः । वायुमा रोह धर्मणा ॥
páva-sva devāyuṣág índraṃ gacchatu te mádaḥ | vāyúm ā́ roha dhármaṇā ||
हे सोम, तू खुद को साफ कर। तू देवता को ज़िन्दगी देता है। तेरी खुशी इन्द्र के पास जाए। तू अपने सही काम से वायु तक पहुँच।
Word by Word
- पवस्व
- Purify yourself / flow forth (O Soma).VerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole (finite verb; implied kartā = सोमः)Root √पू (पूञ्) / √पु (पुनाति) ‘to purify, flow (as Soma)’
- देवायुषक्
- (O Soma) of divine life / life-giving to the gods.AdjectiveMasculine, nominative singular (used as epithet of Soma)Role Kartā (as qualifier of the subject ‘Soma’)Root देव- + आयुष् (prātipadika compound; ‘having divine life/long life for the gods’)
- इन्द्रम्
- Indra.NounMasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object of ‘गच्छतु’)Root इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- गच्छतु
- Let (it) go to / reach.VerbLoṭ (imperative/benedictive sense), 3rd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole (finite verb; kartā = मदः)Root √गम् (गच्छति) ‘to go, come’
- ते
- of you / your.PronounGenitive singular (enclitic)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (possessor of ‘मदः’)Root त्वद् (2nd person pronoun)
- मदः
- the exhilaration / intoxicating draught (of Soma).NounMasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (subject of ‘गच्छतु’)Root मद (prātipadika) ‘intoxication, exhilaration, rapture’
- वायुम्
- Vāyu.NounMasculine, accusative singularRole Karma (object of ‘आरोह’)Root वायु (prātipadika)
- आ
- towards, up (preverb).IndeclinablePreverb with √रुहRoot आ (upasarga)
- रोह
- Mount / ascend.VerbLoṭ (imperative), 2nd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole (finite verb; implied kartā = सोमः)Root √रुह् (रोहति) ‘to mount, ascend’
- धर्मणा
- by/according to the ordinance (rite, established order).NounNeuter, instrumental singularRole Karaṇa (means/according to which) / also ‘in accordance with’Root धर्मन् (prātipadika) ‘law, ordinance, established order; rite’
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: देवायु॒षगिन्द्रं॑ → देवायुषक् + इन्द्रम् (final -क् of देवायुषक् before vowel i-; written as -ग् by external sandhi/phonetic voicing in saṃhitā)
- वा॒युमा → वायुम् + आ (म् + आ → मा)
- Other words are already in padapāṭha-like form
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purify yourself, O divine life-giver; let your ecstasy go to Indra; ascend to Vāyu according to your law (dharma).
Inner meaning
Soma as the giver of divine vitality (devāyuṣak) must be clarified in us. Then its ecstasy (mada) strengthens Indra—the illumined mind—so illumination can rule the nature. From there Soma ascends to Vāyu—the life-breath—so prāṇa itself moves by dharma: the right law of action and inner functioning.
Universal truth
Purified joy should feed clarity of mind and then uplift life-force; when delight is aligned with right law, mind and breath become instruments of the divine life.
Themes
Soma as life-giver, ascent of consciousness, Indra empowerment, breath-force integration
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets (specific attribution uncertain)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.63.21–24 (immediate sequence), RV 9.61/9.62 (common Indra-Vāyu reception themes)
Family tradition
RV 9 Pavamāna lineage focusing on Soma’s ascent to the gods (Indra-Vāyu receiving)
Significance
The rishi links purification to a yogic ‘routing’: Soma’s force first empowers illumined mind (Indra) then elevates breath-life (Vāyu), establishing dharma as right inner functioning.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Indra and Vāyu as recipients)
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Devāyuṣak (divine-life-giver)
- Related deities
- Indra, Vāyu
Cosmic role
Soma circulates as ecstasy that sustains the gods; it is offered to Indra and carried by Vāyu—cosmic exchange of delight and power.
Inner power
Purified delight that energizes illumination and regulates prāṇa into right action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yāga offerings specifically directed to Indra and Vāyu (Indra-Vāyu grahas in Soma ritual context)
पव॑स्व देवायु॒षगिन्द्रं॑ गच्छतु ते॒ मद॑: । वा॒युमा रो॑ह॒ धर्म॑णा ॥
पव॑स्व । दे॒व॒ । आ॒यु॒षक् । इन्द्र॑म् । ग॒च्छ॒तु॒ । ते॒ । मदः॑ । वा॒युम् । आ । रो॒ह॒ । धर्म॑णा ॥
pavasva | deva | āyuṣak | indram | gacchatu | te | madaḥ | vāyum | ā | roha | dharmaṇā
48
4 × ~12
Upward-driving cadence; imperative verbs give lift and direction.
Creates a sense of ascent—first to clarity (Indra), then to expanded breath (Vāyu).
- पवस्व (pavasva)
- Literal: purify yourself. Symbolic: self-clarification of consciousness; refining delight into luminous force
- देवायुṣक् (devāyuṣak)
- Literal: giver of divine life. Symbolic: Ananda that increases true vitality and spiritual longevity
- मदः (madaḥ)
- Literal: intoxication, ecstasy. Symbolic: spiritual exhilaration that empowers illumination (not tamasic excitement)
- इन्द्रम् (indram)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine mind/illumination; victorious clarity that breaks coverings
- वायुम् (vāyum)
- Literal: Vāyu, wind. Symbolic: life-force/prāṇa; the carrier and regulator of movement in the being
- धर्मणा (dharmaṇā)
- Literal: by law, by right action. Symbolic: intrinsic right functioning; the soul’s true way of action
Pavamāna phase: Soma clarified for offering; associated with Indra-Vāyu participation in Soma drinking (Indra-Vāyu graha contexts)
At points where Soma is prepared/allocated for Indra and for Vāyu
Invocation during purification and distribution of Soma
As a pre-prāṇāyāma chant: clarify emotion, then offer its energy to clear mind, then to regulated breath.
pavasva: middle imperative of √pū/√pav ‘purify, cleanse’; āyuṣak: from āyuṣ ‘life’ with adjectival suffix -ka ‘pertaining to, giving’; madaḥ: from √mad ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’ → ecstasy that energises Indra; roha: imperative of √ruh ‘to rise’; dharmaṇā: instrumental of dhárman from √dhṛ ‘to hold, sustain’ → the sustaining law/order (inner right action, not mere social duty).
dharma as intrinsic law of right movement, Indra as victorious illumination, prāṇa-like ascent (Vāyu)
Dharma here functions as ṛta in action—right ordering of forces within and without.
Indra-reception signifies truth-illumination governing the nature.
Ascent of Soma indicates evolutionary uplift: delight rises through mind and life into higher order.
Integral yoga reading: Ananda supports higher mind and transforms prāṇa by right law.
Flow = refinement; wind = prāṇic uplift; ascent = sublimation of energies; ecstasy = fuel for illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma’s purified delight (mada) is the empowering drink that ‘goes to Indra’ (strengthening victorious illumination) and ‘mounts to Vāyu’ (joining the life-breath). Mythically, the nectar circulates among divine powers; psychologically, delight-energy is directed to mind-force (Indra) and vital ascent (Vāyu).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √gam (gacchatu) continues PIE *gʷem- ‘to go, come’ (cf. Greek baínō is different root; Latin venīre from *gʷem shows the family resemblance in IE); √ruh ‘rise’ aligns with PIE *h₁rewh₁- ‘to rise’ (cf. Germanic ‘rise’ is different root, but Indo-Iranian preserves √ruh clearly); dhárman from √dhṛ reflects PIE *dher- ‘hold, support’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The singer directs Soma’s inner ecstasy as an offering that becomes capacity: Indra receives it as victorious clarity; Vāyu receives it as upward life-force. The r̥ṣi acts as mediator who channels delight according to dhárman—right law of inner movement—so the gods become operative powers in the practitioner.
Offer purified joy to illumined mind, then let it pervade and lift the breath-life.
Maṇipūra (will/energy) to Ājñā (Indra) and then expansion through Anāhata/Viśuddha (breath movement)
After chanting, do 12 cycles of slow inhale-exhale; feel ‘mada’ brighten the forehead (Indra) then widen the chest (Vāyu).
Bright, uplifted, regulated energy; joyful clarity without restlessness.
Use when dullness or scattered prāṇa dominates: chant, then sit upright and let the breath ‘ascend by dharma’—steady, truthful, self-guided.
Rigvedic accents depend on recension; not fully derivable from the provided text alone.
Let imperatives stand clear: pavasva… gacchatu… ā roha. Keep ‘dharmaṇā’ as a grounded, concluding phrase.
ṣ (devāyuṣak): keep ‘yuṣ’ crisp; do not overlengthen short vowels, (gacchatu): double ‘cch’ with slight stop, (vāyum): long ā; soft y glide, (dharmaṇā): retroflex ṇ; long ā at end
Uplifting, directive, clean articulation; slight crescendo toward ‘ā roha’.
11
Ask anything about this verse
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.
