Rig Veda 9.64.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 64, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.64
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seer-tradition
- Devata
- Soma/Indu Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अश्वो न चक्रदो वृषा सं गा इन्दो समर्वतः । वि नो राये दुरो वृधि ॥
aśvó na cakrado vṛ́ṣā sáṃ gā́ indo sáṃ árvataḥ | ví no rāyé dúro vṛdhi ||
जैसे घोड़ा ताकत में हिंकता है, वैसे हे इन्दु, तू भी बलवान है। आकाश की किरणें और हमारी ताकतें सब एक जगह कर ले। हमारे लिए धन-दौलत के दरवाज़े खोल दे।
Word by Word
- अश्वः
- horse (as a simile for Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा/सादृश्यार्थक अव्ययRoot न (निपात)
- चक्रदः
- neighing, crying outAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अश्वः का विशेषण)Root चक्रद (प्रातिपदिक; √चक्रद्/चक्रन्द् ‘to neigh/cry out’ से व्युत्पन्न, वैदिक)
- वृषा
- bull; vigorous oneNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अश्वः/इन्दुः का विशेषण)Root वृषन्/वृष (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग (सम्-)Root सम् (उपसर्ग)
- गाः
- cows (i.e., rays/streams; also wealth)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दो
- O Indu (Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग (सम्-)Root सम् (उपसर्ग)
- अर्वतः
- of the steed / of the racerNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अर्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग (वि-)Root वि (उपसर्ग)
- नः
- for us; ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (for us/our)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- राये
- for wealthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot राय्/रायि (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुरः
- doors, gatesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग (वैदिक), द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot दुर्/द्वार (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक रूप दुरः ‘doors’)
- वृधि
- open/widen; make (them) grow (for us)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम? नहीं—उत्तम?; रूप: 2nd person singular imperative (परस्मैपद) ‘वृधि’Role क्रियाRoot √वृध् (वर्धने)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): अश्वः | न | चक्रदः | वृषा | सम् | गाः | इन्दो | सम् | अर्वतः || वि | नः | राये | दुरः | वृधि । Sandhi: (1) ‘सम् गाः’ में अनुस्वार/म् + ग → ‘संगाः’ (लिप्यन्तर में ‘सं गाः’)
- (2) ‘सम् अर्वतः’ में म् + अ → ‘समर्वतः’ (मकार लोप/अनुस्वार-प्रवृत्ति वैदिक संधि)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indu, like a neighing steed and as a bull, gathers the cows and the horses; he opens for us the doors for wealth/plenitude.
Inner meaning
Soma as aśva (vital force) and vṛṣā (victorious potency) is asked to gather the gāḥ—cows of light, i.e., rays of knowledge—and the arvataḥ—energies/steeds of progress, the forward-moving life-forces. With these assembled powers, Soma opens the inner doors (duraḥ) to rāyaḥ: plenitude of being, not merely material wealth but a widened, luminous life.
Universal truth
Illumination and energy must be collected and harmonized; then the gates of a larger life open naturally.
Themes
Finding the cows (innerized), Opening the doors, Soma as energizer, Integrative gathering (saṃ)
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets (RV 9.64)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.64.1, RV 9.64.2, RV 9.64.4
Family tradition
A hymn-stream that uses animal imagery (horse/bull/cows) as a coded psychology of forces and illuminations in the inner sacrifice.
Significance
Classic symbolic nexus: go (rays) + aśva/arvat (energies) gathered by Soma so the ‘doors’ to rāyas open—an inner siddhi formula.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma/Indu Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Indu, Vṛṣā
- Related deities
- Indra (opens the cows/light by slaying Vṛtra), Agni (leads the sacrifice), Sarasvatī (flow of inspiration)
Cosmic role
Collector and distributor of powers: he gathers light-forces and action-forces and opens the way to plenitude.
Inner power
Purified delight that coordinates knowledge (go) and energy (aśva/arvat), unlocking inner passages to wider being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavāmāna recitation during Soma flow/filtration
अश्वो॒ न च॑क्रदो॒ वृषा॒ सं गा इ॑न्दो॒ समर्व॑तः । वि नो॑ रा॒ये दुरो॑ वृधि ॥
अश्वः॑ । न । च॒क्र॒दः॒ । वृषा॑ । सम् । गाः । इ॒न्दो॒ इति॑ । सम् । अर्व॑तः । वि । नः॒ । रा॒ये । दुरः॑ । वृ॒धि॒ ॥
aśvaḥ | na | cakradaḥ | vṛṣā | sam | gāḥ | indo iti | sam | arvataḥ | vi | naḥ | rāye | duraḥ | vṛdhi
44
4 × 11 (probable; the imperative ‘vṛdhi’ cadence is Triṣṭubh-like).
Forward-driving with a ‘gathering’ momentum; ends with an opening gesture.
Energizes and mobilizes; creates a felt sense of inner gates unlocking after a surge of collected force.
- अश्वः (aśvaḥ)
- Literal: horse. Symbolic: vital energy, force of action and progress
- चक्रदः (cakradaḥ)
- Literal: neighing/crying out (of a horse). Symbolic: awakening vibration of life-force; the call of energy that breaks inertia
- गाः (gāḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge recovered and gathered
- अर्वतः (arvataḥ)
- Literal: steeds, runners. Symbolic: dynamic life-energies that carry the being forward
- दुरः (duraḥ)
- Literal: doors, gates. Symbolic: inner thresholds to higher consciousness and wider life; openings in the subtle being
- रायॆ (rāye)
- Literal: to wealth/plenty. Symbolic: plenitude of being: abundance of consciousness, power, harmony
Invocation for Soma to collect powers and open ‘doors’ (access) for the sacrificer during pressing/purification.
When invoking Soma to bring together powers for successful offering and reward
Chant as Soma is carried/filtered; gesture of ‘opening’ (vi) aligns with opening of channels in rite
A mantra for gathering scattered attention and energy before study, work, or meditation; then ‘open the doors’ to abundance.
go (gāḥ) from √gam/√gā ‘to go’ in older strata, mythopoetically ‘that which moves’ → rays/knowledges; rayi from √rā ‘to give’ → that which is bestowed, here fullness; vṛdhi from √vṛdh ‘to grow’ → widening capacities; indu ‘drop’ (bright) used for Soma.
Rayi (spiritual plenitude), Recovery of light (gāḥ as knowledge), Expansion of consciousness (vi… vṛdhi)
Gathering (saṃ) implies harmonizing forces according to ṛta so that openings occur without friction.
Cows as rays = truth-illumination recovered and assembled.
Opening of inner gates: the journey from confinement to wideness through coordinated light and force.
Yoga of transformation (integral): collect energies and illuminations; open higher centers/paths.
Horse/steeds = prāṇic-vital dynamism; cows = illuminations; doors = subtle openings (nāḍī/psychic thresholds) to wider consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘finding/gathering of the cows’ (gāḥ) motif, here psychologized: Soma gathers dispersed illuminations and the forward-driving energies (arvataḥ), then opens the gates to rayi (plenitude).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- aśva ‘horse’ reflects PIE *h₁éḱwos (cf. Latin equus, Greek híppos via different root, Old Irish ech). dvāra/door imagery (duraḥ) aligns with PIE *dʰwer- ‘door’ (cf. English door, Greek thýra).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi petitions Soma for concrete inner operations: (1) integrate lights and energies (saṃ gāḥ… saṃ arvataḥ), (2) widen access to spiritual abundance (vi… duraḥ vṛdhi). Soma is approached as an active yogic power performing inner reorganization.
Saṃ-gathering: collect rays of understanding and forward energies; then open inner ‘doors’ to plenitude.
Ājñā (light-rays) + Maṇipūra (drive) opening toward Anāhata (wideness)
3-stage practice: (1) 6 deep breaths to gather prāṇa, (2) brief kumbhaka to ‘saṃ-’ collect, (3) long exhale with mental ‘vi…duraḥ’ to open.
Collected dynamism leading to spaciousness.
Use when scattered: first feel the ‘cows’ (insights) assemble in the forehead-space, then the ‘steeds’ (energies) align in the navel; finally visualize doors opening in the heart-space to a wider life.
Śākhā-dependent; preserve the imperative contours—slight lift on ‘sam’ groupings and a clear ‘vi’ opening before ‘no rāye’.
Mark the two ‘saṃ’ as audible hinges (sam gāḥ / sam arvataḥ); then broaden the tone on ‘vi…duraḥ’ to embody opening.
aśvo: ‘śv’ conjunct crisp, cakrado: retroflex ḍ? (here ‘do’ ending), keep ‘kr’ cluster clean, gāḥ: long ā; visarga lightly released, arvataḥ: clear ‘rv’ conjunct, rāye: long ā; palatal glide minimal, duraḥ: dental d; visarga light, vṛdhi: retroflex ḍh aspirated, short i
Bright, forward, slightly rising energy; end with an expansive, open resonance.
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