Rig Veda 9.66.28: Mandala 9, Sukta 66, Mantra 28
Sukta 9.66
- Devata
- Soma Pavamana
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
प्र सुवान इन्दुरक्षाः पवित्रमत्यव्ययम् । पुनान इन्दुरिन्द्रमा ॥
prá suvāná índur akṣāri pavítram áty avyáyam | punāná índur índram ā́ ||
इन्दु दबाया गया है और चल पड़ा है। वो साफ करने वाले से गुज़र के आगे बढ़ गया है, जहाँ कोई हार नहीं है। इन्दु खुद को साफ कर रहा है और इन्द्र की तरफ बढ़ रहा है।
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- सुवानः
- pressing/being pressed (as Soma), flowingVerb-derived (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot √सु (सु- प्रसवे/सवने) → सुवान-
- इन्दुः
- the Soma dropNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्दु- (prātipadika)
- अक्षाः
- axles; (ritually) the ‘axles’/wheels (of the pressing/flow)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (appositional/collective with इन्दुः) अथवा विशेषण-भावRoot अक्ष- (prātipadika)
- पवित्रम्
- the filter, strainerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot पवित्र- (prātipadika)
- अति
- over, beyond, throughIndeclinablepreverb/particle with √इ (to go) impliedRoot अति (upasarga/avyaya)
- अव्ययम्
- unfailing, imperishableAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with पवित्रम्)Role Karma (qualifier of object)Root अव्यय- (a- + व्यय) (prātipadika)
- पुनानः
- purifying himself/being purifiedVerb-derived (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot √पू (पू- पवने/शोधने) → पुनान-
- इन्दुः
- the Soma dropNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot इन्दु- (prātipadika)
- इन्द्रम्
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इन्द्र- (prātipadika)
- आ
- toward, untoIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root आ (upasarga)
Sandhi Notes
- External sandhi resolved as: इन्दुरक्षाः → इन्दुः अक्षाः (visarga before vowel)
- पवित्रमत्यव्ययम् → पवित्रम् अति अव्ययम् (final -म् + initial vowel; particle अति separated)
- पुनान इन्दुरिन्द्रमाऽ → पुनानः इन्दुः इन्द्रम् आ (visarga before vowel; final आ retained as separate upasarga)
- Accent marks in the input are noted but not re-assigned per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pressed Soma (Indu) flows forth through the filter, beyond what fails; purifying himself, he moves toward Indra.
Inner meaning
When Delight is ‘pressed’ by discipline and aspiration, it streams through the inner filter (pavitra)—the discriminating, purifying faculty—passing beyond the perishing movements (avyayam: toward the imperishable). Thus clarified, Soma goes to Indra: the illumined Mind receives and is intensified by Ananda, enabling the victory over obscurity.
Universal truth
True joy becomes enduring when refined through discernment and offered to the higher intelligence; then it supports lasting clarity rather than transient excitement.
Themes
Soma-ritual, purification, offering to Indra, ascent
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.66, RV 9.67
Significance
The rishi articulates a key yogic sequence: extraction → filtration → imperishable poise → offering to Indra (illumined mind).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (Indu moving to Indra)
- Epithets
- indu (luminous drop), pavamāna (purifying)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Mediator that, once purified, strengthens the gods—especially Indra—so the cosmic order can be upheld.
Inner power
Bliss-force refined into a stable current that feeds illumination and right discernment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration (pavamāna) and offering that empowers Indra in soma sacrifice
प्र सु॑वा॒न इन्दु॑रक्षाः प॒वित्र॒मत्य॒व्यय॑म् । पु॒ना॒न इन्दु॒रिन्द्र॒मा ॥
प्र । सु॒वा॒नः । इन्दुः॑ । अ॒क्षा॒रिति॑ । प॒वित्र॑म् । अति॑ । अ॒व्यय॑म् । पु॒ना॒नः । इन्दुः॑ । इन्द्र॑म् । आ ॥
pra | suvānaḥ | induḥ | akṣāriti | pavitram | ati | avyayam | punānaḥ | induḥ | indram | ā
A swift ‘going-forth’ movement (pra… akṣāḥ) ending in a decisive ‘toward Indra’.
Encourages release of impurities and a forward aspiration toward higher clarity.
- सुवान (suvāna)
- Literal: being pressed out. Symbolic: Ananda extracted by tapas, concentration, and sincere practice
- इन्दु (indu)
- Literal: drop, bright Soma. Symbolic: luminous delight-drop, concentrated bliss-force
- पवित्र (pavitra)
- Literal: filter, purifier. Symbolic: inner discrimination and purity that separates truth from mixture
- अव्यय (avyaya)
- Literal: imperishable, unfailing. Symbolic: the deathless poise of consciousness beyond decay/ego-reactivity
- इन्द्रम् आ (indram ā)
- Literal: toward Indra. Symbolic: toward the illumined mind-power that can wield the clarified force
Directly reflects the filtration moment: Soma flows through pavitra and is offered to Indra; suitable to the mid-pressing/libation sequence to Indra in Soma rites.
As Soma is strained and made fit for offering; often associated with chants that ‘send’ Soma to the gods.
Filtering and libation; invocation of Indra’s strengthening.
Chant when transitioning from emotional turbulence to clear decision-making; use as a ‘purify and offer upward’ practice.
suvāná: Soma-technical from √su ‘press out’. akṣāri: from √kṣar ‘flow, stream’. pavitra: instrument noun from √pū ‘purify’ → ‘means of purification’. avyaya: ‘imperishable’ (a- privative + vyaya ‘loss/decay’). indra: ‘the powerful/sovereign’ (traditional derivations vary), here as the receiving god-mind.
transcendence (ati), imperishability (avyaya), purification leading to higher mind (Indra)
The ‘right flow’ through pavitra restores order by removing mixture (anṛta).
Movement toward avyaya indicates anchoring in truth that does not fail.
Ascent from mutable to imperishable; offering of essence to the sovereign light.
Integral yoga psychology: purification of Ananda to support illumination (Indra).
Filter = discernment; flow = pranic-psychic current; imperishable = stable witness-consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The filtered Soma going to Indra: the clarified essence overpasses decay and reaches the sovereign power. Psychologically, the refined delight-consciousness, once discriminated, rises to energize the illumined mind (Indra).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √kṣar ‘flow’ belongs to an old hydrodynamic verb set in Indo-Iranian; avyaya shows inherited privative morphology and the abstraction of ‘loss/decay’ (vyaya) as a negated state—common in IE via privatives.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer’s work (pressing and filtering) is mirrored inwardly: disciplined extraction and discrimination allow Soma to become ‘imperishable’ in effect and fit for Indra. The reciprocity is ascent-and-reception: the offering rises, Indra is invoked to accept and empower.
Let the pressed-up joy-current pass through inner discernment into an imperishable stillness; offer it to the illumined mind for right action.
Manipura (tapas/pressing) refining into Ajna (Indra/illumination)
4-4-6 breathing; on exhale imagine impurities leaving through the ‘filter’, on inhale a cool bright Indu rising.
Purified clarity with gentle uplift.
Before chanting, set one ‘mixture’ to release (restlessness, craving). Chant, then sit in stillness (avyaya) and invoke Indra as clear discrimination.
Unspecified (needs full accent notation mapping).
Give a clear forward push on pra; keep pavitram crisp; hold long vowels in avyayam and indram.
pra: rolled ‘r’ lightly, akṣāḥ: kṣ cluster clean; final ḥ audible, pavitram: short i; tr cluster sharp, avyayam: vya as ‘vya’, not ‘vi-ya’, punāna: long ā
Clear and cleansing, slightly faster to mirror ‘flowing forth’.
27
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