Rig Veda 9.70.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 70, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.70
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
स मृज्यमानो दशभिः सुकर्मभिः प्र मध्यमासु मातृषु प्रमे सचा । व्रतानि पानो अमृतस्य चारुण उभे नृचक्षा अनु पश्यते विशौ ॥
sá mṛjyámāno daśábhiḥ su-kármabhiḥ prá madhyamā́su mātṛ́ṣu pra-mé sácā | vratā́ni pā́no amṛ́tasya cā́ruṇa ubhé nṛ-cákṣā ánu paśyate víśau ||
जब वो दस अच्छे कामों से साफ होता है, तब वो माओं के बीच चलता है। वो सुंदर अमृत पीता है। उसकी नज़र दोनों तरफ लोगों पर पड़ती है।
Word by Word
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मृज्यमानः
- being purified/cleansedParticiple (Passive) / Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकालीन कर्मणि कृदन्तःRole कर्तृ (विशेषणम्) / कर्मणि-भावःRoot मृज् (धातु) → मृज्यमान (शानच्)
- दशभिः
- with tenNumeral(त्रिलिङ्ग-प्रयोगः), तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुकर्मभिः
- with good deeds/ritesNoun (compound) / Adjective used substantivelyनपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot सु-कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root प्र (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- मध्यमासु
- in the middle (stages/places)Adjective used locatively (elliptic noun)स्त्रीलिङ्गे लोक. बहुवचनम् (वेद. प्रयोगः; ‘मध्यमासु’ = ‘मध्यमासु (स्त्रीषु/अवस्थासु)’),Role अधिकरणRoot मध्यम (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + आसु (स्त्री. ‘आ’/‘अस्’ इत्यस्य लोक. बहु.?) → ‘मध्यमासु’ (समास/पदबन्ध)
- मातृषु
- among the mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रमे
- forth/indeed; (or) ‘for me’ (if read प्र + मे)Indeclinable (Vedic particle) / unclear segmentationअव्ययम् (वेद. निपातः) अथवा ‘प्र’ + ‘मे’ (अस्मद् षष्ठी/चतुर्थी एक.)Root प्र + मा (धातु) → प्रमे (वेद. अव्यय/निपात-रूप; ‘प्रमे’ = ‘प्र + मे’ इति पदच्छेदे ‘मे’ = मयि/मम न)
- सचा
- together with, in companyIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root सच्/सच (अव्यय; ‘सचा’ = सह)
- व्रतानि
- vows/ordinances/ritual observancesNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
- पानः
- drinking; the drinkerParticiple/Noun (agentive)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot पा (धातु) → पान (कृदन्त; ‘पानः’ = शानच्/घञ्-प्रायः ‘drinking’/‘drinker’)
- अमृतस्य
- of immortality / of the nectarNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- चारुणः
- beautiful, pleasingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (वेद. रूप; qualifying अमृतस्य) अथवा पुं. प्रथमा एक. (if taken with पानः)Role सम्बन्ध / विशेषणRoot चारु (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- उभे
- bothPronoun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम् (or नपुं. प्रथमा/द्वितीया द्वि.)Role कर्मRoot उभ (सर्वनाम/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- नृचक्षा
- having men as observers; man-seeingAdjective (compound)(उभे इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root नृ-चक्षस् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय; ‘having men as witnesses/seeing men’)
- अनु
- after, along, in accordanceIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root अनु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पश्यते
- he seesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot पश् (धातु)
- विशौ
- the two peoples/clansNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम् (वेद. ‘विशौ’ = ‘two clans/peoples’)Role कर्मRoot विश् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सम्भाव्य): सः | मृज्यमानः | दशभिः | सुकर्मभिः | प्र | मध्यमासु | मातृषु | प्रमे | सचा | व्रतानि | पानः | अमृतस्य | चारुणः | उभे | नृचक्षा | अनु | पश्यते | विशौ । टिप्पणी: ‘प्रमे’ पदे वैदिक-पाठभेद/पदविभागः सम्भवः—(i) निपातरूपेण ‘प्रमे’ (प्र + मे इत्यस्य संहितारूपम्) अथवा (ii) ‘प्र’ + ‘मे’ (अस्मद् षष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन) इति। ‘मध्यमासु’ अपि वैदिक-प्रयोगः
- ‘मध्यम’ + लोक. बहु. अन्त्य ‘-आसु’ इति पदबन्धः (अवस्थासु/स्त्रीषु इत्यर्थे) इति ग्रहणम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, being cleansed by ten good workings, moves with the middle Mothers in the forward measure. Drinking beautiful immortality, with human-seeing he beholds both peoples/domains.
Inner meaning
Soma’s purification is not vague: it is accomplished by ‘ten right workings’ (daśabhiḥ sukarmabhiḥ)—a complete set of effective operations in nature (often read as the ten instruments/energies of the being brought into right function). He moves among the ‘middle Mothers’ (madhyamāsu mātṛṣu): the mediating powers/streams (often the Waters or nurturing energies) that connect higher and lower. In the ‘forward measure’ (prame), the evolutional step, Soma drinks amṛta—becoming established in deathless delight. Then with nṛcakṣā (human-seeing: a consciousness that can look through the human mind yet beyond it), he perceives both viśau—two peoples/domains: the divine and the human, or the inner and outer, unified in one vision.
Universal truth
Spiritual transformation requires many coordinated right actions; when the mediating energies are harmonized, immortality becomes experiential, and one can see both the transcendent and the worldly as a single field.
Themes
discipline and purification, integration of two domains, embodiment of ṛta as vrata
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.70.1–3
Significance
This verse is a practical psychology of purification: coordinated right workings, mediation by nurturing forces, fidelity to inner laws (vrata), and the emergence of a unified vision of both domains.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- mṛjyamāna (being cleansed), sukarma-kṛt (moved by right workings, implied), vrata-pā (keeper/drinker of laws, by pāno vratāni), amṛta-pā (drinker of immortality, implied)
- Related deities
- Mātṛs/Āpaḥ (nurturing streams), Ṛta (implicit through vratāni)
Cosmic role
Soma as the purifying delight that moves through the cosmic mothers/streams and establishes a unified vision across realms.
Inner power
Transformative Ananda coordinating the whole instrument-nature, enabling integral perception of both planes.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification/filtration chanting
स मृ॒ज्यमा॑नो द॒शभि॑: सु॒कर्म॑भि॒: प्र म॑ध्य॒मासु॑ मा॒तृषु॑ प्र॒मे सचा॑ । व्र॒तानि॑ पा॒नो अ॒मृत॑स्य॒ चारु॑ण उ॒भे नृ॒चक्षा॒ अनु॑ पश्यते॒ विशौ॑ ॥
सः । मृ॒ज्यमा॑नः । द॒शऽभिः॑ । सु॒कर्म॑ऽभिः । प्र । म॒ध्य॒मासु॑ । मा॒तृषु॑ । प्र॒ऽमे । सचा॑ । व्र॒तानि॑ । पा॒नः । अ॒मृत॑स्य । चारु॑णः । उ॒भे इति॑ । नृ॒ऽचक्षाः॑ । अनु॑ । प॒श्य॒ते॒ । विशौ॑ ॥
saḥ | mṛjyamānaḥ | daśa-bhiḥ | sukarma-bhiḥ | pra | madhyamāsu | mātṛṣu | pra-me | sacā | vratāni | pānaḥ | amṛtasya | cāruṇaḥ | ubhe iti | nṛ-cakṣāḥ | anu | paśyate | viśau
48
4×12 (approx.)
Processional and methodical; fits the stepwise ‘ten workings’ and ‘forward measure’.
Gives a sense of systematic purification and integration; stabilizes attention and breath.
- मृज्यमानः (mṛjyamānaḥ)
- Literal: being cleansed. Symbolic: ongoing refinement of the nature
- दशभिः सुकर्मभिः (daśabhiḥ sukarmabhiḥ)
- Literal: by ten good workings. Symbolic: complete right functioning of the powers/instruments of the being
- मध्यमासु मातृषु (madhyamāsu mātṛṣu)
- Literal: among the middle Mothers. Symbolic: mediating nurturing energies (waters/forces) linking higher and lower consciousness
- प्रमे (prame)
- Literal: in the forward measure. Symbolic: progressive step of growth; right proportion and advance
- व्रतानि (vratāni)
- Literal: laws/vows. Symbolic: fixed truth-principles governing the movement of realization
- अमृतस्य चारुणः (amṛtasya cāruṇaḥ)
- Literal: beautiful immortality. Symbolic: deathless delight as harmony and sweetness
- नृचक्षा (nṛcakṣā)
- Literal: human-seeing. Symbolic: a vision that uses the human instrument but is illumined
- उभे विशौ (ubhe viśau)
- Literal: both peoples/domains. Symbolic: divine and human; inner and outer; higher and lower nature perceived together
Soma’s cleansing through the filter and ritual actions; internal reading: ten constructive disciplines/operations refining consciousness.
During the stages of cleansing and offering; aligns with process imagery of mṛj- (to cleanse)
Chanted as Soma is clarified through successive actions; invokes right law (vrata)
A mantra for systematic sadhana: daily disciplines, ethical vows, and integration of higher insight with embodied life.
(mṛj) √mṛj ‘to wipe/cleanse/polish’ → purification as brightening. (vrata) from √vṛ ‘to choose/will/hold’ → a held law/intent; hence ‘divine law in action’. (daśa) functions symbolically as completeness (ten fingers/totality of operations).
vrata (law of being), amṛta (immortal essence), mediating powers (mothers)
Vratāni are practical forms of Ṛta—operational truths that govern growth.
Right workings (sukarma) imply alignment with satya in action.
Mediation and integration: middle powers connect worlds; unified vision arises.
Integral-Vedic: transformation through coordinated disciplines and descending delight.
Purification is inner catharsis; mothers are nurturing currents; measure is right proportion in growth; ‘both peoples’ are the two domains of consciousness seen as one.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma’s polishing/cleansing through structured powers (ten sukarma) and his movement among the Mothers—mythically the rite of purification; psychologically the disciplined refinement of the being through multiple faculties until it can drink immortality and see both domains in one vision.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mṛj ‘wipe/clean’ has Indo-Iranian resonance in purification vocabulary; √vṛ (in vrata) is PIE *wel- ‘to choose/turn’ with broad reflexes, supporting the sense of ‘chosen/held law’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi depicts Soma’s action as an inner praxis: purification occurs through ‘good workings’ that correspond to the sacrificer’s disciplines. Soma then grants a widened perception (nṛ-cakṣāḥ) capable of holding the duality without division.
Let delight be purified through ‘ten right workings’: align body, breath, senses, emotions, thoughts, intention, speech, action, discernment, and surrender.
Maṇipūra (right workings/discipline) supporting Ājñā (clear seeing)
Counted breathing in 10 cycles; each cycle dedicate to one ‘right working’ (e.g., truth in speech, calm in emotion).
Integrated, steady, quietly luminous.
Chant 10 times; after each repetition, briefly check one aspect of your nature and ‘cleanse’ it by returning to a clear, benevolent joy. End by holding awareness of both inner silence and outer life together (ubhe viśau).
Observe udatta on action-words and key nouns as per tradition; keep pāda endings gently resolved to convey integration.
Give slight emphasis to ‘daśabhiḥ sukarmabhiḥ’ and ‘madhyamāsu mātṛṣu’ to mark the process and the mediators.
mṛjyamāno: vocalic ṛ; jy cluster clean, daśabhiḥ: ś is palatal; bh is aspirated, mātṛṣu: long ā; vocalic ṛ; ṣ retroflex, nṛcakṣā: nṛ (vocalic ṛ) + cakṣā (kṣ cluster)
Even, methodical, soothing; let the sound feel like washing/clearing.
10
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