Rig Veda 9.71.1: Mandala 9, Sukta 71, Mantra 1
Sukta 9.71
- Rishi
- Traditionally attributed in Book 9 to Soma-Pavamāna seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna, with associated powers of Dakṣiṇā and Brahman
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ दक्षिणा सृज्यते शुष्म्यासदं वेति द्रुहो रक्षसः पाति जागृविः । हरिरोपशं कृणुते नभस्पय उपस्तिरे चम्वोर्ब्रह्म निर्णिजे ॥
ā dakṣiṇā sṛjyate śuṣmyā̀sadaṁ veti druho rakṣásaḥ pāti jā́gṛviḥ | háriropáśaṁ kṛṇute nábhaspáya upastíre camvór bráhma nirṇíje ||
दक्षिणा की ताकत चलती है, और वो मज़बूत बनके अपना काम पूरा करने आता है। वो जाग रहा है, और बुरी ताकतों से हमें बचा रहा है। सोम अपनी चमक बनाता है, आसमान जैसी चमक फैला रहा है। दो प्यालों के लिए वो मंत्र की ताकत बिछा रहा है जो सब साफ कर दे।
Word by Word
- आ
- forth; towardsIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- दक्षिणा
- the gift (dakṣiṇā); sacrificial feeNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
- सृज्यते
- is released/let loose; is sent forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot सृज्
- शुष्म्या
- with/through the mighty (one); by the vigorous oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (विशेषणरूपेण)Role KaraṇaRoot शुष्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक) < शुष्म
- सदम्
- to the seat; to the session/assembly (as a place)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सद (प्रातिपदिक)
- वेति
- goes; moves forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot इ (एति/इति) + वि- (उपसर्ग) → वेति (वैदिक रूप)
- द्रुहः
- of deceit/hostility; of the injuring powerNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (RV में प्रायः); षष्ठी एकवचनRoot द्रुह् (प्रातिपदिक: द्रुह्/द्रुह्- ‘injurer, hostile power’)
- रक्षसः
- of the demon (rakṣas); of evil spirit(s)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचनRoot रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पाति
- protects; guardsVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot पा (पालने)
- जागृविः
- the wakeful one; the vigilant (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot जागृवस् (प्रातिपदिक; परिपूर्ण/कृदन्ताधारित ‘wakeful’)
- हरिः
- the tawny one (Soma/steed); the golden/tawny (one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- रोपशम्
- a halter/strapNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot रोपश (प्रातिपदिक; ‘strap/halter’)
- कृणुते
- makes; fashionsVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot कृ
- नभस्पयः
- the sky-roaming/atmospheric (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot नभस्पय (प्रातिपदिक; ‘cloudy/sky-going’)
- उपस्तिरे
- has spread/laid down (as a covering)Verbलिट् (परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट; वैदिक); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot स्तृ (स्तरणे) + उप- (उपसर्ग)
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चय-अव्ययRoot च
- चम्वोः
- of/in the two cups (pressing bowls)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी/सप्तमी द्विवचन (वैदिक रूप; ‘of/in the two bowls’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot चमू (प्रातिपदिक)
- ब्रह्म
- sacred formulation; hymn/prayerNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- निर्णिजे
- for the bright garment/covering; for adornmentNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot निर्णिज्/निर्णिज् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘covering/garment, bright adornment’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविच्छेद): आ | दक्षिणा | सृज्यते | शुष्म्या | सदम् | वेति | द्रुहः | रक्षसः | पाति | जागृविः | हरिः | रोपशम् | कृणुते | नभस्पयः | उपस्तिरे | च | चम्वोः | ब्रह्म | निर्णिजे । मुख्य सन्धि/रूप-टिप्पणी: (1) ‘वेति’ वैदिक रूप: वि-उपसर्गयुक्त √इ (एति) का संक्षिप्त/स्वर-सम्बद्ध रूप। (2) ‘चम्वोः’ द्विवचन-षष्ठी/सप्तमी का वैदिक रूप (चमू-)
- (3) ‘उपस्तिरे’ वैदिक लिट्-आत्मनेपद (√स्तृ) ‘उप-’ सहित। (4) ‘शुष्म्या’ तृतीया-एकवचन विशेषणरूपेण (करणभाव)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Dakṣiṇā is set in motion; the mighty one comes to the seat and, awake, protects from deception and hostile darkness. Tawny Soma makes an adornment; he spreads the milk of the sky as a covering and lays down brahman for the two cups as a purifying robe.
Inner meaning
Dakṣiṇā is more than a priestly fee: it is the right-discerning power that ‘gives’ correctly—an inner generosity aligned with truth. When released, it moves the being toward the ‘āsada’—the settled seat of fulfilment in consciousness. Wakefulness (jāgṛviḥ) is the guard: the vigilant awareness that protects against druh (crookedness, perversion) and rakṣas (forces of obscuration). Soma, tawny with light, forms an ‘opaśa’—a luminous ornament/covering: the purified delight becomes the robe of the soul. ‘Milk of the firmament’ is the wide, nourishing clarity from above (higher mind) that descends and covers the lower nature. ‘Brahman’ here is mantra-force: the shaping word-power that becomes a purifying garment for the two cups—symbolically, the dual receptacles of our nature (mind and life, or knowledge and power) that must be cleansed to receive the divine flow.
Universal truth
Right discernment joined with vigilant awareness releases a purifying current: higher clarity descends, and the word of truth becomes a protective robe that prepares the whole nature to receive joy without distortion.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Protection from hostile forces, Mantra-power, Inner vigilance (jāgṛviḥ)
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna seer tradition (Anukramaṇī varies for RV 9.71)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.71.2, RV 9.71.3, RV 9.71.4
Family tradition
Often classified under Pavitra/Āṅgirasa-associated transmission streams for Soma hymns (recensional attributions vary).
Significance
The ‘seer’ here emphasizes vigilant discernment (dakṣiṇā + jāgṛviḥ) as the indispensable guard of the yoga of delight—purification is not automatic; it requires wakeful truth-sense.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Dakṣiṇā and Brahman as allied powers)
- Epithets
- pavamāna, hari, śuṣmī
- Related deities
- Indra, Bṛhaspati, Sarasvatī (as brahman/word-power resonance)
Cosmic role
Cleanses and elevates the offerings; establishes protection against hostile forces; mediates descent of wide luminous nourishment.
Inner power
Purifying ananda that clothes the being with mantra-clarity and vigilant discernment.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering into cups during Soma-yajña
आ दक्षि॑णा सृज्यते शु॒ष्म्या॒३॒॑सदं॒ वेति॑ द्रु॒हो र॒क्षस॑: पाति॒ जागृ॑विः । हरि॑रोप॒शं कृ॑णुते॒ नभ॒स्पय॑ उप॒स्तिरे॑ च॒म्वो॒३॒॑र्ब्रह्म॑ नि॒र्णिजे॑ ॥
आ । दक्षि॑णा । सृ॒ज्य॒ते॒ । शु॒ष्मी । आ॒ऽसद॑म् । वेति॑ । द्रु॒हः । र॒क्षसः॑ । पा॒ति॒ । जागृ॑विः । हरिः॑ । ओ॒प॒शम् । कृ॒णु॒ते॒ । नभः॑ । पयः॑ । उ॒प॒ऽस्तिरे॑ । च॒म्वोः॑ । ब्रह्म॑ । निः॒ऽनिजे॑ ॥
ā | dakṣiṇā | sṛjyate | śuṣmī | āsadam | veti | druhaḥ | rakṣasaḥ | pāti | jāgṛviḥ | hariḥ | opaśam | kṛṇute | nabhaḥ | payaḥ | upa-stire | camvoḥ | brahma | niḥ-nije
48
4 × 12 (probable)
Expansive, descriptive, with a ‘spreading’ movement matching the imagery of covering and laying down.
Creates a wide, protective atmosphere; supports sustained attention and wakefulness.
- dakṣiṇā (दक्षिणा)
- Literal: gift/fee; right side; offering. Symbolic: right discernment and effective giving aligned with truth
- śuṣmī (शुष्मी)
- Literal: mighty, energetic. Symbolic: strong awakened force of aspiration/effort
- āsada (आसद)
- Literal: seat, sitting-place. Symbolic: stable poise of fulfilment in consciousness
- druh (द्रुह्)
- Literal: deceit, injuring force. Symbolic: crooked movements of mind—distortion, self-deception
- rakṣas (रक्षस्)
- Literal: demon, hostile darkness. Symbolic: obscuring forces, tamasic invasions
- jāgṛviḥ (जागृविः)
- Literal: awake, vigilant. Symbolic: witness-consciousness; protective mindfulness
- hari (हरि)
- Literal: tawny, golden. Symbolic: luminous Soma-force in the vital-mind
- nabhas payaḥ (नभः पयः)
- Literal: milk of the sky. Symbolic: nourishing descent of wide higher consciousness
- brahman (ब्रह्म)
- Literal: sacred word, prayer. Symbolic: mantric shaping power that purifies and protects
- camū (चमू)
- Literal: cup, vessel. Symbolic: receptacles of offering in the being (mind/life)
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna) in Soma-yajñas such as Agniṣṭoma; recited during the flow through the filter and the filling of vessels (camū).
During straining/flow into camū, especially in Indra-oriented Soma sequences.
Recited to invoke purification, protection from rakṣas, and effective mantra-robe for the vessels.
Use before meditation as a ‘protective wakefulness’ invocation—strengthen discernment and guard against distraction/negativity.
: from dakṣa- (skill, capacity, rightness) + feminine formation; indicates effective, ‘right’ power of offering and discernment. (√sṛj, present passive): ‘is set free/flowing’, aligning with Soma’s release in pressing and with inner release of energies. : from śuṣma ‘impulsion, ardour’; the dynamic force that drives realization. (druh-): deceit/injury; in RV often forces that twist ṛta. : obstructive darkness; not merely ‘demons’ but formations opposing the truth-consciousness. (√jāgṛ): wakeful awareness—psychological vigilance. : ‘milk/juice’ from √pā/√pyā semantic field of nourishment; inwardly delight-essence. : from √bṛh ‘to expand’; the expanding word/vision that builds the inner rite. : nir- + nij (√nij ‘to wash/cleanse’), ‘purifying robe/brightness’, suggesting Soma’s luminous purification.
Ṛta (truth-order) defended against druḥ and rakṣas, Brahman as creative truth-word, Purification as inner clarification (nirṇij)
Dakṣiṇā embodies right alignment with ṛta—right giving/right choosing.
Jāgṛviḥ protects Satya by refusing distortion (druh) and darkness (rakṣas).
Descent and clothing: higher ‘sky-milk’ forms a covering; mantra-force becomes a robe—creation as progressive formation of consciousness.
Integral-yogic reading: purification + protection + descent of higher mind (wide nabhas) through mantra.
Sky = wideness of higher consciousness; milk = nourishing clarity; robe = protective purity; cups = mind and life prepared to receive.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Soma’s consecrated descent/approach to the ‘seat’ (āsadam) while guarding the rite: the luminous flow establishes itself, wards off druḥ and rakṣas (forces of falsity/obstruction), and clothes itself in a purifying radiance (nirṇij). It is the recurring Soma-myth of purification-and-protection: the divine delight becomes a vigilant guardian as it takes its place in the inner sacrifice.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key verbs preserve archaic Indo-European verbal semantics: √sṛj ‘send/let flow’ aligns with PIE *srew- / *ser- ‘to flow’ (cf. English ‘stream’ via related flow semantics, though not direct cognate), while √pā ‘protect’ reflects PIE *peh₂- ‘to protect, pasture’ (cf. Latin pāstor ‘shepherd’). √bṛh ‘expand’ (brahman) continues PIE *bherǵh- ‘to rise/high/augment’ (cf. Germanic ‘berg’ in the sense of height, and Slavic *bregъ ‘ridge’ as semantic parallels of expansion/height). The lexemes druḥ/rakṣas encode the RV polarity of truth-order vs. distortion, a structural feature typical of early Indo-European poetics (light vs. dark opposition).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi positions the offering-power (dakṣiṇā) and the truth-word (brahman) as reciprocal instruments between human aspiration and Soma’s action: the human side releases and establishes the right power of consecration, while Soma—wakeful within the practitioner—protects the inner work from falsifying impulses. The relationship is thus not transactional ‘fee-for-ritual’ but a yoga of cooperation: discernment (dakṣiṇā) opens the channel, Soma purifies and guards, and brahman forms the luminous robe of realization.
Awaken dakṣiṇā (right discernment) and establish a protective, mantra-robed field of consciousness.
ājñā (discernment/wakeful witnessing)
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) 6–6 with silent repetition of ‘jāgṛviḥ’ sense: remain awake.
Wide, guarded serenity; luminous containment.
Begin practice by invoking inner ‘right giving’: offer the day’s energies to truth; then feel a descending veil of sky-milk (wide clarity) clothing the mind and life.
Use standard Vedic udatta/anudatta/svarita; keep ‘dakṣiṇā’ and ‘jāgṛviḥ’ articulated with steady pitch control (avoid flattening).
Mark pauses after each protective clause (druho… rakṣasaḥ… pāti) to preserve meaning and force.
‘dakṣiṇā’ with clear kṣ conjunct and retroflex ṇ., ‘rakṣasaḥ’ with kṣ crisp; final visarga light before consonant., ‘nirṇije’ with retroflex ṇ and clear ‘ri’ vowel., ‘camvoḥ’ keep the v/w sound soft (labio-dental).
Clear, watchful, slightly softened (protective serenity).
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