Rig Veda 9.71.8: Mandala 9, Sukta 71, Mantra 8
Sukta 9.71
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
त्वेषं रूपं कृणुते वर्णो अस्य स यत्राशयत्समृता सेधति स्रिधः । अप्सा याति स्वधया दैव्यं जनं सं सुष्टुती नसते सं गोअग्रया ॥
tveṣáṁ rūpáṁ kṛṇute várṇo asya sá yátrāśayat samṛtā́ sédhati srídhaḥ | apsā́ yāti svadháyā daivyáṁ jánaṁ sáṁ suṣṭutī́ násate sáṁ goágrayā ||
वो अपना रूप चमकदार बनाता है, उसका रंग तेज़ हो जाता है। जहाँ वो लेटा है, वहाँ से बुराई को भगाता है। वो पानी में अपने नियम से भगवान के लोगों के पास जाता है। अच्छी तारीफ के साथ आता है और सबसे पहले किरणों के साथ मिल जाता है।
Word by Word
- त्वेषम्
- bright, blazingAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्म (कृणुते इति) / विशेषणRoot त्विष् (प्रातिपदिक: त्वेष-)
- रूपम्
- form, appearanceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
- कृणुते
- makes, fashionsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot कृ (धातु)
- वर्णः
- color, lustreNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of him/itPronounषष्ठी, एकवचन (पुं/नपुं)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (सेधति इति) / निर्देशRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्र
- whereIndeclinableस्थानवाचक अव्ययRole अधिकरणRoot यत्र (अव्यय)
- आशयत्
- lay down, restedVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot शी (धातु; उपसर्ग: आ-)
- समृताः
- assembled, joined togetherAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (सेधति इति) / विशेष्यRoot समृत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; सम्-√ऋ/√मृ?; ‘समृत’ = ‘संयुक्त/समेत’ इत्यर्थे वैदिक)
- सेधति
- drives away, wards offVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot सिध्/सेध् (धातु; वैदिक ‘सेधति’)
- स्रिधः
- the hostile/obstructing ones (enemies)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (वैदिक), द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot स्रिध् (प्रातिपदिक: स्रिध्-)
- अप्सु
- in the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- याति
- goes, movesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot या (धातु)
- स्वधया
- by (his) own power/impulse; by svadhāNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
- दैव्यम्
- divineAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (नसते इति) / विशेषणRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक) → दैव्य (विशेषण)
- जनम्
- people, raceNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot जन (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्
- together, completelyIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root सम् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सुष्टुती
- good praise, fair hymnNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole करण/हेतु (नसते इति)Root सु- + स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक)
- नसते
- comes to, reaches, associates withVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot नस् (धातु; वैदिक ‘नसते’ = ‘approaches/attains’)
- सम्
- togetherIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root सम् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- गोअग्रया
- with the foremost of cows / with cattle in front (i.e., leading with cows)Noun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot गो + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास: गो-अग्र)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (major): यत्राशयत् → यत्र + आशयत्
- अप्सा → अप्सु (loc. pl. of अप्, Vedic sandhi/orthography)
- स्वधया दैव्यम् (no internal sandhi)
- सं सुष्टुती → सम् + सुष्टुती
- सं गोअग्रया → सम् + गोअग्रया. Accent marks in the input are preserved in the pada-forms only where they do not obstruct lexical identification
- pada-analysis is morphological (not full accent-parsing)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma makes a sharp blazing form; his color intensifies. Where he lay, made whole by right joining, he repels the disruptors. He goes in the waters by his own law to the divine people; with perfect praise he draws near, and with foremost rays he gathers into unity.
Inner meaning
As Soma purifies, it takes on a ‘tveṣa’ keen luminous form—intensification of conscious delight into a power that can act. ‘Where he has lain’ indicates the inner resting-place in the being (often the subconscient or the heart-depths) which, when ‘samṛtā’—rightly joined/ harmonized—becomes whole; from that wholeness Soma repels the sṛdhaḥ, the breakers of harmony (forces of division, inertia, and falsehood). Moving ‘in the waters’ (apsu) is Soma’s passage through the flowing life-mind substance; by svadhā (its own inherent law of truth-delight) it reaches the daivya jana, the divine powers within. With suṣṭutī (perfect praise: right vibration) it ‘draws near’ (nasate) and with go-agrayā—foremost rays of knowledge—it gathers the being into integration (saṃ).
Universal truth
When delight is purified into a luminous power, it heals division and repels disharmony. By moving according to its own truth-law through our fluid nature, it unites us with higher powers and integrates the personality by the foremost light of knowledge.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Rita alignment, Protection from disruptors, Foremost rays
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition (Book 9)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.73, Rig Veda 9.74, Rig Veda 9.95, Rig Veda 9.107
Family tradition
Pavamāna seers emphasize purification as intensification and harmonization, not mere cleansing.
Significance
The seer maps a yogic sequence: intensification → harmonization → repulsion of disharmony → passage through the waters → union with divine powers → integration by rays.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Tveṣa-rūpa (blazing-formed), Svadhā-vān (moving by inherent law), Go-agra (led by foremost rays)
- Related deities
- Aditi, Varuṇa (ṛta-guard), Indra, Sarasvatī (inspired flow)
Cosmic role
Purifier and harmonizer; a luminous Ananda that protects rita in the being and unites human nature with divine powers.
Inner power
Integrative delight-force that repels divisive movements and brings coherence via illumination.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering; protective function within rite
त्वे॒षं रू॒पं कृ॑णुते॒ वर्णो॑ अस्य॒ स यत्राश॑य॒त्समृ॑ता॒ सेध॑ति स्रि॒धः । अ॒प्सा या॑ति स्व॒धया॒ दैव्यं॒ जनं॒ सं सु॑ष्टु॒ती नस॑ते॒ सं गोअ॑ग्रया ॥
त्वे॒षम् । रू॒पम् । कृ॒णु॒ते॒ । वर्णः॑ । अ॒स्य॒ । सः । यत्र॑ । अश॑यत् । सम्ऽऋ॑ता । सेध॑ति । स्रि॒धः । अ॒प्साः । या॒ति॒ । स्व॒धया॑ । दैव्य॑म् । जन॑म् । सम् । सु॒ऽस्तु॒ती । नस॑ते । सम् । गोऽअ॑ग्रया ॥
tveṣam | rūpam | kṛṇute | varṇaḥ | asya | saḥ | yatra | aśayat | sam-ṛtā | sedhati | sridhaḥ | apsāḥ | yāti | svadhayā | daivyam | janam | sam | su-stutī | nasate | sam | go-agrayā
48
4 × 12
Strong, clarifying cadence; alternating intensity and resolution.
Felt as purification that becomes protection; supports inner firmness and integration.
- त्वेषम् रूपम् (tveṣaṃ rūpam)
- Literal: keen/blazing form. Symbolic: intensified conscious force of Ananda
- वर्णः (varṇaḥ)
- Literal: color. Symbolic: tone/quality of consciousness; vibrational intensity
- समृता (samṛtā)
- Literal: rightly joined/made whole. Symbolic: integration and harmony of parts of the being
- स्रिधः (sridhaḥ)
- Literal: breakers, disruptors. Symbolic: forces of division: doubt, inertia, hostile suggestions
- अप्सु / अप्सा (apsu/apsā)
- Literal: in the waters. Symbolic: in life-energy and mind-substance; the flowing field of experience
- स्वधया (svadhayā)
- Literal: by its own law. Symbolic: intrinsic dharma of truth-delight guiding movement
- दैव्यं जनम् (daivyaṃ janam)
- Literal: divine people. Symbolic: the gods within: illumined powers of consciousness
- सुस्तुती (suṣṭutī)
- Literal: good/perfect praise. Symbolic: right mantra-vibration; aligned aspiration
- गोऽअग्रया (go-agrayā)
- Literal: with foremost cows/rays. Symbolic: with leading illuminations that integrate the being
Purification in waters; praise leading Soma toward the divine assembly (daivya jana).
During filtration/flow when Soma is praised as purifier and protector against disturbing forces
Chanting to consecrate, protect the rite, and align participants with rita
Chant for psychological protection and integration—especially before deep meditation or after emotional turbulence.
samṛtā: sam- + ṛta indicates ‘made consonant with cosmic rightness’, enabling repulsion (sedhati) of sridh- (splitters). svadhā: not ‘food for Pitṛs’ here but inner autonomy/law-power (sva + dhā ‘self-placement’). go-agrā: ‘cow-leading/foremost cows’ → foremost rays/knowledges.
Ṛta-alignment (samṛtā), Svadhā as inner law, Repulsion of disharmony (sridh)
Soma repels sṛdhaḥ precisely where harmony (samṛtā) is established—rita defended in the being.
Intensified varṇa indicates Satya’s vibrational clarity replacing mixed tones.
From ‘lying’ (latent) to ‘made whole’ to active protection and unification—evolution of consciousness-force.
Integral yoga reading: purification as transformation and integration; ‘waters’ as life-mind field.
Waters=emotions/life currents; blazing form=concentrated awareness; rays=clear insights that unify.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ṛta-made-whole’ myth: Soma, aligned with ṛta (samṛtā), repels the splitters (sridh) and proceeds by svadhā to the divine community. It is the myth of harmony establishing itself and excluding disruptive forces.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ṛta (from √ar ‘fit, join’) parallels Indo-Iranian aša (Avestan), reflecting a shared Indo-Iranian concept of cosmic order. The opposition of order vs. breakers (sridh) is expressed through productive verbal morphology (sedhati) typical of early Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi’s su-stuti (well-formed praise) becomes a harmonizing instrument that helps Soma gather with the foremost rays and approach the daivya jana. The hymn is not ornament; it is the formative means by which the deity’s order-establishing action becomes effective in the practitioner.
Let Ananda intensify into a protective luminous sheath; establish inner harmony; unify scattered parts by leading insights.
Manipura (protective fire of will) harmonized with Anahata (wholeness)
Bhrāmarī (gentle) or slow exhale-focused breathing to ‘repel’ intrusive thoughts; keep inhale natural.
Integrated calm with firm boundaries; luminous flow through emotions without disturbance.
Chant once slowly, then scan the being: where there is ‘disharmony’ invite samṛtā (right joining). Imagine Soma moving through inner waters, pushing out disruptive currents, and gathering your energies into one stream of aspiration.
Rigvedic three-tone; keep the ‘saṃ’ clusters clearly articulated; exact accents from accentuated text.
Give crisp articulation to ‘tveṣaṃ rūpaṃ’; soften and stabilize on ‘samṛtā’; firm tone on ‘sedhati sṛdhaḥ’; broaden into flow on ‘apsā yāti’.
(tveṣam): ‘tv’ cluster, retroflex ‘ṣ’, (samṛtā): syllabic ‘ṛ’, long ‘ā’, (sedhati): dental ‘dh’, (svadhayā): ‘sv’ cluster, long ‘ā’, (go-agrayā): avagraha indicates close junction; keep ‘go’ long and clear
Calm, luminous, protective; avoid harshness even on forceful words.
3
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