Rig Veda 9.71.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 71, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.71
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
उक्षेव यूथा परियन्नरावीदधि त्विषीरधित सूर्यस्य । दिव्यः सुपर्णोऽव चक्षत क्षां सोमः परि क्रतुना पश्यते जाः ॥
ukṣéva yū́thā pariyán arāvīd ádhi tviṣī́r adhita sū́ryasya | divyáḥ supárṇo’vá cakṣata kṣā́ṁ sómaḥ pári krátunā paśyate jā́ḥ ||
वो बैल की तरह झुंड के साथ चलता है और आवाज़ निकालता है। उसकी चमक सूरज पर चमकने लगती है। एक उड़ने वाली शक्ति धरती को देखती है। सोम अपनी इच्छा से देखता है कि सब जानवर और लोग कैसे पैदा हो रहे हैं।
Word by Word
- उक्षेव
- like a bullNoun+Indeclinable (simile)उक्षन्-शब्द: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उपमान); इव: अव्ययRole Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृसदृशता)Root उक्षन् (प्रातिपदिक) / उक्ष् (धातु ‘सिञ्चने/वर्षणे’ से व्युत्पन्न) + इव
- यूथा
- troops, herdsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot यूथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- aroundIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot परि
- यन्
- going, movingVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सोमः/दिव्यः सुपर्णः)Root या (धातु)
- अरावीत्
- he roared, cried aloudVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot रु (धातु ‘शब्दे/रवे’) + आ (उपसर्ग)
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinable (preverb/preposition)उपसर्ग/उपपदRole Adhikaraṇa (उपरि/अधिष्ठाने)Root अधि
- त्विषीः
- splendours, flashesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot त्विष् (प्रातिपदिक ‘दीप्ति/तेजस्’)
- अधित
- moreover/over and above (emphatic)Indeclinableवैदिक निपात; अर्थे ‘अधि/अतिशयेन’Root अधि (अव्यय) + त (निपात/पदपूरण; वैदिक)
- सूर्यस्य
- of the SunNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिव्यः
- heavenlyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुपर्णः
- the fair-winged one (bird)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सुपर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
- अव
- down, forthIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot अव
- चक्षत
- he beheld, looked uponVerbलुङ् (अorist; वैदिक), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (दिव्यः सुपर्णः/सोमः)Root चक्ष् (धातु ‘दर्शने/प्रख्याने’)
- क्षाम्
- the earthNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot क्षाम्/क्षाम् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पृथिवी’)
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- aroundIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गRoot परि
- क्रतुना
- by (his) will/insight, by power of intentionNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पश्यते
- he seesVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (सोमः)Root पश् (धातु ‘दर्शने’)
- जाः
- the peoples, creaturesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वैदिक रूप; ‘जनान्/प्रजान्’)Role KarmaRoot जा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जन/प्रजा/जात’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): उक्षे॒व (= उक्षन् + इव; न् लोप/अनुस्वार-प्रकृति वैदिक), यूथा (असन्धि), परि + यन् (उपसर्ग-योग), अरावीत् (आ-रु धातोः लुङ्), अधि त्विषीः (उपपद-योग), अधित (अधि + त वैदिक निपात), सूर्यस्य (षष्ठी), सुपर्णोऽव (= सुपर्णः + अव; विसर्ग→ओऽ), चक्षत (चक्ष् लुङ्), क्षाम् (कर्म), सोमः (कर्ता), परि + क्रतुना (उपसर्ग-योग), पश्यते (आत्मनेपद), जाः (वैदिक द्वितीया बहुवचन)
- Accent marks in saṃhitā are retained in the source but not re-applied per pada here
The meaning
Outer meaning
Like a bull moving with the herds he has bellowed; he has placed his splendors upon the Sun. A divine fair-winged one looks down upon the earth; Soma, with his will, surveys all births/beings around.
Inner meaning
Soma, as a strong realizing power (ukṣā), moves among the collective energies (yūthā) and ‘sounds forth’—the vibration of awakened Ananda that stirs the whole nature. He sets his splendors upon the Sun: delight ascends and takes its place in the solar consciousness (illumined mind), making the mind’s light more puissant. The ‘divine fair-winged’ (divyaḥ suparṇaḥ) is the higher seeing consciousness—swift, wide, and sovereign—looking down upon the embodied field (kṣām). Soma then ‘sees’ with kratu—conscious will/intelligence—surveying jāḥ: the births, becomings, and formations in us, so that evolution can be guided rather than accidental.
Universal truth
When delight becomes strong and conscious, it can illumine the mind (Sun) and bring a higher, wide seeing that oversees our becomings with intelligent will—turning life into guided transformation.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Solarization of consciousness, Divine vision, Bird/falcon symbolism
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition (Book 9)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.54, Rig Veda 9.55, Rig Veda 9.81, Rig Veda 9.110
Family tradition
Pavamāna seers link Soma with Sūrya (illumined mind) and with the bird-symbol of higher vision.
Significance
The rishi presents an advanced stage: Soma not only purifies but establishes its splendor in the Sun and gains a wide overseeing vision that can guide all becomings by kratu.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Ukṣā (bull-like), Sūrya-adhita-tviṣ (placing splendors on the Sun), Kratumān (possessing conscious will), Divya-suparṇa (divine fair-winged seer)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Indra, Viṣṇu (wide steps—resonant)
Cosmic role
Ananda that solarizes consciousness and grants wide, overseeing vision for the guidance of creation/becoming.
Inner power
Conscious delight that becomes intelligent will (kratu) and panoramic seeing; harmonizes earth-nature under higher light.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma praise during purification/approach to offering; solar association in Soma theology
उ॒क्षेव॑ यू॒था प॑रि॒यन्न॑रावी॒दधि॒ त्विषी॑रधित॒ सूर्य॑स्य । दि॒व्यः सु॑प॒र्णोऽव॑ चक्षत॒ क्षां सोम॒: परि॒ क्रतु॑ना पश्यते॒ जाः ॥
उ॒क्षाऽइ॑व । यू॒था । प॒रि॒ऽयन् । अ॒रा॒वी॒त् । अधि॑ । त्विषीः॑ । अ॒धि॒त॒ । सूर्य॑स्य । दि॒व्यः । सु॒ऽप॒र्णः । अव॑ । च॒क्ष॒त॒ । क्षाम् । सोमः॑ । परि॑ । क्रतु॑ना । प॒श्य॒ते॒ । जाः ॥
ukṣā-iva | yūthā | pari-yan | arāvīt | adhi | tviṣīḥ | adhita | sūryasya | divyaḥ | su-parṇaḥ | ava | cakṣata | kṣām | somaḥ | pari | kratunā | paśyate | jāḥ
48
4 × 12
Majestic and surveying; suitable for panoramic vision and solar placing.
Gives a sense of breadth and oversight; stabilizes the mind in a higher witnessing consciousness.
- उक्षेव (ukṣeva)
- Literal: like a bull. Symbolic: strong realizing force; potent energy of fulfillment
- यूथा (yūthā)
- Literal: herds. Symbolic: collective life-energies and movements in the being
- अरावीৎ (arāvīt)
- Literal: has cried/bellowed. Symbolic: vibratory awakening; proclamation of force in consciousness
- त्विषीः (tviṣīḥ)
- Literal: splendors. Symbolic: powers of illumination and radiance born of purified Ananda
- सूर्यस्य (sūryasya)
- Literal: of the Sun. Symbolic: illumined mind; truth-light in mentality
- दिव्यः सुपर्णः (divyaḥ suparṇaḥ)
- Literal: divine fair-winged (bird). Symbolic: higher seeing consciousness; wide overmind-like vision
- क्षाम् (kṣām)
- Literal: earth. Symbolic: embodied nature; physical/subconscient field
- क्रतुना (kratunā)
- Literal: by will/intelligence. Symbolic: conscious will that knows and directs
- जाः (jāḥ)
- Literal: births/creatures. Symbolic: becomings, formations, emergent states in the sadhaka
Soma’s epiphany linked with solar splendour; recitation during moments of exaltation/clarified flow in Soma service.
When Soma is celebrated as radiant and all-seeing, fit for offering to gods
Chanting while Soma flows/collects; mental ‘placing’ of Soma’s splendor in the solar realm
Chant to develop witness-consciousness and intelligent will over habitual patterns; helpful for clarity in life decisions.
kratu: not mere ‘sacrifice’ but will-intelligence (from √kṛ ‘to do’ with sense of effective power); Soma ‘sees with kratu’ → conscious discernment. supárṇa ‘fair-winged’ is a standard RV symbol for the soaring principle (often linked to the śyena motif). sūrya as solar truth-consciousness; placing tviṣīḥ ‘splendours’ upon it suggests establishing radiance in the illumined mind.
Kratu (conscious will) as seeing-power, Solar illumination as truth-consciousness, Surveying births (jāḥ) as integral awareness
Surveying births by kratu supports rita: right ordering of becoming under higher sight.
Solar placement implies Satya-light receiving and amplifying Ananda’s splendor.
Guided evolution: births/becomings are overseen and shaped by conscious will rather than obscurity.
Integral Vedic psychology: Sun as illumined mind; bird as higher plane of vision; Soma as Ananda becoming kratu.
day (solar)
Sun=illumined mind; bird=wide witnessing; earth=body/subconscient; bull=realizing force; herds=life-movements.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘divine bird’s oversight’ and ‘solar enthronement’ myth: Soma sets splendour upon the Sun and, as a divine winged power, looks down upon the earth, surveying all becomings with kratu. It is the myth of awakened, solarized consciousness that comprehends the whole field of life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- sūrya relates to PIE *seh₂u̯el- ‘sun’ (cf. Latin sōl). The bird-as-divine-messenger motif is widely Indo-European; the lexical compound supárṇa (‘good-winged’) exemplifies archaic compounding typical of early IE poetic registers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi presents Soma as the inner power that elevates perception into kratu—seeing that is also effective will. By establishing splendour in the solar plane, Soma becomes the overseeing consciousness in embodiment, guiding the practitioner’s relation to all births and movements.
Solarize the mind with purified delight; cultivate wide witnessing and guide habits (births) by conscious will (kratu).
Ajna and Sahasrara (witness + higher seeing)
Surya-bhedana (gentle, optional) or simple bright inhalation visualization to the brow; exhale into the whole body/earth.
Wide, solar, witnessing; intelligent governance of becoming.
Chant once, then visualize Soma’s radiance settling in a sun at the brow. Next, widen awareness like a great-winged bird looking over the ‘earth’ of the body; observe arising impulses as ‘births’ and choose responses by quiet kratu.
Rigvedic three-tone; keep ‘sūryasya’ and ‘kratunā’ clearly enunciated; exact accents from accent text.
Make the first pāda strong and resonant (bull-cry); brighten on ‘sūryasya’; widen and soften on ‘divyaḥ suparṇaḥ’; end with steady witnessing on ‘pari kratunā paśyate jāḥ’.
(ukṣeva): retroflex ‘ṣ’, ‘eva’ separate but smooth, ৎ (arāvīt): long ‘ā’, clear ‘vīt’, (tviṣīḥ): retroflex ‘ṣ’, long ‘īḥ’, (suparṇo): retroflex ‘ṇ’, (kṣām): aspirated ‘kṣ’ cluster, long ‘ā’
Majestic, steady, expansive; avoid rushing the panoramic phrases.
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