Rig Veda 9.8.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 8, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.8
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
पुनानासश्चमूषदो गच्छन्तो वायुमश्विना । ते नो धान्तु सुवीर्यम् ॥
punānā́saś camū-sádo gácchanto vāyúm aśvínā | té no dhāntu su-vī́ryam ||
यह सोम की लहरें अपने आप को साफ करती हैं। प्याले में बैठ कर वायु के पास जाती हैं, अश्विन भाइयों के पास भी। हमें भी अच्छी ताकत दे ताकि हम भी स्ट्रॉन्ग बन जाएँ।
Word by Word
- पुनानासः
- being purified; purifying (Soma-drops)Adjective/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी शानच्: ‘शुद्ध्यमानाः/पवमानाः’)Role कर्तृ (गच्छन्तः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) अथवा कर्तृसमासःRoot पु (धातु) → पुनान (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय)
- चमूषदः
- those seated in the ladles/vats; abiding in the pressing-vesselsNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (पुनानासः/गच्छन्तः इत्यस्य सह-कर्तृवाचकः) अथवा विशेषणम्Root चमू (प्रातिपदिक) + सद् (धातु) → -सद (उपपद-समास/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः) अथवा ‘चमूषद्’ इति प्रातिपदिकम्
- गच्छन्तः
- going; proceedingVerb/Participleपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम् (वर्तमानकालिकः कर्तरि शतृ: ‘गच्छन्तः’)Role कर्तृRoot गम् (धातु) → गच्छत् (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
- वायुम्
- Vāyu (the Wind-god)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (गच्छन्तः किम्? वायुम्) / सम्प्रदानार्थे गत्यर्थकर्मRoot वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अश्विना
- the Aśvins (the twin gods)Noun (Dual deity-name)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, द्विवचनम् (अश्विनौ) — वैदिके ‘अश्विना’ इति द्वितीयाद्विवचन-रूपम्Role कर्म (गच्छन्तः किम्? अश्विना) / सह-गत्यर्थकर्मRoot अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- ते
- theyPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (धान्तु इत्यस्य) संदर्भे ‘they’Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- for us; to usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचनस्य एन्क्लिटिक-रूपम्; अत्र चतुर्थ्यर्थः (अस्मभ्यम्) प्रायःRole सम्प्रदान (धान्तु—‘for us’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- धान्तु
- let them place/bestow; let them grantVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role क्रिया (विधेय) — ‘let them bestow/establish’Root धा (धातु) ‘धारणे/स्थापने/पोषणे’
- सुवीर्यम्
- good heroism; excellent strength/valourNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (धान्तु किम्? सुवीर्यम्)Root सु- (उपसर्ग) + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: पुनानासः | चमूषदः | गच्छन्तः | वायुम् | अश्विना | ते | नः | धान्तु | सुवीर्यम् । 1) ‘पुनानासः’ = पु-धातोः वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी शानच्-कृदन्तः (पवमानार्थः) प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्। 2) ‘चमूषदः’ वैदिक-प्रयोगः
- ‘चमू’ (लadle/vat) इत्युपपदेन ‘-सद्’ (सद् धातु) युक्तं प्रातिपदिकम्—‘चमूषद्’। 3) ‘अश्विना’ इति द्विवचनस्य वैदिकं रूपम् (अश्विनौ इत्यर्थे) कर्मपदे। 4) ‘नः’ एन्क्लिटिकं सर्वनामरूपम्
- अत्र धातोः ‘धा’ सह चतुर्थ्यर्थे (अस्मभ्यं) ग्रहणीयम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purifying themselves, seated in the cup, going to Vāyu and the Aśvins—may they establish in us good hero-power.
Inner meaning
The Soma currents, already in the vessel of offering (camū-sadaḥ), purify themselves—meaning the delight in us becomes clarified, free from mixture of desire and inertia. They ‘go to Vāyu and the Aśvins’: they first rectify the life-breath and vital movement (Vāyu) and then call the swift twin powers of intuitive healing (Aśvins) to restore balance. The result sought is su-vīrya: not aggressive force but luminous, well-ordered hero-power—courage with clarity, energy with right direction.
Universal truth
When joy is purified, it heals the vital and awakens swift intuition; then strength becomes wholesome, steady, and beneficial to all parts of life.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Vāyu-Aśvins linkage, Empowerment, Stabilization
The seer
- Rishi
- Ascribed in the Anukramaṇī to a Soma Pavamāna seer (RV 9.8 commonly Kāṇva-associated)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.7.7, RV 9.8.1
Family tradition
Pavamāna tradition integrates Soma with prāṇa (Vāyu) and healing intuition (Aśvins), showing a practical psychology of transformation.
Significance
The seer teaches the sequence: purify delight → harmonize breath/vital → awaken swift healing intuition → establish luminous strength.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Vāyu and Aśvins as recipients/companions)
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Indu
- Related deities
- Vāyu, Aśvins
Cosmic role
Soma as purifier in the ritual cup, moving to empower life-force and restore wholeness.
Inner power
Clarified Ananda that stabilizes prāṇa and calls intuitive healing, culminating in su-vīrya.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering to Vāyu/Aśvins
पु॒ना॒नास॑श्चमू॒षदो॒ गच्छ॑न्तो वा॒युम॒श्विना॑ । ते नो॑ धान्तु सु॒वीर्य॑म् ॥
पु॒ना॒नासः॑ । च॒मू॒ऽसदः॑ । गच्छ॑न्तः । वा॒युम् । अ॒श्विना॑ । ते । नः॒ । धा॒न्तु॒ । सु॒ऽवीर्य॑म् ॥
punānāsaḥ | camū-sadaḥ | gacchantaḥ | vāyum | aśvinā | te | naḥ | dhāntu | su-vīryam
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4 × 8 syllables
Practical and directive; a clear movement from purification to establishment.
Centers the practitioner (cup/heart), then energizes breath and brings a sense of swift repair and readiness.
- punānāsaḥ
- Literal: purifying (themselves). Symbolic: Delight clarified of desire-mix; consciousness refined to transparency
- camū-sadaḥ
- Literal: seated in the cup. Symbolic: Established in the receptive vessel of the heart/being prepared for offering
- vāyum
- Literal: Vāyu. Symbolic: Prāṇa and vital dynamism to be uplifted
- aśvinā
- Literal: Aśvins. Symbolic: Swift intuitive healers; integrators of the being
- dhāntu
- Literal: may they place/establish. Symbolic: Fix firmly as a stable attainment (not a passing mood)
- su-vīryam
- Literal: good hero-power. Symbolic: Luminous strength—effective will guided by clarity and harmony
Soma offerings to Vāyu and Aśvins; ‘camū’ indicates Soma placed in cups for offering in Soma rites
In Soma-yajña during phases where Soma is in the cup and offerings are directed to Vāyu or Aśvins
Chant while visualizing Soma settling in the cup and then rising as breath-current; offer for healing and strength
Use before pranayama or when recovering from fatigue/fragmentation; to establish wholesome energy.
camū-sadaḥ is a ritual-technical epithet (Soma seated in cups) but innerly indicates stabilization of delight in the ‘vessel’ of the being. √dhā (PIE *dʰeh₁-) is foundational: ‘to set’ powers into the practitioner. su-vīrya: not brute strength but well-formed effective power aligned with ṛta.
Establishment (dhā) of power in the vessel, Su-vīrya as harmonized strength
Purification aligns the vital with ṛta; su-vīrya is strength that obeys right order.
Clarified Soma supports truthful vitality—energy without distortion.
From vessel to movement: essence embodied (cup) becomes dynamic force (Vāyu) and healing integration (Aśvins).
Vedic yoga of prāṇa and Ananda as mutually supportive instruments of transformation.
Cup = heart/psyche as receptacle; wind = breath currents; purification = clarification of emotions/impulses.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Soma carried to the gods and returning as power’ mythologem: purified Soma goes to Vāyu and the Aśvins and is asked to ‘set’ su-vīrya in us—innerly, breath-force and healing swiftness are activated and stabilized as effective strength.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā ‘set’ from PIE *dʰeh₁- (cf. Greek títhēmi, Latin faciō is different, but ‘do/put’ cluster is central). √gam ‘go’ from PIE *gʷem-. The compound camū-sadaḥ illustrates early Indo-European compounding strategies intensified in Vedic.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi petitions Soma not only to be offered outwardly but to become an inward installation of strength; the gods Vāyu and Aśvins represent functions Soma awakens, and the human asks for their gift to be fixed (dhā) as su-vīrya.
Place awareness in the heart as a ‘cup’; invite a clear sweet presence; let it ride the breath upward; request swift inner healing and establishment of luminous strength.
Anāhata (cup/receiving) with prāṇa flow through Suṣumṇā; supportive activation of Maṇipūra (suvīrya).
Nāḍī-śodhana 7 rounds, then chant; or gentle ujjāyī to feel Vāyu’s smoothness.
Purified vitality—quietly strong and integrated.
Chant 9 or 27 times; after chanting, sit and feel the breath become ‘clean’; affirm one healing intention; act with measured energy.
Rigvedic three-tone; keep punānāsaḥ as a clean opening with steady pitch movement.
Do not rush camūṣado; articulate the retroflex ṣ in camūṣado clearly; let the final prayer te no dhāntu… land firmly.
punānāsaḥ: long ā; final ḥ light, camūṣadaḥ: long ū; retroflex ṣ; dental d, gacchantaḥ: double cch; nasal n before t, suvīryam: long ī; avoid turning vī into ‘vee’—keep Sanskrit vowel purity
Clear, centered, slightly breath-aware (audible but gentle); end with grounded resonance on -ryam.
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