Rig Veda 9.80.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 80, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.80
- Rishi
- Not securely inferable from the excerpt alone
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तं त्वा देवेभ्यो मधुमत्तमं नरः सहस्रधारं दुहते दश क्षिपः । नृभिः सोम प्रच्युतो ग्रावभिः सुतो विश्वान्देवाँ आ पवस्वा सहस्रजित् ॥
táṃ tvā devébhyo mádhumattamaṃ náraḥ sahásra-dhāraṃ duhate dáśa kṣípaḥ | nṛ́bhiḥ soma prácyuto grā́vabhiḥ sutó viśvā́n devā́ṃ ā́ pavasvā sahasra-jit ||
लोग तुम्हे निकालते हैं, तुम जैसे शहद हो, देवता के लिए। दस उंगलियों से तुम बाहर आते हो, हज़ारों धारा में। रिशियों ने तुम्हे पत्थरों से निचोड़ा है, सोम। अब तुम बहने लगो हो। सारे देवता के पास जाके साफ हो जाओ। तुम हज़ारों चीज़ें जीत सकते हो।
Word by Word
- तम्
- him / that (Soma)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- त्वा
- youPronounद्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेभ्यः
- to/for the godsNounपुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी बहुवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुमत्तमम्
- most honeyed / sweetestAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; तमप्-प्रत्ययेन अतिशयार्थःRole कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root मधुमत् (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + मतुप्)
- नरः
- menNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्रधारम्
- having a thousand streamsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root सहस्रधार (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + धार)
- दुहते
- they milk / draw outVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot दुह्
- दश
- tenNumeralअव्ययवत् (संख्यावाचकः)Role विशेषणम् (परिमाण)Root दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षिपः
- vessels / bowlsNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (RV-प्रयोगे ‘क्षिपः’ = पात्राणि)Role अधिकारण (यत्र दुह्यते/येषु)Root क्षिप् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘क्षिप्’/‘क्षिपि’—पात्र/आधार-नाम, RV-प्रयोगः)
- नृभिः
- by menNounपुंलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role करण (सह/द्वारा)Root नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रच्युतः
- having been set in motion / poured forthParticiple (Adjective)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; क्त (भूतकर्मणि/निष्पन्नावस्था)Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्; सोमस्य)Root प्र + च्युत (√च्यु ‘to fall/move’ से क्त-प्रत्यय; कṛदन्त)
- ग्रावभिः
- with pressing-stonesNounपुंलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot ग्रावन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतः
- pressedParticiple (Adjective)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (विशेषणम्; सोमस्य)Root सु (√सु ‘to press/express’ से क्त-प्रत्यय; कṛदन्त)
- विश्वान्
- allAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither / forthIndeclinableनिपातः (आह्वान/आगमनार्थः)Role क्रियाविशेषणम्Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पवस्व
- purify yourself / flow pureVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्Role क्रियाRoot पू (√पू ‘to purify’) / पव् (Vedic present-stem)
- सहस्रजित्
- O thousand-winning (one)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम् (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः)Role सम्बोधनRoot सहस्रजित् (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + जित् ‘conquering/winning’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रहः): तं त्वा देवेभ्यः मधुमत्तमं नरः सहस्रधारं दुहते दश क्षिपः । नृभिः सोम प्रच्युतः ग्रावभिः सुतः विश्वान् देवान् आ पवस्व सहस्रजित् ॥ 1) ‘विश्वा॑न्दे॒वाँ’ = ‘विश्वान् देवान्’ (न् + द् संयोगः; पदपाठे पृथक्). 2) ‘आ प॑वस्वा’ = ‘आ पवस्व’ (आ + लोट्-रूपम्; संहितायां दीर्घ/स्वर-प्रभावः). 3) ‘दे॒वेभ्यो॒’ = ‘देवेभ्यः’ (विसर्ग-लोपः/स्वर-संहिताप्रभावः). 4) ‘नर॑:’ = ‘नरः’ (विसर्गः). 5) ‘क्षिप॑:’ = ‘क्षिपः’ (विसर्गः). 6) ‘नृभि॑:’ = ‘नृभिः’, ‘ग्राव॑भिः’ = ‘ग्रावभिः’ (विसर्ग/विराम-चिह्नानुसारम्). उच्चारण-स्वर (उदात्त/अनुदात्त/स्वरित) संहितापाठानुसारः
- पदच्छेदे केवलं मूलपदानि दत्तानि।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Men (the officiants/strong ones) draw out Soma—most sweet for the gods—thousand-streamed, with the ten fingers; Soma, pressed by men with stones and released into flow, is urged to purify himself toward all the gods, as a conqueror of a thousand resistances.
Inner meaning
The seeker’s conscious powers (naraḥ) extract the essence of delight (Soma) from the pressure of experience (grāva-bhiḥ). The “ten fingers” symbolize the full instrumentation of the human being (sense-mind and active faculties) coordinated in inner yajña. The “thousand streams” are the many currents of clarified rasa/ananda pouring through the nervous-mental channels once the delight is released from confinement. Soma is invoked to purify (pavasva) the whole system and to move toward “all the gods” = all illumined powers within (will, light, harmony, wideness), conquering manifold resistances (sahasrajit) of habit, inertia, and subconscient obstruction.
Universal truth
When the essence of joy is consciously distilled from life through disciplined pressure and right handling, it becomes a purifying force that feeds every higher faculty; this integrated delight overcomes innumerable resistances and harmonizes the whole being.
Themes
Soma pressing, Purification, Offering to all gods, Abundance (thousand-streamed), Obstacle-conquest
The seer
- Rishi
- Ascribed in the Rigvedic Anukramaṇī tradition to a seer of the Soma-Pavamāna corpus (Kāṇva/Angirasa streams are common in RV 9)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.80 (Soma Pavamāna hymn context—rishi attribution applies to the whole sūkta)
Significance
The anonymous/collective tone typical of RV 9 emphasizes an experiential science: Soma as a repeatable inner process of purification and delight, rather than a biographical seer-episode.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- madhumattama (most honeyed), sahasradhāra (thousand-streamed), sahasrajit (conqueror of a thousand), pavamāna (self-purifying/clarifying)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Viśve Devāḥ
Cosmic role
The flowing, clarifying essence that moves from hidden source to luminous offering, strengthening the gods and sustaining ṛta through inner and outer sacrifice.
Inner power
Ananda-rasa that, when purified, becomes luminous joy and dynamic harmony, empowering all higher faculties and breaking subconscious coverings.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (Soma-yāga) and purification sequences (pavamāna recitations).
तं त्वा॑ दे॒वेभ्यो॒ मधु॑मत्तमं॒ नर॑: स॒हस्र॑धारं दुहते॒ दश॒ क्षिप॑: । नृभि॑: सोम॒ प्रच्यु॑तो॒ ग्राव॑भिः सु॒तो विश्वा॑न्दे॒वाँ आ प॑वस्वा सहस्रजित् ॥
तम् । त्वा॒ । दे॒वेभ्यः॑ । मधु॑मत्ऽतमम् । नरः॑ । स॒हस्र॑ऽधारम् । दु॒ह॒ते॒ । दश॑ । क्षिपः॑ । नृऽभिः॑ । सो॒म॒ । प्रऽच्यु॑तः । ग्राव॑ऽभिः । सु॒तः । विश्वा॑न् । दे॒वान् । आ । प॒व॒स्व॒ । स॒ह॒स्र॒ऽजि॒त् ॥
tam | tvā | devebhyaḥ | madhumat-tamam | naraḥ | sahasra-dhāram | duhate | daśa | kṣipaḥ | nṛ-bhiḥ | soma | pra-cyutaḥ | grāva-bhiḥ | sutaḥ | viśvān | devān | ā | pavasva | sahasra-jit
Triṣṭubh (probable; common in RV 9; verify by pada syllable count from saṃhitā text)
44
4 pādas of ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh norm)
Strong, forward-driving cadence suited to ‘pressing’ and ‘flow’ imagery.
Energizes aspiration and will; supports a sense of forceful release and victorious purification.
- मधुमत्तमम् (madhumattamam)
- Literal: most honeyed / sweetest. Symbolic: supreme sweetness of Ananda that nourishes the gods (higher faculties)
- नरः (naraḥ)
- Literal: men / strong ones. Symbolic: energetic inner workers: aspiring mental-vital powers turned toward yoga
- सहस्रधारम् (sahasradhāram)
- Literal: thousand-streamed. Symbolic: innumerable currents of delight/illumination released into the system
- दश क्षिपः (daśa kṣipaḥ)
- Literal: ten fingers. Symbolic: complete human instrumentation; coordinated faculties performing inner extraction
- ग्रावभिः (grāvabhiḥ)
- Literal: with pressing stones. Symbolic: pressure of tapas; concentrated discipline that releases the essence
- पवस्व (pavasva)
- Literal: purify/flow clear. Symbolic: clarify consciousness; remove mixture/obscurity from delight
- विश्वान् देवान् (viśvān devān)
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: all divine powers within—light, force, harmony, wideness
- सहस्रजित् (sahasrajit)
- Literal: conqueror of a thousand. Symbolic: victory over countless resistances (vṛtra-like coverings)
Soma pressing (savana): extraction with stones (grāvan) and hands; purification and distribution to the gods in the Soma sacrifice.
During Soma extraction/filtration and offering; chanted to accompany the flow toward the gods.
Pressing with stones, filtering, collecting in vessels; invoking Soma’s purification and distribution to deities.
Use as a mantra of inner ‘distillation’: before meditation, imagine pressing out the essence of joy from experience and offering it to all higher powers in oneself.
madhumat-tama: madhú 'honey/sweetness' + possessive -mat + superlative -tama → 'most full of delight'. duhate: √duh 'milk' → draw essence (ritual pressing; inward extraction of rasa). grāva: pressing-stone; sutá: √su 'press out'. prácyuta: pra- + √cyu 'set moving/let flow'. sahasra-jit: sahasra 'thousand' + jit 'conquering' (√ji 'to conquer').
Tapas/pressure as transformative discipline (grāva), Rasa (essence) extracted and clarified for divine functioning, Collective integration of powers (viśvān devān)
Soma’s purified flow is a current of ṛta: it sets the inner movements into right rhythm and offering.
Purification reveals the ‘true taste’ of consciousness—delight freed from mixture of desire and obscurity.
Release of hidden plenitude into many streams—abundance emerging from compression.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-psychological reading (Aurobindo/Kashyap): gods as powers, yajña as inner process.
Sweet flow = Ananda; stones = tapas/pressure; streams = pranic-mental currents; purification = clarification of consciousness; ‘toward all gods’ = integration of all higher faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The 'milking/pressing of Soma' mythologem: the essence is drawn out by human/divine cooperation (men with stones and ten fingers), becoming a thousand-streamed current offered to all gods. Inner sense: disciplined effort extracts delight-consciousness and makes it universally available to the powers of the soul.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √duh 'milk' and √ji 'conquer' are archaic verbal roots with broad IE resonance in pastoral/heroic diction. The superlative morphology (-tama) and compounding (sahasra-dhāra, sahasra-jit) reflect inherited Indo-European poetic economy: dense nominal compounds encoding action and epithet.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi positions human action (pressing, drawing out) as cooperation with Soma’s own self-purification (pav). The devatā is asked to become universally serviceable—toward all gods—thus returning the sacrificer’s labor as a widened, obstacle-conquering force.
‘Press out’ the essence of joy from the day’s experiences; let it flow as purified sweetness to uplift all inner powers.
Anāhata to Ājñā axis (joy rising into clarity)
Gentle ujjāyī or nāḍī-śodhana; on exhale imagine ‘flow/purification’ (pavasva).
From mixed vital emotion to clear, wide, luminous delight.
Begin with recollection of a quiet sweetness; apply steady inner pressure (tapas) without strain; feel multiple ‘streams’ of calm joy spreading; offer the joy to strengthen will, light, harmony; end with a brief silence.
Use Rigvedic accenting as marked in saṃhitā: identify udatta (raised), anudatta (lower), svarita (falling) per pada; this verse has multiple marked accents (e.g.,, -, :).
Keep udatta crisp and slightly higher; let svarita glide down; avoid flattening the cadence on long compounds like.
Maintain retroflex in ‘’ (ṇ-like r̥ cluster) with clear syllabic ‘ṛ’., In ‘’, nasalize ‘devān’ with proper anusvāra/visarga sandhi as per your śākhā style., Articulate ‘kṣ’ in ‘’ cleanly (k + ṣa)., Keep ‘pavasva’ as pa-va-sva (not pa-va-sa-va).
Bright, flowing, slightly forceful (as if accompanying a stream).
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