Rig Veda 9.81.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 81, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.81
- Rishi
- Not securely inferable from the excerpt alone
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna with a collective invocation of multiple devatās
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आ नः पूषा पवमानः सुरातयो मित्रो गच्छन्तु वरुणः सजोषसः । बृहस्पतिर्मरुतो वायुरश्विना त्वष्टा सविता सुयमा सरस्वती ॥
ā́ naḥ pūṣā́ pavamānaḥ su-rā́tayo mitró gacchantu váruṇaḥ sa-jóṣasaḥ | bṛ́haspátir marúto vāyúr aśvínā tváṣṭā savitā́ su-yámā sárasvatī ||
यह मंत्र सब देवताओं को बुलाता है। पूषन आए और सोम को साफ करे जो अच्छा देता है। मित्र और वरुण मिलकर आएँ। बृहस्पति, मरुत, वायु, अश्विन, त्वष्ठा, सविता, सुयमा और सरस्वती, सब पास आएँ।
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towards (here)Indeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (गत्यर्थे), अव्ययRoot आ (upasarga) अथवा आ (avyaya)
- नः
- to us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक ‘नः’ = ‘our/to us’; here best as dative plural)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद्
- पूषा
- PūṣanNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot पूषन् (प्रातिपदिक: पूषन्)
- पवमानः
- purifying, self-purifying (Soma)Adjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण पूष्णः)Root √पू (पवते) + शानच् (पवमान)
- सुरातयः
- good givers / bounties (or: generous ones)Noun/Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (समुच्चिताः)Root सु-राति (प्रातिपदिक: सुराति)
- मित्रः
- MitraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मित्र
- गच्छन्तु
- let (them) comeVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRoot √गम् (गच्छति)
- वरुणः
- VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot वरुण
- सजोषसः
- in concord, of one accordAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (देवसमूहविशेषणम्)Role Kartā (समुच्चितानां विशेषणम्)Root स-जोṣस् (प्रातिपदिक: सजोषस्)
- बृहस्पतिः
- BṛhaspatiNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot बृहस्पति
- मरुतः
- the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot मरुत्
- वायुः
- VāyuNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot वायु
- अश्विना
- the Aśvins (two)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा द्विवचन (वैदिके -ā अन्तः प्रथमा-द्विवचनरूपम्)Role KartāRoot अश्विन् (द्विवचन-प्रातिपदिक: अश्विनौ)
- त्वष्टा
- TvaṣṭṛNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot त्वष्टृ
- सविता
- SavitṛNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot सवितृ
- सुयमा
- well-guiding / of good guidanceAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (देवसमूहविशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणम्)Root सु-यम (प्रातिपदिक: सुयम)
- सरस्वती
- SarasvatīNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot सरस्वती
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धिविग्रह): आ | नः | पूषा | पवमानः | सुरातयः | मित्रः | गच्छन्तु | वरुणः | सजोषसः || बृहस्पतिः | मरुतः | वायुः | अश्विना | त्वष्टा | सविता | सुयमा | सरस्वती || 1) ‘आ नः’ = उपसर्ग/निपात ‘आ’ + एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम ‘नः’ (दत्तिवाचक ‘to us’). 2) ‘अश्विना’ वैदिक-प्रयोगे प्रथमा-द्विवचनम् (अश्विनौ) का -ā रूप. 3) ‘सजोषसः’ तथा ‘सुयमा’ बहुवचन-विशेषणरूपेण समुच्चित-कर्तृसमूहं विशेषयतः. 4) उच्चारणचिह्न (॑, ॒) ऋग्वैदिक-स्वरचिह्नाः
- पदविश्लेषे स्वरः यथापाठं ग्राह्यः, परं अत्र रूप-विश्लेषणं पदरूपप्रधानम्।
The meaning
Outer meaning
A collective invitation: may Pūṣan arrive with the purifying Soma; may Mitra-Varuṇa come together; may Bṛhaspati, Maruts, Vāyu, Aśvins, Tvaṣṭṛ, Savitṛ, Su-yamā, and Sarasvatī approach.
Inner meaning
As Soma-Pavamāna (the stream of purified Ananda) rises in the inner sacrifice, the seeker calls allied powers of the Integral Yoga of the Veda: guidance (Pūṣan), harmony and truth-law (Mitra–Varuṇa), the word of illumination (Bṛhaspati), dynamic life-forces that clear obstacles (Maruts), the breath-current that carries the offering upward (Vāyu), swift healers and restorers of the dual nature (Aśvins), the fashioner of forms (Tvaṣṭṛ), the awakener of the supramental impulse (Savitṛ), the right-governance of the journey (Su-yamā), and the flowing inspiration (Sarasvatī). The verse is a psychological ‘gathering of the gods’—assembling all faculties around the purified delight so the being can be harmonized and uplifted.
Universal truth
Spiritual transformation is integrative: illumination, right order, inspired speech, breath-energy, healing, creative formation, and guidance must converge around a purified core of delight for wholeness to manifest.
Themes
Collective invocation, Soma as unifier, Harmony and law, Inspired speech and formation
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.81 (Pavamāna Soma hymn sequence; exact seer attribution requires full Anukramaṇī entry)
Significance
The seer-voice here functions less as an individual biography and more as a ‘collective priest’ of the inner sacrifice, summoning a complete pantheon of psychological powers to stabilize the ascent of Soma (Ananda) in consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with a collective invocation of allied devatās)
- Epithets
- pavamāna (self-purifying/flowing clear), surātayaḥ (good givers)
- Related deities
- Pūṣan, Mitra, Varuṇa, Bṛhaspati, Maruts, Vāyu, Aśvins, Tvaṣṭṛ, Savitṛ, Sarasvatī
Cosmic role
Soma as the purifying stream that links earth-life to the luminous worlds; the delight that empowers gods and humans and makes the sacrifice effective.
Inner power
Ananda that clarifies mind and vital, draws in harmonizing and illumining powers, and builds a unified inner government (ṛta) around the psychic offering.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (Pavamāna) chants during Soma-yajña sequences.
आ न॑: पू॒षा पव॑मानः सुरा॒तयो॑ मि॒त्रो ग॑च्छन्तु॒ वरु॑णः स॒जोष॑सः । बृह॒स्पति॑र्म॒रुतो॑ वा॒युर॒श्विना॒ त्वष्टा॑ सवि॒ता सु॒यमा॒ सर॑स्वती ॥
आ । नः॒ । पू॒षा । पव॑मानः । सु॒ऽरा॒तयः॑ । मि॒त्रः । ग॒च्छ॒न्तु॒ । वरु॑णः । स॒ऽजोष॑सः । बृह॒स्पतिः॑ । म॒रुतः॑ । वा॒युः । अ॒श्विना॑ । त्वष्टा॑ । स॒वि॒ता । सु॒ऽयमा॑ । सर॑स्वती ॥
ā | naḥ | pūṣā | pavamānaḥ | su-rātayaḥ | mitraḥ | gacchantu | varuṇaḥ | sa-joṣasaḥ | bṛhaspatiḥ | marutaḥ | vāyuḥ | aśvinā | tvaṣṭā | savitā | su-yamā | sarasvatī
48
4 pādas × 12 syllables (expected Jagatī cadence).
Expansive, processional, suitable for listing and ‘gathering’ powers.
Creates a sense of assembling and convergence—many forces arriving into one field of consciousness centered on Soma.
- पवमान (pavamāna)
- Literal: purifying, flowing clear. Symbolic: the movement of consciousness that self-purifies into luminous Ananda
- सोम (soma)
- Literal: Soma-juice. Symbolic: divine delight/bliss distilled from experience
- पूषा (pūṣā)
- Literal: Pūṣan, nourisher/guide. Symbolic: the inner guide that leads the journey and protects the path
- मित्र (mitra)
- Literal: Mitra, friend/covenant. Symbolic: harmony, right relation, luminous concord in the mind
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: Varuṇa, lord of ṛta. Symbolic: vast truth-law, ethical-spiritual order that releases from falsehood
- बृहस्पति (bṛhaspati)
- Literal: lord of the Word. Symbolic: mantric intuition; the power that breaks open the closed mind
- मरुतः (marutaḥ)
- Literal: storm-gods. Symbolic: impulses of force that purify the vital and shatter resistance
- वायु (vāyu)
- Literal: wind. Symbolic: prāṇa; the carrier of offering and inspirer of movement
- अश्विना (aśvinā)
- Literal: the two Aśvins. Symbolic: twin powers of swift help—healing and right functioning of dual nature
- त्वष्टा (tvaṣṭā)
- Literal: fashioner. Symbolic: the formative intelligence shaping new inner embodiment
- सविता (savitā)
- Literal: impeller (Sun). Symbolic: the divine impulsion toward higher truth-consciousness
- सरस्वती (sarasvatī)
- Literal: she of the stream. Symbolic: inspired flow of speech/intuition; clarity of discernment
Soma rite as a gathering-point of devatās; invitation (āvāhana) for participation in offering and inner harmonization.
During Soma filtration/flow (pavamāna-stotra/recitation contexts; exact placement depends on śākhā).
Invoking multiple devatās to ‘come near’ as Soma is purified through the filter.
Used as an inner invocation before meditation: consciously call guidance, harmony, truth-law, inspired speech, breath-force, healing, and creative formation to support a purified state of delight.
This is an invocation list: deities as functional powers. Mitra-Varuṇa are paired for harmony and law. Bṛhaspati embodies brahman (inspired word). Vāyu is prāṇa-like movement. Tvaṣṭṛ is formative power. Savitṛ is the impulsion of illumination. Sarasvatī is the streaming inspiration/speech.
Integration of divine powers in the sacrificer, Harmony and law (Mitra-Varuṇa) as foundation for purification, Inspired speech (Bṛhaspati) as mediator of transformation
Mitra–Varuṇa indicate the establishment of ṛta in the inner and outer life as Soma is purified.
Truth becomes a lived order when the ‘many gods’ (faculties) act in concord (sajoṣas).
Formation of a new inner cosmos by assembling functional powers around the purified essence.
Proto-Vedāntic / Integral-Vedic psychology (Aurobindo-Kashyap lens): gods as powers of consciousness.
Purified delight rises like a clear stream; breath and dynamic forces clear the system; inspired speech flows; solar impulsion awakens higher intention; harmony and truth-law stabilize the new order.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The 'assembly of the gods around Soma' mythologem: purification is a centripetal act drawing multiple cosmic powers into one sacrificial field. Inner sense: when delight is clarified, all faculties—guidance, harmony, law, breath, inspiration, formation—can collaborate.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The enumerative catalog of deities is a common IE hymnic strategy (invocation lists). Many names encode functions through transparent morphology (e.g., Savitṛ from √sū 'impel'), reflecting archaic theonymic formation patterns.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi acts as convener: through invitation speech, he aligns and summons the divine functions to participate in the rite and in the inner economy of the sacrificer, aiming at a coordinated action rather than isolated boons.
‘Assemble the gods’: gather scattered faculties into a unified field around a clear, blissful awareness (Soma).
Anāhata to Ājñā (heart-delight rising to illumined mind).
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow equal breathing; on inhale ‘ā naḥ…’ (drawing in), on exhale ‘gacchantu…’ (settling/arriving).
Collected, harmonized, receptive to inspiration.
Begin with a felt sense of inner purity (pavamāna). Then name-invoke the needed powers: guidance, truth-law, inspired word, dynamic clearing, healing, creative formation. End by resting in a unified quiet delight.
Not fully derivable from provided excerpt; chant with Vedic udātta/anudātta/svarita as per śākhā recitation of RV 9.81.4.
Keep clear stress on invocatory ‘ā naḥ’ and on deity-names; maintain even pāda cadence (Jagatī-like).
Maintain long vowels: ā, ī, ū., Retroflex clarity: ṛ in bṛhaspati; ṇ in varuṇa., Avoid English ‘v’—use soft labio-dental/approximant for v (vāyu)., Sarasvatī: keep ‘sv’ cluster crisp (sar-as-va-tī).
Clear, summoning, steady (as if calling powers to assemble).
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