Rig Veda 9.87.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 87, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.87
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
उत स्म राशिं परि यासि गोनामिन्द्रेण सोम सरथं पुनानः । पूर्वीरिषो बृहतीर्जीरदानो शिक्षा शचीवस्तव ता उपष्टुत् ॥
utá smā rāśíṃ pári yāsi gónām índreṇa soma sa-ráthaṃ punānáḥ | pūrvī́r íṣo bṛhatī́r jīradāno | śíkṣā śacīvas táva tā́ upa-stút ||
सोम रस, तुम रोशनी के ढेर के पास जाते हो और इंद्र के साथ एक रथ में बैठे हो। तुम पुरानी ताकत और खाना देते हो। हमें सिखाओ कि तुम्हारी ताकत को कैसे तारीफ करें।
Word by Word
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableसमुच्चय/उपपद-अव्ययRoot उत
- स्म
- indeed; surelyIndeclinableनिपात (स्मरण/एव/खलु-अर्थे)Root स्म
- राशिम्
- heap; massNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot राशि
- परि
- around; all aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot परि
- यासि
- you go; you moveVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole KartāRoot या (याति)
- गोनाम्
- of the cows; of cattleNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग (वेदे बहुधा), षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive) / Adhikaraṇa (contextual)Root गो
- इन्द्रेण
- with IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole KaraṇaRoot इन्द्र
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot सोम
- सरथम्
- having the same chariot; together in one carAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणवत्) अथवा पुंलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-एकवचन (सोमम् विशेषयति)Role Karma (as qualifier) / —Root स-रथ (रथ) / सरथ
- पुनानः
- purifying oneself; being purifiedParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्), आत्मनेपद-भाव, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (of यासि) / apposition to सोमRoot पू (पवते/पुनाति) → पुनान
- पूर्वीः
- former; many earlierAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (of दानो) / object-groupRoot पूर्व
- इषः
- refreshments; invigorating draughts; offeringsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वेदे इषः = इषाः) अथवा प्रथमा-बहुवचन (पाठभेद-सम्भव)Role Karma (intended gifts/refreshments) / Kartā (if taken as nominative)Root इष्/इषा
- बृहतीः
- great; loftyAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (qualifier of इषः) / —Root बृहती
- जीरदानः
- giving (them) quickly/keenly; a swift giverParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/अच्-समासान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (apposition to सोम) / agentiveRoot जीर-द (जीर + दा) / दा
- शिक्ष
- learn; acquire; practiceVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole Kartā (imperative addressed to Soma)Root शिक्ष्
- शचीवः
- O mighty/skillful one (possessing śacī, power/skill)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot शचीवस्
- तव
- of you; yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive)Root त्वद्
- ता
- those (things)Pronounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तद्
- उपस्तुत्
- praise; hymn of laudationNoun (action/result) / verbal nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वेदे -त् अन्त), अथवा अव्ययीभाववत् (पाठ-व्याख्या-भेद)Role Karma/Adhikaraṇa (as ‘praise’ to be learned) / —Root उप-स्तु (स्तु) → उपस्तुत्
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-splitting): उ॒त स्म॑ = उत् + स्म
- रा॒शिं परि॑ = राशिम् + परि (no change)
- यासि॒ गोना॒म् = यासि + गोनाम्
- इन्द्रे॑ण = इन्द्रेण
- सोम स॒रथं॑ = सोम + सरथम्
- पुना॒नः = पुनानः
- पू॒र्वीरिषो॑ = पूर्वीः + इषः (Vedic contraction/orthography: इषः used for expected इषाः; accent per Saṃhitā)
- बृह॒तीर्जी॑रदानो॒ = बृहतीः + जीरदानः
- शिक्षा॑ = शिक्ष
- शचीव॒स्तव॒ = शचीवः + तव
- ता उ॑प॒ष्टुत् = ताः/ता + उपस्तुत् (Saṃhitā shows ता; final -आ + उ- gives āu/āu̯, written separately here)
The meaning
Outer meaning
You move around the heap of cows, Soma, purified, riding in one chariot with Indra. Giver of ancient great refreshments, teach us, O mighty one, to praise those powers of yours rightly.
Inner meaning
Soma, purified delight, circulates around the rāśi of gōnām—not literal cattle but accumulated stores of illumination (concentrated light-knowledges). It moves saratha with Indra: bliss and illumined mind yoked together, one movement—joy supporting clarity, clarity guiding joy. Soma gives pūrvīr iṣaḥ bṛhatīḥ: ancient, vast impulsions/nourishments—enduring life-energies uplifted into spiritual force. The prayer ‘śikṣā… upaṣṭut’ asks for right praise: not mere speech but the capacity to align thought, feeling, and mantra with the true powers (śacīvas = mighty in effective will). In Aurobindonian terms: learn the right relation to the divine forces so that invocation becomes efficacious and transformative.
Universal truth
When joy and illumination work together, inner wealth accumulates; the human task is to learn true invocation—right speech and right attitude—so higher powers can act effectively.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Indra-Soma cooperation, Recovery/accumulation of light, Invocation and right praise, Inner nourishment-forces (iṣ)
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna seer tradition (exact rishi unknown without Anukramaṇī)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.87.9 (self), RV 9.76-9.97 (frequent Indra-Soma conjunctions in Book 9)
Family tradition
A Soma hymn that explicitly yokes Soma with Indra—common in traditions emphasizing victory and illumination together.
Significance
Highlights the integral pairing: delight (Soma) must ride with illumination (Indra) for stable progress; also emphasizes right mantra-knowledge (effective praise).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Indra as co-worker)
- Epithets
- Punāna, Jīradāna, Śacīvaḥ (mighty/effective—addressed)
- Related deities
- Indra, Sarasvatī/Vāc (right praise and inspired speech—implicit), Agni
Cosmic role
Accumulates and distributes luminous wealth; empowers Indra’s victory by providing purified delight-energy.
Inner power
Harmonizes joy and clarity; grants enduring nourishment-forces and teaches right invocation.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma Soma-yajña recitation; Pavamāna sequence
उ॒त स्म॑ रा॒शिं परि॑ यासि॒ गोना॒मिन्द्रे॑ण सोम स॒रथं॑ पुना॒नः । पू॒र्वीरिषो॑ बृह॒तीर्जी॑रदानो॒ शिक्षा॑ शचीव॒स्तव॒ ता उ॑प॒ष्टुत् ॥
उ॒त । स्म॒ । रा॒शिम् । परि॑ । या॒सि॒ । गोना॑म् । इन्द्रे॑ण । सो॒म॒ । स॒ऽरथ॑म् । पु॒ना॒नः । पू॒र्वीः । इषः॑ । बृ॒ह॒तीः । जी॒र॒दा॒नो॒ इति॑ जीरऽदानो । शिक्ष॑ । स॒ची॒ऽवः॒ । तव॑ । ताः । उ॒प॒ऽस्तुत् ॥
uta | sma | rāśim | pari | yāsi | gonām | indreṇa | soma | sa-ratham | punānaḥ | pūrvīḥ | iṣaḥ | bṛhatīḥ | jīradāno itijīra-dāno | śikṣa | sacī-vaḥ | tava | tāḥ | upa-stut
44
4×11 (approx.)
Circular movement (pari) followed by instructive cadence (śikṣā)
Stabilizes and integrates; ends with a prayerful, teachable mood.
- राशिम् (rāśim)
- Literal: heap, mass. Symbolic: Accumulated store of inner light/attainments
- गोनाम् (gonām)
- Literal: of cows. Symbolic: Of rays of knowledge/illumination
- इन्द्रेण सरथम् (indreṇa saratham)
- Literal: with Indra in one chariot. Symbolic: Union of Ananda (Soma) with illumined mind (Indra) in a single forward movement
- पुनाानः (punānaḥ)
- Literal: purifying. Symbolic: Clarified delight free from desire-mixture
- इषः (iṣaḥ)
- Literal: refreshments/impulsions. Symbolic: Nourishing forces; uplifted prāṇa energies and inspirations
- बृहतीः (bṛhatīḥ)
- Literal: vast, great. Symbolic: Widened energies of the larger consciousness
- जीरदानो (jīradāno)
- Literal: giver of enduring/ancient gifts. Symbolic: Bestower of stable, time-tested powers of the path
- शचीवः (śacīvaḥ)
- Literal: mighty, effective. Symbolic: Effective will/skill of divine force; capacity to make things happen
- उपस्तुत् (upaṣṭut)
- Literal: praise, hymn. Symbolic: Right invocation aligning speech-thought-heart with the divine action
Pavamāna recitation during Soma filtration; supports Indra-Soma synergy in offering
When Soma is prepared/offered for Indra; also in praise sequences to secure strength and plenitude
Chant while Soma is purified and offered; intention to accumulate ‘stores’ (rāśi) of light and nourishment
Use as a mantra for integrating bliss with discernment; also as a ‘right speech’ practice before teaching, chanting, or important communication.
√pū ‘purify’ (punānáḥ); √śikṣ ‘learn/teach’ (śikṣa). iṣ ‘impulse/nourishment’ from √iṣ ‘to impel, invigorate’ → inner energising movements rather than food. śacī ‘effective power’ (Indra’s śacī) → śacīvas ‘possessing might’. sa-ratha ‘same chariot’ signals coordinated divine action (Soma-delight yoked with Indra-force).
R̥ta (right order of movements ‘pari yāsi’), Śakti/Śacī (effective power as inner capacity), Education of consciousness (śikṣa as inner training)
Saratha (one chariot) indicates harmonized cosmic functioning—powers yoked under R̥ta.
Request to learn upaṣṭut implies truth-aligned speech that makes invocation effective.
Accumulation and organization of light-stores in consciousness; stable growth through enduring gifts.
Integral psychology: synthesis of Ananda and Knowledge; mantra as effective power (śakti of Vāc).
Circulation of purified delight around accumulated illuminations; integration with illumined mind; learning right speech as a creative force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The encircling of the ‘heap of cows/lights’ (rāśiṃ … gonām) by the purified Soma, together with Indra in one chariot—mythically the mustering and securing of the luminous wealth; psychologically the organisation of recovered illuminations into a stable store, through the joint action of delight (Soma) and victorious mind-force (Indra).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Again √yā (yāsi) and the chariot formula are Indo-European poetic inheritance (vehicle imagery for divine movement). iṣ (impulse/invigoration) is a characteristic Vedic abstraction built on verbal root semantics rather than concrete nouns, showing early IE capacity for ‘force-terms’ that are both physical and psychological.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi requests inner pedagogy: Soma is asked to ‘teach’ (śikṣa) the right mode of praise/approach (upa-stut), i.e., to shape the human receptivity so Soma’s ancient vast impulses (pūrvīr bṛhatīr iṣaḥ) can be received and stabilised.
Unite joy with clear intelligence; circle awareness around your ‘store of light’ (past insights) without pride; ask inwardly to be taught right invocation.
Ājñā (Indra/illumination) with Anāhata (Soma/joy)
Moderate japa; on ‘indreṇa saratham’ feel inhale and exhale become one coordinated movement; end with a quiet pause on ‘śikṣā’.
Integrated, steady, teachable silence
Recall a few genuine insights (rāśi of light); let a calm joy pervade them; then offer speech/thought to truth—resolve to speak only what aligns with inner clarity.
Vedic svara per Śākala; exact accent marks require the svara-pāṭha.
Keep ‘indreṇa soma saratham’ as one flowing unit; soften tone on the petition ‘śikṣā’.
saratham: light ‘sa-ra-tham’, no heavy aspiration., bṛhatīr: retroflex ṛ; long ī., śacīvas: palatal ś; long ī.
Steady, integrated, ending gently prayerful
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