Rig Veda 9.9.7: Mandala 9, Sukta 9, Mantra 7
Sukta 9.9
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Raudra (fury)
अवा कल्पेषु नः पुमस्तमांसि सोम योध्या । तानि पुनान जङ्घनः ॥
ávā kálpeṣu naḥ púmas támāṃsi soma yódhyā | tā́ni punāna jaṅghanaḥ ||
सोम, हमारी ज़िन्दगी के हर काम में अंधेरा दूर कर। इन बुरी चीज़ों पे वार करो। तू पवित्रता लाता है और उन्हे बार-बार मार के भगा दे।
Word by Word
- अवा
- down; away; offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपात (क्रियाविशेषणार्थे)Root अव (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- कल्पेषु
- in the rites/ceremonial acts (kalpas)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- of us; for usPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुमः
- of the man; of the worshipperNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: पुमः = पुंसः)Role SampradānaRoot पुम्स्/पुंस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तमांसि
- darknesses; obscurationsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- योध्या
- to be fought; to be overcomeAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (तमांसि इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot युध् (धातु) → योध्य (कृत्-प्रातिपदिक; यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थे ‘to be fought/overcome’)
- तानि
- those (things)Pronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनान
- purifying (himself/itself)Verb (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक कर्तरि कृदन्त (सोमस्य)Role KartāRoot पू (धातु) → पुनान (शानच्-प्रत्यय; वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- जङ्घनः
- smite! strike down!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदRoot हन् (धातु) with intensive/reduplicated stem जङ्घन्- (वैदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: अवा | कल्पेषु | नः | पुमः | तमांसि | सोम | योध्या | तानि | पुनान | जङ्घनः । 1) पुमस्तमांसि → पुमः + तमांसि (विसर्ग-सन्धि: अः + त-). 2) सोम॒ योध्या: सम्बोधन ‘सोम’ पृथक्
- ‘योध्या’ तमांसि-विशेषणम्। 3) तानि पुनान: ‘पुनान’ (शानच्) कर्तरि, सोमस्य विशेषणम्
- तानि = तमांसि (अन्वयेन)
The meaning
Outer meaning
In all our formations, cast down our darknesses, O Soma; fight them. Purifying, strike them down again and again.
Inner meaning
In every kalpa—every configuration of life, habit, and self-formation—Soma is invoked as the purifying delight that becomes a warrior against tamāṃsi, the inner darknesses: ignorance, depression, inertia, false desire, subconscient obscurity. ‘Yodhyā’ calls Soma to active battle; ‘jaṅghanaḥ’ (smite/drive out repeatedly) indicates persistent purification: not a one-time experience but a continual cleansing where delight-force keeps defeating recurring obscurations.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires repeated purification: truth-delight must actively confront and expel the returning darkness in all parts of life-formation.
Themes
Battle of Light and Darkness, Psychological purification, Soma as warrior of consciousness
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.9, RV 9.113 (Soma and liberation motifs, thematic)
Significance
The seer gives Soma a distinctly tapasvin role: delight is not passive sweetness but a purifying warrior-power that clears the subconscient in every life-formation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Pūta (purified), Indu
- Related deities
- Indra (slayer of Vṛtra), Agni (burning purifier)
Cosmic role
Soma purifies and empowers the gods; in the human, it is the cleansing force that restores light and right order.
Inner power
Ananda as a fighter: bliss-force that wages war on ignorance and depression, repeatedly clearing the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and protective intent within Soma-yajña.
अवा॒ कल्पे॑षु नः पुम॒स्तमां॑सि सोम॒ योध्या॑ । तानि॑ पुनान जङ्घनः ॥
अव॑ । कल्पे॑षु । नः॒ । पुमः॑ । तमां॑सि । सो॒म॒ । योध्या॑ । तानि॑ । पु॒ना॒न॒ । ज॒ङ्घ॒नः॒ ॥
ava | kalpeṣu | naḥ | pumaḥ | tamāṃsi | soma | yodhyā | tāni | punāna | jaṅghanaḥ
Martial, imperative; short commands create a striking rhythm.
Energizes resolve; helpful when the practitioner feels heaviness or recurring negativity.
- कल्पेषु (kalpeṣu)
- Literal: in formations, arrangements. Symbolic: constructed modes of life and mind—habits, patterns, psychological structures
- तमांसि (tamāṃsi)
- Literal: darknesses. Symbolic: ignorance, obscurity, subconscient resistance (vṛtra-like covering)
- योध्या (yodhyā)
- Literal: fight, make war. Symbolic: active tapas of purification; luminous force confronting resistance
- पुनान (punāna)
- Literal: purifying. Symbolic: continual refining of consciousness by Ananda-truth
- जङ्घनः (jaṅghanaḥ)
- Literal: smite, strike repeatedly. Symbolic: persistent expulsion of recurring obscurations
Used in the purificatory flow: a prayer that Soma’s cleansing force actively removes inner/outer obstacles (tamas) during the rite.
Chanted to invoke Soma’s cleansing/protective force during the rite; also suitable as an apotropaic (warding) recitation.
Recitation alongside Soma flow/offerings to remove inauspiciousness and restore right condition.
Use during periods of mental fog, addiction patterns, or emotional heaviness as a ‘purification battle’ mantra.
kalpa from √kḷp ‘to be in order, be fit, arrange’ (PIE *ḱlep-? uncertain; Indo-Iranian well-attested). tamas from √tam ‘be dark’ (PIE *temH- ‘dark’ cf. Greek temenos is different; but ‘teneb-’ Latin parallels are often cited as areal/PIE *tem-). yodhyā from √yudh (PIE *yeudh- ‘to fight’). punāna from √pū ‘purify’ (PIE *pewH- ‘cleanse/purify’). jaṅghanaḥ intensive of √han ‘strike, slay’ (PIE *gʷhen- ‘to strike/kill’ cf. Greek φονός, English bane via different developments).
Ignorance (tamas) as obstruction, Purification (pavana/pū), R̥ta as right formation (kalpa as ordered shaping)
Darkness is disorder; Soma’s battle restores ṛta in the formations (kalpa).
Purification makes the being fit for satya—truth-perception and truth-action.
Ongoing creation as continual purification—manifestation must repeatedly clear resistance.
Yoga of purification (Aurobindo/Kashyap style): recurring subconscient returns are met by persistent Ananda-force.
night-to-dawn transition (implied by ‘darknesses’ to be cast down)
Night = ignorance/subconscient; Soma-moonlight = cool purifying joy that can also become a sharp clarifying force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- A direct ‘anti-darkness combat’ mythologem: Soma is invoked as the warrior-purifier who battles and repeatedly smites the darknesses within human formations (kalpas), restoring the field for Truth to act.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The combat lexicon (√yudh, √han) continues inherited Indo-European martial roots (PIE *yeudh-, *gʷhen-). The reduplicated intensive jaṅghanaḥ is a classic Indo-Iranian/Vedic strategy to express repeated force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Soma to take up the soul’s battle: the human offers purification (punāna), and Soma reciprocates by actively removing obscurities, making the person fit for right order (kalpa) and for Indra-like victory.
Identify recurring ‘darkness-patterns’ in daily formations; invoke Soma as cool, bright force that actively expels them.
Maṇipūra (battle/resolve) supported by Viśuddha (purification) and Ājñā (clarity).
Forceful exhale practice (bhastrikā light) for a few rounds, then steady chanting on long exhale to ‘drive out’ tamas.
Purifying intensity leading to clear, calm strength.
Chant when tamas rises; on each ‘ava’ feel a downward casting-out; on ‘punāna’ feel a cool wash; remain vigilant for returns and repeat without discouragement.
Not specified.
Make imperatives crisp: ávā… yódhyā… jáṅghanaḥ; keep soma vocative clear and open.
(avā): open ‘ā’, (tamāṃsi): long ā; anusvāra nasalization, (yodhyā): aspirate ‘dh’ clearly, (punāna): long ā; nasal ‘n’, (jaṅghanaḥ): ‘ṅgh’ cluster—keep velar nasal ‘ṅ’ before ‘gh’
Firm, martial, but not harsh; bright tone to avoid sinking into tamas.
21
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
