Rig Veda 9.95.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 95, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.95
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
तं मर्मृजानं महिषं न सानावंशुं दुहन्त्युक्षणं गिरिष्ठाम् । तं वावशानं मतयः सचन्ते त्रितो बिभर्ति वरुणं समुद्रे ॥
táṃ marmṛjānám mahiṣáṃ ná sānā́v aṃśúṃ duhanty ukṣáṇaṃ giri-sthā́m | táṃ vāvaśānám matáyaḥ sacante tritó bibharti váruṇaṃ samudré ||
सोम को साफ किया जा रहा है, जैसे कोई बड़ा बैल पहाड़ पर खड़ा हो। लोग उससे दूध निकालते हैं, वो चमकता हुआ पौधा है, पहाड़ पर खड़ा है। उसकी इच्छा से भक्ति जुड़ती है। त्रित समुंदर में वरुण को ले जाता है।
Word by Word
- तम्
- him/thatPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मर्मृजानम्
- cleansing/purifying (him)Participle (Adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (तम् इति सह) वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्तRole कर्म (विशेषणम्) / कर्मणि विशेषणRoot √मृज् (मार्जने) → मर्मृजान- (वर्त्तमान-कृदन्त, intensive)
- महिषम्
- the bull/buffalo (mighty one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (तम् इति सह, विशेष्य) / उपमान-भावRoot महिष (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like/asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक निपातRoot न (उपमा-निपात)
- सानावम्
- a ridge/slope (of a mountain)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (उपमान-प्रयोगे) / अधिकरण-सदृशRoot सानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अंशुम्
- the Soma-stalk; ray (Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (तम् इति सह; सोमस्य) / विशेष्यRoot अंशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुहन्ति
- they milk/drawVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √दुह् (दोहने)
- उक्षणम्
- the bull (sprinkling/virile one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्म (दुहन्ति) / विशेष्यRoot उक्षन्/उक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
- गिरिष्ठाम्
- standing on the mountain; mountain-dwellingAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (उक्षणम् इति सह)Role कर्म (विशेषणम्) / अधिकरण-संबन्धीRoot गिरि + √स्था (स्थाने) → गिरिष्ठा- (प्रातिपदिक, बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-समास)
- तम्
- him/thatPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- वावशानम्
- eager/ardent (him)Participle (Adjectival)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (तम् इति सह) वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्तRole कर्म (विशेषणम्)Root √वश् (वशे/इच्छायाम्) → वावशान- (वर्त्तमान-कृदन्त, intensive)
- मतयः
- thoughts; hymns/insightsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- सचन्ते
- they accompany/attach themselvesVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √सच् (समवाये/अनुगमने)
- त्रितः
- Trita (a Vedic deity/hero)Proper Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot त्रित (प्रातिपदिक; देव-नाम)
- बिभर्ति
- bears/holdsVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot √भृ (धारणे)
- वरुणम्
- VaruṇaProper Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक; देव-नाम)
- समुद्रे
- in the ocean/seaNounपुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (मुख्य): तं | मर्मृजानम् | महिषम् | न | सानावम् | अंशुम् | दुहन्ति | उक्षणम् | गिरिष्ठाम् || तं | वावशानम् | मतयः | सचन्ते | त्रितः | बिभर्ति | वरुणम् | समुद्रे || 1) साना॑वं॒शुं → सानावम् + अंशुम् (अ + अ संधिः; दीर्घ/सवर्णदीर्घ)
- 2) गिरि॒ष्ठाम् = गिरि + स्थाम् (समास; √स्था-आधारित विशेषण)
- 3) वावशा॒नं = √वश् का पुनरुक्त/इंटेन्सिव-आधारित वर्तमान कृदन्त
- 4) म॑र्मृजा॒नं = √मृज् का पुनरुक्त/इंटेन्सिव-आधारित वर्तमान कृदन्त
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, being polished, like a mighty bull on the height, the shining stalk, the strong one on the mountain—men milk him forth. Eager inspirations cling to him; Trita bears Varuṇa in the ocean.
Inner meaning
Soma is ‘polished’ (marmṛjānam): the delight-force clarified by inner purification. As the bull on the summit, he is sovereign strength stationed on the ‘mountain’—the higher mind or luminous plane. The seeker ‘milks’ the shining aṃśu (ray/stalk): draws out concentrated bliss-essence through disciplined practice. Matayaḥ (thought-inspirations) attach to the eager Soma because delight magnetizes and organizes the mind. The cryptic line ‘Trita bears Varuṇa in the ocean’ points to the triple principle (Trita) sustaining the vast law (Varuṇa/Ṛta) in the deep subconscient (samudra): when Soma is established, the law of wideness and truth is held even in the depths.
Universal truth
Purified joy becomes strength on the heights and order in the depths: when delight is clarified, it both empowers the ascent and harmonizes the subconscient foundations of life.
Themes
Soma on the mountain, milking the essence, union of inspirations with Soma, Trita-Varuṇa mythic complex
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.95.3, Rig Veda 9.95.5
Family tradition
Soma Pavamāna hymns preserve a shared liturgical-yogic stream; many verses are anonymous or multiply attributed across traditions.
Significance
The seer speaks from an experience where Soma is both summit-strength and deep-order: a yogic reconciliation of heights (giri) and depths (samudra).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Trita–Varuṇa linkage)
- Epithets
- Marmṛjāna (self-cleansed/polished), Mahiṣa (mighty), Giriṣṭha (mountain-standing), Aṃśu (ray/stalk)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa, Trita, Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Brings clarified delight that supports strength and establishes cosmic law in all planes.
Inner power
Ananda-śakti that steadies the ascent (bull on summit) and pacifies/organizes the depths (Varuṇa in ocean).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification; verses accompany the flow and ‘milking’ imagery in the Soma rite.
तं म॑र्मृजा॒नं म॑हि॒षं न साना॑वं॒शुं दु॑हन्त्यु॒क्षणं॑ गिरि॒ष्ठाम् । तं वा॑वशा॒नं म॒तय॑: सचन्ते त्रि॒तो बि॑भर्ति॒ वरु॑णं समु॒द्रे ॥
तम् । म॒र्मृ॒जा॒नम् । म॒हि॒षम् । न । सानौ॑ । अं॒शुम् । दु॒ह॒न्ति॒ । उ॒क्षण॑म् । गि॒रि॒ऽस्थाम् । तम् । वा॒व॒शा॒नम् । म॒तयः॑ । स॒च॒न्ते॒ । त्रि॒तः । बि॒भ॒र्ति॒ । वरु॑णम् । स॒मु॒द्रे ॥
tam | marmṛjānam | mahiṣam | na | sānau | aṃśum | duhanti | ukṣaṇam | giri-sthām | tam | vāvaśānam | matayaḥ | sacante | tritaḥ | bibharti | varuṇam | samudre
Likely Triṣṭubh (frequent in narrative-energetic Soma verses)
44
4 padas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh)
Firm, driving cadence suited to strength imagery (bull, mountain) and mythic compression (Trita/Varuṇa).
Energizes will and steadiness; gives a sense of ascent and grounded power.
- मर्मृजानम् (marmṛjānam)
- Literal: being polished/cleansed. Symbolic: purification of delight-consciousness; clarifying the inner substance
- महिषम् (mahiṣam)
- Literal: mighty bull. Symbolic: sovereign force; steadfast power of Ananda supporting tapas
- सानौ (sānau)
- Literal: on the summit/height. Symbolic: higher mind/supramental poise; peak of consciousness
- अंशुम् (aṃśum)
- Literal: stalk/ray. Symbolic: luminous strand of Soma; concentrated delight-ray
- दुहन्ति (duhanti)
- Literal: they milk. Symbolic: drawing the essence by practice, not by mere desire
- गिरिष्ठाम् (giriṣṭhām)
- Literal: standing on the mountain. Symbolic: established in the luminous heights (giri = ascent plane)
- मतयः (matayaḥ)
- Literal: thoughts, inspirations. Symbolic: higher formations of mind that cluster around delight
- त्रितः (tritaḥ)
- Literal: Trita (mythic figure). Symbolic: the triple being/principle; integrative consciousness across planes
- वरुणम् (varuṇam)
- Literal: Varuṇa. Symbolic: vastness and law (ṛta) that binds and harmonizes
- समुद्रे (samudre)
- Literal: in the ocean. Symbolic: the subconscient/inconscient depth; the great sea of being
Evokes Soma’s mountain origin and milking/pressing; integrates mythic geography (mountain, ocean) with inner topography (height and depth).
During pressing/straining when Soma is drawn out and clarified.
Recitation/chant while Soma is expressed and filtered; inner act is extracting bliss from experience and purifying it.
Use when stabilizing practice: ‘polish’ the mind, then draw out a steady joy that can hold order even in emotional depths.
marmṛjāna intensive of √mṛj ‘to wipe, cleanse, polish’. mahiṣa ‘mighty bull/buffalo’ conveys massed strength. aṃśu ‘stalk, ray’ links plant and light-beam. √duh ‘to milk’ is an old IE root (cf. English ‘dug’ in older etymological discussions; more securely Germanic *deug- is distinct—still, √duh is ancient Indo-Iranian). giri ‘mountain’ as height. Varuṇa from √vṛ ‘to cover/encompass’ (traditional), symbolizing vast law. Trita is a mythic mediator associated with Soma in the waters.
polishing/purification (mṛj), Varuṇa as law/vastness, height and depth of consciousness
Varuṇa signifies the binding law of ṛta; Soma supports its establishment in the ‘ocean’ of the being.
Polishing implies removing false mixtures; the ray (aṃśu) becomes a carrier of truth-delight.
Heights and depths unified: summit-force and ocean-law integrated by Soma.
Integral-yogic (Aurobindo): Varuṇa as vast truth-law; samudra as subconscient; Soma as Ananda-force mediating.
Mountain = higher consciousness; ocean = subconscient depth; milking = extracting essence; bull = steadfast spiritual force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Two linked mythologems: (1) Soma as the mountain-standing bull whose essence is ‘milked’—a symbol of drawing the potent delight/light from the heights. (2) The Trita-in-the-ocean complex: a deep archetype of the hidden divine order (Varuṇa) borne in the abyss of consciousness, connecting depth (samudra) to the law of vastness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The bull/strength imagery (ukṣan/mahiṣa) belongs to an inherited IE poetic register where bovine power signifies potency and fertilizing force. giri ‘mountain’ and samudra ‘gathered waters’ participate in archaic spatial symbolism (height vs. depth) found widely in IE mythic geography.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s matayaḥ (inspirations) ‘attach’ to Soma—indicating that purified delight becomes the support and attractor for higher thought. The mention of Trita and Varuṇa places the rishi’s experience within a larger sacred economy: Soma links the heights of illumination to the depths where cosmic law is held.
Feel Soma as a polished, steady joy on the ‘summit’ of awareness; then let it descend to hold calm order in the deep emotional sea.
Ajna/Sahasrara (summit) with Svadhisthana (waters) integration
Inhale: ‘polish/clarify’; exhale: ‘milk forth essence’; then rest in stillness for 1–2 minutes.
Steady luminous strength with deep calm regulation.
After chanting, visualize a golden ray (aṃśu) descending from a mountain peak into an inner ocean, making it clear and wide.
Chant with tri-svara discipline; consult a pada-svara edition for exact accent placement.
Give strong lift to syllables around mahiṣaṃ / giriṣṭhām to match the ‘summit’ emphasis; soften into depth on samudre.
marmṛjānam: clear ṛ sounds, avoid turning into ‘ri’, ukṣaṇam: retroflex ṣ, short a, giriṣṭhām: ṣṭh cluster articulated cleanly, vāvaśānam: keep the repeated vā distinct, not merged
Firm and resonant, with a grounded chest tone; taper into a deeper, slower color at ‘samudre’.
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