Rig Veda 9.97.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 97, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.97
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
समु प्रियो मृज्यते सानो अव्ये यशस्तरो यशसां क्षैतो अस्मे । अभि स्वर धन्वा पूयमानो यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥
sám u priyó mṛ́jyate sā́nāv ávye yaśás-taro yaśásāṃ kṣáitaḥ asmè | abhí svàra dhánvā pūyamāno yūyáṃ pāta svastí-bhiḥ sadā́ naḥ ||
सोम को साफ किया जा रहा है, वो भी एक ऊंची जगह पर। वो सबसे ज़्यादा चमकता है, चमकने वालों में भी। अपने आप को साफ करते-करते वो आवाज़ दे रहा है, आस-पास सब सुन सकें। भगवान, तुम हमेशा हमें अच्छा रखो और बुराई से बचाओ।
Word by Word
- समु
- together, indeedIndeclinableनिपात; ‘सम्’ (together) + ‘उ’ (emphatic/particle)Root सम् + उ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- प्रियः
- dear, belovedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- मृज्यते
- is cleansed / is purifiedVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot मृज्
- सानो
- on the ridge/summit (surface)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (वैदिक रूप: सानो = सानौ/सानुनि ‘on the ridge/surface’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अव्ये
- in/at the sheep’s (wool) filter; in the woolNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- यशस्तरः
- more gloriousAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot यशस् + तर (तद्धित/तुलनात्मक)
- यशसाम्
- of glories / of the glorious onesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचनRoot यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- क्षैतः
- dwelling, ruling (lordly)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot क्षि (धातु) → क्षैति/क्षै (वैदिक ‘dwells, rules’) / क्षैति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मे
- among us / for usPronounसप्तमी; बहुवचन (वैदिक: अस्मे = अस्मासु/अस्मभ्यं-सम्बद्ध ‘among us/for us’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अभि
- towards, uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्ययRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- स्वरः
- sound/voice; (also) radianceNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
- धन्वा
- through/with the bow; (figuratively) with the arched courseNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन (वैदिक रूप)Role KaraṇaRoot धन्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पूयमानः
- being purifiedParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्); आत्मनेपदी; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole KartāRoot पू (धातु) + य (यक्) → पूय (कृदन्त-धातु)
- यूयम्
- you (all)Pronounप्रथमा; बहुवचनRole KartāRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- पात
- protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot पा (पालने)
- स्वस्तिभिः
- with well-being, with blessingsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot स्वस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- सदा
- alwaysIndeclinableकालवाचक अव्ययRoot सदा (अव्यय)
- नः
- us / for usPronounषष्ठी/द्वितीया; बहुवचन (enclitic)Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): समु | प्रियः | मृज्यते | सानो | अव्ये | यशस्तरः | यशसाम् | क्षैतः | अस्मे | अभि | स्वरः | धन्वा | पूयमानः | यूयम् | पात | स्वस्तिभिः | सदा | नः । प्रमुख संधि: (1) समु = सम् + उ (निपात-समास/योग). (2) सानो अव्ये: सानो (वैदिक सप्तमी एकवचन) + अव्ये (सप्तमी) — ‘on the ridge, in the wool-filter’. (3) यशसां क्षैतो: यशसाम् + क्षैतः (म् + क्ष → nasal assimilation in saṃhitā). (4) अभि स्वरः: visarga before vowel often realized as r (स्वरः + अ → स्वर॒ अ/स्वर॒र्-प्रभाव)
- here kept as separate padas. (5) स्वस्तिभिः सदा: final ḥ before s may show saṃhitā-assimilation
- padapāṭha keeps separate
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, the beloved, is cleansed on the woolly ridge (the filter). He shines with greater glory among the glorious; purifying himself he sends a clear cry across the wide expanse. A closing appeal asks the Gods to protect the worshippers with well-being always.
Inner meaning
The Soma-consciousness (divine Ananda) is refined as it passes through the ‘wool’—the psychophysical filter of disciplined aspiration and discrimination. As it becomes clearer, it radiates among the luminous powers (illumined faculties) and sends the soul’s clarion call across the inner ‘wide’ (the field of consciousness), invoking stable harmony (svasti) in all movements. The refrain-like protection prayer marks the descent of purified bliss into life as a sustaining equilibrium.
Universal truth
Joy becomes transformative only when purified: when delight is filtered through sincerity and clarity, it turns into a luminous force that calls the whole being toward wholeness and protects life by inner harmony.
Themes
purification, protection prayer, luminous manifestation
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.97 (Pavamāna Soma sequence), Rig Veda 9.96–9.99 (adjacent Pavamāna cycles with repeated ‘svasti’ closings)
Significance
The anonymity suits the Pavamāna corpus where the ‘seer’ is often the collective yogic experience of purification—Soma itself as the revealer—more than a biographical person.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- priya (beloved), pavamāna (self-purifying), yaśastara (most glorious), kṣaita (shining)
- Related deities
- Indra (receiver of Soma’s ecstasy), Agni (inner priest who kindles the sacrifice), Viśve Devāḥ (the collective powers invoked for protection)
Cosmic role
Purifier and carrier of the immortal essence; he moves from raw life-force to clarified delight that nourishes the Gods (cosmic powers) and supports ṛta.
Inner power
Ananda that becomes luminous clarity; the bliss-force that, when refined, stabilizes the being in ‘svasti’ (harmonious rightness).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma Pavamāna chant during Soma pressing/filtration (pavamāna-stotra)
समु॑ प्रि॒यो मृ॑ज्यते॒ सानो॒ अव्ये॑ य॒शस्त॑रो य॒शसां॒ क्षैतो॑ अ॒स्मे । अ॒भि स्व॑र॒ धन्वा॑ पू॒यमा॑नो यू॒यं पा॑त स्व॒स्तिभि॒: सदा॑ नः ॥
सम् । ऊँ॒ इति॑ । प्रि॒यः । मृ॒ज्य॒ते॒ । सानौ॑ । अव्ये॑ । य॒शःऽत॑रः । य॒शसा॑म् । क्षैतः॑ । अ॒स्मे इति॑ । अ॒भि । स्व॒र॒ । धन्व॑ । पू॒यमा॑नः । यू॒यम् । पा॒त॒ । स्व॒स्तिऽभिः॑ । सदा॑ । नः॒ ॥
sam | oṃ iti | priyaḥ | mṛjyate | sānau | avye | yaśaḥ-taraḥ | yaśasām | kṣaitaḥ | asme iti | abhi | svara | dhanva | pūyamānaḥ | yūyam | pāta | svasti-bhiḥ | sadā | naḥ
Jagatī (probable, common in RV 9.97; 4 pādas of ~12 syllables)
48
4 x 12 (approx.)
Flowing and expansive; suited to ‘streaming’ imagery and the wide field (dhanvan).
Creates a sense of forward movement and widening clarity; supports meditative purification with a bright, ascending tone.
- सोम (implicit) / प्रियः
- Literal: Soma / the beloved. Symbolic: Divine Delight (Ananda) that the soul loves and seeks
- मृज्यते
- Literal: is cleansed, wiped, polished. Symbolic: Purification of consciousness; removal of mixture, obscurity, egoic stain
- सानौ अव्ये
- Literal: on the woolly ridge (wool filter). Symbolic: The inner strainer: tapas, discernment, and subtle nerves/mind that refine experience
- यशस्तरः / यशसाम्
- Literal: more glorious / among the glorious. Symbolic: Increasing radiance amid illumined powers (devas as faculties)
- क्षैतः
- Literal: he shines, appears bright. Symbolic: Manifestation of clarified awareness-joy
- अभि स्वर
- Literal: with a call/cry, sounding forth. Symbolic: The awakened soul-force’s invocation; mantra-power arising from purified delight
- धन्वा
- Literal: across the wide expanse, desert/field. Symbolic: The broad field of mind-life where the call must pervade
- पूयमानः
- Literal: purifying himself. Symbolic: Self-refining movement of consciousness toward transparency
- स्वस्तिभिः
- Literal: with well-beings, auspicious states. Symbolic: Integral harmony; right arrangement of energies (ṛta in life)
Chanted during Soma cleansing on the wool filter; concluding prayer for protection (svasti) typical of pavamāna sequences.
During the filtering of Soma through wool into the vessel; sung by Ud्गātṛ tradition (later Sāman usage echoes)
Chanting while Soma is strained and collected; invocation for auspicious protection (svasti)
Use as a ‘purification + protection’ mantra before meditation or after emotional turbulence, visualizing inner filtering and settling into svasti.
mṛjyate from √mṛj ‘to wipe, cleanse, polish’—often for clarifying Soma and, inwardly, polishing consciousness. sānú ‘ridge, summit’ used for the filter-bed; avya ‘woolly’ from avi ‘sheep’. yaśas from √yaś ‘to shine, be famed’; kṣai- (kṣaitaḥ) from √kṣi/√kṣai ‘to dwell/shine’ (Vedic usage includes ‘to appear bright’). svasti: su- ‘good’ + asti ‘being’ (√as ‘to be’): ‘good-being’ as a stable condition rather than luck.
svasti (right-being), inner wideness (dhanvan as expanse), increase of glory (yaśas as progressive illumination)
Soma’s purification establishes ṛta in the human field (dhanvan) as svasti—rightly ordered energies.
‘Shining among the glorious’ indicates truth’s self-luminosity after purification.
Refinement of the essence from mixed Nature into luminous divine substance; a microcosmic recapitulation of creation’s ascent from obscurity to light.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral Yoga reading (Aurobindo): ascent and descent of Ananda into mind-life-body.
The ‘filter’ is disciplined discrimination; the ‘stream’ is conscious delight; the ‘expanse’ is the mind-life field; the ‘shine’ is illumined awareness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma’s cleansing on the wool ridge and his consequent shining/crying across the expanse: the clarified delight becomes a luminous call that pervades the inner field. This is the ritual-mythic act of ‘making bright’ the essence so it can act as a protective, harmonizing force.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- svasti transparently preserves PIE *h₁es- ‘to be’ (asti) with su- ‘good’ (PIE *su-). √mṛj ‘wipe/clean’ has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan marəz- ‘cleanse’), showing shared purification lexicon.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents Soma’s self-purification as the ground for a communal boon: sustained svasti. The seer’s speech aligns with Soma’s brightening; the devas are asked to stabilize the aspirant’s state so the clarified force can remain effective.
‘Filtering’ practice: let delight rise, pass through discernment, and become clear luminous calm.
Anahata (sweetness/devotion) and Ajna (clarity/illumination)
Nadi-shodhana or slow exhale-focused breathing while mentally repeating ‘pūyamānaḥ… svastibhiḥ’.
Clear, wide, protected stillness (quiet Ananda with luminous mind).
1) Invoke inner Soma (sweet uplift). 2) Offer it to the ‘wool filter’ (truthfulness, non-reactivity). 3) Hear the inner ‘svara’ as a clear call. 4) End by sealing the state as svasti for all activities.
Vedic accents as in Saṃhitā: observe marked udātta/svarita (e.g.,,,,,,, :).
Lift on udātta-marked syllables; let svarita glide down; keep anudātta unraised—maintain continuous flow like ‘streaming’.
mṛjyate: clear ṛ (vocalic r) and soft ‘jy’ conjunct, āvye/avye: pronounce ‘vy’ as a light cluster, not ‘bi’, kṣaito: crisp kṣ (k + ṣ) without inserting a vowel, svastibhiḥ: keep ‘sv’ conjunct; final ḥ as a light visarga
Clear, flowing, bright; avoid heaviness—suggest the ‘purified stream’.
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