Sukta 56
Sukta 9.56
Soma Pavamāna (purifying Soma)
Himne Pavamāna yang singkat ini memuji Soma ketika ia melesat melalui penyaring (pavitra), selaras dengan Tatanan kosmis yang agung (ṛtam bṛhat) dan menghancurkan kekuatan-kekuatan penghalang (rakṣas/vighna). Himne ini juga menampilkan citra klasik: Soma dimurnikan oleh “sepuluh gadis” (jari-jari/arus- arus persiapan), sehingga menjadi manis dan layak bagi Indra dan Viṣṇu. Himne ditutup dengan doa perlindungan: semoga Soma yang telah disucikan menjaga para penyanyi dari dosa dan kesusahan.
Mantras
Mantra 1
परि सोम ऋतं बृहदाशुः पवित्रे अर्षति । विघ्नन्रक्षांसि देवयुः ॥
Mengitari Kebenaran yang luas (ṛtam bṛhat), Soma yang cepat mengalir melalui penyuci (pavitra), memecah kekuatan-kekuatan penghalang; sebab ia adalah pencari Yang Ilahi.
Mantra 2
यत्सोमो वाजमर्षति शतं धारा अपस्युवः । इन्द्रस्य सख्यमाविशन् ॥
Ketika Soma mengalir menuju kepenuhan daya (vāja), seratus aliran kerjanya memasuki persahabatan Indra.
Mantra 3
अभि त्वा योषणो दश जारं न कन्यानूषत । मृज्यसे सोम सातये ॥
Sepuluh gadis dari kenikmatan mendesak kepadamu seperti kepada seorang kekasih; engkau disucikan, wahai Soma, demi perolehan keuntungan sejati.
Mantra 4
त्वमिन्द्राय विष्णवे स्वादुरिन्दो परि स्रव । नॄन्त्स्तोतॄन्पाह्यंहसः ॥
Mengalirlah mengitari, wahai Indu, manis bagi Indra dan bagi Viṣṇu; lindungilah orang-orang kami, para pemuji, dari kesesakan dan dosa.
Inside Sukta 56
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Soma’s swift movement through the purifier around the ‘vast Truth’ (ṛtam bṛhat), immediately framed as a force that breaks obstruction and banishes hostile powers.
- Development
The hymn intensifies the purification imagery: Soma is actively cleansed and drawn forward, with the feminine/maiden motif expressing intimate, energetic participation in the rite.
- Climax
The ‘ten maidens’ press toward Soma like lovers—an iconic Pavamāna moment where purification becomes both ecstatic and efficacious, aimed at ‘winning the true gain’ (sātaye).
- Where it settles
Soma is declared sweet and fit for Indra and Viṣṇu, and the hymn resolves as a direct prayer for protection of the human singers from aṃhas (harm/sin).
The deity: Soma Pavamāna
- In the VedaSoma is the pressed and flowing sacred draught that runs through the purifier (pavitra), becomes clarified, and is offered to the gods; he is praised as swift, sweet, truth-aligned, and a remover of hostile powers.
- Cosmic functionHe mediates between human rite and divine power: through purification and offering he strengthens Indra and supports the cosmic order (ṛta), while repelling forces of disorder and harm.
- Inner significanceThe cleansing of Soma symbolizes the refinement of consciousness—purifying desire and vitality into a clear, truth-bearing inspiration that protects and empowers the practitioner.
The seer
- Anukramaṇī-attributed: unknown (as given in prompt)The hymn belongs to the Soma Pavamāna corpus (Maṇḍala 9), where seers focus less on personal identity and more on the liturgical-poetic vision of Soma’s purification and empowerment for the gods.
Famous verses
ṛtam bṛhat
yoṣaṇo daśa
pāhy aṃhasaḥ
Attributes of the deity
- pavamāna (self-purifying/being purified)
- swift-flowing (āśu)
- truth-aligned (ṛtam bṛhat)
- sweet (svādu)
- obstruction-breaking (vighnan)
- protector of singers (pāhi stotṝn)
Also by this seer
- General association with the Pavamāna (purifying Soma) hymns of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 9.
The rite, step by step
- Press Soma stalks to express the juice (savana).
- Mix/prepare with water (and customary adjuncts per rite) and lead it to the strainer.
- Strain through the pavitra (wool/cloth filter) into collecting vessels, repeatedly clarifying the flow.
- Offer clarified Soma in libations to the deities—here especially Indra and Viṣṇu—while reciting Pavamāna verses.
- Conclude with a protective intention for the sacrificers and singers against aṃhas (sin/distress) and hostile forces.
Offerings
- Purified Soma libations
- Water used in preparation/clarification (ritual medium)
Frequently Asked Questions
It praises Soma as he is purified through the ritual filter, becomes aligned with cosmic truth (ṛta), destroys obstructive forces, and then protects the worshippers.
They are a poetic image for the agents of purification—often understood as the ten fingers involved in pressing/straining, or the flowing streams that cleanse and guide Soma.
Because purified Soma is offered to empower the gods; the verse asks Soma to be sweet for Indra and Viṣṇu and to protect the singers from aṃhas (harm, distress, or moral fault).
Ask anything about Sukta 56 of the Rig Veda
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