Rig Veda 9.34.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 34, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.34
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna offered to multiple deities
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सुत इन्द्राय वायवे वरुणाय मरुद्भ्यः । सोमो अर्षति विष्णवे ॥
sutá índrāya vāyáve váruṇāya marúd-bhyaḥ | sómo arṣati víṣṇave ||
搾り出されたソーマは、インドラへ、ヴァーユへ、ヴァルナへ、マルットたちへ、またヴィシュヌへと流れゆく。
Word by Word
- सुतः
- pressed (Soma), the pressed oneAdjective (past passive participle used substantively)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (Kartā) [of अर्षति]Root √सु (सुते) / सुत- (PPP)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root इन्द्र-
- वायवे
- for VāyuNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (Vedic dative in -e)Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root वायु-
- वरुणाय
- for VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root वरुण-
- मरुद्भ्यः
- for the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root मरुत्-
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (Kartā)Root सोम-
- अर्षति
- flows, streamsVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root √ऋष् (अर्षति) / √अर्ष् (to flow, rush)
- विष्णवे
- for ViṣṇuNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम् (Vedic dative in -e)Role सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna)Root विष्णु-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सुतः | इन्द्राय | वायवे | वरुणाय | मरुद्भ्यः || सोमः | अर्षति | विष्णवे || 1) इन्द्राय वायवे: संधि नहीं (आ + वा). 2) वायवे/विष्णवे: वैदिक चतुर्थी-एकवचन का रूप -e (वायु- → वायवे; विष्णु- → विष्णवे). 3) मरुद्भ्यः: मरुत्-शब्द का चतुर्थी बहुवचन
- त् + भ्यः → द्भ्यः (व्यञ्जन-संधि). 4) सोमो अर्षति: पदपाठ में ‘सोमः अर्षति’
- संहिता में विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश से ‘सोमो अर्षति’
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pressed Soma flows to Indra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, the Maruts, and Viṣṇu.
Inner meaning
Purified delight is offered to the principal inner powers: to Indra (illumined mind) for victorious discernment; to Vāyu (life-breath) for right movement; to Varuṇa (vast truth-law) for purification and ethical wideness; to the Maruts (dynamic thought-forces) for energized clarity; to Viṣṇu (the all-pervading) for expansion into the three strides of consciousness. Soma becomes the common nectar that harmonizes these faculties into an integral yoga.
Universal truth
When delight is consecrated, it does not isolate us in private pleasure; it becomes nourishment for all our higher capacities—clarity, breath, truth, dynamic power, and wideness.
Themes
Soma-ritual, offering, integration of deities, inner sacrifice
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.34.1, RV 9.34.3, RV 9.34.4
Family tradition
Collective seer-ritualist voice typical of Mandala 9; integrates multiple deities as inner functions.
Significance
Shows Soma as integrator: one delight feeding many god-powers—an early map of coordinated inner faculties.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (as offering to multiple devatās)
- Epithets
- Suta, Pavamāna, Indu
- Related deities
- Indra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Maruts, Viṣṇu
Cosmic role
Mediator-nourisher: provides the gods their ‘food’ so they can act in the cosmos; establishes harmony among cosmic powers.
Inner power
Consecrated joy that aligns mind (Indra), breath (Vāyu), truth-law (Varuṇa), dynamic energies (Maruts), and wideness (Viṣṇu).
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering sequences where Soma is presented to different deities (graha offerings conceptually)
सु॒त इन्द्रा॑य वा॒यवे॒ वरु॑णाय म॒रुद्भ्य॑: । सोमो॑ अर्षति॒ विष्ण॑वे ॥
सु॒तः । इन्द्रा॑य । वा॒यवे॑ । वरु॑णाय । म॒रुत्ऽभ्यः॑ । सोमः॑ । अ॒र्ष॒ति॒ । विष्ण॑वे ॥
sutaḥ | indrāya | vāyave | varuṇāya | marut-bhyaḥ | somaḥ | arṣati | viṣṇave
Jagatī (possible; many multi-deity distribution verses are jagatī)
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4×12 (probable)
Broader, more spacious gait than triṣṭubh—fits the distribution to multiple powers.
Creates a sense of orchestration and harmony; the mind feels ‘many-sidedly supported’.
- सुतः (sutaḥ)
- Literal: pressed out. Symbolic: Essence released by inner effort and offering
- इन्द्राय (indrāya)
- Literal: to Indra. Symbolic: To the illumined mind that conquers darkness/resistance
- वायवे (vāyave)
- Literal: to Vāyu. Symbolic: To prāṇa/breath-force; right life-movement and inspiration
- वरुणाय (varuṇāya)
- Literal: to Varuṇa. Symbolic: To vastness, truth-law, inner purity and right boundaries
- मरुद्भ्यः (marudbhyaḥ)
- Literal: to the Maruts. Symbolic: To storm-powers: dynamic thoughts, energies that build and purify
- विष्णवे (viṣṇave)
- Literal: to Viṣṇu. Symbolic: To all-pervading wideness; the expanding steps of consciousness
- अर्षति (arṣati)
- Literal: flows. Symbolic: Natural descent/spread of Ananda once released
Distribution of Soma in the Soma-yajña: Soma as shared oblation to principal divine powers; reflects the integrative offering sequence.
During Soma-yajña when invoking multiple gods to partake of Soma.
Chant as Soma is flowed/portioning is envisioned; invites coordinated divine action.
Use when seeking balance: before practice, inwardly ‘offer’ joy to clarity, breath, truth, energy, and wideness—preventing one-sided development.
sutaḥ: PPP from √su ‘press out’. arṣati: √ṛṣ ‘flow’. Indra (root associations with ind ‘drop/shine’ debated), here as power of luminous force. Vāyu from √vā ‘blow’. Varuṇa from √vṛ ‘cover/encompass’ → cosmic containment/law. Marut from √mṛ/√mar ‘to shine/strike’ in storm imagery (etymology complex). Viṣṇu from √viṣ/√viṣṇ ‘to pervade/enter’ (traditional sense: all-pervading).
R̥ta (Varuṇa as guardian), integration of powers in the sacrifice (yajña as inner synthesis), expansion (Viṣṇu’s stride)
Ṛta is harmony among powers; Soma is the circulating delight that enables that harmony.
Varuṇa receives Soma: delight must be truthful and purifying, not intoxicating to the ego.
Distribution of one essence into many functions—unity expressing as multiplicity.
Integral/holistic Vedic psychology: deities as powers of one consciousness.
One nectar becomes many operations: breath, clarity, ethical vastness, dynamic thought, and expansive consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the universal oblation that empowers distinct cosmic functions: conquest (Indra), movement (Vāyu), law/vastness (Varuṇa), transformative force (Maruts), and all-pervading expansion (Viṣṇu). Mythically, the one essence becomes many operative powers in the sacrifice.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The dative chain (indrāya…vāyave…varuṇāya…marud-bhyaḥ…viṣṇave) is an archaic enumerative style comparable to IE litanic catalogues. The central verb arṣati ‘flows’ preserves an inherited poetic mapping between offering and river-like motion.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer acts as distributor of the one clarified essence to multiple inner faculties: by offering Soma to each power, the practitioner aligns breath, force, law, dynamism, and expansion into a coordinated ascent toward truth-consciousness.
Offer inner joy to the five faculties: illumined mind, breath, truth-law, dynamic energies, and wideness.
Viśuddha (purification/truth) with support from Ājñā (Indra) and Sahasrāra (Viṣṇu-wideness).
Alternate-nostril breathing (nāḍī-śodhana) to ‘portion’ Soma evenly through the system.
Balanced, integrated, quietly luminous.
Chant once slowly, then pause after each deity-name and feel that faculty receive sweetness; end by resting in wideness (Viṣṇu) for 1–2 minutes.
Maintain clear udatta on deity datives (indrā́ya, vāyáve, váruṇāya, marúdbhyaḥ, víṣṇave) as per svara tradition; verify with a svara-marked pada text for exact accents.
Give each deity-name a distinct but even emphasis; avoid rushing the list—make it a deliberate offering.
‘marudbhyaḥ’ keep the cluster ‘dbhy’ articulated (marud-bhyaḥ), ‘viṣṇave’ retroflex ‘ṣṇ’ clear, Keep long vowels: indrāya, varuṇāya
Even, consecrating, devotional clarity rather than force.
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