Rig Veda 9.69.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 69, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.69
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
उपो मतिः पृच्यते सिच्यते मधु मन्द्राजनी चोदते अन्तरासनि । पवमानः संतनिः प्रघ्नतामिव मधुमान्द्रप्सः परि वारमर्षति ॥
úpo matíḥ pṛ́cyate sicyate mádhu mandrā́janī codate antárā́sani | pávamānaḥ santaníḥ prághnatām-iva mádhumān drápsaḥ pári vā́ram arṣati ||
思いは近づいて交わり、蜜に浸される。歓喜をもたらす生起が、有の座の内にそれを駆り立てる。浄めゆくソーマ（Soma）は絶えぬ糸のごとく、障りを打ち砕く者のように、蜜に満つる滴となって囲いの網をめぐり、さらに流れ進む。
Word by Word
- उपो
- near, up to; (as preverb) towardIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; ‘उ’ इत्यस्य पूर्वं ‘उप’ (उपो = उप + उ)Root उप (उपसर्ग/निपात) + उ
- मतिः
- thought, hymn, intentionNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot मति- (√मन् ‘to think’)
- पृच्यते
- is mixed, becomes mingledVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot √पृच् (पृच्यति) ‘to mix, to be mingled’
- सिच्यते
- is poured, is sprinkledVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot √सिच् ‘to pour, to sprinkle; to be poured’
- मधु
- sweet drink; honey; Soma-juiceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (अत्र क्रिययोः कर्मरूपेण)Role KarmaRoot मधु-
- मन्द्राजनी
- gladdening, rousing/impellingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘मतिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्Role KartāRoot मन्द्र- + अजनī (√अज्/√अञ्ज् ‘to drive/impel; to anoint’ → अजनī ‘impelling/rousing (f.)’)
- चोदते
- is impelled; sets in motionVerbलट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot √चुद्/चोद् ‘to impel, urge’
- अन्तरा
- between, in the midstIndeclinableअव्यय; ‘between, within’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अन्तर (अव्यय/उपसर्गीय प्रयोग) अथवा ‘अन्तरा’ अव्यय
- असनि
- in the (pressing-)stone/pressing-place; in the thunderbolt-like (pressing) (contextual)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (लोके/स्थाने)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot असनि-
- पवमानः
- purifying (Soma), flowing clearAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; सोमस्य विशेषणम्Role KartāRoot पवमान- (√पू ‘to purify’ → वर्तमान कृदन्त ‘purifying, flowing’)
- संतनिः
- continuous stream, unbroken flowNounपुं/स्त्री (वैदिके चल); प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘पवमानः’ इत्यस्य सहाप्पosition/विशेषणवत्Role KartāRoot संतनि- (सम् + √तन् ‘to stretch/extend’ → ‘continuous stream/extension’)
- प्रघ्नताम्
- (like) of those who smite/strike downVerb (participle used verbally) / Adjectiveषष्ठी बहुवचन (घ्नताम् = ‘of the smiters’) अथवा वैदिके कर्मधारय-प्रयोगे ‘प्रघ्नताम्’ इति जनसमूहस्य; अत्र ‘इव’ सह तुलनायाम्Root प्र + √हन्/घ्ना ‘to strike, smite’ (घ्नत्- वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-अव्ययRoot इव
- मधुमान्
- honeyed, sweet; rich in Soma-sweetnessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘द्रप्सः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्Role KartāRoot मधुमत्-
- द्रप्सः
- drop; (Soma-)dropNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचनRole KartāRoot द्रप्स-
- परि
- around, aboutIndeclinableउपसर्ग; ‘around, all about’Root परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वारम्
- wool/strainer (filter)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot वार-
- अर्षति
- flows, streamsVerbलट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचनRoot √ऋष्/अर्ष् ‘to flow, move swiftly’
Sandhi Notes
- मुख्य सन्धि-विच्छेद: उपो = उप + उ (निपात ‘उ’ इत्यस्य पूर्वं ‘उप’)
- मधुमान्द्रप्सः = मधुमान् + द्रप्सः (न् + द् → न्द्)
- परि वारम् (पदविभागः स्पष्टः). शेषपदानि प्रायः असन्धित/पदपाठानुसारम्। ‘अन्तरासनि’ = अन्तरा + असनि (अव्यय + सप्तमी)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Thought comes near and is mixed; it is steeped in honey. The delight-bearing birth impels it within the seat. Purifying Soma, a continuous thread, like a smiter, the honeyed drop flows around the filter and onward.
Inner meaning
Aspiration (mati) approaches the inner altar and becomes mingled with Soma’s sweetness (madhu)—delight saturates thought and turns it luminous. The ‘delight-born’ impulse (mandrājanī) drives this sweetness into the inmost seat (āsanī). Soma, as an unbroken continuum (saṃtani), strikes down resistances; the honeyed essence (drapsa) passes through the enclosing net (vāra) of our nature, carrying consciousness forward.
Universal truth
When thought is infused with sweetness and guided into the heart-seat, it becomes a continuous transformative current that breaks obstacles and passes beyond limiting meshes.
Themes
Purification, Overcoming obstacles, Soma as delight-current, Integration of thought and sweetness
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.69.1–4 (sequence: aim → honey-mixing → loosening Aditi’s daughters → weaving around the enclosure)
Family tradition
Pavamāna Soma transmission emphasizing inner mixing (pṛc) and filtering (vāra) as yogic processes.
Significance
The ‘seer’ articulates a key Aurobindonian motif: mind must be ‘honeyed’—infused with Ananda—to become a vehicle of continuous transformation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Madhu-mān (honey-rich), Saṃtani (continuous), Drapsa (the essential drop)
- Related deities
- Aditi (implied by later verse), Indra (receiver of Soma’s illumination), Agni (seat/altar of offering)
Cosmic role
The nectar-current that circulates through the worlds, filtering and refining consciousness; it is both continuity and breakthrough.
Inner power
Ananda that enters the heart-seat, integrates thought, and smites resistances; makes the journey through the ‘net’ without loss of sweetness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna recitation during Soma filtration through wool/strainer
उपो॑ म॒तिः पृ॒च्यते॑ सि॒च्यते॒ मधु॑ म॒न्द्राज॑नी चोदते अ॒न्तरा॒सनि॑ । पव॑मानः संत॒निः प्र॑घ्न॒तामि॑व॒ मधु॑मान्द्र॒प्सः परि॒ वार॑मर्षति ॥
उपो॒ इति॑ । म॒तिः पृ॒च्यते॑ । सि॒अयते॑ । मधु॑ । म॒न्द्र॒ऽअज॑नी । चो॒द॒ते॒ । अ॒न्तः । आ॒सनि॑ । पव॑मानः । स॒म्ऽत॒निः । प्र॑घ्न॒ताम्ऽइ॑व । मधु॑ऽमान् । द्र॒प्सः । परि॑ । वार॑म् । अ॒र्ष॒ति॒ ॥
upo iti | matiḥ | pṛcyate | siayate | madhu | mandra-ajanī | codate | antaḥ | āsani | pavamānaḥ | sam-taniḥ | praghnatām-iva | madhu-mān | drapsaḥ | pari | vāram | arṣati
44
4×11 (probable)
Smooth mixing cadence in first half; then a stronger, striking movement (praghnatām iva) followed by a flowing release.
Induces a sense of sweet saturation and then energetic clearing; helpful for moving from mental effort to heart-centered flow.
- उपो (upo)
- Literal: near, towards. Symbolic: approach of aspiration toward the inner altar/center
- मति (mati)
- Literal: thought. Symbolic: seeking intelligence/aspiration
- पृच्यते (pṛcyate)
- Literal: is mingled. Symbolic: integration of mind with delight and truth
- सिच्यते मधु (sicyate madhu)
- Literal: is steeped in honey. Symbolic: mind saturated with Ananda; sweetness as conscious substance
- मन्द्राजनी (mandrājanī)
- Literal: delight-bearing birth/producer of gladness. Symbolic: Ananda’s generative power that gives rise to luminous movements
- अन्तः आसनि (antaḥ āsani)
- Literal: within the seat. Symbolic: in the heart/inmost being where offering is made
- संतनि (saṃtaniḥ)
- Literal: continuous thread. Symbolic: unbroken continuity of practice and descent; steady current of Soma-consciousness
- प्रघ्नतामिव (praghnatām iva)
- Literal: like one striking down. Symbolic: force that smites obstacles (vṛtra-like coverings)
- द्रप्सः (drapsaḥ)
- Literal: drop. Symbolic: concentrated essence of delight/illumination
- वारम् (vāram)
- Literal: enclosing net/strainer. Symbolic: the filtering structures of nature; also the mesh of limitations to be passed through
Pavamāna recitation during Soma filtration; emphasizes the ‘drop’ (drapsa) moving through/around the vāra (filter/enclosure).
As Soma flows around/through the filter into the collecting vessel.
Accompanying the ‘circling’ and passing through the strainer; invoking sweetness and obstacle-removal.
Meditate on ‘honeying’ the mind (reducing dryness/strain) and letting a continuous current pass through habitual mental nets without snagging.
√pṛc ‘mix’ (pṛcyate) and √sic ‘pour’ (sicyate) together describe a technical-psychological process: the thought is blended and saturated with madhu (delight). santaniḥ from sam-√tan ‘stretch’ is ‘continuum/thread’, a key image for sustained yogic/ritual continuity. drapsa ‘drop’ is a frequent Soma term: a concentrated unit of rasa. vāra ‘covering/enclosure’ resonates with the filter/fleece and with the psychological ‘screen’ that Soma pervades and surpasses.
Ṛta (order through continuous right movement), Ānanda (madhu as delight), Antaḥ (interiority; inner seat)
The flow ‘around the vāra’ suggests ordered purification—consciousness obeying the right process rather than forcing results.
The honeyed drop is a concentrated truth-essence when purified.
Continuity (saṃtāna) as a principle of manifestation; the drop as seed-essence moving through forms.
Integral Yoga hermeneutic: Ananda as the mediator that converts mind into a plastic instrument of truth.
Honey = sweetness of Ananda; drop = concentrated realization; thread = continuity of sadhana; net = mental-vital patterns that must filter without distorting the essence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘honeyed drop’ of Soma moves as a heroic force, striking down resistances while flowing through the enclosure. Mythically, Soma is both sweetness and warrior-energy: delight is not passive but a power that clears the inner channels so the current can run.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The flow verb arṣati (√arṣ/√ṛṣ) continues an archaic Indo-European poetic register of ‘rushing/streaming’ verbs used for sacred liquids. The paired passives pṛcyate/sicyate encode a processual, almost technical style typical of inherited ritual-poetic language describing transformation (mixing, steeping) rather than static being.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames the inner work: human mati is prepared (mixed, saturated), and Soma as pavamāna completes it by flowing as a continuous force that overcomes. The reciprocity is preparation and response: the human offers an inward seat and readiness; Soma provides the effective sweetness and victorious motion.
Infuse thought with sweetness; bring it into the heart-seat; maintain continuity; let the current break resistances and pass through mental nets.
Anāhata (āsanī as heart-seat)
Gentle bhrāmarī-like hum on exhale to ‘sweeten’ the mind; then silent breathing with attention resting in the heart.
Heart-sweetened clarity; continuous flow with obstacle-clearing energy.
If practice feels dry, first invoke ‘madhu’—a grateful warmth—then re-offer the thought inward. Keep continuity (saṃtāna) rather than intensity; let resistances be met by steady sweetness plus firmness.
Standard RV accent system; exact svara requires a svara-marked source for RV 9.69.2.
Make ‘madhu’ phrases warm and rounded; give a firm, clipped emphasis to ‘praghnatām iva’ to mark obstacle-smiting; end with a flowing cadence on ‘arṣati’.
(pṛcyate): cluster ‘ṛc’ clean, not ‘prich’, (sicyate): ‘cya’ palatal, light, (mandrājanī): keep retroflex ṇ, (drapsaḥ): crisp ‘ps’ cluster, (arṣati): retroflex ṣ clear
Sweet-toned, continuous legato with a brief percussive firmness on the obstacle-smiting phrase.
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.
