Rig Veda 9.97.32: Mandala 9, Sukta 97, Mantra 32
Sukta 9.97
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
कनिक्रददनु पन्थामृतस्य शुक्रो वि भास्यमृतस्य धाम । स इन्द्राय पवसे मत्सरवान्हिन्वानो वाचं मतिभिः कवीनाम् ॥
kánikradad ánu pánthām ṛtásya śukró ví bhāsy amṛ́tasya dhā́ma | sá índrāya pavase matsará-vān hinvānáḥ vā́caṃ matíbhíḥ kavīnā́m ||
汝は叫び声を発しつつ、ṛta（真理・宇宙秩序）の道に沿って進む。輝ける者よ、汝は不死（amṛta）の住処を燦然と照らし出す。汝はインドラのために自らを浄め、恍惚（matsara）に満ち、詩聖（kavi）たちの洞察と思惟（mati）によって聖なる言（vāc）を駆り立てる。
Word by Word
- कनि॑क्रदत्
- cried aloud, resoundedVerbलङ् (imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3rd person singularRole KartāRoot कनि-√क्रन्द्
- अनु
- along, followingIndeclinableupasarga/avyayaRoot अनु
- पन्थाम्
- pathNounmasculine, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot पथिन् (प्रातिपदिक: पन्था-)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/true rite)Nounneuter, genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- शुक्रः
- bright, pureAdjectivemasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot शुक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- वि
- apart, forth, widelyIndeclinableupasarga/avyayaRoot वि
- भासि
- you shineVerbलट् (present), परस्मैपद, 2nd person singularRole KartāRoot √भास्
- अमृतस्य
- of immortality / of the immortal (soma)Nounneuter, genitive singularRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाम
- abode, station, radianceNounneuter, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot धामन् (प्रातिपदिक: धाम-)
- सः
- hePronounmasculine, nominative singularRole KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNounmasculine, dative singularRole SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवसे
- you purify yourself / you flow as purified (soma)Verbलट् (present), आत्मनेपद, 2nd person singularRole KartāRoot √पू (पवते) / √पु (पवते)
- मत्सरवान्
- exhilarating, intoxicatingAdjectivemasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (qualifier)Root मत्सरवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- हिन्वानः
- impelling, setting in motionParticiplemasculine, nominative singular, present active participleRole Kartā (qualifier)Root √हि (हिनोति) → हिन्वान (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- वाचम्
- speech, voiceNounfeminine, accusative singularRole KarmaRoot वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मतिभिः
- with thoughts, with insightsNounfeminine, instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- कवीनाम्
- of the seers/poetsNounmasculine, genitive pluralRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): कनि॑क्रद॒दनु॒ → कनि॑क्रदत् + अनु (final -t before vowel; saṃhitā shows -d- by voicing). पन्था॑मृ॒तस्य॑ → पन्थाम् + ऋतस्य (m + ṛ). भा॑स्य॒मृत॑स्य → भासि + अमृतस्य (i + a). इन्द्रा॑य पवसे (no internal sandhi). मत्स॒रवा॑न्हिन्वा॒नो → मत्सरवान् + हिन्वानः (n + h). वाचं॑ म॒तिभि॑: → वाचम् + मतिभिः (final -m before m). Accent marks retained as in saṃhitā
- pada-forms given without attempting full accent redistribution
The meaning
Outer meaning
Crying out, Soma moves on the path of ṛta; shining, he reveals the home of immortality. He purifies for Indra, ecstatic, urging the Word with the seers’ insights.
Inner meaning
The purified delight-force advances with an awakened cry (kanikradat)—a dynamic vibration that breaks inertia—along the path of ṛta (right law of consciousness). As it clarifies (śukra), it makes manifest the ‘dwelling of immortality’ (amṛtasya dhāma): stable luminous being beyond decay. Soma then becomes fuel and companion for Indra (divine illumined mind), intensifying ecstasy (matsaravān) and driving forward the Word (vāc)—mantric truth-expression—by the inspired perceptions (matibhiḥ) of the kavīs.
Universal truth
True joy is not escapism; when purified it follows truth’s law, founds an enduring inner immortality, and empowers clear illumination and authentic speech.
Themes
Soma as ecstasy, manifestation of immortality, Indra-strengthening, poetic inspiration as force
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seers (Pavamāna-maṇḍala tradition)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.97, Rig Veda 9.95, Rig Veda 9.99
Family tradition
Collective Soma-seer transmission emphasizing mantra as inner process: purification → illumination → right speech.
Significance
These seers treat Soma as a conscious power that awakens the Word (vāc) and supports Indra’s victory over inner darkness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (as Indra’s helper)
- Epithets
- Śukra, Pavamāna, Matsaravān, Indu
- Related deities
- Indra, Bṛhaspati (lord of the Word), Agni
Cosmic role
Soma is the delight that founds immortality and energizes Indra’s luminous action along ṛta.
Inner power
Ecstatic clarity that turns intuition into effective speech and decisive illumination.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna chants during Soma filtration, especially to empower Indra in the sacrifice
कनि॑क्रद॒दनु॒ पन्था॑मृ॒तस्य॑ शु॒क्रो वि भा॑स्य॒मृत॑स्य॒ धाम॑ । स इन्द्रा॑य पवसे मत्स॒रवा॑न्हिन्वा॒नो वाचं॑ म॒तिभि॑: कवी॒नाम् ॥
कनि॑क्रदत् । अनु॑ । पन्था॑म् । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । शु॒क्रः । वि । भा॒सि॒ । अ॒मृत॑स्य । धाम॑ । सः । इन्द्रा॑य । प॒व॒से॒ । म॒त्स॒रऽवा॑न् । हि॒न्वा॒नः । वाच॑म् । म॒तिऽभिः॑ । क॒वी॒नाम् ॥
kanikradat | anu | panthām | ṛtasya | śukraḥ | vi | bhāsi | amṛtasya | dhāma | saḥ | indrāya | pavase | matsara-vān | hinvānaḥ | vācam | mati-bhiḥ | kavīnām
48
4 × 12 syllables
Expansive and processional; suits ‘moving along the path’ imagery and sustained shining.
Builds a sense of forward ascent; the longer line supports a continuous, ecstatic ‘drive’ of vāc.
- कनिकradat् (kanikradat)
- Literal: crying out, resounding. Symbolic: awakening vibration that pierces tamas and calls the higher force forward
- पन्थाम् ऋतस्य (panthām ṛtasya)
- Literal: path of Truth/ṛta. Symbolic: right inner movement aligned to cosmic order
- शुक्रः (śukraḥ)
- Literal: bright, clear. Symbolic: clarified consciousness free of mixture
- अमृतस्य धाम (amṛtasya dhāma)
- Literal: home/seat of immortality. Symbolic: stable plane of deathless awareness (wide, luminous being)
- इन्द्राय (indrāya)
- Literal: for Indra. Symbolic: for the illumined mind-power to act and conquer obscurity
- मत्सरवान् (matsaravān)
- Literal: full of exhilaration/rapture. Symbolic: intensified Ananda that becomes dynamic force
- हिन्वानः वाचम् (hinvāno vācam)
- Literal: impelling the Word. Symbolic: pushing forward mantra/speech of truth into expression and action
- मतिभिः कवीनाम् (matibhiḥ kavīnām)
- Literal: with the thoughts/insights of seers. Symbolic: intuitive discriminations guiding the expression of truth
Soma purified for Indra’s drink; energizing the inspired Word in chant/recitation
During the flowing/clarifying of Soma, before offerings associated with Indra.
Chanted to invoke Soma’s brightening and its support of Indra; aligns the rite to ṛta.
Use before important speech or decision: chant to align intention with truth (ṛta), then speak from clarified joy rather than reactivity.
kanikradat is an intensive/reduplicated form of √krand/√krad ‘cry out’—a sonic sign of released power. dhāma ‘abode’ from √dhā ‘set, place’ marks immortality as a ‘set’ stable state. hinv- (√hi) expresses the propulsion of vāk through mati—speech moved by insight.
path of ṛta, amṛta (immortality) as a state/abode, vāk empowered by mati
Explicit: Soma travels the ṛta-path—rightness is the condition for immortality’s ‘home’ to appear.
Vāc urged by kavi-mati becomes satya-vāk (truth-speech) rather than opinion.
Sound (cry), light (śukra), and word (vāc) collaborate to manifest the deathless dwelling in consciousness.
Mantra-yoga / early Vedāntic psychology: vāc as power of manifestation when supported by Ananda and illumination.
Cry = awakening prāṇa; path = disciplined progress; shining = clarified mind; immortality’s home = stable witness-being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘path of ṛta to the abode of immortality’ mythologem: Soma, resounding and shining, reveals amṛta’s dwelling and energizes the seers’ Word for Indra—ecstasy as a vehicle of ascent to deathless consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- amṛta (a- + mṛta ‘mortal’, √mṛ ‘die’) corresponds to IE death/immortality oppositions (PIE *mer- ‘die’). √dhā ‘set/place’ is PIE *dʰeh₁- (Eng. do, Greek tithemi). The reduplication in kanikradat reflects an old IE intensifying strategy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Soma is asked/recognized as the power that both purifies for Indra and propels the rishis’ speech from within. The seer’s insight (mati) becomes effective only when Soma’s exhilaration (matsara) drives vāk into luminous utterance—reciprocity of inspiration and divine force.
Feel a bright current rising through the central channel ‘along ṛta’; let an inner ‘cry’ awaken aspiration; then rest in a quiet, deathless wideness.
Viśuddha (vāc) and Ājñā (illumined mind)
Inhale with ‘anu panthām ṛtasya’ (align), exhale with ‘hinvāno vācam’ (release true speech).
Dynamic clarity: ecstatic but ordered, capable of truthful expression.
Before chanting, set a vow of truthfulness; after chanting, speak only what feels aligned, calm, and luminous.
Follow saṃhitā accents; emphasize the kinetic rise around ‘कनिकradat्’ and the clarity-word around ‘शुक्रो वि भासि’.
Keep consonant clusters crisp: ‘mṛtasya’, ‘amṛtasya’; avoid dragging—Jagatī wants steady propulsion.
kanikradad: articulate ‘kra’ cleanly, not ‘kar’, ṛtasya: vocalic ‘ṛ’ short and clear, śukro: ‘śu’ palatal sibilant, long ‘o’, bhāsi: long ‘ā’, matsaravān: nasal ‘ṃ’ not written—keep ‘van’ clear, hinvāno: aspirate ‘hv/hn’ per tradition; keep ‘vā’ long
Bright, ringing, slightly forceful (to match ‘crying out’), yet controlled.
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.
