Rig Veda 9.3.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 3, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.3
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एष प्रत्नेन जन्मना देवो देवेभ्यः सुतः । हरिः पवित्रे अर्षति ॥
eṣá pratnéna jánmanā devó devébhyāḥ sutáḥ | háriḥ pavítre arṣati ||
ទេវៈនេះ ដោយកំណើតដ៏ចាស់ជរារបស់គាត់ ត្រូវបានគេរំលឹកសម្រាប់ទេវៈទាំងឡាយ អ្នកដែលមានពណ៌លឿងហូរក្នុងអ្នកធ្វើឲ្យស្អាតបរិសុទ្ធ។
Word by Word
- एषः
- this (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → एष-
- प्रत्नेन
- with the ancient (one)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनम् (जन्मना इति सह)Role करणRoot प्रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
- जन्मना
- by birth; by originNounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
- देवः
- the godNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (एषः इत्यस्य विशेषण/समनाधिकरण)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेभ्यः
- to the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम्Role सम्प्रदानRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतः
- pressed; expressed (Soma)Participle (past passive) used adjectivallyपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (देवः/एषः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ (समनाधिकरण-विशेषण)Root सु (धातु, ‘to press/extract’) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
- हरिः
- the tawny one (Soma)Noun/Adjective (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवित्रे
- in/through the filter (sieve)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role अधिकरणRoot पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्षति
- flows; rushesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √ऋष्/अर्ष् (धातु; ‘to move/flow, rush’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: एषः | प्रत्नेन | जन्मना | देवः | देवेभ्यः | सुतः | हरिः | पवित्रे | अर्षति || 1) एष प्रत्नेन → एषः प्रत्नेन (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते संहितायाम्). 2) देवेभ्यः सुतः: विसर्गः (ः) परे स-कारे स्थितः
- संहितापाठे ‘देवेभ्य॑: सु॒तः’ इति लेखनम्. 3) हरिः पवित्रे: विसर्गः परे प-कारे
- संहितालेखनं ‘हरि॑: प॒वित्रे॑’
The meaning
Outer meaning
This god, by ancient birth, pressed out for the gods—the tawny one—streams in the purifier (filter).
Inner meaning
Soma is ‘ancient-born’ (pratnena janmanā): a perennial principle in the soul’s evolution. Pressed out (sutaḥ) for the gods means extracted from our nature through discipline and aspiration for the higher powers. As hariḥ (tawny, radiant), it streams through the pavitra—the discriminating purification that separates truth-delight from mixture—becoming fit to nourish the divine faculties within.
Universal truth
The deepest joy is timeless in us, but it must be consciously ‘pressed out’ and purified; then it becomes nourishment for higher consciousness and a stable force of transformation.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Primordial origin, Offering to the gods, Purification through pavitra
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.3.1-9
Significance
The rishi stresses Soma’s perenniality (‘ancient birth’) and the indispensable process: expression (suta) and purification (pavitra). It is a compact formula of inner yoga: extract, filter, offer to the gods within.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pratna-janman (ancient-born), hari (tawny/radiant), suta (pressed)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Ādityas (truth powers), Vāc
Cosmic role
Primordial delight that, when pressed and purified, becomes sustenance for the gods and the evolutionary ascent.
Inner power
Radiant Ananda that energizes higher faculties and stabilizes truth-consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (savana) and straining (pavitra)
ए॒ष प्र॒त्नेन॒ जन्म॑ना दे॒वो दे॒वेभ्य॑: सु॒तः । हरि॑: प॒वित्रे॑ अर्षति ॥
ए॒षः । प्र॒त्नेन॑ । जन्म॑ना । दे॒वः । दे॒वेभ्यः॑ । सु॒तः । हरिः॑ । प॒वित्रे॑ । अ॒र्ष॒ति॒ ॥
eṣaḥ | pratnena | janmanā | devaḥ | devebhyaḥ | sutaḥ | hariḥ | pavitre | aṣarti
48
4 × ~12
Compact yet flowing; strong nominal compounds give a solemn, ‘ancient’ weight.
Invokes depth and continuity; supports a meditative sense of timeless source flowing through purification.
- pratnena janmanā
- Literal: by ancient birth. Symbolic: the eternal, pre-mental root of Ananda in the being; perennial divine principle
- sutaḥ
- Literal: pressed, expressed (Soma). Symbolic: extracted essence through tapas, aspiration, and inner work
- devebhyaḥ
- Literal: for the gods. Symbolic: for the higher faculties/powers (illumined mind, divine will, truth-speech)
- hariḥ
- Literal: tawny/golden; also ‘steed-like’ radiance. Symbolic: radiant delight-force, luminous and dynamic
- pavitre
- Literal: in/through the purifier (filter). Symbolic: discriminative purification: separating truth from desire, clarity from confusion
- arṣati
- Literal: streams, flows swiftly. Symbolic: unimpeded descent/ascent of purified Ananda through the nature
Explicitly references Soma pressing (suta) and filtration (pavitra); affirms Soma as the ancient divine principle offered to the gods.
During pressing/straining phases; also as a general Soma praise in Pavamāna sequences
Chanted as Soma is expressed and passed through the filter for offering
Daily practice: ‘press out’ the essence of the day (attention/feeling) through discernment; offer purified joy to higher intention before action.
pratna ‘ancient’ from pra- + -tna (old/primeval). suta from √su ‘to press out, extract’ (Soma-technical). pavitra from √pū ‘to purify’ with instrumental sense ‘means of purification’. arṣati from √arṣ/√ṛṣ ‘to flow’ (Vedic).
Primordiality (pratna janman), Participation of the gods (higher faculties) in the offering, Purification as revelation of essence
Purification (pavitra) is the law of right separation and right offering—R̥ta in practice.
Ancient-born Soma is truth-delight; filtering removes falsehood-mixture.
Eternal principle entering time through repeated extraction and refinement.
Vedāntic/Integral: the eternal Ananda becomes operative through tapas and discrimination.
Golden stream = luminous joy; filter = discernment; pressing = concentrated practice drawing essence from experience.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The primordial Soma offered to the gods: ancient by birth, pressed for the devas, streaming through the purifier. Inwardly it is the timeless delight-principle expressed from the being and refined by discrimination so the higher powers can receive and increase it.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- deva derives from the IE ‘shining’ root (PIE *deiwos: Latin deus, Lithuanian dievas). The semantic equation ‘divine = shining’ is a foundational Indo-European poetic inheritance, here applied to Soma as luminous force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi frames Soma as the mediator between human pressing (suta) and divine reception (devebhyaḥ). The relationship is integrative: Soma is both the offered essence and the purifier that makes the offering fit for the gods within and without.
Contemplate the ‘ancient joy’ behind experience; practice inner pressing (collect attention) and filtering (discern truth from craving).
Ājñā (discernment) with Sahasrāra orientation (timeless origin)
Kumbhaka-light: brief comfortable pause after inhale to ‘press’ awareness; exhale to ‘filter’ and release impurities.
From surface pleasure-seeking to stable, radiant Ananda aligned with higher purpose.
Chant 9 times; on ‘pratnena janmanā’ feel the timeless source; on ‘pavitre arṣati’ feel the purified flow through the system.
Not specified; keep a solemn, even svara movement; emphasize compound ‘pratnena janmanā’ with steady rise-fall.
Pause lightly after each pāda; let ‘hariḥ’ be bright and ‘pavitre’ be cleanly articulated.
pratnena: dental t+n cluster, no retroflexion, janmanā: clear ‘nm’ cluster; long ā at end, devebhyaḥ: bhy cluster; visarga at end, hariḥ: flap ‘r’, visarga audible but light, pavitre: short a; ‘tri’ crisp, arṣati: retroflex ṣ, clear ‘rṣ’ conjunct
Warm, luminous, steady; avoid rushing to preserve ‘ancient’ gravity
9
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