Rig Veda 9.97.53: Mandala 9, Sukta 97, Mantra 53
Sukta 9.97
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
उत न एना पवया पवस्वाधि श्रुते श्रवाय्यस्य तीर्थे । षष्टिं सहस्रा नैगुतो वसूनि वृक्षं न पक्वं धूनवद्रणाय ॥
utá na enā́ pavayā́ pavasvā́dhi śruté śravā́yyasya tīrthé | ṣaṣṭíṃ sahásrā naigutó vásūni vṛkṣáṃ ná pakváṃ dhūnavad ráṇāya ||
ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮಿಗಾಗಿ ಕೂಡ, ಈ ಶುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ, ನೀನು ಪವಿತ್ರಗೊಳ್ಳು—ಶ್ರುತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾದ ತೀರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ, ಕೇಳತಕ್ಕದನ್ನು ದಾಟಿಸುವ ದಾಟಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ. ನಮ್ಮಿಗಾಗಿ ಅರವತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ನಿಧಿಗಳನ್ನು, ಪಕ್ವವಾದ ಮರವು ಯುದ್ಧಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ತನ್ನ ಫಲವನ್ನು ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬೀಳಿಸುವಂತೆ, ಕದಲಿಸಿ ಸುರಿಸು; ಮೇಲಿಂದ ಪಕ್ವವಾದ ಆಂತರಿಕ ಸಮೃದ್ಧಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನದ ಮೇಲೆ ಸುರಿಯಲಿ.
Word by Word
- उत
- and, alsoIndeclinableconjunction/particleRoot उत
- नः
- of us / for usPronoungenitive pluralRole Sampradāna (beneficiary/possessor)Root अस्मद्
- एनाः
- these (things/boons)Pronoun/Adjectiveaccusative plural (m./f.)Role KarmaRoot एना- (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवया
- with the purifying filter/strainerNouninstrumental singular (masculine)Role KaraṇaRoot पवि-
- पवस्व
- purify yourself; flow purifiedVerbimperative, 2nd person singular, ĀtmanepadaRoot √पू (पवते) / √पु (to purify)
- अधि
- upon, over, atIndeclinablepreverb/prepositionRole AdhikaraṇaRoot अधि
- श्रुते
- in/at the hearing; in the (sacred) recitationNounlocative singular (feminine)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot श्रुति-
- श्रवाय्यस्य
- of the praiseworthy/famed oneAdjectivegenitive singular (masculine/neuter)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot श्रवाय्य-
- तीर्थे
- at the ford; at the ritual crossing-placeNounlocative singular (neuter)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot तीर्थ-
- षष्टिम्
- sixtyNumeralaccusative singular (feminine, used with सहस्राणि)Role Karma (measure)Root षष्टि-
- सहस्राणि
- thousandsNoun/Numeralaccusative plural (neuter)Role Karma (measure)Root सहस्र-
- नैगुतः
- belonging to the Nigu/Naigu lineage; Naiguta (epithet)Adjectivenominative singular (masculine)Role Kartā (apposition to Soma)Root नैगुत-
- वसूनि
- goods, richesNounaccusative plural (neuter)Role KarmaRoot वसु-
- वृक्षम्
- a treeNounaccusative singular (masculine)Role Karma (object of comparison/imagery)Root वृक्ष-
- न
- like, asIndeclinablecomparative particleRoot न
- पक्वम्
- ripeAdjectiveaccusative singular (masculine/neuter; agreeing with वृक्षम्)Role Karma (qualifier)Root पक्व- (from √पच्)
- धूनवत्
- shaking, causing to shakeAdjective (present participial in -वत्)nominative singular (masculine; agreeing with implied Soma)Role Kartā (descriptive)Root √धू (धूनोति) / धूनवत्
- रणाय
- for battle/contestNoundative singular (masculine)Role Sampradāna (purpose)Root रण-
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (padapāṭha-style): ए॒ना प॑व॒या → एनाः पवया (visarga before p)
- प॑व॒स्वाधि॑ → पवस्व + अधि
- श्रु॒ते श्र॒वाय्य॑स्य → श्रुते + श्रवाय्यस्य (no further sandhi)
- नैगु॒तो वसू॑नि → नैगुतः वसूनि (final -o represents -aḥ before voiced v in saṃhitā)
- धू॑नव॒द्रणा॑य → धूनवत् + रणाय (final -t before r)
The meaning
Outer meaning
For us too, by this purification, purify yourself upon the famed ford; shake down for us treasures—sixty thousand—like a ripe tree dropping fruit for battle.
Inner meaning
Soma is asked to purify ‘for us’ at the tīrtha—the inner crossing-place where the heard truth (śruta/śravāyya: what is truly worth hearing) becomes lived realization. At this threshold, the purified delight can ‘shake down’ abundant riches: not material count, but fullness and multiplicity of inner powers (‘sixty thousand’ as vast plenitude). Like a ripe tree, the matured consciousness releases its fruits naturally into raṇāya—our battle/striving against resistance (vṛtra-like inertia).
Universal truth
At the decisive crossing in life, mature inner clarity yields spontaneous abundance. What ripens in silence falls as practical strength in times of struggle.
Themes
Abundance and fruition, Crossing-point symbolism, Inner battle support
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seers (Anukramaṇī: generic)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.97.49-56 (cluster on purification, gifts, and victory), RV 9.61 (Soma at the ford/crossing motifs appear in Soma hymns generally)
Family tradition
Book 9 Pavamāna corpus; chant-lineages linked to Soma ritual singers (udgātṛ tradition) and contemplative seers of Ananda.
Significance
The seer-voice here is collective aspiration: the community-soul asking Soma to make the ‘crossing’ safe and fruitful—an archetype of inner initiation.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Indu, Madhu, Pūyamāna (being purified, implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (battle/victory), Bṛhaspati (worthy hearing/inspiration), Sarasvatī (tīrtha/flow of revelation)
Cosmic role
Mediator of passage: he carries the offering across worlds and brings back boons; he is the ripening sap in the tree of life.
Inner power
Ripening joy that releases capacities at the right moment; the ‘descent’ of force needed for victory.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants at the straining (pavamāna) stage
उ॒त न॑ ए॒ना प॑व॒या प॑व॒स्वाधि॑ श्रु॒ते श्र॒वाय्य॑स्य ती॒र्थे । ष॒ष्टिं स॒हस्रा॑ नैगु॒तो वसू॑नि वृ॒क्षं न प॒क्वं धू॑नव॒द्रणा॑य ॥
उ॒त । नः॒ । ए॒ना । प॒व॒या । प॒व॒स्व॒ । अधि॑ । श्रु॒ते । श्र॒वाय्य॑स्य । ती॒र्थे । ष॒ष्टिम् । स॒हस्रा॑ । नै॒गु॒तः । वसू॑नि । वृ॒क्षम् । न । प॒क्वम् । धू॒न॒व॒त् । रणा॑य ॥
uta | naḥ | enā | pavayā | pavasva | adhi | śrute | śravāyyasya | tīrthe | ṣaṣṭim | sahasrā | naigutaḥ | vasūni | vṛkṣam | na | pakvam | dhūnavat | raṇāya
48
4 × 12 syllables (probable)
Expansive, narrative flow with a strong ‘drop’ at cadence—mirrors fruit falling and gifts descending.
Encourages a sense of crossing and release; good for transitions in meditation (from listening to receiving).
- तीर्थे (tīrthe)
- Literal: ford, crossing. Symbolic: threshold of transformation; point of passage from hearing to being
- श्रुते (śrute)
- Literal: heard, famed. Symbolic: received truth; inner audition (śravaṇa) that becomes guidance
- श्रवाय्यस्य (śravāyyasya)
- Literal: worthy to be heard. Symbolic: the higher inspiration/intuition that deserves attention
- षष्टिं सहस्रā (ṣaṣṭiṃ sahasrā)
- Literal: sixty thousand. Symbolic: immense plenitude; countless inner resources
- वृक्षं न पक्वम् (vṛkṣaṃ na pakvam)
- Literal: like a ripe tree. Symbolic: ripened being/consciousness releasing results effortlessly
- धूनवत् (dhūnavat)
- Literal: shaking down. Symbolic: a downward rain of gifts—descent of powers
- रणाय (raṇāya)
- Literal: for battle. Symbolic: spiritual struggle; tapas against obscurity
Soma purification at the ‘tīrtha’ (ford) of the rite—possibly the pressing/straining station; prayer for abundant vasu
During Soma flow through the filter; invoked for boons and victory
Recitation/singing to ‘shake down’ boons for the yajamāna; align Soma with famed tīrtha (ritual crossing point)
Use at life-transitions (new work, healing, initiation): meditate on the ‘tīrtha’ within—quiet listening—then invite a rain of inner resources for one’s struggle.
tīrtha ‘ford’ from √tṝ ‘to cross over’ (transition motif). √śru ‘hear’ (śruta ‘heard/famed’; śravāyya ‘worth hearing/praise-worthy’). √dhū ‘shake’. pakva ‘cooked/ripe’ from √pac ‘cook, ripen’. raṇa ‘battle/strife’ often symbolizes inner struggle. naiguta as proper adjective (onomastic).
transition/crossing (tīrtha as inner passage), inner battle (raṇa), abundance as ripened fruition (pakva)
Tīrtha symbolizes ṛta as the lawful crossing between states of being.
Śravāyya: discrimination of what is truly to be heard—truth-guidance.
Descent of multiplicity (many ‘treasures’) from ripened unity.
Integral yoga lens: śravaṇa → inner ripening → śakti for action.
late summer/harvest (suggested by ‘ripe tree’)
Ford = inner transition; tree = evolving being; fruit = realized powers; falling = descent of grace into effort.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ripe tree shaking down treasure’ mythologem: Soma at the tīrtha causes abundance to fall for the battle. Inner reading: at a decisive crossing in sādhanā, clarified delight releases matured powers/resources needed for the struggle toward light.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ continues PIE *ḱleu- ‘hear’ (cf. Gk klýō, Eng listen via different route; ‘fame’ complex also IE). √tṝ ‘cross’ aligns with widespread IE crossing/ford imagery. The tree/fruit metaphor is a pan-IE poetic device for ‘ripeness’ and ‘gift’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer asks Soma to act at the ‘crossing’—a liminal point—so that the seeker receives ripened abundance precisely when needed for the inner raṇa (contest). The rite becomes timed grace: purification yields power at the threshold.
Locate the inner ‘tīrtha’: a quiet point of listening in the heart or brow; receive what is truly worth hearing; then invite a gentle ‘shaking down’ of strengths for your current challenge.
Ājñā (true hearing/inner guidance) with descent to Maṇipūra (battle/force).
4-4-6 breathing (inhale-hold-exhale) while listening inward on the hold; feel gifts descend on the exhale.
Attentive receptivity turning into courageous resolve.
Before action, practice śravaṇa: listen for the śravāyya impulse; act only after the ‘fruit’ naturally drops—avoid forcing; let ripeness decide timing.
Maintain Vedic accents; emphasize the lift on pavayā/pavasva and tīrthe; keep cadences steady for Jagatī.
Let udātta syllables be slightly brighter; keep anudātta grounded to evoke the ‘ford’ stability.
tīrthe: long ī and clear dental ‘t’., śravāyyasya: articulate ‘yy’ lightly without inserting a vowel., ṣaṣṭiṃ: retroflex ṣ; nasal ‘ṃ’ before pause., dhūnavat: long ū; ‘dh’ aspirated.
Steady, confident, slightly martial warmth.
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