Rig Veda 9.47.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 47, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.47
- Devata
- Soma, with explicit linkage to Indra’s power
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आत्सोम इन्द्रियो रसो वज्रः सहस्रसा भुवत् । उक्थं यदस्य जायते ॥
āt sóma indriyò raso vájraḥ sahasrasā́ bhuvat | uktháṃ yád asya jā́yate ||
ຈາກໂສມະນີ້ເກີດພະລັງຂອງອິນທະ, ຄວາມປິຕີຂອງພຣະອົງກາຍເປັນສາຍຟ້າຜ່າພັນພະລັງ, ເມື່ອໃດຄຳສັນລະເສຂອນເກີດຂຶ້ນຈາກພຣະອົງໃນເຮົາ.
Word by Word
- आत्
- then; thereuponIndeclinableनिपात/अव्ययRoot आत् (निपात; प्रायः अथ/ततः-अर्थे)
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole KartāRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रियः
- Indra-like; belonging to IndraAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सोमः इति विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र-सम्बन्धी)
- रसः
- juice; sap; essenceNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समास/समनाधिकरणे सोमस्य)Root रस (प्रातिपदिक)
- वज्रः
- (as) a thunderbolt; vajraNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (समनाधिकरणे; उपमा/रूपकभावे)Root वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सहस्रसा
- with thousandfold power; very mightyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (सोमः/रसः/वज्रः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role Kartā (विशेषणरूपेण)Root सहस्रसा (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + सा/सन्-प्रत्ययः; ‘सहस्र-शक्त्या/बलात्’ इत्यर्थे)
- अभवत्
- became; came to beVerbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRoot भू (धातु)
- उक्थम्
- hymn of praise; recitationNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Kartā (जायते इत्यस्य) / Karma (यद्-सम्बन्धे सन्दिग्धम्)Root उक्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- which; whenPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (सम्बन्धक/यत्-तत्)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of him/it (of Soma)Pronounपुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- जायते
- is born; arisesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमा, एकवचनRoot जन् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पाठे ‘आत्सोम॑’ इति संधिः: ‘आत् + सोमः’ (त् + स → त्स)
- ‘इन्द्रि॒यो’ = ‘इन्द्रियः’ (वेदपाठे विसर्ग-लोप/स्वर-परिवर्तन)
- ‘वज्र॑:’ = ‘वज्रः’ (विसर्ग-चिह्न)
- ‘सहस्र॒सा’ अव्ययवत्-विशेषणरूपेण प्रथमा एकवचने प्रयुक्तम्
- ‘यद॑स्य’ = ‘यत् + अस्य’ (त् + अ → द्/तद्-आदेशः वेदेषु; पदपाठे सामान्यतः ‘यत् अस्य’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
From this Soma arises Indra’s force; its rapture becomes a thunderbolt of a thousand powers, whenever the hymn of praise is born from him.
Inner meaning
When Soma is purified, his rasa (sap/rapture) becomes indriya—Indra’s power of luminous mind. The bliss-energy condenses into vajra, the decisive instrument that breaks the coverer: a ‘thunderbolt of a thousand powers’ (sahasrasā), i.e., manifold illuminations and effective discernments. This happens when uktha is born—when inspired speech rises in us from the Soma-current: mantra becomes the expression of awakened Ananda, and that expression itself turns into a force of victory.
Universal truth
Joy clarified into consciousness becomes strength; inspired truth-speech is not ornament but power—when delight and word are aligned, they break resistance and release hidden possibilities.
Themes
Soma-ritual, inner empowerment, mantric speech, victory over obstruction
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.47.2, Rig Veda 9.47.4, Rig Veda 9.47.5
Family tradition
Soma Maṇḍala reciters; the verse shows a classic Soma–Indra linkage common in Kāṇva/Angirasa hymn cycles
Significance
The seer describes the yoga of ‘Ananda → illumination → victorious word’: Soma’s delight becomes Indra’s weapon through mantra-birth.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (as source of Indra-power)
- Epithets
- Indriya rasa (rapture that becomes Indra’s force), Vajra-bhū (becoming the thunderbolt)
- Related deities
- Indra, Bṛhaspati, Agni
Cosmic role
Nectar that empowers the gods; in the inner cosmos it supplies the fuel for illumination and victory over darkness.
Inner power
Bliss turning into effective discernment and irresistible will; mantra-shakti born from purified delight.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing/purification; Indra-Soma empowerment within soma-yāga
आत्सोम॑ इन्द्रि॒यो रसो॒ वज्र॑: सहस्र॒सा भु॑वत् । उ॒क्थं यद॑स्य॒ जाय॑ते ॥
आत् । सोमः॑ । इ॒न्द्रि॒यः । रसः॑ । वज्रः॑ । स॒ह॒स्र॒ऽसाः । भु॒व॒त् । उ॒क्थम् । यत् । अ॒स्य॒ । जाय॑ते ॥
āt | somaḥ | indriyaḥ | rasaḥ | vajraḥ | sahasra-sāḥ | bhuvat | uktham | yat | asya | jāyate
44
4 pādas (approx. 11 syllables each)
Energetic ascent; the lineation supports a ‘rising’ from Soma to Indra to vajra to uktha.
Invokes vigor and clarity; listeners often feel a sharpening of attention and a lift of confidence.
- इन्द्रियः (indriyaḥ)
- Literal: belonging to Indra; power. Symbolic: luminous mental force; capacity for clear seeing and victorious action
- रसः (rasaḥ)
- Literal: sap, taste, juice. Symbolic: essence of delight (Ananda) that energizes mind and life
- वज्रः (vajraḥ)
- Literal: thunderbolt. Symbolic: decisive illumined will/discernment that shatters obstruction
- सहस्रसाः (sahasra-sāḥ)
- Literal: with a thousand strengths. Symbolic: manifold powers of illumination; many-sided effective force
- उक्थम् (uktham)
- Literal: hymn, word of praise. Symbolic: inspired utterance/mantric formulation born from inner delight
- जायते (jāyate)
- Literal: is born. Symbolic: spontaneous arising of revelation in consciousness
Soma Pavamāna cycle: recitation during Soma pressing/purification (pavamāna-stotras) in Soma sacrifices such as Agniṣṭoma
During chanting of Pavamāna stotras while Soma is filtered and offered
Recitation to strengthen Indra’s participation and the efficacy of offerings
Before study, decision-making, or difficult conversations: chant to align joy with clear speech and decisive insight.
Key terms: (1) rasa- from √ras ‘to taste, relish’ → ‘essence, sap, delight’; supports psychological reading as ‘experienced quintessence’ that empowers. (2) vajra- traditionally ‘thunderbolt’; linked to decisive striking power; in inner sense, the concentrated will that ‘breaks’ obstruction. (3) indriya- ‘belonging to Indra/strength’; from Indra (power of illumined mind) + -iya; denotes capacity/force for victorious action. (4) sahasra-sāḥ: sahasra ‘thousand’ + √san/√sā ‘to win, gain’ → ‘winning a thousand (boons/powers)’ i.e., manifold efficacies. (5) uktha- from √vac/ukth? (Vedic formation) ‘utterance’ → formulated praise; psychologically, the shaped mantra-thought that gives birth to power.
ṛta (right order) as the condition for effective speech/uktha to ‘be born’, transformation of delight (Soma) into victorious power (Indra-force)
Indra-force arising from Soma restores ṛta by breaking false coverings and establishing right perception.
Uktha ‘born’ from Soma indicates truth-speech emerging from inner clarity, not mere intellect.
Speech as creation: when mantra is born, new power-forms arise in consciousness.
Mantra-śakti orientation; Aurobindonian: Ananda as the mother-force that gives birth to illumination and effective will.
Nectar becomes lightning: delight intensifies into a flash of discriminating power; the hymn is the audible crystallization of that inner flash.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Soma-to-Vajra transmutation: Soma’s delight-essence becomes Indra’s thunderbolt. Mythically it evokes Indra’s weapon; psychologically it describes how clarified delight in the seeker concentrates into a decisive force that can break inner obstruction.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- rasa- aligns with the semantic field of ‘taste/essence’ (PIE *reh₁d-/ *res- type taste/juice notions debated; Indo-Iranian parallels in ‘sap/essence’ vocabulary). jāyate from √jan ‘be born’ reflects PIE *ǵenh₁- (cf. Latin gignere, English kin). vajra as ‘striking’ weapon fits the widespread IE storm-god motif where empowered force manifests as a crushing/blasting instrument.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Reciprocity is mediated by uktha: when the seer’s inspired formulation is rightly born (not mere speech but shaped consciousness), Soma releases its rasa, which becomes Indra-like power in the human vessel. The offering is inner articulation; the return is effective force and victorious clarity.
Let a felt sweetness in the heart/mind refine into clear intention; then allow a true sentence (uktha) to arise without forcing.
Viśuddha (truth-speech) linked with Ājñā (illumined mind)
Inhale: ‘rasa’ felt as cool brightness; exhale: speak/intonate softly, letting sound emerge from the feeling-tone.
From Ananda to illumined dynamism; speech becomes a tool of truth and liberation.
Chant, then sit 2 minutes: notice one area of confusion. Do not analyze; wait until a simple, truthful formulation arises. Act only on what arrives with calm force (vajra).
Not fully determinable from provided text; keep a slight lift on ‘indriyo raso’ and a firm stress-like emphasis on ‘vajraḥ’.
Bind ‘sahasrasā bhuvat’ smoothly; avoid over-pause before ‘uktham’.
āt: long ā, crisp final t, indriyaḥ: cluster ndr, clear ri (not ‘ree’), vajraḥ: jra cluster, light visarga, uktham: aspirate th (uk-tham), not ‘uktam’
Bright and forward; let the ‘vajra’ phrase sound decisive, then soften slightly on ‘uktham’.
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