Rig Veda 9.62.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 62, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.62
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna seer-family
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
विघ्नन्तो दुरिता पुरु सुगा तोकाय वाजिनः । तना कृण्वन्तो अर्वते ॥
vighnánto duritā́ purú sugā́ tokā́ya vājínaḥ | tánā kṛṇvánto árvate ||
ທຳລາຍເສັ້ນທາງທີ່ຍາກແລະການເຄື່ອນໄຫວທີ່ຜິດພາດ, ຜູ້ນຳຄວາມສົມບູນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ສ້າງເສັ້ນທາງທີ່ດີຫຼາຍສາຍໃຫ້ແກ່ລູກຂອງວິນຍານ; ພວກເຂົາສ້າງການສືບຕໍ່ຂອງຄວາມກ້າວຫນ້າໃຫ້ແກ່ພາສາຂອງພະລັງການເດີນທາງ.
Word by Word
- विघ्नन्तः
- obstructing, smitingAdjective/Participleपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विघ्न (प्रातिपदिक; √विघ्न/विघ्न् ‘to obstruct, break’ > ‘obstructing’)
- दुरितानि
- misfortunes, sins, troublesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot दुरित (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुरु
- much, many, greatlyIndeclinable (adverbial)अव्यय (अपरिवर्तनीय)Role विशेषण (क्रियाविशेषण) / कर्म-विशेषणRoot पुरु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुगा
- easy (to go), good-goingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विशेष्य-विशेषण (पथ/गतिः इत्यर्थे निहितम्)Root सु-ग (प्रातिपदिक; सु + √गम्/ग ‘to go’ > ‘easy-going’)
- तोकाय
- for the offspring, for the childNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot तोक (प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजिनः
- the prize-winners / swift onesNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (विघ्नन्तः इत्यस्य सहविशेष्यः)Root वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- तना
- continuously, in successionIndeclinableअव्यय (अपरिवर्तनीय)Role विशेषण (क्रियाविशेषण)Root तना (अव्यय; ‘by extension, in due course, continuously’)
- कृण्वन्तः
- making, producingVerb (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot √कृ (करणे)
- अर्वते
- for the steed (horse)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अर्वत् (प्रातिपदिक ‘steed, horse’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: विघ्नन्तः | दुरितानि | पुरु | सुगा | तोकाय | वाजिनः | तना | कृण्वन्तः | अर्वते || 1) ‘दुरिता’ इति संहितायां रूपं प्रायः नपुंसक-द्वितीया-बहुवचन ‘दुरितानि’ (कर्म) इत्यर्थे
- मन्त्रपाठे ‘दुरिता’ इति छन्दसि/पदपाठ-परम्परायां संक्षेपः। 2) ‘सुगा’ इति स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रथमा-एकवचनं, निहित-विशेष्यं ‘(गतिः/पन्थाः)’ इत्यर्थे—‘सुगा (भवतु)’ = ‘easy passage’. 3) ‘तोकाय वा वाजिनः’ इत्यत्र ‘वा’ (अथवा) इति विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम्
- प्रदत्त-पाठे ‘वा’ दृश्यते, परन्तु पदविश्लेषणे मुख्यपदानि एव गृहीतानि।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Breaking many difficulties, making many good paths for the child, the strong bringers of gain build a continuous course for the steed.
Inner meaning
The purified Soma-currents actively ‘break’ (vi-ghnanti) inner duritā—wrong turnings, harmful habits, and obscurities. They open ‘su-gā’—good passages—for ‘tokāya’, the soul’s young growth (psychic being’s childlike emergence). They also build ‘tanā’—a sustained continuum—so the ‘arvat’ (the journeying horse-force, vital energy) can run steadily toward the goal rather than in spasms or derailments.
Universal truth
True purification is pragmatic: it removes obstacles, creates workable paths, and stabilizes energy for long-term progress—especially protecting what is newly born in us.
Themes
obstacle-breaking, path-making, spiritual progeny, vital energy disciplined
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna seer-family
- Other hymns
- RV 9.62.1-4
Family tradition
Pavamāna composers transmit experiential psychology of the sacrifice: obstacle-breaking, path-making, and energizing continuity.
Significance
The seer-voice is practical and developmental: Soma is invoked not only for ecstasy but for removing wrong turnings and building stable progress.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Vājī (giver of vāja), Path-maker through purification
- Related deities
- Indra (obstacle-slayer), Pūṣan (path-finder), Aśvins (helpers in passages)
Cosmic role
Clears the ways in the worlds—opens passages between lower and higher consciousness.
Inner power
Transformative delight that becomes executive force: it breaks formations and organizes the life-force into a steady journey.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and praise
वि॒घ्नन्तो॑ दुरि॒ता पु॒रु सु॒गा तो॒काय॑ वा॒जिन॑: । तना॑ कृ॒ण्वन्तो॒ अर्व॑ते ॥
वि॒ऽघ्नन्तः॑ । दुः॒ऽइ॒ता । पु॒रु । सु॒ऽगा । तो॒काय॑ । वा॒जिनः॑ । तना॑ । कृ॒ण्वन्तः॑ । अर्व॑ते ॥
vi-ghnantaḥ | duḥ-itā | puru | su-gā | tokāya | vājinaḥ | tanā | kṛṇvantaḥ | arvate
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3 x ~8 syllables.
Energetic and constructive; each pāda feels like a step forward.
Instills confidence and momentum; supports habit-change and perseverance.
- वि॒घ्नन्तः (vi-ghnantaḥ)
- Literal: breaking, smashing. Symbolic: decisive removal of inner obstacles and formations
- दुरिता (duritā)
- Literal: difficulties, misfortunes, wrong ways. Symbolic: crooked movements of nature—error, addiction, inertia, despair
- सुगा (su-gā)
- Literal: good goings, good paths. Symbolic: channels of right movement—habits aligned with truth
- तोकाय (tokāya)
- Literal: for the child/offspring. Symbolic: the nascent psychic growth; new inner realization needing protection
- वाजिनः (vājinaḥ)
- Literal: possessing vāja; strong, prize-winning. Symbolic: powers of plenitude/energy that carry realization into action
- अर्वते (arvate)
- Literal: for the steed/horse. Symbolic: vital force harnessed for the journey; dynamic energy disciplined by truth
Pavamāna chant during filtration; functionally to remove impurity and secure ‘good passages’ for the sacrificer; inwardly: Soma-force clears durita (misdirection) and establishes right pathways (ṛta) for growth.
In pavamāna sequences emphasizing removal of obstacles and securing safe passages.
Chanted as Soma flows; aligns the sacrificer’s intent with obstacle-clearing and path-opening.
Use when beginning a new practice (meditation, sobriety, study) to protect the ‘newborn’ aspiration and stabilize energy for consistency.
vi-ghnantaḥ: pres. act. ptc. nom. pl. from vi-√han/√ghn ‘smite, destroy’; duritā: acc. pl. of duritá ‘hard to pass, evil’ (dur- ‘bad/difficult’ + √i ‘go’); su-gā: acc. pl. ‘good goings’ (su- + gā ‘going/path’); tokāya: dat. sg. ‘for offspring/child’; vājinaḥ: nom. pl. ‘possessing vāja’; tanā: instr. adv. ‘by continuity’; arvate: dat. sg. of árvan ‘steed’. Symbolic justification: dur-√i ‘bad-going’ naturally yields ‘wrong movement’ (psychological); vāja as ‘plenitude/force’ supports inner victory-energy rather than mere food/prize.
ṛta as right-going (su-gā vs dur-ita), tapas as sustained formation (tanā kṛṇvantaḥ), growth of the inner being (tokā)
Su-gā are the tracks of ṛta; duritā are deviations into anṛta.
Truth is experienced as straightness and continuity in movement, not only as idea.
Evolutionary path-making: the divine current carves channels through resistance.
Yoga of transformation (Aurobindo): purification enables stable ascent and integration.
Life becomes a terrain with passages; the horse is prāṇa/vital dynamism; Soma makes the terrain traversable and the force steady.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘path-clearing’ mythologem: Soma as the force that breaks durita and opens sugā. This aligns with the larger RV pattern where the gods (often Indra/Soma) ‘open the ways’ and make the journey possible—here internalized as removal of misdirected tendencies and construction of right inner passages.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dur- + √i (‘bad-going’) reflects an inherited Indo-European strategy of moralizing movement (right-going vs wrong-going). The horse (arvan) is a classic IE poetic vehicle for speed/power, paralleled across IE traditions as symbol of vital force and the carrier of the hero’s journey.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer invokes Soma not as passive drink but as an active maker of paths for tokā (inner offspring). The implied exchange: the human offers pressing/clarification; Soma returns as guidance and obstacle-removal enabling sustained progress (tanā) of the life-force (arvan).
Bring to mind one recurring ‘duritā’ (wrong turn). On each repetition, feel Soma breaking it and revealing a simple next step (su-gā).
Maṇipūra (executive force and sustained effort)
Slightly stronger exhale on ‘vighnanto duritā’ (release obstruction), softer inhale on ‘sugā tokāya’ (receive the path).
Steady, forward-driving clarity.
Pair with a concrete vow: one small daily act that keeps the ‘tanā’ (continuum). Let the mantra be the inner ‘track’ the horse runs upon.
Rigvedic accents; keep pāda breaks crisp; emphasize the ‘breaking’ action with clean consonants.
Articulate ‘vi-ghnanto’ with a slight stress on ‘ghn’; keep ‘su-gā’ light and open.
vighnanto: gh + n cluster; nasal clearly, duritā: short u; retroflex ṭ not present—use dental t, sugā: clear su; long ā, tokāya: long ā; keep k crisp, arvate: v soft; final e long
Energetic but controlled; like steady marching rather than shouting.
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