Rig Veda 8.97.6: Mandala 8, Sukta 97, Mantra 6
Sukta 8.97
स नः सोमेषु सोमपाः सुतेषु शवसस्पते । मादयस्व राधसा सूनृतावतेन्द्र राया परीणसा ॥
sá naḥ sómeṣu soma-pāḥ sutéṣu śavasaḥ pate | mā́dayasva rā́dhasā sūnṛtā́vaténdra rāyā́ parīṇásā ||
ഹേ സോമപാ, ശക്തിയുടെ അധിപനേ! ഞങ്ങള്ക്കായി സോമാർപ്പണങ്ങളിൽ—ഈ സുതസോമങ്ങളിൽ—നീ ദാനമായ ‘രാധസ്’ കൊണ്ടു മദിച്ചു ആനന്ദിക്ക; ഹേ ഇന്ദ്ര, സത്യവചനത്തിന്റെ സമൃദ്ധിയാലും പരിപൂർണ്ണതയുടെ പൂർണ്ണവൈഭവത്താലും ഞങ്ങളെ സന്തോഷിപ്പിച്ച് ശക്തിപ്പെടുത്തുക.
Soma session exhortation: Indra is urged to drink and be empowered to bestow rādhas and rāyā.
sūnṛtā (truth-speaking) as a power that supports right increase, rāyā/parīṇasā as fullness of being, mad (divine ecstasy) as dynamic catalyst
Indra’s right force acts in harmony with ṛta when fueled by Soma-delight rather than egoic excitement.
Sūnṛtā: truth-speaking as a creative power that stabilizes the boon.
Transformation: delight (Soma) becomes force (śavas) and fullness (parīṇas).
Aurobindonian: Soma = Ananda; Indra = illumined mind-force; rāyas parīṇas = integral fullness of being.
Nectar = distilled joy; drinking = assimilation; exhilaration = awakened power; wealth = wideness and stability of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Indra’s Soma-intoxication as the engine of victory and giving: the god drinks, becomes ‘mad’ (divine ecstasy), and then overflows as bounty and plenitude. Innerly, delight/essence (Soma) empowers the will and mind-force to establish truth-speech and fullness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pā ‘drink’ (PIE *peh₃-), and the lord-title pate (PIE *pótis ‘master’) are clear inheritances. The semantic pairing of drink → exhilaration → power is a recurrent Indo-Iranian poetic chain.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi offers Soma and asks for a reciprocal overflow: Indra’s drinking is not private enjoyment but activation for giving—rādhas (grace) and rāyā/parīṇasā (inner abundance) to the community of seekers.
Offer inner joy to awaken clear strength; cultivate truth-speaking as a siddhi.
viśuddha (truth-speech) with support from maṇipūra (force)
Inhale ‘Soma’ (feel sweetness in chest), exhale ‘Indra’ (send strength through spine); 9 rounds
From dullness to luminous glad force; from reactive speech to truthful utterance
Before speaking or making decisions, chant once; then pause and speak only what increases clarity and harmony (sūnṛtā). Notice the ‘fullness’ (parīṇas) as quiet confidence rather than excitement.
Maintain clear udatta rises on key vocatives (somapāḥ, śavasas pate, indra); keep end cadences grounded.
Emphasize ‘mādayasva’ with a slight swell; soften on ‘sūnṛtāvatā’ to convey truth-gentleness.
somapāḥ: final ḥ lightly aspirated, śavasas: ‘śa-va-sas’ with clear short vowels, parīṇasā: retroflex ṇ; long ī held
Warm, nourishing, confident; not aggressive.
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