Rig Veda 9.39.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 39, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.39
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
आविवासन्परावतो अथो अर्वावतः सुतः । इन्द्राय सिच्यते मधु ॥
āvivā́sann parāváto átho arvā́vataḥ sutáḥ | índrāya sicyate mádhu ||
ദൂരത്തുനിന്നും സമീപത്തുനിന്നും അവൻ പ്രകാശിച്ചു പ്രത്യക്ഷമായിരിക്കുന്നു; സുത (പിഴിഞ്ഞെടുത്ത) മധുരമധു ഇന്ദ്രനുവേണ്ടി സിഞ്ചിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.
Word by Word
- आ
- towards; inIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root आ (upasarga)
- विवासन्
- shining forth; illuminatingVerbpresent active participle, nominative singular masculine (Vedic: -न्)Role KartāRoot √वस् (विवासयति/विवासति ‘to shine forth; to make bright; to illumine’)
- परावतः
- from far awayNoun (used adverbially)ablative plural (Vedic usage: ‘from afar’)Role ApādānaRoot परावत् (prātipadika)
- अथो
- and then; and alsoIndeclinableconjunctive particleRoot अथ + उ (particles)
- अर्वावतः
- from nearby; from this sideNoun/Adjective (used adverbially)ablative plural (Vedic: ‘from near/this side’)Role ApādānaRoot अर्वावत् (prātipadika)
- सुतः
- pressed out; expressed (Soma)Adjective/Participlepast passive participle, nominative singular masculineRole KartāRoot √सु (to press, to extract) → सुत (PPP)
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNoundative singular masculineRole SampradānaRoot इन्द्र (prātipadika)
- सिच्यते
- is poured; is sprinkledVerbpresent indicative, passive, 3rd person singularRoot √सिच् (to pour; to sprinkle)
- मधु
- sweet drink; honey; Soma-sweetnessNounnominative/accusative singular neuter (here: accusative as the poured substance)Role KarmaRoot मधु (prātipadika)
Sandhi Notes
- आ॒विवा॑सन् = आ + विवासन् (upasarga + present active participle)
- अथो = अथ + उ (particle sandhi)
- Other words are already in pada form
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, made to shine from far and near, is pressed; the honey (madhu) is poured out for Indra.
Inner meaning
The Soma-current of delight, awakened from the distant (parāvataḥ: hidden/subconscient or far reaches of being) and the near (arvāvataḥ: the surface nature), is expressed by inner effort (sutaḥ) and offered to Indra—the illumined mind-force—so that the seeker’s consciousness may be filled with victorious clarity and power.
Universal truth
When inner delight is consciously brought from both the depths and the surface of life and offered to the higher intelligence, the mind becomes a channel for victorious illumination and right action.
Themes
Indra-Soma synergy, victory over darkness, delight offering, descent into force
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.39 (Soma Pavamāna hymn context), Rig Veda 9.40 (adjacent Soma Pavamāna hymn)
Significance
In the Pavāmāna tradition, the ‘seer’ is often the inspired state itself: the mantra speaks from the movement of purification where Ananda becomes an offering to the illumined mind (Indra).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (offered to Indra)
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (self-purifying), Indu (bright drop), Madhu (honeyed)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Soma is the divine delight that purifies and uplifts the worlds; as oblation it empowers Indra’s victory over obstruction.
Inner power
Ananda as a conscious current that, when offered upward, becomes force for illumination and conquest of inner darkness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and libation (Pavāmāna sequence)
आ॒विवा॑सन्परा॒वतो॒ अथो॑ अर्वा॒वत॑: सु॒तः । इन्द्रा॑य सिच्यते॒ मधु॑ ॥
आ॒ऽविवा॑सन् । प॒रा॒ऽवतः॑ । अथो॒ इति॑ । अ॒र्वा॒ऽवतः॑ । सु॒तः । इन्द्रा॑य । सि॒च्य॒ते॒ । मधु॑ ॥
āvivāsan | parāvataḥ | atho iti | arvāvataḥ | sutaḥ | indrāya | sicyate | madhu
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4 padas x ~11 syllables (probable Triṣṭubh cadence)
Forward-driving, declarative flow suited to ‘pouring’ and ‘shining forth’ imagery.
Energizes aspiration and upward offering; supports a felt sense of inner sweetness becoming strength.
- āvivāsan
- Literal: causing to shine forth, making manifest. Symbolic: bringing latent consciousness to luminous expression
- parāvataḥ
- Literal: from afar, from the distant region. Symbolic: from the hidden/subconscient or far inner planes
- arvāvataḥ
- Literal: from near, from this side. Symbolic: from the surface mind-life and immediate awareness
- sutaḥ
- Literal: pressed (Soma). Symbolic: delight extracted by aspiration, tapas, and inner discipline
- madhu
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: the honeyed Ananda, sweetness of realized consciousness
- indrāya
- Literal: for Indra. Symbolic: offering to the illumined mind that conquers obscurity
- sicyate
- Literal: is poured. Symbolic: a deliberate pouring of inner substance into the higher faculty
Soma offering intended for Indra in the Soma sacrifice; Soma as madhu poured into Indra’s share
During Soma yajña, at pressing/straining and offering to Indra
Pressing Soma, straining, and pouring into the offering vessel; recitation to consecrate the libation
Use as a meditation-chant before focused work: ‘offer the sweetness of experience to the higher mind’ (Indra) rather than to impulse.
āvivāsan: from √vās/√vas? in Vedic ‘to shine’ (cf. vi-vās ‘shine forth’)—here intensive reduplication suggests repeated/strong manifestation. parāvat- ‘distance, far region’ (para ‘far’). arvāvat- ‘near side’ (arvā́ ‘near, this side’). sicyate: passive from √sic ‘to pour’. madhu ‘honey, sweetness’ (PIE *médʰu, cf. Eng. mead).
Indra as victorious force (inner conquest of obstruction), madhu as delight-substance (ānanda) empowering action, integration of far/near (transcendent and immanent sources)
The ‘pouring’ is an act of right ordering: delight is placed under the governance of illumination (Indra).
Madhu becomes true when it serves the truth-seeking intelligence rather than desire.
Ascent of essence from hidden and near realms into a higher organizing consciousness.
Proto-Vedantic / integral yoga reading (Aurobindo: Soma as Ananda offered to Indra as illumined Mind).
The extracted ‘sweet’ essence of life-experience is refined and directed into the illumined intelligence to strengthen inner victory.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Indra-Soma alliance: Soma’s honey is poured to Indra to empower the divine warrior. Psychologically, delight (madhu) fuels the will-force (Indra) to break resistances and establish luminous mastery.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a hallmark PIE inheritance (*médʰu): Skt madhu, Av. maδu, Greek méthy ‘wine’, Old English medu ‘mead’. This preserves an Indo-European sacral-poetic association of sweetness/intoxicating inspiration with divine potency.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer channels Soma’s delight as an inner offering to Indra: aspiration prepares the sweet essence, and the force of victorious consciousness receives it. The reciprocity is functional—Soma gives joy/clarity; Indra converts it into conquering power.
Offer the ‘sweet essence’ of your day (joy, pain transmuted) upward to the illumined mind; feel a clarified force descending.
Ājñā (illumined mind) / Anāhata (sweetness becoming devotion)
Gentle inhale ‘drawing Soma from far and near’; slow exhale ‘pouring to Indra’ (6–6 count).
Uplifted clarity with energized calm; sweetness without attachment.
1) Recall a ‘far’ hidden emotion and a ‘near’ surface thought. 2) On exhale, offer both as madhu to the higher discernment. 3) Rest in the sense of victorious light.
Notated svara unavailable in provided text; chant in a steady udātta-forward Vedic recitation with light svarita turns at sandhi.
Keep clear stress on: ā-vivā́-san | parā́-vataḥ | átho | arvā́-vataḥ | sutáḥ | índrāya | sícyate | mádhu.
āvivāsan: long ā; avoid collapsing ‘vi-vā’, parāvataḥ/arvāvataḥ: articulate v as soft ‘va’, indrāya: clear ‘dr’ cluster, sicyate: ‘cy’ as palatal (like ‘tsy’ lightly), madhu: dh is aspirated, not ‘d’
Bright, flowing, ‘pouring’ tone; end with a gentle lift on madhu.
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