Rig Veda 9.63.21: Mandala 9, Sukta 63, Mantra 21
Sukta 9.63
- Rishi
- Rebhas/Kavi tradition of the Soma Pavamāna hymns
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
वृषणं धीभिरप्तुरं सोममृतस्य धारया । मती विप्राः समस्वरन् ॥
vṛ́ṣaṇaṃ dhībhír aptúraṃ sómam ṛtásya dhā́rayā | matī́ viprā́ḥ sám asvaran ||
ഋതം (സത്യ-ക്രമം) എന്ന ധാരയിൽ ഒഴുകുന്ന, വൃഷണനായ, വേഗത്തിൽ കര്മ്മസിദ്ധി വരുത്തുന്ന സോമനെ പ്രകാശിതമായ ധികളാൽ വിപ്ര ഋഷിമാർ ഒരുമിച്ചു സ്വരസമന്വയത്തോടെ അനുയോജ്യമാക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
- वृषणम्
- the bull/virile one (Soma)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot वृषन्- (प्रातिपदिक) < √वृष् (वर्षणे/सेचने) ‘to rain, be potent’
- धीभिः
- with insights / with hymnsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole करणRoot धी- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘thought, insight, hymn’
- अप्तुरम्
- the active/efficient oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot अप्तुर- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘active, swift in work’ (RV epithet)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root ऋत- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘cosmic order, truth’
- धारया
- with a stream / by a flowNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot धारा- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘stream, flow’
- मती
- the thought/hymnNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot मती- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘thought, devotion, hymn’
- विप्राः
- the inspired seersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot विप्र- (प्रातिपदिक) ‘inspired poet, sage’
- समस्वरन्
- sang together / sounded in unisonVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot सम् + √स्वर् (स्वरणे) ‘to sound, sing’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वृषणम् | धीभिः | अप्तुरम् | सोमम् | ऋतस्य | धारया | मती | विप्राः | समस्वरन् ।
- ‘सोम॑मृ॒तस्य’ = ‘सोमम् ऋतस्य’ (म् + ऋ → मृ, संहितायाम्), ‘धार॑या । म॒ती’ इत्यत्र विरामः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
With illumined thoughts the seers harmonize together to the mighty Soma, swift accomplisher, flowing in the stream of ṛta.
Inner meaning
Dhī (luminous intelligence) gathers the inner faculties into one accord (sam asvaran). They tune themselves to Soma as the powerful Ananda-force that swiftly accomplishes the work (aptura). When delight flows in ṛta, it becomes a sure current of right movement—joy that organizes the being into truth.
Universal truth
True harmony and effective action arise when thought and aspiration attune to a delight aligned with truth-order; unity of consciousness is born from right joy.
Themes
Soma-ritual (inner alchemy), Truth-order (Rita), illumination of mind, collective attunement of seers
The seer
- Rishi
- Rebhas/Kavi tradition (Pavamāna Soma seer-poets; variable Anukramaṇī ascriptions)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.63 (same hymn sequence), RV 9.60–9.66 (Pavamāna cycle with similar ‘ṛta-dhārā’ language)
Family tradition
Pavamāna stotra line: seer-poets specializing in Soma’s purification as inner yoga of Ananda and ṛta
Significance
The rishi-vision emphasizes ‘sam-asvaran’—yogic unification by right vibration. Soma is not only enjoyed; it is the tuning principle that makes the being consonant with ṛta.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Vṛṣaṇa (mighty), Aptura (swift accomplisher), Ṛtasya dhārā (flow of truth)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind that receives Soma), Vāyu (life-breath that carries Soma’s movement)
Cosmic role
Bearer of the truth-stream that nourishes the gods and sustains harmonious cosmic functioning.
Inner power
Unifying delight that makes thought luminous, action swift, and the whole nature consonant with truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration chants during Soma-yāga; sung/recited as Pavamāna stotra
वृष॑णं धी॒भिर॒प्तुरं॒ सोम॑मृ॒तस्य॒ धार॑या । म॒ती विप्रा॒: सम॑स्वरन् ॥
वृष॑णम् । धी॒भिः । अ॒प्ऽतुर॑म् । सोम॑म् । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । धार॑या । म॒ती । विप्राः॑ । सम् । अ॒स्व॒र॒न् ॥
vṛṣaṇam | dhībhiḥ | ap-turam | somam | ṛtasya | dhārayā | matī | viprāḥ | sam | asvaran
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4 × ~12 (Jagatī)
Measured, expansive, ‘processional’ flow—apt for unity and ṛta-stream imagery.
Encourages steady coherence; the cadence helps collect scattered attention into one current.
- वृषणम् (vṛṣaṇam)
- Literal: mighty, virile; bull-like. Symbolic: strong, fecund power of Ananda that can generate wideness and victory
- धीभिः (dhībhiḥ)
- Literal: with thoughts/insights. Symbolic: illumined discernment that aligns the being
- अप्तुरम् (apturam)
- Literal: swift, active accomplisher. Symbolic: the force that quickly carries out the divine work in life-nature
- ऋतस्य धारया (ṛtasya dhārayā)
- Literal: by the stream of ṛta. Symbolic: movement in truth, right rhythm, right law of becoming
- सम् अस्वरन् (sam asvaran)
- Literal: they sounded together / attuned. Symbolic: inner harmonization: many parts of the being coming into one vibration
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna) chants in Soma-yajña; used as stotra material in Agniṣṭoma/related Soma rites during the Pavitra (filtering) phase
During pressing/clarifying when Soma is made fit for Indra and other gods
Accompanies the flow into vessels and preparation for offering
Group chanting for coherence: use to ‘tune’ a meditation circle into one rhythm and intention.
vṛṣaṇam: from √vṛṣ ‘to be strong, to rain/fertilise’ → power that pours potency; apturam: traditionally linked with ‘swift in deeds’, likely from a formation around √āp ‘to reach, attain’ (āpti) with agentive nuance ‘one who accomplishes attainments’; ṛtasya: from √ṛ ‘to go, fit, rise’ → that which is properly ordered; dhārayā: instrumental of dhārā from √dhṛ ‘to hold, support’ → a sustaining flow; asvaran: aorist 3pl of √svar ‘to sound, shine’ with preverb sam ‘together’ implied by separate particle sam—here indicating harmonised utterance/thought.
Ṛta (cosmic order/truth-law), inspired cognition (dhī), harmonisation of inner speech/thought (sam-asvaran)
Direct: Soma flows ‘by the stream of ṛta’—delight becomes lawful, right, luminous movement.
Attunement (svara) implies truth as correct tone—being aligned to its divine pitch.
Order arises from a right-flowing current; unity is created by consonance with ṛta.
Integral/Vedāntic: ṛta as dynamic truth-consciousness; Soma as Ananda that organizes mind-life-body.
Stream = continuous attention; wind-swiftness = prāṇic readiness; bull = concentrated power; attunement = mantra resonance aligning inner parts.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Soma as the Truth-flow (ṛtasya dhārā) that empowers and synchronises the seers: the divine essence is pressed/clarified into a stream of Ṛta, and the inspired ones ‘sound together’—a mythic image of revelation as harmonised vibration rather than a physical rite alone.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key lexemes align with broad Indo-European patterns: √dhṛ (dhārā) corresponds to PIE *dher- ‘hold, support’ (cf. Greek thronos in semantic field of support/seat; Germanic ‘to endure’ is related semantically); √svar ‘sound/shine’ echoes the common IE linkage of brightness and voiced resonance (cf. ‘svar’ ~ ‘sun/shine’ semantic cluster in Indo-Iranian); ṛta as ‘fitted order’ reflects PIE notions of cosmic rightness (comparable in function—not form—to Greek dikē/κόσμος as order).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seers do not merely praise Soma; they tune their matīs (thought-forces) into Soma’s ṛta-stream. The reciprocity is yogic: by offering clarified intention (dhī, matī) they receive strengthened alignment with Ṛta—Soma becomes both the object of invocation and the inner medium that makes inspired speech possible.
Inner attunement: bring thoughts, feelings, and breath into one vibration aligned with truth.
Viśuddha (svara/attunement) and Ājñā (illumined dhī)
Even-count breathing (sama-vṛtti) while chanting; feel the ‘dhārā’ as a smooth inner stream
Coherent, harmonized awareness; reduced inner noise; readiness for inspired action.
Before work or study, chant to unify mind and prāṇa; end with a brief silence, sensing one continuous current of attention.
Śākhā-dependent; apply Rigvedic pitch accents as traditionally marked (not fully inferable from plain text here).
Keep ‘ṛtasya dhārayā’ smooth and connected; avoid breaking the flow—let it sound like one stream.
(apturam): pronounce the consonant cluster ‘pt’ cleanly, no extra vowel, (ṛ) in (ṛtasya): short vocalic r, (dhārayā): long ā; clear yā at end, (asvaran): light ‘sv’ cluster, not ‘suh-var’
Even, unbroken, ‘stream-like’ tone; minimal percussive stress.
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