Rig Veda 9.63.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 63, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.63
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma hymns
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
एते असृग्रमाशवोऽति ह्वरांसि बभ्रवः । सोमा ऋतस्य धारया ॥
eté asṛgram āśávo ’ti hvárāṃsi babhrávaḥ | sómā ṛtásya dhāráyā ||
ഈ തവിട്ടു-താമ്രവർണ്ണമുള്ള, വേഗവാനായ സോമധാരകൾ വളവുകളെ അതിക്രമിച്ച് പാഞ്ഞു പുറപ്പെട്ടു; അവ ഋതത്തിന്റെ ധാരയിൽ ഒഴുകുന്നു—സത്യക്രമത്തിന്റെ ശരിയായ പ്രവാഹത്തിൽ.
Word by Word
- एते
- thesePronoun/Determinerपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot एतद् (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
- असृग्रम्
- they have flowed/they streamedVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (क्रिया)Root सृज् (धातु) → असृज् (aorist stem)
- आशवः
- the swift onesAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (असृग्रम् इत्यस्य)Root आशु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अति
- beyond, overIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role (क्रियाविशेषणम्/उपसर्गार्थः)Root अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ह्वरांसि
- deviations, crooked ways (faults)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्मRoot ह्वर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘crookedness, deviation’)
- बभ्रवः
- the brown/tawny onesAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (एते/आशवः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root बभ्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमाः
- Soma-dropsNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (एते/आशवः/बभ्रवः इत्यस्य अपि)Root सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- धारया
- by/with the stream (flow)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करणRoot धारा (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: एते | असृग्रम् | आशवः | अति | ह्वरांसि | बभ्रवः | सोमाः | ऋतस्य | धारया || 1) आशवोऽति = आशवः + अति (विसर्गस्य ‘ओ’ आदेशः, अवग्रहः). 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न
- ह्वरांसि इति नपुंसक-द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (आँ-प्रत्यययुक्तम्)
The meaning
Outer meaning
These tawny swift Somas have rushed beyond crookednesses; (they move) by the stream of Ṛta.
Inner meaning
The purified delight-forces (plural somāḥ: repeated waves/experiences of ananda) move swiftly, surpassing hvarāṃsi—crooked distortions, false turns of desire, doubt, and subconscient habit. They run in ṛtasya dhārā, the right-flowing current: when joy is truth-guided, it naturally outruns deviation and establishes straight movement in thought, will, and life.
Universal truth
When the inner current aligns with truth-order, distortions lose their grip; progress becomes swift and direct.
Themes
Rita, purification, overcoming falsehood, Soma-flow
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seers (Soma Maṇḍala tradition)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.63.1-3
Family tradition
Emphasis on process and result-signs: speed, color, surpassing deviation, entering ṛta-stream—markers of successful inner purification.
Significance
A diagnostic mantra: it describes the felt sign of right progress—swift, tawny radiance moving straight in ṛta beyond inner crookedness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- babhravaḥ (tawny), āśavaḥ (swift)
- Related deities
- Indra (as slayer of obstruction; implied partner of Soma)
Cosmic role
Carries the offering-essence along ṛta; removes deviations and makes movement straight.
Inner power
Ananda-force that rectifies distortion and accelerates right progress.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna chants accompanying Soma’s flowing after purification
ए॒ते अ॑सृग्रमा॒शवोऽति॒ ह्वरां॑सि ब॒भ्रव॑: । सोमा॑ ऋ॒तस्य॒ धार॑या ॥
ए॒ते । अ॒सृ॒ग्र॒म् । आ॒शवः॑ । अति॑ । ह्वरां॑सि । ब॒भ्रवः॑ । सोमाः॑ । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । धार॑या ॥
ete | asṛgram | āśavaḥ | ati | hvarāṃsi | babhravaḥ | somāḥ | ṛtasya | dhārayā
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3 × 8 syllables
Fast, clean strokes; suits imagery of rushing beyond obstacles.
Invokes momentum; listener feels a straightening and quickening of inner movement.
- āśavaḥ
- Literal: swift. Symbolic: quick responsiveness of consciousness once purified
- babhravaḥ
- Literal: tawny/brownish. Symbolic: golden-tawny radiance of clarified vital-mind substance
- hvarāṃsi
- Literal: crookednesses, deviations. Symbolic: perversions of force: doubt, falsehood, vital distortion, subconscious twists
- ati
- Literal: beyond, over. Symbolic: surpassing and transcending resistance patterns
- somāḥ
- Literal: Somas (drops/streams). Symbolic: repeated descents of ananda, many currents of delight-force
- ṛtasya dhārayā
- Literal: by the stream of Ṛta. Symbolic: movement along truth-law; right current that carries evolution forward
Filtration/purification: Soma passing beyond impurities; chanted in pavamāna sequences
As Soma runs from filter toward vessels—celebrating successful purification and right flow.
Marking the ‘rush’ and collection; affirming Soma’s purity.
Chant when breaking habits, confusion, procrastination—invoke the ‘ṛta-stream’ to move beyond crooked inner patterns.
asṛgram: from √sṛ (to flow, run) with preverb ā-/a- nuance; hvára: from √hvar (to be crooked, deviate). ṛta: from √ṛ (to fit, rise, move in order) → ‘right order.’ dhārā: from √dhṛ (hold) → ‘that which holds/maintains’ → stream/channel.
Rita as right-flow, overcoming crookedness (hvara) as inner straightening, purification as alignment with cosmic law
Central: right-flow is the condition of surpassing hvarāṃsi; ṛta is experienced as a current that carries consciousness.
Crookedness is departure from satya; the tawny Soma restores truth-direction.
Evolution as rectification: the straight current emerges as distortions are outpaced.
Dharma/Ṛta-centered psychology: alignment produces speed and freedom.
A bright current of joy moves like a river along truth, bypassing inner distortions and straightening the path.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘straightening’ myth: Soma’s purified currents overpass crookedness (hvara) and enter Ṛta’s stream. Mythically this is the victory of right order over distortion; psychologically, the mind’s deviations are exceeded by a truth-flow.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sṛ ‘flow’ is an old Indo-Iranian verb (cf. Avestan forms with similar semantics). The abstraction ṛta parallels Avestan aša (truth/order), reflecting a shared Indo-Iranian moral-cosmic order concept.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and affirms Soma’s action as an accomplished movement (‘they have rushed forth’), using it as a template for inner practice: align with Ṛta by letting the Soma-current pass beyond inner crookedness.
Enter the ‘ṛta-current’: feel a straight luminous stream through spine and breath that naturally bypasses distracting loops.
Suṣumṇā focus (spinal axis); Ājñā for straight seeing
Rhythmic breathing (e.g., 4-4-6) while sensing exhale as a straight river; on each cycle, release one ‘crooked’ thought pattern.
Decisive forward movement; simplified mind.
When stuck, chant 12 times, then do one clear action immediately—ride the momentum of ṛta rather than re-entering hvarāṃsi (overthinking loops).
Keep Gāyatrī brisk; emphasize ‘ati hvarāṃsi’ as a crossing-over; let ‘ṛtasya dhārayā’ be slightly more even and ‘straight’ in tone.
Make a clear contrast: quicker articulation in first half (rush), steadier sustained tone in the ṛta phrase (right current).
ete: clear long e; no diphthongization., asṛgram: keep syllables distinct; ṛ is vocalic., āśavo: long ā; ś palatal., hvarāṃsi: hv cluster pronounced with light aspiration; nasalized āṃ., babhravaḥ: bh voiced aspirate; light visarga.
Focused, forward, clean; avoid heaviness to preserve ‘swift’ quality.
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