Rig Veda 9.69.8: Mandala 9, Sukta 69, Mantra 8
Sukta 9.69
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
आ नः पवस्व वसुमद्धिरण्यवदश्वावद्गोमद्यवमत्सुवीर्यम् । यूयं हि सोम पितरो मम स्थन दिवो मूर्धानः प्रस्थिता वयस्कृतः ॥
ā́ naḥ pavasva vásu-mad híraṇya-vad áśva-vad gó-mad yáva-mat su-vī́ryam | yūyáṃ hí soma pítaro máma sthána divó mū́rdhānaḥ prá-sthitā vayaḥ-kṛ́taḥ ||
ഹേ സോമാ! ഞങ്ങൾക്കായി ശുദ്ധനായി ഒഴുകിവാ; വസു-സമ്പത്ത്, ഹിരണ്യ-സമ്പത്ത്, അശ്വ-സമ്പത്ത്, ഗോ-സമ്പത്ത്, യവ (ധാന്യ)-സമ്പത്ത്, കൂടാതെ സുവീര്യ (വീരശക്തി) കൊണ്ടുവരിക. ഹേ സോമാ, നിങ്ങൾ തന്നെയാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ പിതാക്കന്മാരും ഞങ്ങളുടെ അധിഷ്ഠാനവും; നിങ്ങൾ ദ്യൗവിന്റെ മസ്തകത്തിൽ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിതനായി, ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആയുഷ്-ശക്തിയെ സ്ഥാപിച്ച് വർധിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, forth (towards)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (गत्यर्थक/आगमनार्थक)Root आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- नः
- to us / ourPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी? बहुवचन (enclitic ‘naḥ’: us/our)Role Sampradāna (recipient) / सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- पवस्व
- purify/flow (as Soma)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (पवस्व)Role (क्रिया)Root पू (पवते) / √pū
- वसुमत्
- rich in wealthAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण)Role Karma (फल/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)Root वसु + मतुप्
- हिरण्यवत्
- abounding in goldAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण)Role Karma (फल/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)Root हिरण्य + मतुप्
- अश्वावत्
- having horsesAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण)Role Karma (फल/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)Root अश्व + मतुप्
- गोमत्
- having cattleAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण)Role Karma (फल/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)Root गो + मतुप्
- यवमत्
- having barley/grainAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण)Role Karma (फल/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)Root यव + मतुप्
- सुवीर्यम्
- excellent manly power/heroic strengthNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सु + वीर्य
- यूयम्
- you (all)Pronounप्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot युष्मद्
- हि
- for, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (हेतौ/निश्चये)Root हि
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole (सम्बोधन)Root सोम
- पितरः
- fathers, forefathersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā / (सम्बोधनार्थे अपि सम्भवः)Root पितृ
- मम
- of me, myPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- स्थन
- stand/abide (be present)Verbलिट्/लुङ्? वैदिक-रूप: 2nd pl. imperative/aorist-injunctive type; अर्थतः ‘स्थ’ = stand/abide (पितरः…स्थन)Role (क्रिया)Root स्था (√sthā)
- दिवः
- of heavenNounस्त्री/पुं? (वैदिक), षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot दिव्/द्यौ (दिव् as noun ‘heaven’)
- मूर्धानः
- heads, summit-ones (chiefs)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā / विशेषण-भावः (पितरः)Root मूर्धन्
- प्रस्थिताः
- set forth, departed, proceedingParticipleभूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root प्र + √स्था (स्थिता) / ‘प्रस्थित’
- वयस्कृतः
- age-made; made vigorous/strengthened (by age)Participle/Adjectiveभूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (विशेषण)Root वयस् + √कृ (कृत) / ‘वयस्कृत’
Sandhi Notes
- Resolved sandhi/pada-division: आ नः पवस्व वसुमत् हिरण्यवत् अश्वावत् गोमत् यवमत् सुवीर्यम् । यूयम् हि सोम पितरः मम स्थन दिवः मूर्धानः प्रस्थिताः वयस्कृतः ॥ Notable: -वत्/-मत् adjectives are separate padas (…वदश्वावद्गोमद्यवमत् → …वत् अश्वावत् गोमत् यवमत्)
- Vocative ‘सोम’ addressed within clause
- ‘नः’ enclitic = ‘to us/our’
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purify for us bringing riches—gold, horses, cows, grain, and heroic power. You, Soma, are our fathers and our foundation; set on the head of heaven, you establish and increase our life-force.
Inner meaning
The prayer asks Soma’s purification to yield not merely external wealth but inner riches: ‘gold’ as luminous essence, ‘horses’ as dynamic vital energies, ‘cows’ as rays of knowledge, ‘grain’ as nourishment of the life and mind, and ‘suvīrya’ as soul-heroism (steadfast spiritual strength). Soma is called ‘fathers’—the ancestral powers of consciousness that generate and uphold our growth—and ‘foundation’ (sthana): the supporting Ananda without which life cannot endure its ascent. ‘Set on the head of heaven’ indicates Soma enthroned in the highest consciousness, from where it increases our vital being (vayas-kṛt) by infusing it with delight rather than desire.
Universal truth
When joy is purified into a higher delight, it becomes the true support of life and yields integrated prosperity: clarity (gold), energy (horse), knowledge (cow), nourishment (grain), and courage (heroic soul-power).
Themes
Boon-request, Inner wealth and knowledge, Vital increase, Soma as foundation
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.69.1-9
Significance
The verse explicitly supports the inner-symbolic lexicon: go/aśva/hiraṇya/yava become a complete psychology of integrated prosperity under Soma’s purified Ananda.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pavamāna (purifying), pitaraḥ (fathers), divo mūrdhānaḥ (set on the head of heaven), vayaskṛt (life-increasing)
- Related deities
- Indra, Surya, Agni
Cosmic role
Giver of prosperity and vigor; enthroned in the highest heaven as sustaining nectar for gods and men.
Inner power
Ananda as foundational support, generating knowledge-rays, energy-forces, nourishment, and spiritual heroism.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification with petitions for prosperity and strength
आ न॑: पवस्व॒ वसु॑म॒द्धिर॑ण्यव॒दश्वा॑व॒द्गोम॒द्यव॑मत्सु॒वीर्य॑म् । यू॒यं हि सो॑म पि॒तरो॒ मम॒ स्थन॑ दि॒वो मू॒र्धान॒: प्रस्थि॑ता वय॒स्कृत॑: ॥
आ । नः॒ । प॒व॒स्व॒ । वसु॑ऽमत् । हिर॑ण्यऽवत् । अश्व॑ऽवत् । गोऽम॑त् । यव॑ऽमत् । सु॒ऽवीर्य॑म् । यू॒यम् । हि । सो॒म॒ । पि॒तरः॑ । मम॑ । स्थन॑ । दि॒वः । मू॒र्धानः॑ । प्रऽस्थि॑ताः । व॒यः॒ऽकृतः॑ ॥
ā | naḥ | pavasva | vasu-mat | hiraṇya-vat | aśva-vat | go-mat | yava-mat | su-vīryam | yūyam | hi | soma | pitaraḥ | mama | sthana | divaḥ | mūrdhānaḥ | pra-sthitāḥ | vayaḥ-kṛtaḥ
Invocatory and expansive, with enumerative cadence (hiraṇyavat… aśvāvat… gomad… yavamat…) that builds abundance.
Elicits confidence and fullness; supports affirmational prayer and energizing receptivity.
- पवस्व (pavasva)
- Literal: purify/flow in purification. Symbolic: self-clearing descent of Ananda
- वसु (vasu)
- Literal: wealth, good. Symbolic: inner resources and capacities
- हिरण्य (hiraṇya)
- Literal: gold. Symbolic: luminous essence; purified mind-substance
- अश्व (aśva)
- Literal: horse. Symbolic: vital energy, force of action
- गो (go)
- Literal: cow. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge
- यव (yava)
- Literal: grain, barley. Symbolic: nourishment and steady substance for growth
- सुवीर्य (suvīrya)
- Literal: good heroism, heroic power. Symbolic: spiritual courage and victorious soul-force
- पितरः (pitaraḥ)
- Literal: fathers/ancestors. Symbolic: originating powers; formative supports of consciousness
- स्थन (sthana)
- Literal: place, foundation. Symbolic: base in Ananda that holds the being
- दिवः मूर्धानः (divo mūrdhānaḥ)
- Literal: head of heaven. Symbolic: highest consciousness; summit-plane
- वयस्कृत (vayaskṛt)
- Literal: life-increasing, making vigor/age. Symbolic: strengthening prāṇa and growth-force through delight
Petitionary verse in Soma purification: requests ‘wealth’ in multiple forms; in inner sense, requests luminous substance, dynamic energies, knowledge-rays, nourishment, and heroic efficacy.
During Soma offerings when requesting boons for the yajamāna
Chanted as purified Soma is presented/received; accompanied by requests for riches and vigor
Use as a prosperity-and-strength meditation: reinterpret wealth terms inwardly (gold=clarity, cows=knowledge, horses=energy) to avoid materialistic fixation.
vasu ‘good, wealth’ is read as inner substance and felicity. go ‘cow’ as ray/knowledge is justified by pervasive Vedic go=light usage. aśva as ‘horse’ maps to dynamic energies (speed, force). vīrya from vīra ‘hero’ indicates effective potency; su-vīrya is harmonized power. vayaḥ relates to vigor/life-juice; vayaḥ-kṛt ‘life-maker’ indicates Soma as increaser of vitality.
Rayi/Vasu as fullness of being, Vīrya as soul-power, Divine ancestry (pitṛ) as supporting archetypes
Prosperity is asked as ordered plenitude, not chaotic gain—Soma purifies first, then gives.
Hiraṇya (gold) aligns with truth-light; Soma at heaven’s head implies truth-abode.
Ananda as progenitor (‘fathers’) and foundation—cosmic support from which life grows.
Integral Vedāntic reading: Ananda as base of being and growth of prāṇa
Gold=clarity; horses=energies of action; cows=rays of knowledge; grain=steady nourishment; heaven’s head=highest consciousness anchoring growth.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the ancestral/foundational power seated on the summit of heaven, dispensing multiple ‘wealths’. Mythically: the heavenly head-source pours into human life the complete equipment for victory—light, motion, nourishment, and heroic force.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The enumerative wealth-catalog (gold, horses, cows, grain) is a classic IE hymn device, but here it is semantically elevated: the same lexicon functions as spiritualized ‘equipment’ of the soul, preserving archaic diction while expanding meaning.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi approaches Soma as both progenitor and support: by invoking Soma’s heavenly station, he seeks a downward transmission that increases life-force and establishes heroic capacity in the human vessel.
Receive Soma as the ‘foundation’ of delight at the crown of consciousness; let it descend to empower clarity, energy, knowledge, nourishment, and courage.
sahasrara (divo mūrdhānaḥ) with distribution through manipura (energy) and anahata (harmonizing strength)
slow inhalation ‘drawing down’ from crown; exhale distributing through body; optional brief kumbhaka to ‘hold’ the nectar
supported uplift with energized steadiness
Hold attention above the head as a luminous source. On each repetition, invite a golden purity to descend. Name inwardly: clarity (gold), energy (horse), knowledge (cow), nourishment (grain), courage (suvīrya). End by resting in the sense of Soma as your base.
Use accents as marked (e.g., आ न॑:, वसु॑म॒द्धिर॑ण्यव॒त्).
Let the enumerations be clearly segmented; give a slight lift on each ‘-vat’ wealth-term; broaden on ‘divo mūrdhānaḥ’.
pavasva: ‘va’ clear; avoid ‘pausva’, hiraṇyavat: retroflex ṇ; ‘ya’ light, aśvāvat: ś palatal; long ā, gomad yavamat: keep ‘go’ long-ish; ‘yava’ with clear v, suvīryam: long ī; roll ‘ry’ gently, mūrdhānaḥ: retroflex ḍh; long ā
full, prayerful, steady resonance
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