Rig Veda 9.88.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 88, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.88
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
स ईं रथो न भुरिषाळयोजि महः पुरूणि सातये वसूनि । आदीं विश्वा नहुष्याणि जाता स्वर्षाता वन ऊर्ध्वा नवन्त ॥
sá īṃ rátho na bhuríṣāḷ ayoji máhaḥ purū́ṇi sātáye vásūni | ād īṃ víśvā nahuṣyā́ṇi jātā́ svaḥ-sātā váne ūrdhvā́ návanta ||
അവൻ അപാരബലമുള്ള രഥംപോലെ യോജിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു—മഹത്തായ അനേകം വസുക്കളെ, അസ്തിത്വത്തിന്റെ ധനത്തെ, ജയിക്കുവാൻ. അപ്പോൾ നഹുഷ്യ-ജനിതമായ, ജന്മം പ്രാപിച്ച എല്ലാ ശക്തികളും, പ്രകാശത്തിൽ വിജയം നേടിയവരായി, വളർച്ചയുടെ വനത്തിൽ മേലോട്ടു നമിക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ईम्
- indeed; just; himIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root ईम् (निपात)
- रथः
- chariotNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role Kartā (उपमान-कर्तृ) / PredicativeRoot रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableअव्ययम् (उपमा)Root न (निपात)
- भुरिषाळयोजि
- was yoked (with much-strength/abundant force)Verbलुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; (अयोजि = ‘was yoked/has been yoked’)Role KriyāRoot युज् (धातु) + भुरि-षाळ (उपपद/विशेषण-समास)
- महः
- of the great (one); mightyAdjective/Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (महः = ‘of the great/ mighty’)Role Sambandha (genitive qualifier)Root महत् (प्रातिपदिक) / महस् (नपुंसक)
- पुरूणि
- manyAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
- सातये
- for winning; for gainingNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role Sampradāna (purpose/benefit)Root साति (प्रातिपदिक; ‘winning, gaining’)
- वसूनि
- goods; richesNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
- आत्
- then; from thereuponIndeclinableअव्ययम् (ततः/अथ)Root आत् (निपात)
- ईम्
- indeed; himIndeclinableअव्ययम्Root ईम् (निपात)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- नहुष्याणि
- Nahusha’s (tribes/peoples); NahushyanAdjective/Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role Karma (apposition to विश्वा)Root नहुष्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘Nahusha-related/descendants of Nahusha’)
- जातानि
- born; producedParticipleनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम् (भूतकाले क्त)Role Karma (qualifier)Root जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त, भूतकृत)
- स्वर्षाता
- winner of heaven/lightNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-भावः: ‘winner of svar’)Role Kartā (epithet of सः)Root स्वर् + साता (प्रातिपदिक; ‘winning of sun/light/heaven’)
- वने
- in the wood; in the forestNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्Role AdhikaraṇaRoot वन (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऊर्ध्वाः
- upright; raisedAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role Kartā (of नवन्त)Root ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like; asIndeclinableअव्ययम् (उपमा)Root न (निपात)
- नवन्त
- they bow; they bendVerbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्Role KriyāRoot नु/नव् (धातु; ‘to bow, bend’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolved): सः | ईम् | रथः | न | भुरिषाळयोजि | महः | पुरूणि | सातये | वसूनि | आत् | ईम् | विश्वा | नहुष्याणि | जातानि | स्वर्षाता | वने | ऊर्ध्वाः | न | नवन्त । Notes: (1) स ईम् → सः + ईम् (visarga-lopa before vowel)
- (2) रथो न → रथः + न (o = visarga sandhi in saṃhitā)
- (3) आदीं → आत् + ईम् (final -t before vowel with lengthening in saṃhitā)
- (4) विश्वा नहुष्याणि जातानि: neut
- acc. pl. sequence in apposition (‘all Nahushyan-born [peoples/things]’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
He (Soma) is yoked like a strong chariot to win many great riches. Then all Nahusha-born powers, born victorious in the light, bow upward in the forest.
Inner meaning
The purified Soma-force becomes a yoked vehicle: delight harnessed into a disciplined movement that carries the seeker toward ‘riches’—powers of being (vasūni) rather than material wealth. As this Ananda-force moves, the human-born faculties (nahuṣyāṇi—powers rooted in man’s lineage) are transformed; they ‘bow upward’—submit and aspire—within the growing inner life (vana, the forest of becoming).
Universal truth
When joy is harnessed to a clear direction, the whole personality reorganizes: lower powers turn upward and cooperate with the ascent toward a richer being.
Themes
Soma as dynamic force, Winning riches (vasu) as inner plenitude, Ascent to light (svaḥ-sātā), Harnessing (yuj) and discipline
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.88 (Soma Pavamāna), Parallel ‘ratha/yoking’ imagery across RV 9 (e.g., 9.63, 9.64 themes)
Significance
The seer emphasizes yoga of transformation: not rejection of human powers, but their ‘upward bowing’ once Soma is yoked—an Aurobindonian hallmark of integral ascent.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Bhuriṣāṭ (of abundant strength), Svarṣātā (winner of light), Mahas (greatness-bearing)
- Related deities
- Indra, Maruts (powers of ascent), Agni
Cosmic role
Soma as the dynamic delight that, when purified, becomes a vehicle for ascent and a means of winning luminous powers.
Inner power
Ananda organized as force of progression; it converts human faculties into consenting instruments of the upward movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chant during Soma-yajña
स ईं॒ रथो॒ न भु॑रि॒षाळ॑योजि म॒हः पु॒रूणि॑ सा॒तये॒ वसू॑नि । आदीं॒ विश्वा॑ नहु॒ष्या॑णि जा॒ता स्व॑र्षाता॒ वन॑ ऊ॒र्ध्वा न॑वन्त ॥
सः । ई॒म् इति॑ । रथः॑ । न । भु॒रि॒षाट् । अ॒यो॒जि॒ । म॒हः । पु॒रूणि॑ । सा॒तये॑ । वसू॑नि । आत् । ई॒म् इति॑ । विश्वा॑ । न॒हु॒ष्या॑णि । जा॒ता । स्वः॑ऽसाता । वने॑ । ऊ॒र्ध्वा । न॒व॒न्त॒ ॥
saḥ | īm iti | rathaḥ | na | bhuriṣāṭ | ayoji | mahaḥ | purūṇi | sātaye | vasūni | āt | īm iti | viśvā | nahuṣyāṇi | jātā | svaḥ-sātā | vane | ūrdhvā | navanta
44
4 x 11 (approximate)
Rolling, propulsive; suitable for ‘yoking’ and forward motion imagery.
Elicits a sense of harnessing and advance; encourages inner alignment and aspiration.
- रथ (ratha)
- Literal: chariot. Symbolic: Harnessed vehicle of consciousness; organized dynamic movement
- अयोजि (ayoji)
- Literal: is yoked. Symbolic: Disciplined integration of energies into one direction
- वसूनि (vasūni)
- Literal: riches, goods. Symbolic: Spiritual riches: capacities, wideness, stability, delight, light
- महत् (mahat) / महः (mahaḥ)
- Literal: great, greatness. Symbolic: Vastness of being; higher planes of consciousness
- नहुष्याणि (nahuṣyāṇi)
- Literal: descended from Nahusha (human lineage). Symbolic: Human faculties—mind, life, senses—capable of being uplifted
- स्वःसाता (svarṣātā)
- Literal: winning the light (svar). Symbolic: Victorious emergence into illumination
- वने (vane)
- Literal: in the forest. Symbolic: Field of growth/inner becoming; dense life-material to be transformed
- ऊर्ध्वा नवन्त (ūrdhvā navanta)
- Literal: bow upward. Symbolic: Reversal of tendency: energies turn from outward to upward, from desire to aspiration
Pavamāna praise during Soma flow; imagery supports energising and ‘winning’ motifs in offering
While Soma is filtered and prepared; sung/recited as part of Pavamāna praises
Chanting to accompany the flowing/straining Soma and its offering
Use before study or service: ‘yoke’ energies, then invite faculties to bow upward (reorient attention).
√yuj ‘yoke’ (ayoji) expresses disciplined harnessing of force; sāti ‘winning’ from √san ‘to gain’ (Vedic sāti). vasu ‘good/wealth’ from √vas ‘to dwell/shine’ → ‘substance of being’ (inner plenitude). √nam ‘bow’ (navanta) suggests submission of lower movements to an ascending orientation (ūrdhvá). nahuṣyāṇi is philologically opaque; treated here as ‘a class of manifested powers’ rather than literal genealogy.
Ascent (ūrdhva), Svaḥ (luminous world; truth-light), Transformation of forces (all powers bow upward)
Yoking (ayojit) is ṛta as right arrangement of forces for right victory.
‘Svar-winning’ implies truth-light as the goal of purified movement.
Evolutionary ascent: human-born powers become light-winning through Soma’s propulsion.
Integral Vedantic evolutionism (Aurobindo): ascent with transformation of nature.
The life-force becomes a harnessed vehicle; the dense ‘forest’ of habits becomes a field where energies turn upward toward light.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The yoked chariot-force that wins riches and compels the host of powers to orient upward toward the light. Mythically a victory-procession; psychologically the purified Soma becomes the harnessed drive that reorganises all born impulses toward ascent (ūrdhva) and light-winning (svaḥ-sātā).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The yoking/chariot complex (ratha, √yuj) is a classic Indo-European poetic system. The victory noun sāti and ‘wealth’ vasu function as abstract ‘force-wealth’ terms typical of early IE diction where material and spiritual semantics interpenetrate.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi describes Soma as the inner organiser: once yoked, it brings about a collective conversion of the being’s powers (‘all…born…bow upward’). The hymn thus records a psychological consequence of the offering, not merely praise.
Harness delight into a single movement; invite all faculties to consent to the ascent.
Maṇipūra to Ājñā (power organized into direction and vision)
Brisk-energetic 3-part breathing (inhale-expand chest, exhale steady) while feeling ‘yoking’ and forward roll
Gathered force, upward aspiration, coordinated energies.
Before action, pause: (1) gather scattered impulses, (2) choose one luminous intention, (3) let lesser parts ‘bow upward’ by consenting to that intention.
Svara notations not supplied; follow RV accent tradition with careful udātta peaks on key nouns (rathó, vasū́ni, viśvā́).
Keep compound clarity: bhuriṣāṭ- (bhuri-ṣāṭ), nahuṣyāṇi (na-hu-ṣyā-ṇi), ūrdhvā (ūrdh-vā).
‘ṣāṭ’ has retroflex ṣ; keep it crisp., ‘nahuṣyāṇi’: pronounce ‘ṣyā’ as ṣ + yā, not ‘shya’ merged., ‘svarṣātā’: articulate rṣ cluster (r + ṣ).
Driving, organized, slightly martial; soften into uplift on ‘ūrdhvā navanta’.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
