Rig Veda 9.86.30: Mandala 9, Sukta 86, Mantra 30
Sukta 9.86
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
त्वं पवित्रे रजसो विधर्मणि देवेभ्यः सोम पवमान पूयसे । त्वामुशिजः प्रथमा अगृभ्णत तुभ्येमा विश्वा भुवनानि येमिरे ॥
tváṃ pavítre rájaso ví-dharmaṇi devébhyaḥ soma pavamāna pūyase | tvā́m uśíjaḥ prathamā́ agṛbhṇata túbhyemā́ víśvā bhúvanāni yemire ||
हे सोम पवमान! तू पवित्र (गाळणी) मध्ये, ऋताच्या विस्तीर्ण अवकाशांत, देवांसाठी शुद्ध होतोस. उशिज्—अग्नीचे प्रथम साधक—यांनी तुला प्रथम ग्रहण केले; तुझ्यासाठी ही सर्व भुवने आपापल्या यथोचित नियोगात स्थिर झाली.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- thouPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; प्रथमा; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पवित्रे
- in/at the strainer (filter)Nounनपुंसक; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- रजसः
- of the space/air-regionNounनपुंसक; षष्ठी; एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- विधर्मणि
- in the supporting/ordering (framework)Nounनपुंसक; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot विधर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवेभ्यः
- for/to the godsNounपुं; चतुर्थी; बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुं; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवमान
- O purifying (one)Participle (adjectival)पुं; सम्बोधन; एकवचन (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Role सम्बोधनRoot पू (धातु) → पवमान (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- पूयसे
- thou art purified / thou purifiest thyselfVerbलट् (वर्तमान); आत्मनेपद; मध्यम? → उत्तम? (न); द्वितीय? (न) ; द्वितीय? (न) ; **मध्यमपुरुष एकवचन**Role क्रियाRoot पू (धातु)
- त्वाम्
- theePronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole कर्मRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उशिजः
- the Ushij-s (kindling priests/offerers)Nounपुं; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot उशिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रथमाः
- the firstAdjectiveपुं; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (उशिजः इति विशेष्यस्य)Role कर्तृRoot प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- अगृभ्णत
- they seized/tookVerbलुङ् (अorist/इमपरफेक्ट्); परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot ग्रह्/गृह् (धातु)
- तुभ्ये
- for/to theePronounचतुर्थी; एकवचन (वैदिक रूप)Role सम्प्रदानRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- इमानि
- thesePronoun (demonstrative)नपुंसक; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वा
- allAdjectiveनपुंसक; प्रथमा; बहुवचन (भुवनानि इति विशेष्यस्य)Role कर्तृRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- भुवनानि
- worlds/creatures/existencesNounनपुंसक; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
- येमिरे
- they have restrained/ordered; they have set in placeVerbपरफेक्ट् (लिट्); आत्मनेपद; तृतीयपुरुष; बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot यम् (धातु) → यमिरे (वैदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution (pada-wise): प॒वित्रे॒ (पवित्रे) + रज॑सो॒ (रजसः) shows visarga in saṃhitā as -o before voiced consonant (रजसः → रजसो)
- दे॒वेभ्य॑: is देवेभ्यः (visarga written with ':' in some editions)
- पवमान is a vocative participial epithet of सोम
- तुभ्ये is Vedic dative singular of युष्मद् (later तुभ्यम्/तुभ्य)
- इमा (in saṃhitā: तुभ्ये॒मा) = तुभ्ये + इमानि with vowel coalescence (ए + इ → एऽ/ए; written as एमा)
- Accent marks in the prompt are preserved in saṃhitā but not required for morphological segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma Pavamāna is purified in the strainer in the wide spaces of law for the gods; the first seekers (uśij) seized him; for him all worlds took their proper yoking/order.
Inner meaning
The bliss-current is clarified through the inner ‘strainer’—discernment and aspiration operating in the wide r̥ta of consciousness. This purified Ananda is offered to the gods: the higher powers in us (illumination, will, harmony). The uśij—flame-seekers, the ardent pioneers of the path—first grasped this Soma; when delight is found and purified, all planes of the being align and ‘yoke’ themselves rightly to the journey.
Universal truth
Purification is not denial but clarification: when delight is refined by truth and offered to the highest within, the whole life-system finds right order and cooperative harmony.
Themes
ritual purification, ordering of worlds, aspiration lineage
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna tradition (Book 9)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.83 (pavitra/pūta motifs), RV 9.97 (purification and offering)
Family tradition
Pavamāna hymns used as mantric supports for purification—outer Soma and inner consciousness.
Significance
Emphasizes the indispensability of purification (pavitra) and the role of the pioneers (uśij) who first establish the delight-contact for all subsequent worlds to align.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Pūta (purified), Devebhyaḥ (for the gods)
- Related deities
- Agni (uśij/flame-seeking), Indra (illumined force), Aśvins (helpers of right movement)
Cosmic role
Purified essence offered to the gods; harmonizer that yokes the worlds into right order.
Inner power
Refined Ananda that feeds the higher powers and coordinates the whole nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification (pavitra) and offering sequences in Śrauta Soma yajña.
त्वं प॒वित्रे॒ रज॑सो॒ विध॑र्मणि दे॒वेभ्य॑: सोम पवमान पूयसे । त्वामु॒शिज॑: प्रथ॒मा अ॑गृभ्णत॒ तुभ्ये॒मा विश्वा॒ भुव॑नानि येमिरे ॥
त्वम् । प॒वित्रे॑ । रज॑सः । विऽध॑र्मणि । दे॒वेभ्यः॑ । सो॒म॒ । प॒व॒मा॒न॒ । पू॒य॒से॒ । त्वाम् । उ॒शिजः॑ । प्र॒थ॒माः । अ॒गृ॒भ्ण॒त॒ । तुभ्य॑ । इ॒मा । विश्वा॑ । भुव॑नानि । ये॒मि॒रे॒ ॥
tvam | pavitre | rajasaḥ | vi-dharmaṇi | devebhyaḥ | soma | pavamāna | pūyase | tvām | uśijaḥ | prathamāḥ | agṛbhṇata | tubhya | imā | viśvā | bhuvanāni | yemire
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4 × 12 (typical Jagatī).
Processional, ritual-flow rhythm mirroring purification and offering.
Encourages steady inner cleansing; supports a sense of ordered movement and readiness to offer.
- pavitra
- Literal: strainer, purifier. Symbolic: inner discernment; psychic-mental filter that separates truth from mixture
- rajasaḥ
- Literal: spaces/regions (rajas). Symbolic: mid-worlds/levels of consciousness, especially the vital-mental expanse
- vidharmaṇi
- Literal: in the wide law. Symbolic: spacious r̥ta governing right movement
- devebhyaḥ
- Literal: for the gods. Symbolic: for the higher faculties/powers to be strengthened
- pūyase
- Literal: you are purified. Symbolic: Ananda made clear, fit to sustain illumination and power
- uśijaḥ
- Literal: those who desire/seek (often fire-seekers). Symbolic: ardent aspirants; powers that pursue Agni’s flame
- agṛbhṇata
- Literal: they seized/held. Symbolic: first attainment: stabilizing contact with bliss
- yemire
- Literal: they restrained/yoked/ordered. Symbolic: harmonized arrangement of worlds/parts of being
Core Soma filtration moment: Soma clarified ‘for the gods’ and installed as ordering principle
At the moment of straining and preparing Soma for offering.
Chant while filtering Soma; dedicate clarified essence to the devas.
Use as a ‘purification mantra’ before meditation: filter emotions/thoughts; offer the clarified joy to the highest intention.
pavítra ‘purifier/strainer’ from √pū. √grah (agṛbhṇata) is PIE-linked (*gʰrebʰ- ‘grasp’). √yam (yemire) ‘yoke, restrain, order’ indicates ṛta as a yoking of energies. uśij- is traditionally ‘eager/ardent’; psychologically, the first intensities of aspiration that ‘take’ Soma (delight-consciousness) as their support.
Ṛta as yoking/order (√yam), gods as inner powers, primordial aspiration (uśij)
‘vidharmaṇi’ explicitly situates purification in the wide r̥ta.
Purification (pūyase) is movement toward satya—unmixed truth.
Worlds align when the central essence is purified and offered; order radiates outward.
Integral Yoga reading: tapas + purification → ananda offered to higher powers → harmonized planes.
Filter = discrimination; flow = living current of delight; yoking = integration of parts into one journey.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘first seekers’ (uśijaḥ) capture Soma and thereby all worlds are ‘yoked’ into order. Mythically: the primal acquisition of Soma by the pioneers of sacrifice establishes cosmic arrangement (ṛta).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √yam ‘yoke/order’ is directly comparable to PIE *yewg- ‘yoke’ (Latin iugum, English yoke) in semantic field, though Sanskrit has both √yuj and √yam; here √yam highlights restraint/order. √grah ‘grasp’ aligns with IE grasping roots (semantic inheritance of ‘seize/hold’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The poet places himself in continuity with the ‘first’ sacrificers: by purifying Soma ‘for the gods’, he reenacts the original capturing of delight-consciousness so that the inner worlds can be set in right discipline.
Inner filtering: let only truth-aligned impulses pass; offer the clarified joy upward.
Manipura (tapasic purification) rising to Anahata (offering)
Nadi-śodhana (alternate nostril) as ‘pavitra’; end with a few breaths feeling a cool nectar in the heart.
Clean, aligned, quietly uplifted.
Before japa: observe mental mixture; name and release it; keep what is clear and sincere; dedicate the session ‘for the gods’—for the highest faculties to rule the day.
Follow śākhā-specific svara; keep a gentle rise on invocatory ‘soma pavamāna’; verify exact udatta placements from an accentuated pada text.
Mark clear breaks: ‘…vidharmaṇi | devebhyaḥ…’; soften voice on ‘pūyase’ to convey purification.
pavitre: distinct ‘tr’ cluster., vidharmaṇi: aspirate ‘dh’ lightly but clearly., uśijaḥ: ‘śi’ palatal, not ‘si’., yemire: keep ‘e’ longish and ‘m’ clear.
Soft, pure, inward.
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