Rig Veda 9.89.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 89, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.89
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सिंहं नसन्त मध्वो अयासं हरिमरुषं दिवो अस्य पतिम् । शूरो युत्सु प्रथमः पृच्छते गा अस्य चक्षसा परि पात्युक्षा ॥
siṃháṃ nasanta mádhvo ayā́saṃ hárim aruṣáṃ divó asyá pátim | śū́ro yútsu prathamáḥ pṛ́cchate gā́ asyá cákṣasā pári pāty ukṣā́ ||
ते त्याच्याकडे सिंहासारखे येतात—मधुर आनंदात अयासरहित; हरित-सुवर्ण, अरुण, या द्युलोकाचा अधिपती. तो शूर, युद्धांत प्रथम, ‘गा’ (किरण-गायी) शोधतो; आपल्या दृष्टीने ‘उक्षा’ (वृषभ-शक्ती) सर्वत्र परिभ्रमण करते.
Word by Word
- सिंहम्
- lion (as/like a lion)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-निपातRoot न (निपात)
- असन्त
- being; existing (they being)Verbवर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot अस् (धातु) → सन्त् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
- मध्वः
- of sweetness / of honey (i.e., of Soma’s sweetness)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- अयासम्
- unwearied, tirelessAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषण)Root अयास (प्रातिपदिक; a-यास)
- हरिम्
- the tawny one (Soma)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरुषम्
- ruddy, flamingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषण)Root अरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिवः
- of heavenNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of this; hisPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पतिम्
- lord, masterNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot पति (प्रातिपदिक)
- शूरः
- the heroNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
- युत्सु
- in battlesNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनRole अधिकरणRoot युध् → युत्सु (नपुंसक बहुवचन-स्थानीय; ‘युत्सु’ = युद्धेषु)
- प्रथमः
- first, foremostAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विशेषण)Root प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- पृच्छते
- asks, inquiresVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot प्रच्छ् (धातु)
- गाः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्य
- of him; hisPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- चक्षसा
- with (his) eye; by sightNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचनRole करणRoot चक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- परि
- aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषणRoot परि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- पाति
- protects, guardsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot पा (धातु; ‘to protect’)
- उक्षा
- the bull (vigorous one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot उक्षन्/उक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): सिंहम् न असन्त मध्वः अयासम् हरिम् अरुषम् दिवः अस्य पतिम् । शूरः युत्सु प्रथमः पृच्छते गाः अस्य चक्षसा परि पाति उक्षा ॥ 1) न॑सन्त॒ = न + असन्त (स्वर-संयोग/सन्धि-लोप; ‘अ’ आरम्भे ‘न’ के साथ संधि से ‘नसन्त’ लेखन)
- 2) मध्वो॑ = मध्वः (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश: -अः + (पदविराम/स्वर) → -ओ; संहिता-पाठ रूप)
- 3) दिवो = दिवः (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश)
- 4) पात्यु॒क्षा = पाति + उक्षा (इ/उ संयोग में य्-आगम: इ + उ → यु; संहिता में ‘पात्युक्षा’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The purified Soma is approached like a tireless lion full of honeyed sweetness—golden, ruddy, lord of heaven. A hero in battles, he seeks the cows (rays); as a bull he ranges around with vision.
Inner meaning
Soma as the blissful, clarifying current of consciousness is experienced as leonine power (fearless spiritual force) and as a golden-red light of awakened life-energy. It becomes ‘lord of heaven’ when it takes possession of the luminous mind-plane (divaḥ). In inner battle it searches out the hidden Rays (gāḥ = illuminations/knowledges) and, as the Bull-power (ukṣā), moves with a wide seeing (cakṣasā) that surrounds and protects the field of consciousness.
Universal truth
When delight (ānanda) is purified and made steady, it becomes a courageous force that uncovers knowledge and establishes a wide, protective vision. Bliss is not passive: it is a dynamic power that conquers obscurity by revealing the inner lights.
Themes
Soma as hero-force, Recovery of the cows (rays), Inner battle, Illumination
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.89 (entire sūkta, Soma Pavamāna), RV 9.86–9.97 (adjacent Pavamāna cycles with similar imagery of bull/lion/rays)
Family tradition
Ninth Maṇḍala is a liturgical ‘Soma book’ compiled from multiple seer-families; individual verse attribution is uncertain in the provided source.
Significance
The anonymous seer-voice here functions as a collective yogic witness: the mantra records repeatable inner phenomena—bliss-force becoming courage, vision, and the recovery of illuminations.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- siṃha (lion-like), hari (golden), aruṣa (ruddy), divaḥ pati (lord of heaven), śūra (hero), ukṣā (bull-power)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Uṣas (by thematic resonance of illumination)
Cosmic role
Purifier and intensifier of life and mind; the streaming essence that supports the gods’ workings and releases hidden light.
Inner power
Ānanda-śakti that clarifies the mind, empowers heroic striving, and unveils the rays of knowledge.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna recitation during filtration)
सिं॒हं न॑सन्त॒ मध्वो॑ अ॒यासं॒ हरि॑मरु॒षं दि॒वो अ॒स्य पति॑म् । शूरो॑ यु॒त्सु प्र॑थ॒मः पृ॑च्छते॒ गा अस्य॒ चक्ष॑सा॒ परि॑ पात्यु॒क्षा ॥
सिं॒हम् । न॒स॒न्त॒ । मध्वः॑ । अ॒यास॑म् । हरि॑म् । अ॒रु॒षम् । दि॒वः । अ॒स्य । पति॑म् । शूरः॑ । यु॒त्ऽसु । प्र॒थ॒मः । पृ॒च्छ॒ते॒ । गाः । अस्य॑ । चक्ष॑सा । परि॑ । पा॒ति॒ । उ॒क्षा ॥
siṃham | nasanta | madhvaḥ | ayāsam | harim | aruṣam | divaḥ | asya | patim | śūraḥ | yut-su | prathamaḥ | pṛcchate | gāḥ | asya | cakṣasā | pari | pāti | ukṣā
Likely Triṣṭubh (common in RV 9; two long pādas with ~11 syllables cadence)
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh-type movement)
Driving, heroic gait with forward surge; suited to images of lion/bull and questing vision.
Energizes resolve while widening attention; supports a ‘searching’ inner movement toward light.
- siṃha
- Literal: lion. Symbolic: fearless spiritual force; sovereign energy that cannot be intimidated by inner darkness
- madhvaḥ / madhu
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: ānanda—delight that nourishes and unifies the being
- ayāsa
- Literal: tireless, unwearied. Symbolic: steady tapas/energy of practice; persistence of the inner movement
- hari / aruṣa
- Literal: golden / ruddy. Symbolic: luminous life-force and awakened radiance (tejas) in the vital and mental
- divaḥ pati
- Literal: lord of heaven. Symbolic: mastery over the luminous mind (dyu) and its wideness
- yutsu prathamaḥ
- Literal: first in battles. Symbolic: foremost power in inner conflict against resistance
- gāḥ
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light; illuminations/knowledges recovered from concealment
- cakṣasā
- Literal: with vision/eye. Symbolic: inner seeing (dṛṣṭi); discriminative luminous awareness
- ukṣā
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: creative and fertilizing force; virile power of consciousness that pervades and guards
Recitation during Soma flow; supports the warrior-protector aspect of Soma as energizer for Indra-like victories.
During Soma-yāga sequences when Soma is strained through the wool/filter and offered
Chant accompanies the flowing Soma, inviting its clarifying and invigorating power
Used as a meditation-text for cultivating tireless aspiration, widening vision, and recovery of ‘lost lights’ (insights) during inner struggle.
√naś ‘reach/attain’ → nasanta; madhu ‘sweetness/delight’ (PIE *médʰu ‘mead, honey’). hari/aruṣa color-terms signal luminous force. go ‘cow’ is polyvalent: from √gā/√gam associations of movement and ‘ray’ usage in Vedic poetics; here best read as illuminations sought in battle. ukṣan/bull from √ukṣ ‘sprinkle, be strong’ links to fertilizing potency.
quest for knowledge (go = rays), vision (cakṣas) as instrument of truth, delight as power in struggle
Soma’s ‘flow’ is the archetype of ṛta: right movement that restores harmony and releases light.
Vision (cakṣas) indicates satya as direct seeing rather than concept.
Release of rays/knowledges from concealment—creation as unveiling.
Proto-Vedāntic / integral-yogic reading (Aurobindo): delight as a fundamental power of consciousness.
Animal powers symbolize dynamic soul-forces; honey = bliss; heaven = luminous mind; cows = rays/insights retrieved by awakened vision.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘seeking of the cows’ (gāḥ) in battle: a classic Vedic mythic action reinterpretable as recovery of lost rays of knowledge from obscurity. Soma, as bull-force with vision, leads and guards the quest.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a clear PIE inheritance (*médʰu). The animal-king imagery (lion/bull) is part of a shared IE poetic register for sovereignty and potency. pati ‘lord’ reflects archaic social-religious vocabulary of rulership applied to cosmic forces.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi presents Soma as the active champion within the seeker: the devotee ‘approaches/attains’ Soma as lion-like strength and honeyed delight, and relies on Soma’s vision-power to secure and protect the rays of knowledge in the midst of inner conflicts.
Invoke purified delight to become fearless force and wide vision that searches out inner lights.
Anāhata–Ājñā axis (delight rising to vision)
Slow inhalation ‘drawing the madhu upward’; steady exhalation imagining Soma ‘ranging around’ the mind-field.
Collected, luminous, heroic poise (sattva with dynamic tapas).
Begin with felt sweetness/peace in the heart; let it intensify into courage; then hold a wide gaze in the forehead center and ‘ask for the cows’—invite clear insights without strain.
Follow RV śākhā recitation with udatta peaks on key nouns (e.g., siṃhám, hárim, divó, gā́ḥ) and svarita falls on dependent syllables; exact accents vary by pada segmentation.
Keep udātta syllables slightly higher and brighter; avoid flattening the cadence in the second half where ‘gāḥ… cakṣasā’ carries the revelatory emphasis.
siṃhaṃ: nasal ‘ṃ’ before ‘h’—lightly nasalize, aruṣaṃ: clear retroflex ‘ṣ’, pṛcchate: conjunct ‘cch’ as a held affricate, ukṣā: retroflex ‘ṣ’ and long ‘ā’
Bright, steady, heroic; let ‘madhu’ words be softer and more flowing.
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