Rig Veda 10.85.4: Mandala 10, Sukta 85, Mantra 4
Sukta 10.85
- Devata
- Soma
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Bhayankara
आच्छद्विधानैर्गुपितो बार्हतैः सोम रक्षितः । ग्राव्णामिच्छृण्वन्तिष्ठसि न ते अश्नाति पार्थिवः ॥
ā́cchadvidhānāir gupitó bā́rhataiḥ soma rakṣitáḥ | grā́vṇām íc chṛṇvánti tiṣṭhasi ná te aśnāti pā́rthivaḥ ||
Terselindung oleh bentuk-bentuk penutup dan dijaga oleh kuasa-kuasa yang agung, wahai Soma, engkau terpelihara. Engkau berdiri mendengar batu-batu pemeras; tiada makhluk duniawi dapat mengambil bahagian darimu—kerana kebenaranmu disembunyikan daripada genggaman luar.
Word by Word
- आच्छद्
- (he) coveredVerbImperfect (लङ्), 3rd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole Kriyā (verbal action)Root आ-छद् (छद्) / छद्-धातु
- विधानैः
- with arrangements / ordinancesNounNeuter, Instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot विधान (वि-धा-न) < धा (√धा) + घञ्/ल्युट्-प्रत्यय (nominal)
- गुपितः
- protected, guardedAdjective (participle)Masculine, Nominative singularRole Kartā (as qualified subject)Root गुप् (√गुप्) + क्त (past passive participle)
- बार्हतैः
- with lofty/great (means)AdjectiveMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot बार्हत (from बृहन्त्/बर्हिस्-related adjective ‘lofty, great, sacred’)
- सोम
- O SomaNounMasculine, Vocative singularRole SambodhanaRoot सोम
- रक्षितः
- guarded, kept safeAdjective (participle)Masculine, Nominative singularRole Kartā (as qualified subject)Root रक्ष् (√रक्ष्) + क्त (past passive participle)
- ग्राव्णाम्
- of the pressing-stonesNounMasculine, Genitive pluralRole Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot ग्रावन्
- इच्छृण्वन्ति
- they listen / they hearVerbPresent, 3rd person plural, ParasmaipadaRole KriyāRoot इ (particle) + √श्रु (शृण्व्) (present)
- तिष्ठसि
- you stand / remainVerbPresent, 2nd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole KriyāRoot स्था (√स्था) (present stem तिष्ठ)
- न
- notIndeclinableNegation particleRole PratiṣedhaRoot न
- ते
- of you / yourPronounGenitive singular (enclitic)Role Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandhaRoot त्वद् (2nd person pronoun)
- अश्नाति
- eats, consumesVerbPresent, 3rd person singular, ParasmaipadaRole KriyāRoot अश् (√अश् ‘to eat/consume’) (present)
- पार्थिवः
- the earthly one / a mortalNoun/AdjectiveMasculine, Nominative singularRole KartāRoot पार्थिव (from पृथिवी)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: आच्छद्विधानैः → आच्छद् + विधानैः. ग्राव्णामिच्छृण्वन्ति → ग्राव्णाम् + इ + शृण्वन्ति (Vedic ‘इ’ as connective/enclitic; phonetic coalescence yields -मि-). Other words are already in padapāṭha-like form. Accent marks in the saṃhitā text are not reproduced in the pada list
- forms are analyzed morphologically
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma is hidden by coverings and guarded by vast powers; it stands listening to the pressing stones. No earthly being eats of it.
Inner meaning
The true Soma is occulted by layers of formation (ācchad-vidhāna)—our mental-vital constructs and the veils of nature. It is protected by bārhata powers: vast, higher forces that prevent premature or profane appropriation. Though the outer rite ‘presses’, Soma inwardly ‘listens’—responding to aspiration and mantra, not to physical manipulation. The merely earthly consciousness (pārthiva) cannot partake until it is widened and purified.
Universal truth
The deepest delight and truth are safeguarded by the architecture of consciousness: they reveal themselves only when the seeker’s nature becomes spacious and ready. External effort must be matched by inner receptivity.
Themes
Soma-ritual, hidden divinity, veil and revelation, inner hearing
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.85.3 (true Soma not seized), Rig Veda 9.66 (Soma hidden/purified—parallel theme)
Significance
A key esoteric safeguard statement: the Veda’s powers are not ‘taken’ by the outer being; they are unveiled when the being becomes bṛhat (vast).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma (hidden, guarded)
- Epithets
- gupita (concealed), rakṣita (protected), bṛhat-śrita (dwelling with the vast)
- Related deities
- Bṛhaspati (guardian-opener of hidden treasures), Agni (leader who finds the hidden), Vāyu (later in 10.85.5 as guardian/distributor)
Cosmic role
Secret nectar placed in creation yet guarded; responds to the sacrificial call but remains beyond crude possession.
Inner power
Protected ananda that awakens only in widened consciousness; a listening Presence within practice.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (abhiṣava) with an esoteric gloss
आ॒च्छद्वि॑धानैर्गुपि॒तो बार्ह॑तैः सोम रक्षि॒तः । ग्राव्णा॒मिच्छृ॒ण्वन्ति॑ष्ठसि॒ न ते॑ अश्नाति॒ पार्थि॑वः ॥
आ॒च्छत्ऽवि॑धानैः । गु॒पि॒तः । बार्ह॑तैः । सो॒म॒ । र॒क्षि॒तः । ग्राव्णा॑म् । इत् । शृ॒ण्वन् । ति॒ष्ठ॒सि॒ । न । ते॒ । अ॒श्ना॒ति॒ । पार्थि॑वः ॥
ācchat-vidhānaiḥ | gupitaḥ | bārhataiḥ | soma | rakṣitaḥ | grāvṇām | it | śṛṇvan | tiṣṭhasi | na | te | aśnāti | pārthivaḥ
44
4 × ~11; strong caesuras support the ‘hidden/guarded’ declarations.
Guarded, weighty, slightly austere; consonant clusters add a ‘sealed’ feel.
Creates reverence and restraint; encourages patience and inner preparation.
- आच्छद्विधानैः (ācchadvidhānaiḥ)
- Literal: by covering arrangements/forms. Symbolic: veils of prakṛti; constructed forms that conceal the essence
- गुपितः (gupitaḥ)
- Literal: hidden, protected. Symbolic: occulted reality accessible only by inner opening
- बार्हतैः (bārhataiḥ)
- Literal: vast, lofty (powers). Symbolic: higher wideness-forces (bṛhat) guarding the ananda
- ग्राव्णाम् (grāvṇām)
- Literal: of the pressing stones. Symbolic: outer discipline/effort; also the rhythmic impacts of practice
- शृण्वन् तिष्ठसि (śṛṇvan tiṣṭhasi)
- Literal: listening you stand. Symbolic: the inner presence that responds to sincerity and mantra-vibration
- पार्थिवः (pārthivaḥ)
- Literal: earthly being. Symbolic: untransformed physical consciousness unable to receive the nectar
Soma pressing context (grāvan); mantra emphasizes guardedness of inner Soma despite outer pressing—supports contemplative orientation during Soma rites.
During Soma rites; also as a protective teaching on mantra-power and eligibility (adhikāra)
Affirms Soma’s guarded status; sanctifies the rite as symbol while pointing beyond it
Use as a boundary-setting mantra: cultivate humility, ethical purification, and wideness before seeking intense experiences.
gupita: from √gup ‘to guard, protect, conceal’. rakṣita: √rakṣ ‘protect’. bārhata: from bṛhat ‘vast’ (root √bṛh ‘to grow, expand’). grāvan: pressing stone (ritual implement). śṛṇvan: √śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱlew- ‘hear, fame’).
bṛhat (vastness) as guardian of truth, esoteric access to delight, distinction between physical and supraphysical participation
Guardianship preserves right order: higher powers prevent misuse of the nectar.
Truth is not consumable by the unprepared; it must be embodied by transformation.
Essence concealed within form; guardianship as a cosmic function.
Integral-gnostic: powers are real but require widening and purification to manifest safely.
Stones = impacts of practice/discipline; coverings = psychological veils; Soma = guarded delight behind the veil.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The guarded treasure: Soma is a divine substance protected by vast guardians and concealed by veils; the ritual stones are heard, yet the earthly being cannot seize the essence—echoing the myth of hidden light/nectar accessible only to the prepared.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √śru ‘hear’ (PIE *ḱlew-) underlies śṛṇvan; √bṛh ‘grow, expand’ parallels Indo-European ‘great/vast’ epithets for cosmic powers. The participial construction (śṛṇvan) gives a vivid, performative present typical of archaic Indo-European poetics.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer acknowledges Soma’s protected nature and implicitly seeks the inner qualification to partake. The Devatā is not compelled by external rite; reciprocity is through inner widening (bṛhat) and right hearing—becoming capable of Soma’s truth.
Contemplate the ‘hidden Soma’ behind mental formations; practice receptivity rather than grasping.
Viśuddha (listening) and Sahasrāra (vast guarding light)
Śravaṇa-bhāva with slow breathing: inhale as ‘listening’, exhale as ‘softening veils’.
Reverent stillness; alert receptivity.
Notice the ‘coverings’—habit-thought, desire, impatience. Do not force. Offer aspiration; let the inner Soma ‘respond’ in its own time as quiet sweetness and clarity.
Vedic accenting as per śākhā; not fully determinable without svara marks.
Give a slight solemn weight to ‘gupitaḥ’, ‘rakṣitaḥ’; soften on ‘śṛṇvan’ to convey ‘listening’. Pause clearly before ‘na te aśnāti’.
ācchad-: articulate double cch (āc-chad) cleanly., bārhataiḥ: keep long ā; ‘rh’ as r + h, not English rhotic., grāvṇām: pronounce vṇ cluster carefully (grāv-ṇām).
Low, steady, reverent; minimal ornamentation.
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.
