Rig Veda 10.97.8: Mandala 10, Sukta 97, Mantra 8
Sukta 10.97
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
उच्छुष्मा ओषधीनां गावो गोष्ठादिवेरते । धनं सनिष्यन्तीनामात्मानं तव पूरुष ॥
úcchuṣmā́ oṣádhīnāṁ gā́vo goṣṭhā́d iverate | dhánaṁ saniṣyántīnām ātmā́naṁ táva pūruṣa ||
Keperkasaan Oṣadhi bangkit, laksana lembu-lembu meluru keluar dari kandang; mereka berusaha memenangi harta yang sejati—bahkan diri itu sendiri—untukmu, wahai Puruṣa yang bersemayam di dalam.
Word by Word
- उत्
- up, forth (preverb)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (prefix), अव्ययRoot उत् (उपसर्ग) / ud-
- शुष्माः
- vigours, powersNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot शुष्म (प्रातिपदिक) / śuṣmá-
- ओषधीनाम्
- of the herbs/plantsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक) / oṣadhí-
- गावः
- cowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक) / gó-
- गोष्ठात्
- from the cowshed/stallNounपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचनRole ApādānaRoot गोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) / goṣṭhá-
- इव
- like, asIndeclinableउपमा-वाचक अव्ययRoot इव (निपात) / iva
- ईरते
- they rise/move forthVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole KriyāRoot ईर् (धातु) / īr (to set in motion, to rise)
- धनम्
- wealth, prizeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot धन (प्रातिपदिक) / dhána-
- सनिष्यन्तीनाम्
- of those (f.) who will win/obtainParticiple (verbal adjective)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; भविष्यत्कालिक वर्तमान-प्रत्ययान्त (future active participle)Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root सन् (धातु) / san (to gain, win) + स्य (भविष्यत्) → सनिष्यन्ती (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- आत्मानम्
- self, personNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) / ātman-
- तव
- of you, yourPronounषष्ठी, एकवचनRole Sambandha (genitive relation)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / tvad-
- पूरुष
- O Puruṣa (O Man/Person)Noun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot पूरुष (प्रातिपदिक) / pū́ruṣa-
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolution): उच्छुष्माः → उत् + शुष्माः (उत्-उपसर्गः; त् + श् → च्छ्)
- गोष्ठादिवेरते → गोष्ठात् + इव + ईरते (त् + इ → दि; इव + ईरते संहितायां ‘इवेरते’)
- धनं सनिष्यन्तीनाम् → धनम् + सनिष्यन्तीनाम् (म् + स → ंस, अनुस्वार)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The strength of the healing herbs rises up like cows rushing from the stall; seeking to win wealth, they win even your very self, O Purusha.
Inner meaning
The oṣadhis’ śuṣma (dynamic might) surges upward; the ‘cows’ are rays of knowledge released from confinement (goṣṭha). When these rays stream out, they seek the true dhana (wealth): not mere external gain but ātmānam—recovery of the Self. The addressed puruṣa is the indwelling conscious being; healing culminates in restored self-possession and inner sovereignty.
Universal truth
The deepest cure is the recovery of the Self; when knowledge-light is released, vitality rises and true wealth appears as selfhood.
Themes
release of healing energy, wealth as selfhood, luminous increase
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.97
Family tradition
Oṣadhi-sūkta seer-collective; language blends healing with Upaniṣadic-leaning inwardness (ātman/puruṣa terms).
Significance
This verse explicitly turns therapy into yoga: the goal of healing is not only symptom-removal but self-recovery and illumination.
The deity
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ with Puruṣa as inner recipient
- Epithets
- śuṣmāḥ (mighty ones), gāvaḥ (light-rays), dhana-saniṣyantīḥ (wealth-winning)
- Related deities
- Sūrya (light), Uṣas (awakening illumination), Soma (delight that accompanies self-recovery)
Cosmic role
They release hidden light and restore the being to its true possession (ātman).
Inner power
Upward surge of prāṇa guided by knowledge-light, culminating in self-integration.
In ritual
Where it is used
Healing blessing; empowerment of remedies; prayer for restoration of vitality and self-possession
उच्छुष्मा॒ ओष॑धीनां॒ गावो॑ गो॒ष्ठादि॑वेरते । धनं॑ सनि॒ष्यन्ती॑नामा॒त्मानं॒ तव॑ पूरुष ॥
उत् । शुष्माः॑ । ओष॑धीनाम् । गावः॑ । गो॒ष्ठात्ऽइ॑व । ई॒र॒ते॒ । धन॑म् । स॒नि॒ष्यन्ती॑नाम् । आ॒त्मान॑म् । तव॑ । पु॒रु॒ष॒ ॥
ut | śuṣmāḥ | oṣadhīnām | gāvaḥ | goṣṭhāt-iva | īrate | dhanam | saniṣyantīnām | ātmānam | tava | puruṣa
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4×8 (with Vedic flexibility)
Quick upward lift in the first half; settling affirmation in the second.
Felt ‘release’—a sudden opening followed by a deep anchoring in selfhood.
- शुष्माः (śuṣmāḥ)
- Literal: mights, energies. Symbolic: surging life-force under conscious direction
- गावः (gāvaḥ)
- Literal: cows. Symbolic: rays of light/knowledge (go = illumination) released into the mind
- गोष्ठात् इव (goṣṭhād iva)
- Literal: like from a cowshed/stall. Symbolic: release from confinement of ignorance/subconscient holding
- धनम् (dhanam)
- Literal: wealth. Symbolic: true gain: inner riches of consciousness, harmony, strength
- आत्मानम् (ātmānam)
- Literal: self. Symbolic: self-recovery; restored integrity and identity in Spirit
- पुरुष (puruṣa)
- Literal: person/cosmic being. Symbolic: indwelling witness and master; the soul-being as recipient
Healing recitation accompanying preparation/administration; imagery supports ‘release’ of remedy-force.
During recovery; when invoking strength-return; after administering medicine
Chanting to awaken śuṣma and release ‘cows’ (light) for the patient
Use for trauma/fatigue recovery: visualize rays of knowledge streaming out, returning you to yourself (ātman).
śuṣmá: ‘impetuous might’ (vital force). īrate: from √īr ‘to set in motion, raise’. dhána: from √dhan ‘to run, to bestow’ → wealth as flowing plenitude. saniṣyantī: desiderative/intentional from √san ‘to win’—striving toward attainment.
dhana as plenitude of being, ātmān recovery, purusha as inner witness
The ‘rising up’ is the restoration of right movement of forces.
Ātman as the truth-wealth beyond outer possessions.
Hidden light released from enclosure—classic Vedic motif of liberation of the cows.
Bridge toward Upaniṣadic inwardness: puruṣa/ātman as the real beneficiary of healing.
dawn-like (suggested by ‘release’ imagery)
Herbs = restorative forces; cows = knowledge-rays; stall = subconscient/ignorance; rising might = awakened prāṇa.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘release of the cows’ transposed into healing: as cows burst from the stall, so the oṣadhī-force breaks confinement and moves outward to restore and enrich the being, culminating in the recovery of ātmān as the supreme ‘wealth’.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- go (gāvaḥ) continues PIE *gʷōus; the inherited ‘cow’ lexeme becomes a carrier of Vedic poetic symbolism (rays/knowledge). √īr ‘raise, set in motion’ belongs to a widespread Indo-European semantic field of ‘arousing’ energies, though exact PIE etymology is debated.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and affirms the rising movement of the healing host; the devatā are not passive medicines but active seekers of dhana—inner plenitude—whose final offering is the restored self consecrated to Purusha.
Release of inner light (go) and return to ātman; feel healing as self-recollection.
ajna (illumination)
slow_meditative
Luminous clarity with inward gatheredness.
Inhale imagining the stall-doors opening in the mind; exhale as rays stream out and fill the body. Rest on ‘ātmānam’—repeat mentally, feeling ‘I return to myself’.
Standard Vedic accenting; keep the ‘ut’ lift clean at the start (ut śuṣmāḥ).
Slight emphasis on ut / śuṣmāḥ to enact the ‘rising’; soften on ātmānam to deepen inwardness.
ut śuṣmāḥ: clear dental t; retroflex ṣ, goṣṭhād iva: ṣṭh cluster; long ā in -ād, īrate: long ī at start, puruṣa: retroflex ṣ
Bright at the opening, then warm and inward on ātmānam tava.
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