Rig Veda 8.79.1: Mandala 8, Sukta 79, Mantra 1
Sukta 8.79
- Devata
- Soma
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अयं कृत्नुरगृभीतो विश्वजिदुद्भिदित्सोमः । ऋषिर्विप्रः काव्येन ॥
ayáṃ kṛtnúr ágṛbhīto viśvá-jid úd-bhíd ít sómaḥ́ | ṛ́ṣir vípraḥ́ kā́vyena ||
Soma ini sempurna dalam kerja-Nya, tidak tersentuh oleh batas; penakluk seluruhnya, pemecah ke atas apa yang tertutup. Dengan penglihatan puitis sang ṛṣi, Ia menjadi pelihat—vipra, yang bercahaya.
Word by Word
- अयम्
- this (one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- कृत्नुः
- active/energetic; ready (in action)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot कृत्नु- (प्रातिपदिक; विशेषण)
- अगृभीतः
- unseized; not held backParticiple (Adjective)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) अर्थे ‘not seized/held’Role KartāRoot ग्रह् (धातु) + अ- (निषेध) → अ-गृभीत (कृदन्त)
- विश्वजित्
- all-conquering; winning allAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्राय विशेषण) अव्ययवत् -त् अन्तRole KartāRoot विश्व- + जि (धातु ‘to conquer’) → विश्वजित् (समास/कृदन्त-स्वरूप)
- उद्भित्
- bursting forth; breaking outAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; -त् अन्त विशेषणRole KartāRoot उद्- + भिद् (धातु ‘to split, break forth’) → उद्भित् (कृदन्त/विशेषण)
- इत्
- indeed; justIndeclinableनिपातः (एव/हि/खलु-प्राय बलार्थक)Root इत् (निपात/अव्यय)
- सोमः
- Soma (the pressed drink/deity)Nounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot सोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋषिः
- seerNounपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot ऋषि- (प्रातिपदिक)
- विप्रः
- inspired sage; poet-priestNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot विप्र- (प्रातिपदिक)
- काव्येन
- by/with poetic skill (poetry)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्Role KaraṇaRoot काव्य- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘poetic art/poem’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विग्रह): अयम् | कृत्नुः | अगृभीतः | विश्वजित् | उद्भित् | इत् | सोमः || ऋषिः | विप्रः | काव्येन || 1) विश्वजिदुद्भिदित्सोमः = विश्वजित् + उद्भित् + इत् + सोमः (त् + उ → दु (व्यञ्जनसन्धि), त् + स → त्स (व्यञ्जनसन्धि)).
- सर्वे प्रथमा-एकवचन विशेषणपदानि ‘सोमः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणानि।
The meaning
Outer meaning
This Soma is perfect in his working, unseized; a winner of all, a breaker upward of what is closed. By poetic vision, the inspired one becomes a seer.
Inner meaning
Soma is an active power (kṛtnuḥ) that accomplishes the work of transformation. ‘Unseized’ (agṛbhītaḥ) means not captured by limiting formations of mind or habit. As ‘viśvajit’ he wins the whole being for the divine; as ‘udbhit’ he breaks open the sealed places—inner knots, closed doors of consciousness—and drives the movement upward. Through kāvya (inspired seeing/poetic vision), the practitioner becomes ṛṣi and vipra: the consciousness turns from mental thought to luminous intuition.
Universal truth
Delight, when contacted as a conscious power, is not passive pleasure but a liberating force: it breaks inner closures and converts the thinker into a seer.
Themes
inspiration, opening of the sealed, total victory, seerhood
The seer
Significance
The verse explicitly describes the making of a ṛṣi/vipra through Soma and kāvya—an inner account of revelation: mantra is born when delight-force breaks limitation and opens the higher seeing.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma
- Epithets
- Kṛtnu (perfect-working), Agṛbhīta (unseized), Viśvajit (winner of all), Udbhit (opener/breaker upward)
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (inspiration/speech), Agni (inner sacrifice), Indra (illumined mind)
Cosmic role
Catalyst of inspiration and immortality: the nectar that empowers gods and awakens seerhood in humans.
Inner power
Revelatory Ananda: breaks inner seals, frees from limitation, and uplifts consciousness into mantra-vision.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-stotra context (praise of Soma’s power)
अ॒यं कृ॒त्नुरगृ॑भीतो विश्व॒जिदु॒द्भिदित्सोम॑: । ऋषि॒र्विप्र॒: काव्ये॑न ॥
अ॒यम् । कृ॒त्नुः । अगृ॑भीतः । वि॒श्व॒ऽजित् । उ॒त्ऽभित् । इत् । सोमः॑ । ऋषिः॑ । विप्रः॑ । काव्ये॑न ॥
ayam | kṛtnuḥ | agṛbhītaḥ | viśva-jit | ut-bhit | it | somaḥ | ṛṣiḥ | vipraḥ | kāvyena
Triṣṭubh (probable; elevated, descriptive cadence)
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Likely 4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Expansive and rising; suited to describing ascent and opening (udbhit).
Induces uplift and a sense of inner opening; supports intuitive receptivity after chanting.
- कृत्नुḥ (kṛtnuḥ)
- Literal: skillful, effective, perfect-working. Symbolic: Soma as accomplished transformative force in sādhanā
- अगृभीतः (agṛbhītaḥ)
- Literal: not seized, not grasped. Symbolic: free from limitation; not trapped by ego or rigid mental forms
- विश्वजित् (viśva-jit)
- Literal: winner of all. Symbolic: integral conquest—bringing every part of nature under the light
- उद्भित् (ud-bhit)
- Literal: breaker up, opener. Symbolic: force that breaks the closed subconscient/inner doors and releases upward movement
- काव्येन (kāvyena)
- Literal: by poetic art/vision. Symbolic: mantric intuition; inspired seeing that shapes consciousness
- ऋषिः (ṛṣiḥ)
- Literal: seer. Symbolic: one who directly sees truth in consciousness
- विप्रः (vipraḥ)
- Literal: inspired, vibrating, illumined sage. Symbolic: mind transformed into luminous intuition and mantra-bearing speech
Soma-stotra emphasizing Soma as opener of inner obstructions; supports pressing rites and contemplative invocation for inspiration.
During Soma sequences emphasizing inspiration and victorious opening.
Recitation to invoke Soma as inspirer of the priest/poet (vipra) and opener of hidden powers.
Use before creative work or japa: chant to shift from mental effort to inspired seeing; then sit for insight.
(agṛbhīta) from √grah ‘seize’ → Soma not held by constriction of the lower nature. (udbhit) from ud-√bhid ‘split, break open’ → opening of closed chambers (symbolically, subconscious lids). from √vip ‘to tremble, thrill’ → inspired vibration. from √kū/√kavi tradition: ‘seer-poet’; denotes mantric creativity.
revelation (ṛṣi), mantric speech (kāvya), victory over limitation (viśvajit)
Kṛtnuḥ suggests action aligned to R̥ta—effective because it follows the true law of the being.
Ṛṣi/vipra state is direct Satya perception rather than inference.
Opening of the closed (nigūḍha) into manifestation; ascent of consciousness through delight.
Mantra theory aligned with Aurobindo: kāvya as supramental/intuitive inspiration; Soma as Ananda-power enabling revelation.
Bud/rock opening = inner centers unsealing; moon-nectar = cool delight enabling intuition.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as ‘udbhit’—the opener of what is shut—echoing the wider Vedic pattern of releasing the hidden (cows/light/waters) from enclosure. Here the release is inward: Soma breaks the seals that prevent total victory (viśvajit) and establishes seerhood (ṛṣi) through inspired speech (kāvya).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhid ‘split’ relates to PIE *bʰeyd- ‘split, cleave’ (cf. English ‘bite’ via Germanic developments; Latin findere is different root). √grah ‘grasp’ aligns with PIE *gʰrebʰ- ‘seize’ proposed for some branches (cognacy debated), but the semantic ‘grasp’ is strongly Indo-European. viśva ‘all’ corresponds to PIE *weyḱ-/*wis- ‘all’ (cf. Latin vīs? not direct; better: Avestan vispa ‘all’ as Indo-Iranian cognate).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- Soma is not merely praised by the rishi; he becomes ‘ṛṣi’ and ‘vipra’ through the rishi’s kāvya—indicating reciprocity: the mantric word evokes Soma, and Soma in turn awakens the seer-powers in the human vessel.
Invoke Soma as the power that breaks inner closures; feel a cool upward opening from heart to brow, allowing intuitive seeing.
Ājñā (seerhood) supported by Anāhata (delight)
Bhrāmarī (gentle) 5 rounds to quiet mind, then chant once or thrice and sit in silence for ‘kāvya’ insight.
Intuitive poise—quiet mind with luminous perception.
After chanting, do not analyze; instead, ‘listen inwardly’ for a spontaneous phrase, image, or certainty. Treat it as kāvya—shape it into a single clear intention for the day.
Use the accent text for precise udatta/anudatta/svarita; stylistically, let the melody rise slightly on ‘udbhit’ to mirror the upward breaking.
Keep compounds crisp: viśva-jid, ud-bhit; give gentle emphasis to ‘ṛṣir vipraḥ’ as the culminating identity.
: keep ‘gṛ’ with vocalic ‘ṛ’, : final ‘d’ is light, not overreleased, : ‘dbh’ cluster—voice ‘d’, then aspirated ‘bh’, : long ‘ā’ and palatal ‘vy’
Clear, inward, resonant; allow a brief silence after the verse.
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