Rig Veda 9.16.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 16, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.16
- Rishi
- Kāṇva
- Devata
- Indra
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shringara (love)
प्र त्वा नमोभिरिन्दव इन्द्र सोमा असृक्षत । महे भराय कारिणः ॥
prá tvā namóbhiḥ índava índra sómā asṛkṣata | mahé bhárāya kāríṇaḥ ||
Ke hadapan-Mu, wahai Indra, aliran-aliran Soma dilepaskan dengan perbuatan penghormatan; para pembuat (dalam diri kami) mengutusnya bagi suatu dukungan yang besar—suatu pembawaan yang luas akan daya dan penyempurnaan.
Word by Word
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableupasarga (preverb)Root प्र (upasarga)
- त्वा
- you (thee)Pronounaccusative singular (2nd person)Role KarmaRoot युष्मद् (त्वद्)
- नमोभिः
- with obeisances, with salutationsNounneuter instrumental pluralRole KaraṇaRoot नमस्
- इन्दवः
- the drops (of Soma)Nounmasculine nominative pluralRole KartāRoot इन्दु
- इन्द्र
- O IndraNoun (vocative)masculine vocative singularRole (Sambodhana)Root इन्द्र
- सोमाः
- SomasNounmasculine nominative pluralRole Kartā (apposition to इन्दवः)Root सोम
- असृक्षत
- have flowed/streamed forthVerbaorist (sigmatic/ṣ-aorist), 3rd person plural, parasmaipadaRole (Kriyā)Root सृज्
- महे
- to the great (one)Adjective (used substantively)masculine dative singularRole SampradānaRoot महत्
- भराय
- for bearing/support; for the (ritual) offering/bringingNounmasculine dative singularRole Sampradāna (purpose/recipient)Root भर
- कारिणः
- the doers, makers (active ones)Noun/Adjectivemasculine nominative pluralRole Kartā (epithet of इन्दवः/सोमाः)Root कारिन् (from √कृ, agent noun)
Sandhi Notes
- Pada resolution: प्र त्वा नमोभिः इन्दवः इन्द्र सोमाः असृक्षत । महे भराय कारिणः ।
- ‘नमोभिः’ = नमस् + भिस् (instr.pl.)
- ‘असृक्षत’ is aorist 3pl of √सृज् with internal strengthening/retroflexion per Vedic morphology. Accent marks in the given saṃhitā: त्वा॒ (anudātta), नमो॑भिः (udātta on मो), इन्द्र॑व (udātta on इन्द्र-), इन्द्र॒ (anudātta), सोमा॑ (udātta on मा), भरा॑य (udātta on रा), कारिण॑ः (udātta on ण)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma streams are sent forward to you, O Indra, with acts of homage, for a great bearing/bringing by the doers.
Inner meaning
When the inner makers (kāriṇaḥ—powers of formation in mind and life, or the conscious practitioner’s faculties) offer reverence (namas: surrender) they release the Soma-currents toward Indra, the illumined Mind. The purpose is mahat bharāya: a great ‘carrying’—the transport of consciousness from limitation to wideness, and the bearing of divine force into works and life.
Universal truth
Reverence and surrender release inner energies toward higher intelligence; then a greater capacity ‘to bear’ life and to carry truth into action is born.
Themes
Indra-Soma synergy, Release of the flow, Inner victory preparation
The seer
- Rishi
- Kāṇva (traditional)
- Lineage
- Kāṇva
- Other hymns
- RV 1.5-1.9 (Indra invoked by Kāṇvas, traditional), RV 9.48 (Soma purification), RV 9.61 (Soma for Indra)
Family tradition
Kāṇva hymns frequently join Indra and Soma: illumination strengthened by delight, producing victorious capacity in works.
Significance
The seer-line highlights the practical yoga: not only purification, but release toward Indra for effective bearing in life and work (karman).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra (as receiver of Soma), supported by Soma
- Epithets
- Maghavan (bounteous), Vṛtrahan (slayer of the Coverer), Śakra (powerful)
- Related deities
- Soma Pavamāna, Maruts, Agni, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Indra governs luminous force: he breaks the coverings, releases the rays (go) and waters, and establishes wideness in consciousness.
Inner power
Illumination, decisive intelligence, courage to break resistance; strengthened by Soma-Ananda.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra-Soma offering within Soma-yajña; Pavamāna context where Soma is made fit for Indra
प्र त्वा॒ नमो॑भि॒रिन्द॑व॒ इन्द्र॒ सोमा॑ असृक्षत । म॒हे भरा॑य का॒रिण॑: ॥
प्र । त्वा॒ । नमः॑ऽभिः । इन्द॑वः । इन्द्र॑ । सोमाः॑ । अ॒सृ॒क्ष॒त॒ । म॒हे । भरा॑य । का॒रिणः॑ ॥
pra | tvā | namaḥ-bhiḥ | indavaḥ | indra | somāḥ | asṛkṣata | mahe | bharāya | kāriṇaḥ
24
3×8
Invocatory and energetic; ‘pra’ openings create a forward thrust
Builds aspiration and release; the cadence supports offering (namas) and empowerment (bharāya).
- नमोभिः (namobhiḥ)
- Literal: with salutations. Symbolic: surrender, self-offering that opens the channels
- इन्दवः (indavaḥ)
- Literal: bright drops/streams. Symbolic: currents of clarified delight and luminous energy
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: Indra. Symbolic: divine Mind-force, illumined leadership in the being
- असृक्षत (asṛkṣata)
- Literal: were released/let loose. Symbolic: unblocked flow of Ananda-energy toward higher consciousness
- महे भराय (mahe bharāya)
- Literal: for great bearing/carrying. Symbolic: capacity to hold wideness, to carry force into life, to sustain transformation
- कारिणः (kāriṇaḥ)
- Literal: makers/doers. Symbolic: formative powers in us—thought, will, speech, action—aligned to the sacrifice
Soma offering to Indra within Soma-yāga; energizing Indra for victory over inner obstructions
At points of offering/recitation calling Indra to drink and be strengthened
Libation to Indra; recitation with gestures of offering/salutation
Use before demanding tasks: offer the day’s energies inwardly to the higher mind; ask for ‘great bearing’—capacity, steadiness, victorious clarity.
namo-bhiḥ: instr. pl. of namas from √nam ‘to bow, incline’ → inner ‘alignment’; indavaḥ: nom. pl. of indu ‘drop, Soma’ (also ‘bright’ nuance); asṛkṣata: aorist/middle of √sṛj ‘to let go, release, send forth’ (PIE *sreu̯g- ‘let flow/loose’ semantic field overlaps with ‘streaming’ imagery); bhara-: from √bhṛ ‘to bear, carry’ (PIE *bher-), here ‘bearing of plenitude/force’; kāriṇaḥ: agent noun from √kṛ ‘do, make’ indicating formative agencies.
Namas (reverent self-offering as alignment), Indra as victorious intelligence-force, Rita through right-directed offering
Right offering (namas) aligns human energies with Ṛta, enabling right action and victory over disorder.
Indra drinks purified truth-joy; illumination acts as satya-force in the mind.
Expansion (bṛhat): Soma-fed Indra creates wideness by breaking inner limitation.
Vedic integral psychology: surrender releases energies; illumination transforms works.
Streams = currents of refined feeling/energy; offering = alignment; great bearing = increased capacity of the nervous and mental being to hold higher force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The empowering of Indra by Soma: the streams are ‘released’ to Indra so the victorious power can act. Inwardly, delight-essence is directed to the illumined Mind-Force to enable the breaking of resistances and the carrying (bhara) of a greater consciousness into life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhṛ ‘bear’ (bharāya) is a clear PIE *bher- cognate set (Skt bhárati, Gk phérō, Lat ferō). √nam ‘bow’ has broad IE parallels in gesture/semantics of inclination. The release verb √sṛj connects to the IE poetic motif of ‘setting free’ waters/flows, a structural trope in Vedic and wider IE traditions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi (and the inner kāriṇaḥ) enact namas—self-offering as right orientation—so Indra can receive Soma. The exchange is empowerment: the human side offers clarified force; Indra returns increased capacity for conquest and a ‘great bearing’ of the work toward completeness.
Offer (namas) the life-force upward; feel Soma-like sweetness rise to the brow as strength and clarity.
Maṇipūra (power/bearing) supported by Ājñā (Indra-illumination)
On inhale, feel ‘pra’ lifting energy; on exhale, offer it upward with a sense of bowing (namas).
Aspiring, empowered, widened
Practice ‘inner salutation’ before action: pause, bow inwardly, release energies to the higher intelligence; then act from the widened, steadier capacity (mahat bhara).
Respect accent marks from the text; keep the opening ‘pra’ bright and lifted; allow ‘indra’ vocative to ring with udātta prominence where marked.
Do not rush ‘namobhiḥ’; let it sound like an actual bow—slight softening, then release into ‘asṛkṣata’.
namobhiḥ: visarga light, not harsh, indavaḥ: short ‘i’, clear ‘vaḥ’, asṛkṣata: cluster ‘kṣ’ crisp, bharāya: bha voiced aspirate, long ā
Energizing, confident, with devotional warmth
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