Rig Veda 9.18.7: Mandala 9, Sukta 18, Mantra 7
Sukta 9.18
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
स शुष्मी कलशेष्वा पुनानो अचिक्रदत् । मदेषु सर्वधा असि ॥
sá śuṣmī kalaśéṣv ā́ punānó acíkradat | mádeṣu sarva-dhā́ asi ||
Dia yang penuh daya yang bergetar, sambil menyucikan diri, telah berseru nyaring ketika masuk ke dalam tempayan-tempayan; dalam setiap kemabukan sukacita, Engkau hadir dalam segala cara.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (पुनानो इत्यस्य) / विषय-निर्देशRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- शुष्मी
- vigorous, strongAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot शुष्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक; शुष्म ‘strength, vigor’)
- कलशेषु
- in the jars/vesselsNounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरण (स्थानम्)Root कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards, forthIndeclinableउपसर्गः (अचिक्रदत् इत्यस्य)Root आ (उपसर्ग)
- पुनानः
- purifying himself / being purified (Soma)Participleवर्तमानकृदन्तः (शानच्), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (अचिक्रदत् इत्यस्य)Root पू (धातु) + शानच् (वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदे कृदन्तः)
- अचिक्रदत्
- cried out, resoundedVerbलुङ् (आर्ष/वैदिक), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot क्रन्द् (धातु) [वेदिक-रूपेण पुनरुक्त-आङ्गिक-आorist/इम्पर्फेक्ट् प्रकारः]
- मदेषु
- in the exhilarations/raptures (intoxications)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्Role अधिकरण (अवस्था/विषय-क्षेत्रः)Root मद (प्रातिपदिक)
- सर्वधा
- in every way, alwaysIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role क्रियाविशेषणRoot सर्वधा (अव्यय; सर्व + धा)
- असि
- you areVerbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रिया (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगे ‘त्वम्’ लुप्तः)Root अस् (धातु)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः | शुष्मी | कलशेषु | आ | पुनानः | अचिक्रदत् | मदेषु | सर्वधा | असि । 1) कलशेष्वा इति संहितायाम् = कलशेषु + आ (उकारान्त-स्वरस्य परे ‘आ’ इत्यत्र संधिः: उ + आ → वा). 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न
- ‘सः’ इत्यस्य विसर्गः पदान्ते स्थितः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, full of strength, purifies himself and cries out as he enters the jars; in all states of exhilaration he is present in every way.
Inner meaning
The delight-principle (Soma) surges with luminous force (śuṣma) as it is clarified and refined within the human system (kalaśa, the ‘jars’ = prepared inner vessels). Its ‘cry’ is the audible/experiential upsurge of ananda when consciousness is being purified; Soma is not occasional but pervades every intensity of inner joy (madeṣu) as the sustaining presence behind all true uplift.
Universal truth
When the consciousness is purified and made a fit vessel, a deeper Delight naturally manifests—self-announcing, energizing, and pervading every authentic experience of joy as an underlying reality rather than a passing emotion.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Purification, Embodiment (vessel symbolism), Refrain
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.18 (Pavamāna Soma hymn context), Rig Veda 9.61 (Pavamāna themes of purification and ananda), Rig Veda 9.96 (Soma as inspirer and purifier)
Family tradition
RV 9 is a specialized liturgical-psychological corpus of Soma’s ‘self-purification’; many verses are transmitted without a single fixed r̥ṣi in later summaries, reflecting a collective seer-tradition of the Soma-pressing schools.
Significance
The ‘seer’ here is best understood as the inspired consciousness witnessing Soma’s transformation: delight becomes a disciplined power, entering prepared vessels and turning joy into a stable spiritual substance.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (self-purifying), Indu (bright drop), Madhu (honeyed delight), Pavitra (purifier, by implication)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Uṣas, Maruts
Cosmic role
Cosmic Delight that is clarified through the filter (pavitra) and made fit to support gods—i.e., higher powers of consciousness.
Inner power
Ananda-shakti that purifies the vital-emotional nature and fills the mind with luminous joy, making spiritual experience stable and repeatable.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (Pavamāna phase)
स शु॒ष्मी क॒लशे॒ष्वा पु॑ना॒नो अ॑चिक्रदत् । मदे॑षु सर्व॒धा अ॑सि ॥
सः । शु॒ष्मी । क॒लशे॑षु । आ । पु॒ना॒नः । अ॒चि॒क्र॒द॒त् । मदे॑षु । स॒र्व॒ऽधाः । अ॒सि॒ ॥
saḥ | śuṣmī | kalaśeṣu | ā | punānaḥ | acikradat | madeṣu | sarva-dhāḥ | asi
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4 pādas × 8 syllables (likely)
Compact, declarative, with a punch-like cadence suited to proclamation.
Creates a steady containment (vessel-like) rhythm; supports ‘holding’ the rising delight so it does not spill into restlessness.
- शु॒ष्मी (śuṣmī)
- Literal: strong, vigorous, full of force. Symbolic: concentrated spiritual energy that drives purification and ascent
- क॒लशे॒षु (kalaśeṣu)
- Literal: in the jars/vessels. Symbolic: inner containers—mind, life, body prepared to receive refined consciousness
- पु॒ना॒नः (punānaḥ)
- Literal: purifying (oneself). Symbolic: self-clarification of awareness; refinement of desire, thought, and sensation into sattvic translucence
- अ॒चि॒क्र॒द॒त् (acikradat)
- Literal: cried aloud, resounded. Symbolic: spontaneous breakthrough-signal of awakened ananda; inner resonance/‘roar’ of realization
- मदे॑षु (madeṣu)
- Literal: in the raptures/intoxications. Symbolic: ecstasies of consciousness—waves of delight that accompany illumination
- सर्व॒धा (sarvadhā)
- Literal: in every way, wholly. Symbolic: pervasiveness of the Delight-principle across states and faculties
Recited as Soma is collected in kalaśas after straining; marks the arrival and vibrant manifestation of purified Soma in the vessels.
During Soma-yajña sequences when Soma is filtered and poured into kalaśas for offering.
Chanted as Soma flows through the filter into jars; supports sanctification of the libation.
Use as a mantra for ‘inner purification’: repeat during breath-led meditation to feel joy refining into calm strength.
punāna from √pū ‘purify’ is central to Book 9’s self-purifying Soma; acíkradat (√krand) conveys the audible/forceful manifestation of the power as it enters the vessels—outer sound mirrors inner awakening; kalaśa as container maps readily to the ‘vessel’ of the human system prepared to receive Ananda.
Self-purification (punāna), Embodied receptivity (vessels/kalaśa), Force/ardour (śuṣma)
Purification aligns the inner flow with ṛta—right movement of consciousness.
True joy is ‘sarvadhā’—consistent and pervasive when grounded in truth, not stimulus.
Delight as a creative substratum: clarified Soma becomes a ‘substance’ that sustains higher formations of mind.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-Vedic (Aurobindonian): ananda as intrinsic to being, revealed by inner discipline.
The life-force and emotion are strained through discernment; the refined essence collects in the ‘vessels’ of mind and body and announces itself as a clear joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma, self-purifying, enters the jars and ‘cries aloud’—mythic epiphany of the god in the ritual vessels. Psychologically, when the inner containers are prepared, the clarified delight-force enters and announces itself as a vivid awakening of energy.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pū ‘purify’ is a key Indo-Iranian ritual root (cf. Avestan pui- semantic field), while √krand ‘cry/roar’ belongs to an archaic expressive lexicon used cross-culturally for the manifestation of power (storm/animal/ritual voice), here interiorized as awakened force.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi prepares the kalaśas (outer and inner receptacles) and invokes Soma’s purification; Soma reciprocates by entering as śuṣmī—forceful presence—and making his arrival unmistakable (acíkradat), establishing the ecstatic condition named by the refrain.
Feel ‘purified delight’ rising as a clear, luminous current; let joy become steady rather than reactive.
Anāhata (heart)
Nadi-śodhana style gentle alternate breathing or slow equal inhalation/exhalation while repeating mentally.
From rajasic excitement to sattvic-ananda—quietly vibrant presence.
Sit upright; imagine a bright stream filtering through the brow into the heart-vessel. On each repetition, ‘collect’ the joy without grasping; let it pervade (sarvadhā) the body-mind.
Use standard RV recitation with udātta/anudātta/svarita as per śākhā; without full pada-svara notation here, keep a conservative, even chant with clear udātta lifts on accented syllables (e.g., śuṣmī, punānaḥ, madeṣu).
Maintain light rise on udātta syllables; avoid melodic singing (unless Sāma adaptation). Keep caesura after each pāda.
śuṣmī: retroflex ṣ, long ī, kalaśeṣu: ś as palatal; eṣu with clear ṣ, punānaḥ: long ā; final ḥ lightly aspirated, acikradat: crisp c; cluster kr, sarvadhā: dhā with voiced aspirate dh
Clear, resonant, slightly ‘bright’ tone to mirror the inner cry becoming purified.
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