Rig Veda Sukta 26
Mandala 9Sukta 265 Mantras

Sukta 26

Sukta 9.26

Devata

Soma Pavamāna (with Aditi as supporting cosmic principle)

Himne Soma Pavamāna yang ringkas ini memuji minuman suci ketika ia dimurnikan dan digerakkan melalui penglihatan ilham para resi, digambarkan sebagai disucikan “di pangkuan Aditi,” yakni tatanan kosmik yang tak berbatas. Soma didorong maju berselubung sinar suria (Vivasvat) dan dipuji sebagai tuan Vāc (ucapan suci) yang tidak pernah gagal, lalu akhirnya dihela menuju kegirangan yang diperuntukkan bagi Indra. Tujuan himne ini bersifat ritual—menguduskan pemerasan dan penapisan Soma—serta kontemplatif, mengaitkan pemurnian dengan kebenaran, ujaran, dan keutuhan kosmik.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 9.26

Mantras

Mantra 1

तममृक्षन्त वाजिनमुपस्थे अदितेरधि । विप्रासो अण्व्या धिया ॥

Dia, pembawa kelimpahan tenaga, telah disucikan oleh para resi di pangkuan Aditi, dengan dhi yang halus lagi tajam menilai.

Mantra 2

तं गावो अभ्यनूषत सहस्रधारमक्षितम् । इन्दुं धर्तारमा दिवः ॥

Kepadanya lembu-lembu bercahaya melenguh tanda setuju—dia yang seribu aliran, tidak pernah luput—Indu, penopang yang datang dari langit kesedaran.

Mantra 4

तमह्यन्भुरिजोर्धिया संवसानं विवस्वतः । पतिं वाचो अदाभ्यम् ॥

Dia mereka halau ke hadapan dengan penglihatan yang melimpah—bersalutkan sinar Vivasvat—dia, tuan Vāc (Sabda) yang tidak dapat diperdaya.

Mantra 5

तं सानावधि जामयो हरिं हिन्वन्त्यद्रिभिः । हर्यतं भूरिचक्षसम् ॥

Di puncak itu para saudari menggerakkannya dengan batu-batu pemerah—si Hari yang keperangan, yang didambakan, berpandangan luas dan beraneka.

Mantra 6

तं त्वा हिन्वन्ति वेधसः पवमान गिरावृधम् । इन्दविन्द्राय मत्सरम् ॥

Para pekerja bijaksana menggerakkan engkau, wahai Pavamāna, yang dibesarkan oleh nyanyian puji—wahai Indu—ke dalam keghairahan suci yang untuk Indra.

Inside Sukta 26

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Soma is cleansed by the seers with subtle insight, explicitly ‘upon the lap of Aditi,’ grounding the rite in cosmic boundlessness and Ṛta.

  2. Development

    The hymn intensifies Soma’s movement and radiance: he is driven onward with abundant vision, clothed in Vivasvat’s light, and identified with unfailing mastery of sacred speech (Vāc).

  3. Climax

    Soma as Indu is impelled into the exhilaration destined for Indra—purification culminates in divine empowerment and victorious force.

  4. Where it settles

    The hymn settles into the ritual aim: the purified, hymn-strengthened Soma is properly directed toward Indra’s joy, affirming the efficacy of mantra-guided purification.

The deity: Soma Pavamāna

  • In the VedaSoma as Pavamāna is the “self-purifying” pressed juice that runs through the filter, bright, swift, and exhilarating; he is praised as strengthened by hymns (girāvṛdh) and as a lordly power allied with truth and inspired speech. Aditi appears as the boundless ‘lap’ or cosmic matrix upon which Soma is cleansed, suggesting purification within the order of Ṛta.
  • Cosmic functionMediator between heaven and earth through Ṛta: he vitalizes gods (especially Indra), sustains sacrifice, and renews strength, clarity, and victorious force in the world.
  • Inner significanceThe refining of Soma mirrors the refinement of consciousness—subtle discernment (aṇvī dhī) clarifies the mind; purified speech (Vāc) becomes truthful and effective; exhilaration (matsara) becomes spiritual vigor rather than mere intoxication.

The seer

  • Anukramaṇī attribution uncertain (traditionally listed among Pavamāna Soma seers)Associated with the Mandala 9 Pavamāna corpus where Soma’s purification is celebrated as a cosmic and liturgical process; this sukta’s seer is not securely identified in the received indices.

Famous verses

upasthe aditer adhi
Verse 9.26.1Introduces the hymn’s distinctive cosmological frame: Soma is purified ‘on the lap of Aditi’ with subtle discernment, linking ritual filtration to cosmic order and boundlessness.Read verse 9.26.1 →
patiṃ vāco adābhyam
Verse 9.26.4Highlights Soma’s solar and linguistic sovereignty—‘clothed in Vivasvat’ and ‘lord of Vāc, unfailing’—a key statement of Soma as radiant truth-power and effective sacred speech.Read verse 9.26.4 →
indrāya matsaram
Verse 9.26.6States the practical sacrificial destination: the wise impel Pavamāna, grown by hymns, into the rapture for Indra—capturing the hymn’s ritual telos.Read verse 9.26.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Self-purifying (pavamāna)
  • Bestower of vigor and plenitude (vājin)
  • Linked to Aditi’s boundless order
  • Clothed in solar radiance (Vivasvat imagery)
  • Lord of Vāc (sacred speech)
  • Delights/empowers Indra (matsara for Indra)

Also by this seer

  • General association with Soma Pavamāna hymns of Mandala 9 (praise of Soma during purification/straining)
  • Themes linking Soma with Vāc (sacred speech) and solar imagery (Vivasvat) recur across the Pavamāna collection

The rite, step by step

  • Press Soma stalks and collect the expressed juice
  • Strain/purify through the filter (pavitra), ‘cleansing’ Soma with inspired attention and mantra
  • Guide the flowing Soma into vessels; mix according to rite (often with water and/or milk)
  • Offer libations to Indra and other deities as prescribed; accompany with stotra/śastra recitations
  • Distribute Soma (where ritually appropriate) and conclude with closing offerings and recitations

Offerings

  • Purified Soma libations
  • Water for dilution/flow
  • Milk/curds (as customary admixtures in many Soma preparations)
  • Ghee and ancillary oblations within the Soma rite

Frequently Asked Questions

It praises Soma in his “Pavamāna” form—Soma being purified as he flows through the filter—so he becomes radiant, truthful, and fit to empower the gods, especially Indra.

Aditi represents the boundless, unbroken cosmic order; saying Soma is cleansed on Aditi’s “lap” suggests the purification happens within Ṛta and supports wholeness and protection.

It means purified Soma is connected with sacred speech—clarity, truth, and effective mantra—so the ritual word becomes potent and unfailing.

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