Rig Veda Sukta 4
Mandala 9Sukta 410 Mantras

Sukta 4

Sukta 9.4

Himne Soma Pavamāna ini memuji Soma yang menyucikan ketika ia diperah dan ditapis, memohon agar ia berulang kali menakluk, meraih kemasyhuran besar, dan mengubah para pemuja kepada keadaan yang lebih baik serta lebih bercahaya. Ulangan “athā no vasyasas kṛdhi” membingkai setiap permohonan: umur panjang dan penglihatan akan Surya, kekayaan yang bersinar, serta kemakmuran yang meneguhkan—melalui kehendak dan pertolongan Soma.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 9.4

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • Soma PavamanaSoma Pavamāna

    Soma is hailed as the purifying, flowing Indu, pressed from the plant, running through the fleece-filter, bright, victorious, and a bestower of wealth and vigor.

Mantras

Mantra 1

सना च सोम जेषि च पवमान महि श्रवः । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Wahai Soma, sentiasa dan berulang-ulang menangkanlah untuk kami; wahai yang memurnikan (Pavamāna), menangkan kemasyhuran yang besar. Kemudian bentuklah kami menuju kesejahteraan yang lebih bercahaya.

Mantra 2

सना ज्योतिः सना स्वर्विश्वा च सोम सौभगा । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Kekal adanya Cahaya; kekal adanya dunia-Surya (svar); dan segala keberuntungan, wahai Soma. Kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih utama.

Mantra 3

सना दक्षमुत क्रतुमप सोम मृधो जहि । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Senantiasa tegakkan dalam diri kami kecekapan (dakṣa) dan kehendak yang berkesan (kratu); wahai Soma, halaukanlah tekanan-tekanan permusuhan. Kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 4

पवीतारः पुनीतन सोममिन्द्राय पातवे । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Wahai para penyuci, sucikanlah Soma untuk Indra minum; kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 5

त्वं सूर्ये न आ भज तव क्रत्वा तवोतिभिः । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Wahai Soma, bahagiakan kami dalam Surya—dengan kehendakmu yang berkesan (kratu) dan dengan pertolongan-pertolonganmu; kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih unggul.

Mantra 6

तव क्रत्वा तवोतिभिर्ज्योक्पश्येम सूर्यम् । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Dengan kratu-Mu yang berkesan dan dengan pertolongan-pertolongan-Mu, semoga kami memandang Surya untuk kelangsungan yang panjang; kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 7

अभ्यर्ष स्वायुध सोम द्विबर्हसं रयिम् । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Mengalirlah menuju kami, wahai Soma, bersenjata baik; bawalah kekayaan yang menguatkan dua kali ganda. Kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 8

अभ्यर्षानपच्युतो रयिं समत्सु सासहिः । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Mengalirlah menuju kami, tidak gugur dan tidak tergoyahkan, membawa kekayaan yang menewaskan dalam pertempuran-pertempuran. Kemudian bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 9

त्वां यज्ञैरवीवृधन्पवमान विधर्मणि । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Dengan yajña-yajña mereka telah membesarkan Engkau, wahai Soma yang menyucikan, dalam tatanan dharma perbuatan; maka bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Mantra 10

रयिं नश्चित्रमश्विनमिन्दो विश्वायुमा भर । अथा नो वस्यसस्कृधि ॥

Bawakanlah kepada kami, wahai Indu, kekayaan yang bercahaya—pantas laksana kuda dan penuh hayat pada segala sisi; maka bentuklah kami menuju keadaan yang lebih baik.

Inside Sukta 4

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A call to Soma Pavamāna to conquer again and again and win vast glory, immediately paired with the refrain asking him to ‘make us into the better state.’

  2. Development

    Petitions expand from victory and fame to sustained well-being: Soma’s will (kratu) and aids (ūti) should grant long continuance and the enduring vision of Sūrya, along with thriving prosperity.

  3. Climax

    The hymn peaks in the aspiration for prolonged seeing of the Sun—an emblem of life, order, and awakened clarity—achieved through Soma’s effective power.

  4. Where it settles

    It closes with a request for radiant, swift, life-full wealth, returning to the refrain that Soma’s gift ultimately ‘shapes’ the worshippers into improved being.

The deity: Soma Pavamāna

  • In the VedaHe is invoked to grant ‘mahi śravaḥ’ (great glory) and to enable the seers to behold Sūrya for long duration.
  • Cosmic functionHe mediates between humans and gods as the consecrated offering-drink, energizing the deities and sustaining ṛta (cosmic order) through the sacrificial circulation of vitality.
  • Inner significanceSymbol of clarified consciousness: the mind’s impulses are ‘pressed’ and ‘filtered’ into a luminous, disciplined awareness that supports endurance, insight (seeing the Sun), and uplift into a better state.

The seer

  • Anukta (tradition does not clearly preserve a single named r̥ṣi for RV 9.4)Associated with the Pavamāna Soma corpus where the focus is less on an individual seer’s persona and more on the liturgical voice accompanying Soma’s purification and offering.

Famous verses

athā no vasyasas kṛdhi
Verse 9.4.1Sets the keynote: Soma’s repeated victory and ‘great glory’ are yoked to the signature refrain asking for transformation into a better, brighter condition.Read verse 9.4.1 →
jyok paśyema sūryam
Verse 9.4.6Expresses a central Vedic ideal—long life and lasting vision of the Sun—grounded in Soma’s kratu (effective resolve) and ūti (help).Read verse 9.4.6 →
rayiṃ naś citram
Verse 9.4.10Concludes with a comprehensive boon: radiant, swift, all-life-sustaining wealth, again anchored in the transformative refrain.Read verse 9.4.10 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Pavamāna: self-purifying/being purified through the filter
  • Victorious and fame-giving (mahi śravaḥ)
  • Life-sustaining and long-duration granting (jyok paśyema sūryam)
  • Wealth- and strength-bestower (rayi)
  • Ritually central as the offered, flowing drink

Also by this seer

  • Participation (as an ‘anukta’ or variably attributed voice across recensions) in Mandala 9’s Soma Pavamāna praise tradition
  • Linked broadly to Soma-stuti and pavitra (filtering) liturgy used in the Soma sacrifice

The rite, step by step

  • Soma is pressed (abhiṣava) and the juice collected
  • Juice is mixed/strengthened as per rite and led toward purification
  • Filtering through the pavitra (wool/fleece) while chanting Pavamāna verses
  • Libations offered to the deities (especially Indra and allied gods, depending on session)
  • Shared ritual consumption by officiants where prescribed, sealing the requested boons (fame, vision, wealth, better-being)

Offerings

  • Purified Soma juice (pavamāna soma)
  • Ghee and accompanying oblations as required by the Soma session
  • Supporting offerings typical to the Soma rite (e.g., cakes/food offerings in associated sequences)

Frequently Asked Questions

It asks the purifying Soma to win victory and glory for the worshippers and to transform them into a better, more luminous state of well-being.

In Vedic language, beholding the Sun signifies sustained life, order, and clear awareness; the hymn prays that Soma’s power and help grant long-lasting vitality and insight.

It is suited to the Soma sacrifice during the pressing and filtering of Soma, when Pavamāna verses accompany the juice as it is purified and prepared for offering.

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