Rig Veda 9.5.6: Mandala 9, Sukta 5, Mantra 6
Sukta 9.5
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सुशिल्पे बृहती मही पवमानो वृषण्यति । नक्तोषासा न दर्शते ॥
suśílpe bṛhatī́ mahī́ pávamāno vṛṣaṇyati | náktoṣásā na darśate ||
Dalam Yang Luas yang terukir indah dan Bumi yang agung dari kewujudan, Soma yang memurnikan diri menjadi gagah dalam daya-lembunya; ia kelihatan seperti Malam dan Fajar—menzahirkan diri dalam irama silih berganti antara gelap dan terang.
Word by Word
- सुशिल्पे
- in/at the two well-fashioned (works/structures)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-द्विवचनम् (विशेषणरूपेण)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot सु- + शिल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
- बृहती
- the great (one)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot बृहत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मही
- the mighty one / greatnessNounस्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot मही (प्रातिपदिक; ‘मह्/मंह्’ से ‘महत्त्व’)
- पवमानः
- Pavamāna (Soma), the purifying oneParticiple (Adjective used as Noun)पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot पू (धातु) → पवमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; शतृ/शानच् प्रकारः, ‘purifying’)
- वृषण्यति
- acts with bull-like vigor / is potentVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot वृषण्य (धातु; ‘वृषन्-भावं करोति/बलं दर्शयति’)
- नक्तोषासा
- Night-and-Dawn (the pair)Noun (dual compound)स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-द्विवचनम्Role KartāRoot नक्त-उषासा (द्वन्द्व-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like / as (in comparison)Indeclinableनिषेध/उपमा-प्रयोगे अव्ययम्Root न (अव्यय)
- दर्शते
- is seen / appearsVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role KriyāRoot दृश् (धातु) → दर्शते
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सुशिल्पे | बृहती | मही | पवमानः | वृषण्यति | नक्तोषासा | न | दर्शते || 1) नक्तो॒षासा॒ = नक्त-उषासा (द्वन्द्व), संधिः: अ + उ → ओ.
- ‘न’ उपमायाम् (न ... इव) प्रयोगः सम्भवः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
In the well-fashioned Vast and the great Earth, Soma the self-purifying grows strong; he is seen like Night-and-Dawn.
Inner meaning
Within the beautifully ordered being (suśilpe), in the Vast (bṛhatī) and the great foundational nature (mahī), Soma intensifies his bull-force (vṛṣaṇyati): purified delight becomes a mighty impulsion toward truth. His manifestation is rhythmic—like Night and Dawn (naktoṣasā): alternating phases of obscurity and illumination in which the seeker learns persistence, trusting that each darkness is a preparation for a clearer opening.
Universal truth
Growth is cyclic: clarity comes in waves. If the vessel is well-shaped (disciplined, harmonized), the inner delight-force steadily increases and reveals itself through alternating contrasts.
Themes
alternation of darkness and light, inner formation (suśilpa), Soma as impelling force
The seer
- Other hymns
- RV 9.5 (contextual sequence), RV 1.113 (Uṣas as revealer), RV 10.129 (concealment/revelation motif, thematic)
Family tradition
Soma hymn seers often speak from experiential inner states during the Soma rite; here the vision emphasizes cyclic revelation.
Significance
The seer records a yogic law: purification strengthens delight, and delight reveals itself through alternating veils and unveilings.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Vṛṣan (bull-like, potent)
- Related deities
- Uṣas, Rātri (Night), Indra
Cosmic role
He builds power in the ‘earth’ of manifestation while opening the Vast; he is the rhythm-maker of inner revelation.
Inner power
Ananda that becomes dynamic force—able to endure night and bring dawn.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants during pressing
सु॒शि॒ल्पे बृ॑ह॒ती म॒ही पव॑मानो वृषण्यति । नक्तो॒षासा॒ न द॑र्श॒ते ॥
सु॒शि॒ल्पे इति॑ सुऽशि॒ल्पे । बृ॒ह॒ती इति॑ । म॒ही इति॑ । पव॑मानः । वृ॒ष॒ण्य॒ति॒ । नक्तो॒षसा॑ । न । द॒र्श॒ते इति॑ ॥
suśilpe itisu-śilpe | bṛhatī iti | mahī iti | pavamānaḥ | vṛṣaṇyati | naktoṣasā | na | darśate iti
Likely Bṛhatī (suggested by ‘bṛhatī’ and common usage)
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4 pādas with Bṛhatī-type distribution (typically 9/9/8/10 or close variants; exact scansion depends on pada reading)
Wave-like, alternating push and release—mirrors night/dawn rhythm.
Encourages steadiness through oscillation; supports equanimity while energy rises.
- suśilpe
- Literal: well-fashioned, well-formed. Symbolic: a harmonized psycho-physical instrument shaped by discipline and sincerity
- bṛhatī
- Literal: the Vast (also a meter-name). Symbolic: wideness of consciousness; higher mind-space
- mahī
- Literal: the great Earth. Symbolic: the stable foundation of being; embodied nature capable of holding light
- pavamānaḥ
- Literal: self-purifying (Soma). Symbolic: Ananda clarifying itself of mixture and inertia
- vṛṣaṇyati
- Literal: acts with bull-force, grows potent. Symbolic: victorious energy of delight empowering will and illumination
- naktoṣasā
- Literal: Night and Dawn. Symbolic: alternation of concealment and revelation in sādhanā
- darśate
- Literal: is seen, appears. Symbolic: becomes consciously experienced, not merely believed
Soma hymn imagery; night/dawn comparison common in stotra sequences indicating emergence of light.
During the flowing/clarifying of Soma; also as contemplative recitation on cyclic progress.
Accompanies the strengthening of Soma as it is filtered and prepared for offering.
For practitioners facing ‘ups and downs’: chant to normalize cycles and deepen trust in gradual unveiling.
suśilpa: ‘well-fashioned’ indicates an achieved formation—inner nature made fit for the divine working. bṛhatī/mahī: paired vastness and foundation, suggesting higher truth and broad base. vṛṣaṇyati: from vṛṣan ‘bull’ (√vṛṣ); conveys surging potency. naktoṣasā: the dual of night and dawn marks rhythmic alternation; in psychological reading, obscurity and illumination alternate as purification proceeds. darśate from √dṛś: epiphany/appearance—Soma becomes perceptible as consciousness shifts.
bṛhat as truth-vastness, transformation through rhythmic alternation (tapas-like process), emergence of perception (darśana) through purification
Night-and-dawn alternation is Ṛta expressed as spiritual rhythm; progress obeys cadence, not impatience.
Dawn stands for truth’s appearing; Soma makes Satya ‘seen’.
Manifestation through alternation (concealment/revelation) within a stable ground (mahī).
Yogic psychology of cyclic sādhanā (Aurobindo: ‘periods of obscurity’ preceding higher openings).
night-to-dawn transition
Stable embodiment (earth) holding widening consciousness (vast) while illumination alternates with obscurity until delight-force becomes steadily visible.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is Soma’s epiphany through alternation: like Night and Dawn, he becomes visible in cycles—darkness yields to light as the bull-force intensifies. The inner journey is not linear; purification proceeds by recurring passages of concealment and revelation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The night/dawn polarity is a deep IE poetic structure (paired opposites ordering time and revelation). √dṛś ‘see’ is an inherited perception root; its theological use (‘appears/is seen’) encodes revelation as a cognitive event.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi maps inner experience: Soma is ‘seen’ when the being is sufficiently ‘well-fashioned’ (suśilpe). The god’s increase (vṛṣaṇyati) is simultaneously the aspirant’s increased capacity to contain force and to endure alternations of night and dawn.
Stabilize during alternating clarity/obscurity; feel Soma as steady joy beneath changing moods.
Mūlādhāra (mahī: foundation) to Ājñā (dawn-vision)
Sama-vṛtti (equal inhale/exhale) to embody Ṛta; on exhale, release ‘night’; on inhale, invite ‘dawn’.
Calm endurance with growing inner force.
When dullness arises, do not struggle; chant softly, sense the ‘well-fashioned vessel’, and allow the next dawn to arrive naturally.
Maintain clear udātta on marked syllables; emphasize the contrastive cadence around ‘naktoṣāsā’.
Let ‘pavamāno vṛṣaṇyati’ rise with strength; soften into ‘naktoṣāsā na darśate’ as a reveal.
suśilpe: ś clearly palatal; avoid ‘sushilpe’ flattening, vṛṣaṇyati: retroflex ṛ and ṣ; nasal ṇ, naktoṣāsā: keep the compound flowing; long ā in ‘ṣā’
Steady, grounded, slightly pulsative to mirror alternation.
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