Rig Veda 9.70.6: Mandala 9, Sukta 70, Mantra 6
Sukta 9.70
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
स मातरा न ददृशान उस्रियो नानददेति मरुतामिव स्वनः । जानन्नृतं प्रथमं यत्स्वर्णरं प्रशस्तये कमवृणीत सुक्रतुः ॥
sá mātarā́ na dádṛśāna usríyo nā́nadad eti marútām iva svanáḥ | jā́nann ṛtáṃ prathamáṃ yát svaḥ-naráṃ práśastaye kám avṛṇīta su-krátuḥ ||
Ia melenguh seperti lembu-lembu yang terang, seakan memanggil Para Ibu, dengan bunyi para Marut. Mengetahui Ṛta yang pertama, daya yang memanggul langit itu, yang berkehendak teguh memilihnya untuk pujiannya.
Word by Word
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मातरः
- mothersNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KartāRoot मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like / asIndeclinableनिषेध/उपमा-निपातःRoot न (निपात)
- ददृशानः
- having seen / seeingParticipleपरस्मैपदी-परिपूर्ण/परफेक्ट-कर्तरि कृदन्तः (Perf. act. ptc.), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot दृश् (धातु) → ददृशान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- उस्रियः
- dawns / (bright) cows (poetic)Nounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot उस्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-निपातःRoot न (निपात)
- आनन्दद
- rejoicing / delightingParticipleवर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ/अत्-प्रत्ययः), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot नन्द् (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग) → आनन्दद् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- एति
- goes / comesVerbलट्, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root इ (धातु)
- मरुताम्
- of the MarutsNounपुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, बहुवचनम्Role Sambandha (genitive relation)Root मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- इव
- likeIndeclinableउपमा-निपातःRoot इव (निपात)
- स्वनः
- sound / roarNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot स्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
- जानन्
- knowingParticipleवर्तमान-कृदन्तः (शतृ), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot ज्ञा (धातु) → जानत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋतम्
- ṛta (cosmic order / truth)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रथमम्
- firstAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (ऋतम् इति विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
- यत्
- whichPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (सम्बन्ध-प्रत्ययः/यद्-तद्)Role KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वर्णरम्
- the bright/golden (radiance; Vedic term)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot स्वर्णर (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- प्रशस्तये
- for praiseNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी, एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot प्रशस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- कम्
- whom / whatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अवृणीत
- choseVerbलुङ् (अorist), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Root वृ (धातु) + अव- (उपसर्ग)
- सुक्रतुः
- of good resolve / wiseAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (सः इति विशेषणम्)Role KartāRoot सु- + क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विच्छेद): सः | मातरः | न | ददृशानः | उस्रियः | न | आनन्दद् | एति | मरुताम् | इव | स्वनः | जानन् | ऋतम् | प्रथमम् | यत् | स्वर्णरम् | प्रशस्तये | कम् | अवृणीत | सुक्रतुः । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) स + मातरः → स मातरः (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते) । (2) नानददेति इति संहितायाम्: न + आनन्दद् + एति → नानन्ददेति (अ + आ → आ; द् + ए → दे) । (3) यत्स्वर्णरम्: यत् + स्वर्णरम् → यत्स्वर्णरम् (त् + स् → त्स्) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma moves lowing like bright cows, as if calling to the Mothers, with the sound of the Maruts. Knowing the first Ṛta, the heaven-bearing force, the strong-willed chooses it for praise.
Inner meaning
The purified Soma becomes a herd of luminous ‘cows’—rays of knowledge—calling to the ‘Mothers’ (the fostering powers: earth/nature-forces, or the divine matrices of manifestation). Its movement resounds like the Maruts: the dynamic life-forces that accompany Indra’s illumination. By knowing the first Ṛta (the primal law of truth-movement that upholds the ‘svar’ world), the seeker’s will (sukratu) chooses that right order as the very basis of aspiration and expression.
Universal truth
True praise is not mere speech; it is alignment with the first law of harmony. When inner joy becomes luminous knowledge and dynamic energy, life naturally turns toward truth-order and is upheld by it.
Themes
awakening of force, alignment with cosmic order, vibration/mantra as power
The seer
- Rishi
- An unknown seer of the Soma Pavamāna mandala (Rig Veda 9)
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.70.1-9
Significance
The seer’s focus is epistemic: Soma’s purification becomes a knowing of Ṛta itself—suggesting the rishi speaks from an awakened ‘truth-sense’ rather than from ritual description alone.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- usriya (luminous-cow-like), sukratu (of bright will)
- Related deities
- Maruts, Indra, Uṣas (by thematic kinship of illumination)
Cosmic role
Releases rays (go) and establishes resonance with Ṛta; links the dynamic Marut-force to the ascent toward svar.
Inner power
Ananda turning into knowledge-vibration: joy that ‘lows’ as intuitive recognition and calls the nurturing powers to support growth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chants during pressing/filtration
स मा॒तरा॒ न ददृ॑शान उ॒स्रियो॒ नान॑ददेति म॒रुता॑मिव स्व॒नः । जा॒नन्नृ॒तं प्र॑थ॒मं यत्स्व॑र्णरं॒ प्रश॑स्तये॒ कम॑वृणीत सु॒क्रतु॑: ॥
सः । मा॒तरा॑ । न । ददृ॑शानः । उ॒स्रियः॑ । नान॑दत् । ए॒ति॒ । म॒रुता॑म्ऽइव । स्व॒नः । जा॒नन् । ऋ॒तम् । प्र॒थ॒मम् । यत् । स्वः॑ऽनरम् । प्रऽश॑स्तये । कम् । अ॒वृ॒णी॒त॒ । सु॒ऽक्रतुः॑ ॥
saḥ | mātarā | na | dadṛśānaḥ | usriyaḥ | nānadat | eti | marutām-iva | svanaḥ | jānan | ṛtam | prathamam | yat | svaḥ-naram | pra-śastaye | kam | avṛṇīta | su-kratuḥ
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4 × ~8
Wavelike and sonorous; mimics ‘lowing’ and wind-sound through repeated nasals and vowels.
Opens auditory imagination; evokes a calling/answering movement—good for invoking support and alignment with Ṛta.
- usriyaḥ
- Literal: bright cows. Symbolic: rays of illumination/knowledge released by Soma
- mātarā
- Literal: the two Mothers. Symbolic: the nurturing matrices (heaven-and-earth as parents; or nature-forces that bear the seeker)
- marutām iva svanaḥ
- Literal: sound like the Maruts. Symbolic: vital energies in rhythmic surge supporting illumination
- ṛtam prathamam
- Literal: the first Ṛta. Symbolic: primordial truth-law; right vibration prior to mental constructions
- svarṇaram
- Literal: heaven-bearing/bringing svar. Symbolic: that which carries consciousness toward the luminous plane (svar)
- sukratuḥ
- Literal: of good/bright will. Symbolic: rightly-directed intention and discernment choosing truth
Soma’s sounding and movement in purification; inner sense: awakening of dynamic forces (Maruts) and alignment with primal ṛta through right will (kratu).
During Pavamāna sequences; especially where Marut/Indra energies are invoked to accompany Soma
Chant as Soma is made ready; ‘call’ the supporting powers and affirm Ṛta
Use to re-align speech and intention: recite before important communication, setting it on the basis of Ṛta (truth-order) rather than impulse.
(usriya) from uṣra ‘reddish-bright’ related to dawn/brightness; used for luminous cows/rays. (marut) from √mar? associated with storm-force; in inner reading, dynamic prāṇic powers. (kratu) ‘will, purposeful intelligence’ possibly from √kar ‘to do/make’ → effective intention; su-kratu = right-working will.
primal ṛta, kratu (effective will), mothers as sustaining powers
Explicit: Soma ‘knows’ and chooses the first Ṛta as the foundation of praise/action.
Satya appears as fidelity of vibration—speech that matches truth-movement.
Manifestation is upheld by mothers/matrices when the primal law is recognized and followed.
Psychological Vedism: Ṛta as right consciousness-movement; svar as illumined mind-plane.
Lowing cows = intuitive rays seeking their source; Marut-sound = pranic surge; svar = illumined consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The calling/lowing of the luminous cows and the Marut-sound—mythically the stirring of the radiant herds and storm-powers; psychologically the awakened vibration that summons nurturing powers and aligns the being to the primal ṛta.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √kar (in kratu’s semantic family of ‘do/act’) is PIE *ker- ‘to do/make’ (cf. Latin creare). The dawn/brightness lexicon (uṣ-/uṣra) belongs to an Indo-Iranian poetic inheritance of dawn imagery.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi highlights Soma’s su-kratu (right-working will): Soma ‘chooses’ the primal ṛta for manifestation through praise—suggesting that inspired affirmation (stuti) is not mere description but a means of fixing truth-order in the human field.
Listen inwardly for the ‘lowing’ of knowledge—subtle intuitive prompts—and align them with the first sense of rightness (ṛtam prathamam).
Viśuddha (truthful vibration) and Ājñā
Soft ujjāyī or simply lengthened exhale; let sound be smooth and unforced
Attentive receptivity; intuitive hearing (śravaṇa-bhāva).
After chanting, sit silently and ask: ‘What is the first Ṛta here?’ Wait for the simplest, most luminous right-movement; commit one concrete action to it.
Maintain clear udatta rises on key nouns (usriyaḥ, ṛtam, prathamam, sukratuḥ) per saṃhitā accents; keep the ‘svanaḥ’ phrase resonant.
Give a gentle lift to ‘jānann ṛtam prathamam’; treat it as the mantra’s pivot.
mātarā: long ‘ā’ in both; retroflex ‘ṭ’ not present—keep dental ‘t’, dadṛśāna: keep ṛ short and clear; avoid ‘ri’, usriyo: pronounce ‘usr’ as us-ri-yo, not ‘ush’, svanaḥ: ‘sv’ cluster clean, final visarga light, sukratuḥ: ‘su-kra-tuḥ’, aspirate nothing; keep ‘tuḥ’ with soft visarga
Warm, calling tone; slightly nasal resonance is acceptable to evoke ‘lowing’ imagery.
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