Rig Veda 10.9.5: Mandala 10, Sukta 9, Mantra 5
Sukta 10.9
- Rishi
- Sindhudvīpa Āmbara
- Devata
- Āpaḥ
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion) and Shanta (peace)
ईशाना वार्याणां क्षयन्तीश्चर्षणीनाम् । अपो याचामि भेषजम् ॥
ī́śānā vā́ryāṇāṃ kṣáyantīś carṣaṇīnā́m | apó yācāmi bheṣajám ||
O Wody, władczynie nad skarbami i mieszkające wśród ludów, proszę was o lekarstwo, o siłę uzdrawiającą, która istotę naprawia.
Word by Word
- ईशाना
- ruling, sovereign (lady)Adjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole Kartā (of implied ‘असि/भवसि’ or as qualifier of ‘आपः’)Root ईशान (प्रातिपदिक; √ईश् ‘to rule, be master’)
- वार्याणाम्
- of valuables/treasuresNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive: ‘of valuables/treasures’)Root वार्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √वृ ‘to choose/cover’ → ‘valuable, choice’)
- क्षयन्तीः
- dwelling, abidingParticiple (Adjective)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (वर्तमाने वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययः)Role Kartā/Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of ‘आपः’: ‘dwelling/abiding’)Root क्षयन्ती (कृदन्त; √क्षि/क्षय् ‘to dwell, abide; settle’)
- चर्षणीनाम्
- of peoples, of menNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole Sambandha (genitive: ‘of peoples/men’)Root चर्षणी (प्रातिपदिक; ‘men, peoples’)
- अपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole Karma (object of ‘याचामि’)Root अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- याचामि
- I ask/requestVerbलट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole (Verb) — governs Karma ‘अपः’Root √याच् (to ask, request)
- भेषजम्
- a remedy, medicineNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (appositional/secondary object: ‘as remedy/medicine’)Root भेषज (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: ईशाना | वार्याणाम् | क्षयन्तीः | चर्षणीनाम् | अपः | याचामि | भेषजम् । संधि: ‘क्षयन्तीः चर्षणीनाम्’ इत्यत्र विसर्ग/दीर्घसन्धिः न
- ‘क्षयन्तीश्चर्षणीनाम्’ = क्षयन्तीः + चर्षणीनाम् (ः + च → श्च)
The meaning
Outer meaning
The seer addresses the Waters: “Sovereign over treasures, dwelling among the peoples, I ask of you the remedy.” It is a request for healing and protection, acknowledging waters as rulers of riches and habitations.
Inner meaning
Waters are īśānāḥ—governing powers of the subtle ‘treasures’ (vāryāṇi): energies, harmonies, and hidden resources of consciousness. They ‘dwell in the peoples’ (carṣaṇīnām) because these currents pervade all human nature and collective life. The seeker asks for bheṣajam—not only physical medicine, but the rectifying force that restores the right vibration of mind and vital, re-aligning them with ṛta.
Universal truth
Healing is fundamentally a restoration of right order and harmony. The deepest remedy comes from reconnecting with the inner sources of wholeness that already govern life’s hidden riches.
Themes
healing invocation, inner prosperity, stability and dwelling, divine sovereignty
The seer
- Rishi
- Sindhudvīpa Āmbara
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.9.1, Rig Veda 10.9.2, Rig Veda 10.9.3, Rig Veda 10.9.4
Family tradition
Seer of the Āpaḥ hymn cluster; the voice emphasizes waters as conscious sovereigns of healing and inner riches.
Significance
Frames healing as a spiritual act: the remedy is received from divine forces that govern the hidden treasures of life and consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Āpaḥ (Waters)
- Epithets
- īśānāḥ (sovereign), vāryāṇām pati (lordly over treasures, by sense), bheṣajīḥ (healing-bearing, by function)
- Related deities
- Aśvins (divine physicians, thematic), Varuṇa (cosmic order and purification), Soma (healing delight)
Cosmic role
Guardians of life’s essences and prosperity; maintain vitality through circulation; support communal existence (carṣaṇi) by sustaining and cleansing.
Inner power
Ability to restore balance, remove toxins of consciousness (fear, agitation, inertia), and unlock inner resources for right living.
In ritual
Where it is used
Healing and purification rites using consecrated water; recitation for well-being and restoration.
ईशा॑ना॒ वार्या॑णां॒ क्षय॑न्तीश्चर्षणी॒नाम् । अ॒पो या॑चामि भेष॒जम् ॥
ईशा॑नाः । वार्या॑णाम् । क्षय॑न्तीः । च॒र्ष॒णी॒नाम् । अ॒पः । या॒चा॒मि॒ । भे॒ष॒जम् ॥
īśānāḥ | vāryāṇām | kṣayantīḥ | carṣaṇīnām | apaḥ | yācāmi | bheṣajam
24
3 pādas of 8 syllables (8/8/8)
Declarative and petitionary; crisp invocation followed by a direct request.
Builds confidence and receptivity; the cadence supports a clear intention for healing.
- ईशानाः (īśānāḥ)
- Literal: sovereigns, rulers. Symbolic: master-powers of consciousness that can govern and set right the nature
- वार्याणाम् (vāryāṇām)
- Literal: of treasures/valuable things. Symbolic: inner riches: energies, capacities, luminous resources, spiritual gifts
- क्षयन्तीः (kṣayantīḥ)
- Literal: dwelling/abiding. Symbolic: established presence within human life; stable immanence of the waters-force
- चर्षणी नाम् (carṣaṇīnām)
- Literal: of the peoples. Symbolic: the embodied collectivity; the field of human nature where forces circulate
- भेषजम् (bheṣajam)
- Literal: remedy, medicine. Symbolic: healing power that corrects distortion; integrative force of harmony
- याचामि (yācāmi)
- Literal: I ask, I request. Symbolic: act of surrender and aspiration to receive the rectifying descent
Healing and protection formula; used in rites seeking remedy (bheṣaja), purification, and the securing of ‘treasures’ (vārya) as inner prosperity.
During illness, after impurity, before important vows, or as part of śānti recitations.
Consecrate water as bheṣaja; sip/sprinkle while invoking restoration of harmony.
Use as a mantra for psychosomatic balance: repeat while drinking water slowly, setting an intention to restore calm, sleep, digestion, and emotional steadiness.
īśāna ‘lord, master’ from √īś ‘to own, rule’ (PIE *h₁eis- ‘to desire/seek’ is different; Indo-Iranian īś is specialized ‘rule’). vārya ‘choice, desirable’ from √vṛ ‘choose’ → ‘to be chosen’. kṣayantīḥ from √kṣi ‘dwell’. carṣaṇi ‘people’ (etymology debated; used for human communities). bheṣaja ‘remedy’ (lexical; associated with healing, later common in Ayurveda). yācāmi from √yāc ‘ask, beg’.
sovereignty of divine powers (īśāna), inner treasure (vārya) as chosen fullness, healing/wholeness (bheṣaja)
Bheṣaja is the force that re-establishes ṛta in the disturbed system.
Truth heals by removing inner false vibration; sovereignty (īśāna) indicates mastery of truth-force.
Waters as matrix of life-essence from which restorative powers arise.
Integral Yoga-aligned reading: healing as realignment of mind-life-body with higher consciousness.
Waters = circulating life-consciousness; treasures = inner energies; remedy = harmonizing vibration that restores right functioning.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Waters as sovereign healers: they rule over ‘vārya’ (desired riches) and dwell among the peoples, and thus can administer bheṣaja (remedy). Mythically, the Waters are the accessible divinity whose touch restores order and wholeness in embodied life.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The request-verb √yāc ‘ask’ and the dwelling-root √kṣi show inherited verbal patterns for supplication and settlement. The semantic of vārya from √vṛ ‘choose’ reflects an archaic value-system: ‘treasure’ is what is rightly chosen—apt for inner development, not mere material possession.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer approaches the Waters as immanent rulers within human life (‘dwelling in the peoples’) and asks directly for bheṣaja—an inward rectification. The relationship is practical grace: the divine is near, and the human can petition for restoration and the right wealth of being.
Receive the ‘remedy’ as harmonizing consciousness; let it pervade the nervous system.
Maṇipūra (restoring vital order) supported by Svādhiṣṭhāna (water harmony)
Cooling breath (śītalī/śītkārī) if appropriate; otherwise slow nasal breathing with attention on belly and heart.
Restorative receptivity—allowing the system to reorganize around calm.
On ‘īśānā’, feel a higher governance descending; on ‘bheṣajam’, place awareness on the area of imbalance and imagine cool luminous order re-patterning it.
Follow recension-specific Vedic accents; keep the petition ‘apo yācāmi bheṣajam’ clear and slightly emphasized in intention.
Let ‘īśānā’ carry a dignified lift; soften into ‘yācāmi’ (humble ask).
(īśānāḥ): long ī and long ā; final ḥ audible but light., (carṣaṇīnām): ṣṇ conjunct; keep retroflex ṣ., (bheṣajam): aspirate bh; long ē in bhē.
Steady, prayerful, with a healing softness; not forceful.
7
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
