Rig Veda 9.53.1: Mandala 9, Sukta 53, Mantra 1
Sukta 9.53
उत्ते शुष्मासो अस्थू रक्षो भिन्दन्तो अद्रिवः । नुदस्व याः परिस्पृधः ॥
út te śúṣmāso asthū rakṣó bhindánto adrivaḥ | nudásva yā́ḥ pari-spṛ́dhaḥ ||
Powstańcie twe siły, o dzierżycielu kamieni wyciskowych, łamiąc demoniczną przeszkodę; przepędź tych, którzy ściskają wokoło w wrogim współzawodnictwie.
Protective/expulsive formula during Soma pressing: breaking rakṣas and repelling hostile encirclement
Emergence of force after purification, Destruction of obstruction to ṛta, Hostile encirclement as psychological siege
Rakṣas represent anṛta; Soma’s rising force restores ṛta by breaking and expelling them.
Truth-force becomes operative when the surrounding field is cleared of rival pressures.
Extraction of essence (pressing) as a microcosmic model of manifestation: the hidden delight released to act in the world.
Yoga of transformation: dynamic purification and rejection as necessary complements to peace.
Pressing symbolizes concentrated aspiration; the rising stream is ascending prāṇa/ananda; driving winds are active rejection clearing the aura/field.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The rising of Soma’s power that breaks rakṣas and drives away encircling hostility. Inner sense: when the delight-force is awakened, it shatters obscuring formations and disperses the siege of rival impulses around the seeker.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √sthā ‘stand’ (asthuḥ) reflects PIE *steh₂- ‘stand’. √bhid ‘split’ reflects PIE *bʰeydʰ- ‘split, cleave’ (cf. English ‘bite’ in distant semantic relation via cutting/splitting roots).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi calls Soma as active warrior-protector within the rite: the human presses and invokes (adrivaḥ context), Soma responds by manifesting force that breaks and expels the hostile.
Active clearing and ascent: release inner force upward; reject surrounding hostile/crowding movements.
Manipura (force/will) rising toward Ajna (clear space)
Kapalabhati-light or forceful exhale rounds (if suitable), then quiet breathing; coordinate ‘ut’ with inhale-lift and ‘nudasva’ with exhale-expel
Dynamic clarity—energized, spacious, protected.
Begin with a few steady breaths; feel aspiration ‘pressing’ the essence; on chanting, sense force rising through the spine; then consciously push out intrusive thoughts/pressures to the periphery until a clear, open field remains.
Chant with Vedic pitch per accent marks; give a slight lift on ‘ut’ to mirror ascent, while keeping the traditional udatta/anudatta discipline.
Articulate ‘bhindantaḥ’ with a clean split-like consonant energy; ‘nudasva’ should feel expulsive and decisive without harshness.
utte: sandhi of ut+te; keep double t crisp, śuṣmāsaḥ: retroflex ṣ; long ā, rakṣo: retroflex kṣ cluster, bhindantaḥ: aspirated bh; dental nd, adrivaḥ: ‘dr’ cluster; short i, nudasva: ‘nu’ short; ‘sv’ cluster, parispṛdhaḥ: keep ‘spṛ’ with vocalic ṛ; final ḥ light
Bright, forceful, upward-leaning tone; end with a clean release into silence.
9
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.
