Rig Veda 9.64.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 64, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.64
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seer-tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
शुम्भमाना ऋतायुभिर्मृज्यमाना गभस्त्योः । पवन्ते वारे अव्यये ॥
śumbhámānā ṛtāyúbhir mṛjyámānā gábhastyoḥ | pavante vā́re avyáye ||
Przyozdabiając się szukającymi Rty, oczyszczone w uścisku dłoni, one oczyszczają i płyną w niezniszczalnym prądzie - strumienie Somy stając się godnymi naczyniami Prawdy.
Word by Word
- शुम्भमानाः
- adorning/brightening (themselves)Verb-derived adjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (शानच्: वर्तमान/अपरोक्श-प्रक्रिया), परस्मैपद-भावार्थRole KartāRoot शुभ् (धातु) → शुम्भ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधार)
- ऋतायुभिः
- with the ‘ṛta-lived’ ones / with those whose life is in accord with ṛtaNoun (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot ऋतायु (प्रातिपदिक) = ऋत + आयु
- मृज्यमानाः
- being cleansed/purifiedVerb-derived adjective (participle)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि (being cleansed/purified)Role KartāRoot मृज् (धातु) → मृज्य (कृदन्त-आधार)
- गभस्त्योः
- in/at the two hands; in the two raysNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी, द्विवचन (वेदे प्रायः ‘in/at the two hands/rays’)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot गभस्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवन्ते
- they purify/flow (as purifiers)Verbलट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदRole KartāRoot पू (धातु; ‘to purify’) → पवते/पवन्ते
- वारे
- in the waterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वारि/वार (प्रातिपदिक)
- अव्यये
- in the imperishable/unchanging (water)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (वारे इति शब्दस्य विशेषणम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: शु॒म्भमा॑नाः | ऋता॒युभिः॑ | मृ॒ज्यमा॑नाः | गभ॑स्त्योः | पव॑न्ते | वारे॑ | अ॒व्यये॑ || 1) शुम्भमानाः, मृज्यमानाः: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्/मान) बहुवचन-प्रथमा, ‘सोमधाराः’ इत्यादि बहुवचन-कर्तृवाचकस्य विशेषणरूपेण। 2) गभस्त्योः: द्विवचन-रूपे षष्ठी/सप्तमी-सम्भवः
- अत्र अधिकरणार्थे ‘गभस्त्योः (मध्ये/अन्तरे)’ इति सप्तमी-प्रयोगः स्वाभाविकः। 3) वारे अव्यये: विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः
- उभयोरपि सप्तमी-एकवचन।
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Soma drops, adorned by those who seek Ṛta, are cleansed in the hands and flow, purifying themselves in an imperishable stream.
Inner meaning
The Soma-consciousness (divine Ananda) is clarified and made luminous by the ṛtāyus—those in us who pursue the right law of being (ṛta). Through the “hands” (gabhastī: grasping rays/powers of the inner sun-mind) it is filtered: mixed motives are washed away, and the delight-current becomes fit to carry Truth-force into the system.
Universal truth
When aspiration aligns with truth-law, the energies of delight and inspiration become self-purifying; refined through conscious faculties, they flow as a stable, deathless current that supports right seeing and right action.
Themes
Ritual as inner yoga, Cleansing of consciousness, Ṛta-seeking, Imperishable flow
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna seer-tradition (Pavamāna Maṇḍala, multiple seers)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.1, RV 9.62, RV 9.63, RV 9.64, RV 9.65
Family tradition
Ninth Maṇḍala anthology: hymns ‘seen’ in the Soma-pressing tradition by various Ṛṣi-families; transmitted as a specialized liturgical-psychological corpus focused on purification (pavamāna).
Significance
The ‘seer’ here is the collective vision of Soma’s inner process: delight purified into truth-bearing inspiration; a practical yoga of refinement through aspiration (ṛtāyu) and luminous faculties (gabhastī).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (self-purifying), Indu (bright drop), Madhu (honeyed delight)
- Related deities
- Agni, Indra, Sūrya, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Purifier and inspirer; the flowing essence that links heaven’s light with life’s movement, making consciousness fit for Ṛta.
Inner power
Ananda that clarifies mind and will; bliss-inspiration that washes obscuration and establishes truth-guided rhythm in the being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna-stotra/śastra context)
शु॒म्भमा॑ना ऋता॒युभि॑र्मृ॒ज्यमा॑ना॒ गभ॑स्त्योः । पव॑न्ते॒ वारे॑ अ॒व्यये॑ ॥
शु॒म्भमा॑नाः । ऋ॒त॒युऽभिः॑ । मृ॒ज्यमा॑नाः । गभ॑स्त्योः । पव॑न्ते । वारे॑ । अ॒व्यये॑ ॥
śumbhamānāḥ | ṛtayu-bhiḥ | mṛjyamānāḥ | gabhastyoḥ | pavante | vāre | avyaye
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (with possible Vedic resolution/contracted counts)
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to ‘flow’ imagery
Creates a steady surge: purification felt as rhythmic washing; supports sustained attention and inner clarity.
- śumbhamānāḥ
- Literal: adorning themselves, becoming bright. Symbolic: self-luminous refinement of consciousness; the delight-force taking a clarified, sattvic brilliance
- ṛtāyubhiḥ
- Literal: with seekers/strivers of Ṛta. Symbolic: the inner aspirants and truth-following powers (buddhi, will, discernment) that align life with ṛta
- mṛjyamānāḥ
- Literal: being cleansed, wiped, polished. Symbolic: purification of mixed desire; removal of obscurations so Ananda can carry illumination
- gabhastyoḥ
- Literal: in the two hands / in the rays. Symbolic: the grasping powers of the mind’s light (solar rays), also the dual instruments (right discernment + right will) that filter experience
- pavante
- Literal: they purify, they flow. Symbolic: the movement of clarified consciousness; self-purifying flow of inspiration
- vāre
- Literal: in the water/current. Symbolic: the subtle stream of consciousness in which Soma moves—life-mind substance made receptive
- avyaye
- Literal: imperishable. Symbolic: the deathless continuity of the soul-current; stable Ananda beyond decay
Directly describes Soma’s purification through handling/straining; used in Pavāmāna sequence during filtration (pavitra).
During Soma-yajña sequences when Soma is filtered and offered
Chanted alongside the filtering/flowing of Soma through wool/strainer into vessels
Use as a purification mantra before meditation: ‘refine the current’—set intention to align with ṛta and let thoughts be filtered into clarity.
ṛta from √ar ‘to fit, move rightly’ → right order/truth in action; ṛtāyu ‘moving toward ṛta’; mṛj from PIE *mergʰ- ‘wipe/rub’ (cf. English ‘merge’ is unrelated; but Latin mergō ‘dip’ is different—cognacy uncertain; Vedic √mṛj firmly ‘cleanse’); avyaya a- ‘not’ + vyaya ‘decay/expenditure’ from √i ‘to go’ with vi- → that which does not pass away.
Ṛta (truth-order), Purification (pavana), Amṛtatva (imperishability hinted by avyaya)
Explicit: ṛtāyus are the agents aligning the flow with ṛta.
Purified Soma becomes truth-bearing inspiration—fit vessel for satya.
Purification as re-creation: the stream becomes ‘imperishable’ by aligning with eternal law.
Proto-Vedāntic / Integral-Vedic (Aurobindonian): Soma as Ananda supporting ascent from mind-life to supramental truth.
The ‘stream’ is the subtle prāṇa-mind flow; ‘hands/rays’ are luminous faculties that grasp, sift, and stabilize experience into truth-guided delight.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Purification as apotheosis: Soma becomes ‘fit’ by cleansing, moving with ṛta-seekers, entering the imperishable stream. Mythically the pressed juice becomes divine; psychologically the delight-force becomes truth-fit consciousness through inner cleansing.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pū ‘purify’ has Indo-Iranian continuity (Avestan pū- ‘clean’). The negative prefix a- is PIE *n̥-/ *ne (Sanskrit a- as privative), showing inherited morphological strategy.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi aligns human aspiration (‘ṛta-seekers’) with Soma’s self-adornment and cleansing: the divine process and the human process mirror each other, making ritual action a conscious collaboration with ṛta.
Let delight/inspiration rise, then consciously ‘filter’ it through truth-intent (ṛta) and luminous discernment.
Anahata–Ajna axis (bliss refined into clear seeing)
Nadi-śodhana-like gentle alternate breathing while contemplating ‘imperishable current’
Calm, clear, steadily luminous flow-state
Begin with aspiration (ṛtāyu), observe impulses, keep only what aligns with truth; allow the refined joy to circulate without grasping.
Use the pada text to follow Vedic accents; primary udātta peaks typically on marked syllables (as in śúmbhamānā, ṛtāyúbhir, mṛ́jyamānā).
Keep udātta clear and slightly elevated; anudātta grounded; svarita as a brief falling turn—avoid musical sliding.
śuṃ-bha-mā-nāḥ: keep nasalization (ṃ) crisp, ṛtāyubhiḥ: vocalic ṛ as short, tapped; bh as aspirated, mṛjyamānāḥ: conjunct mṛj- with clear ṛ and jya, gabhastyoḥ: gha is not present; ga-bhas-tyoḥ with dental t
Clear, flowing, ‘washed’ tone; sustain vowels lightly to evoke stream-like continuity
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.
