Rig Veda 9.65.29: Mandala 9, Sukta 65, Mantra 29
Sukta 9.65
- Rishi
- Ascribed to Soma Pavamāna seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
आ मन्द्रमा वरेण्यमा विप्रमा मनीषिणम् । पान्तमा पुरुस्पृहम् ॥
ā́ mandrám ā́ váreṇyam ā́ vípram ā́ manīṣíṇam | pā́ntam ā́ puru-spṛ́ham ||
Przynieś nam zachwyconego, tego najwybraniejszego; przynieś nam natchnionego widza, mądrego myśliciela, strzeżonego i bardzo pożądanego, przyjdź do nas.
Word by Word
- आ
- hither; forth; towardsIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; गत्यर्थे ‘towards, hither’Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- मन्द्रम्
- the gladdening/pleasant oneAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (पदप्रयोगे पुं.); द्वितीया एकवचनम् (विशेष्यं: सोमम्/पवमानम्)Role KarmaRoot मन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hither; to usIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; आवाहनार्थेRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- वरेण्यम्
- the choice-worthy; excellentAdjectiveपुं. द्वितीया एकवचनम् (विशेष्यं: सोमम्/पवमानम्)Role KarmaRoot वरेण्य (प्रातिपदिक; √वृ ‘to choose’ से ‘to be chosen’)
- आ
- hitherIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग; आवाहन/आह्वानार्थेRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- विप्रम्
- the inspired sage; seerNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- hitherIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्गRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- मनीषिणम्
- the wise one; insightfulNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक; मनीषा ‘thought, insight’)
- पान्तम्
- the protected/guarded oneAdjective (Participle)पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पा (धातु) → पान्त (कृदन्त; भूतकृदन्त/कृत-प्रत्ययः) अथवा ‘पान्त’ (प्रातिपदिक ‘protected/guarded’)
- आ
- hitherIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्गRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पुरुस्पृहम्
- much-desired; longed for by manyAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot पुरु- (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत् ‘much, many’) + स्पृह (प्रातिपदिक; √स्पृह् ‘to desire/long for’)
Sandhi Notes
- मन्त्रपाठे ‘मन्द्रमा वरेण्यमा विप्रमा मनीषिणम्’ इत्यत्र पदच्छेदे सर्वत्र ‘आ’ + (अकारादि/व्यञ्जनादि) इति
- ‘आ’ उपसर्ग/निपातः पृथक्। ‘मन्द्रम् आ’ → संहितायां ‘मन्द्रमा’
- ‘वरेण्यम् आ’ → ‘वरेण्यमा’
- ‘विप्रम् आ’ → ‘विप्रमा’। अन्त्य-‘म्’ (अनुस्वार/मकार) + ‘आ’ इत्यत्र वैदिक-संहितायां ‘मा’ इति संयोगः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Bring to us the rapturous one, the choicest; bring to us the inspired seer, the wise-thinker; protected and much-desired, come to us.
Inner meaning
Soma is invoked as mandra (rapturous, delight-sounding) and vareṇya (most to be chosen): the highest quality of ananda worth selecting above all lower pleasures. He is also vipra and manīṣin—the inspired and the deep thinker—because purified delight awakens intuition and luminous intelligence. The refrain pāntam ā puruspṛham: let that guarded, intensely longed-for power enter and take its seat in the being.
Universal truth
The highest delight awakens the highest intelligence; inspiration and wisdom flower where joy is pure and protected.
Themes
Invocation of qualities, Delight and inspiration, Soma-ritual, Wisdom
The seer
- Rishi
- Not securely identified for this verse within commonly used RV Saṃhitā metadata; part of the Soma Pavamāna collection.
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.65
Significance
Shows Soma as both ecstasy and knowledge: the Vedic unity of ānanda with vipra-manīṣā (inspiration and wisdom).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Mandra, Vareṇya, Vipra, Manīṣiṇ, Pānta, Puru-spṛha
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (inspiration), Bṛhaspati (illumined word), Indra (illumination)
Cosmic role
Soma as inspirer of hymns and awakener of seerhood; the nectar that makes mind luminous.
Inner power
Transforms delight into intuition and wise discernment; harmonizes ecstasy with understanding.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-yajña pavamāna recitation
आ म॒न्द्रमा वरे॑ण्य॒मा विप्र॒मा म॑नी॒षिण॑म् । पान्त॒मा पु॑रु॒स्पृह॑म् ॥
आ । म॒न्द्रम् । आ । वरे॑ण्यम् । आ । विप्र॑म् । आ । म॒नी॒षिण॑म् । पान्त॑म् । आ । पु॒रु॒ऽस्पृह॑म् ॥
ā | mandram | ā | vareṇyam | ā | vipram | ā | manīṣiṇam | pāntam | ā | puru-spṛham
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables; repeated ā creates a mantra-like anaphora.
Invocatory, step-by-step summoning rhythm (ā… ā… ā…).
Builds a progressive descent: ecstasy → excellence → inspiration → wisdom, settling into protected arrival.
- mandra
- Literal: pleasant/rapturous, gladdening. Symbolic: ecstatic ananda-tone that uplifts consciousness
- vareṇya
- Literal: to be chosen, excellent. Symbolic: the supreme value—divine delight above vital pleasure
- vipra
- Literal: inspired sage. Symbolic: intuitive mind awakened by Soma
- manīṣiṇ
- Literal: wise thinker. Symbolic: luminous reflective intelligence (buddhi refined by ananda)
- pāntam
- Literal: protected. Symbolic: kept from distortion by rajasic excitement or tamasic dullness
- ā (repeated)
- Literal: hither, come. Symbolic: invocation for descent/entry of the higher state into our field
Repetitive ā-invocations characteristic of calling Soma’s qualities into the rite; also functions as a psychological litany invoking delight, excellence, inspiration, and insight.
During Soma purification chants; especially apt when Soma is praised as inspirer of poetry and insight.
Chant while Soma is filtered/collected; affirmation of its cognitive-spiritual gifts.
Chant before study, creative work, or meditation to invite inspired clarity grounded in joy.
-: from √mand ‘to rejoice, be glad’—delight as a spiritual vibration. -: desiderative excellence from √vṛ ‘choose’. -: often linked to √vip/√vep ‘tremble, vibrate’ → inspired vibration. from man- ‘think’ with a formation indicating fashioned insight; mánas-field refined into luminous intelligence.
ānanda-like delight (mandra) as inner confirmation, inspiration (vipra) and insight (manīṣā), the chosen/excellent (vareṇya) as alignment with Ṛta
True inspiration (vipra) is speech aligned with ṛta, born of purified Soma.
Manīṣā as truth-reflecting intelligence supported by ananda.
Knowledge emerges from delight as a creative principle—seerhood as an evolutionary possibility.
Aurobindonian synthesis: ananda as a plane that naturally yields intuition and illumined mind.
A moonlike cool ecstasy that turns into inspired speech and wise thought.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as a many-qualified god: delight, excellence, inspiration, and wisdom are not separate gifts but faces of one purifying power. The mythic action is epiphany—calling the god to arrive as specific inner faculties.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The litany-like repetition (ā…ā…ā…) is a common IE poetic intensifier. man- ‘think’ is a robust IE root (PIE *men-), here in manīṣin, showing continuity of the ‘mind’ lexicon across IE traditions.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi invokes Soma as an inner teacher: vipra and manīṣin indicate that Soma is not only ecstasy but also inspired knowledge and formed intelligence. The relationship is pedagogic and transformative—Soma arrives as consciousness.
Let delight become intelligent: feel a cool rapture rising, then condensing into clear insight and wise reflection.
Viśuddha (inspired expression) supported by Ājñā (insight).
Soft ujjāyī to ‘sound’ the inner mandra; keep the throat relaxed and luminous.
Inspired calm—ecstasy without excitement.
Chant 9 times; after each repetition, pause briefly and notice: (1) joy-tone, (2) a sense of value/choice, (3) a flash of intuition, (4) a quiet wise conclusion.
Respect Vedic accents; the repeated ā should be clean and open, with udatta where marked in the Saṃhitā text.
Give a gentle lift on mandram / vareṇyam / vipram / manīṣiṇam; keep the refrain pāntam ā puruspṛham as a steady landing.
vareṇyam: retroflex ṇ clearly., vipram: short i, crisp pr cluster., manīṣiṇam: long ī, and ṣ as cerebral fricative., Do not swallow final -am; keep it lightly nasalized.
Bright yet controlled; let ‘mandra’ color the tone without singing it into melody.
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