Rig Veda 9.8.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 8, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.8
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इन्द्रस्य सोम राधसे पुनानो हार्दि चोदय । ऋतस्य योनिमासदम् ॥
índrasya soma rā́dhase punānó hā́rdi codaya | ṛtásya yónim ā-sádam ||
O Somo, oczyszczając, pobudź w sercu zachwyt, który służy wypełnieniu Indry; zajmij swoje miejsce w łonie Rty, prawdziwej podstawie naszego stawania się.
Word by Word
- इन्द्रस्य
- of IndraNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन/प्रथमा; एकवचन (Vedic: vocative-like address)Role सम्बोधन (address)Root सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- राधसे
- for (his) bounty/giftNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (purpose/beneficiary)Root राधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनानः
- purifying himself / being purifiedVerb (participle)वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद-भावRole कर्ता (agent; Soma as subject)Root पू (धातु) → पुनान (शानच्-प्रत्यय, आत्मनेपद)
- हार्दि
- in the heartNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अधिकरण (locus)Root हृद् (प्रातिपदिक) → हार्दि (Vedic locative formation)
- चोदय
- impel / set in motionVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रिया (imperative to Soma)Root चुद् (धातु)
- ऋतस्य
- of ṛta (cosmic order/true rite)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation)Root ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
- योनिम्
- womb/seat/sourceNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (object)Root योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
- आसदम्
- a sitting/settling; a place of approach (seat)Noun (verbal noun)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्म (appositional object with योनिम्)Root आ-√सद् (धातु) → आसद (घञ्/अम्-प्रत्यय; action/result noun)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: इन्द्रस्य | सोम | राधसे | पुनानः | हार्दि | चोदय | ऋतस्य | योनिम् | आसदम् । Sandhi/phonetics: (1) ‘सोम राधसे’ is simple juxtaposition (no external sandhi). (2) ‘योनिमासदम्’ = ‘योनिम् + आसदम्’: final -म् before initial vowel is retained in Saṃhitā and written as ‘म’ with vowel coalescence in continuous recitation
- hence yónim ā́sadám → योनिमा॒सद॑म्. Accents as in Saṃhitā: इन्द्र॑स्य, सोम॒, राध॑से, पुना॒नो, हार्दि॑, ऋ॒तस्य॒, योनि॑म्, आ॒सद॑म्
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, as he is purified, is urged to stir delight in the heart for Indra’s increase, and to take his seat in the womb (source) of Ṛta.
Inner meaning
The purified current of Ananda (Soma) is invited to awaken in the heart (hṛd) the delight-force that nourishes Indra—the illumined divine Mind—so that the being can break limits and grow in light. The “womb of Ṛta” is the stable inner law (truth-order) where this bliss can safely abide and become a foundation for transformation rather than a passing emotion.
Universal truth
Lasting joy is not manufactured by the surface mind; it descends when consciousness is purified and seated in truth-order. Bliss established in inner law becomes the fuel for luminous intelligence and right action.
Themes
Interiorization, Rita, Soma-Indra empowerment, Yoga of the heart
The seer
- Rishi
- Ascribed to the Soma Pavamāna tradition
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.8 (entire sūkta), Rig Veda 9.1-9.113 (Soma Pavamāna corpus, thematic parallels)
Family tradition
Pavamāna Soma hymns (Book 9) transmitted in a specialized chanting and pressing tradition emphasizing purification through the filter (pavitra).
Significance
The seer-vision here is the yoga of Ananda: bliss is not merely enjoyed but consciously purified and enthroned in Ṛta, so that Indra (illumined mind) can expand and lead the conquest of inner darkness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (Indu)
- Epithets
- Pavamāna (self-purifying), Indu (bright drop), Madhu (honeyed), Pavitra-pūta (purified by the filter)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Bṛhaspati, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Cosmic delight that circulates through the worlds, sustaining gods (powers of consciousness) and energizing the victory of light over obstruction.
Inner power
A refining bliss-force that, when established in Ṛta, turns emotion into luminous joy and gives the mind (Indra) strength to illumine and govern the life-nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing and purification (pavamāna) during Soma Yajña sequences.
इन्द्र॑स्य सोम॒ राध॑से पुना॒नो हार्दि॑ चोदय । ऋ॒तस्य॒ योनि॑मा॒सद॑म् ॥
इन्द्र॑स्य । सो॒म॒ । राध॑से । पु॒ना॒नः । हार्दि॑ । चो॒द॒य॒ । ऋ॒तस्य॑ । योनि॑म् । आ॒ऽसद॑म् ॥
indrasya | soma | rādhase | punānaḥ | hārdi | codaya | ṛtasya | yonim | āsadam
Likely Triṣṭubh (common in Book 9; 4×11-syllable cadence)
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh-type movement)
Forward-driving, expansive cadence suited to ‘impelling’ (codaya) and establishing (āsadam).
Supports an inner push from heart-delight to truth-order; the rhythm feels like a steady ascent and settling into a higher poise.
- सोम (soma)
- Literal: Soma-juice; the pressed and purified draught. Symbolic: Divine Bliss/Ananda as a conscious current that can be refined and made fit for ascent
- पुना॒नः (punānaḥ)
- Literal: purifying, being purified. Symbolic: Self-purification of consciousness through discernment, aspiration, and right rhythm
- हार्दि (hārdi)
- Literal: in the heart. Symbolic: Psychic center/inner emotional being where delight becomes a steady flame
- इन्द्रस्य (indrasya)
- Literal: of Indra. Symbolic: Belonging to the illumined mind-power that conquers obscurity
- राधसे (rādhase)
- Literal: for success, bounty, fulfillment. Symbolic: Spiritual accomplishment; increase of the inner powers and their right enjoyment
- ऋतस्य योनिम् (ṛtasya yonim)
- Literal: the womb/source of Ṛta. Symbolic: The secret matrix of truth-order (ṛta) in which right becoming is conceived
- आसदम् (āsadam)
- Literal: sit down upon; take a seat. Symbolic: Stabilize; become established as a permanent state rather than a transient surge
Soma purification with explicit interiorization (‘in the heart’); used in Soma rites to invoke Soma’s energizing of Indra and establishment in ṛta
During the Pavamāna-stotras/recitations accompanying filtering and offering of Soma.
Chanting while Soma is cleansed through the filter into vessels; invoking Soma’s energizing delight for the gods/powers.
Use as a contemplative invocation before meditation: ‘purify the joy in the heart; seat it in truth-order’—helpful for stabilizing bhāva and preventing emotional turbulence.
rā́dhas ‘bounty/fulfillment’ from √rādh ‘to succeed, prosper, accomplish’. hā́rdi locative anchors the process in the psychic center. √cud ‘impel’ indicates activation of inner movement. yóni is source/womb: ṛta’s yoni is the truth-foundation where Soma must ‘sit’—stabilize as law-formed consciousness.
Heart (hṛd) as seat of consciousness, Ṛta as womb/source of right becoming, Impulse (cud) as awakening of inner force
Explicit: Soma is asked to take seat in ṛtasya yoni—truth as the matrix of becoming.
Delight becomes ‘true’ when aligned with inner law, not desire.
Becoming is founded by establishing consciousness in Ṛta; bliss is a creative substance that shapes right manifestation.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral-Vedic (Aurobindo/Kashyap): gods as powers of consciousness; sacrifice as inner yoga.
Purification of the psychic-emotional current so it can become a stable ‘matrix’ for truth-governed life and illumined intelligence.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Soma seated in Ṛta’s womb’ mythologem: Soma must not only flow but find his true seat (yoni/āsada) in Ṛta—innerly, delight becomes stable truth-consciousness rooted in the heart, enabling Indra’s victorious fulfillment.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- yóni ‘womb/source’ connects to PIE *yo-/*yeh₁- related formations for ‘to join/contain’ (comparative semantics vary); √sad from PIE *sed-. The interior locative hā́rdi reflects archaic locative usage preserved strongly in Vedic.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi explicitly internalizes the rite: Soma is asked to act in the heart, not merely on the altar. The reciprocity is transformative—human heart becomes the seat of Ṛta, and Soma becomes the installed power that grants rā́dhas (accomplishing bounty) and strengthens Indra’s working in the seeker.
Invite a purified joy to rise in the heart and become established in truth-order; let that joy feed clarity and luminous discernment.
Anāhata (heart) with upward linkage toward Ājñā (illumined mind/Indra).
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) while repeating ‘hārdi codaya… ṛtasya yonim’.
Quiet, brightened heart; settled clarity; stable inner sweetness.
Begin with a few minutes of inner offering: place restlessness into the ‘filter’; then repeat the mantra slowly, feeling joy become clean, wide, and law-abiding (ṛta), not impulsive.
Use Vedic three-tone contour as marked in the Saṃhitā (udātta/anudātta/svarita); key lifts often occur on accented syllables like ín-, só-, ṛ́-. Exact svara requires a śākhā-specific notation line.
Keep udātta as the melodic rise; svarita as a fall-from-rise; avoid stressing English-style. Maintain sandhi continuity: indrásya sóma rā́dhase…
ṛ in ṛtasya is vocalic ‘ri’ (short, crisp), not ‘ar/ur’., hārdi: long ā; retroflex ḍ (not dental d)., codaya: co- as ‘cho’; keep y as a light glide., āsadam: long ā; do not insert extra vowel between s and d.
Warm, inward, slightly nasal resonance; sustained vowels to ‘seat’ the meaning.
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.
