Rig Veda 9.11.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 11, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.11
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Shanta (peace)
अभि ते मधुना पयोऽथर्वाणो अशिश्रयुः । देवं देवाय देवयु ॥
abhí te mádhunā páyo átharvāṇo aśiśrayuḥ | deváṃ devā́ya deva-yú ||
Para ti se inclinaram os Atharvans com leite adoçado de mel; o divino se dirige ao Divino — o devayú, desejoso dos deuses.
Word by Word
- अभि
- towards; uponIndeclinableउपसर्ग/अव्यय; governs accusative; sense: ‘towards, over, upon’Role Adhikaraṇa (directional/locative sense) / upasarga modifying the verbRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- ते
- thy; of youPronounषष्ठी एकवचन (enclitic genitive ‘of you/thy’)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation) with मधुना/पयः (thy sweetness/milk)Root युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुना
- with sweetness; with honeyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचनRole Karaṇa (instrument/means): ‘with sweetness’Root मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पयः
- milk; sap; (Soma-)juiceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (form identical); here with अभि → द्वितीया (object of motion)Role Karma (goal/object): ‘towards thy milk/juice’Root पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अथर्वाणः
- the Atharvans (a priestly clan)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनRole Kartā (agent): ‘the Atharvans/priests’Root अथर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अशिश्रयुः
- they resorted; they leaned/pressed themselves (towards)Verbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपद; 3rd person plural; reduplicated aorist: a-śi-śray-uḥRole Kriyā (finite verb); governs अभि + accusativeRoot श्रि (धातु) ‘to lean on, resort to, take refuge’; reduplicated aorist formation
- देवम्
- the godNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनRole Karma (object): ‘the god’Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाय
- for (a) god; to the godNounपुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचनRole Sampradāna (recipient/purpose): ‘for the god’Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवयुः
- god-seeking; desiring the godsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; agrees with an implied subject (e.g., सोमः) or appositionally with देवम् depending on interpretationRole Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier) / appositionRoot देवयु (प्रातिपदिक; bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa sense ‘desiring the gods’ from देव + यु ‘to seek/desire’)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolved: पयोऽथर्वाणो → पयः अथर्वाणः (visarga before vowel becomes ‘o’ in saṃhitā; final -o in अथर्वाणो is saṃhitā form for nominative plural अथर्वाणः)
- Accent marks in the given text are Vedic (udātta/svarita) and do not change the pada segmentation
The meaning
Outer meaning
The Atharvans (a priestly lineage) have leaned toward you (Soma) with honeyed milk (madhunā payaḥ). The divine (Soma) is borne toward the Divine (devam devāya) by one who longs for the gods (devayu).
Inner meaning
The Atharvans symbolize the fire-wisdom and right formulation (atharvan = inner priest of effective will). They bring to Soma ‘honeyed milk’: a sweetness (madhu) united with nourishing clarity (payaḥ). Thus the purified delight is carried from the human level to the Divine level—Ananda offered to the higher Consciousness—by the devayu, the soul that hungers for the divine life. In Aurobindo’s key: delight must be blended with luminous substance to become a true vehicle for ascent.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress is accelerated when devotion (longing for the divine) is joined with right knowledge and sweetness of nature; then our highest joy becomes an offering that opens to a greater Joy.
Themes
Madhu motif, Soma nourishment, Priestly lineage, Aspiration for devas
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.11.1, Rig Veda 9.11.3, Rig Veda 9.11.4, Rig Veda 9.11.5
Family tradition
Soma seers integrating Atharvan (fire-will) and Soma (delight) disciplines—right action joined to bliss.
Significance
The mantra indicates a synthesis: aspiration and right will (Atharvan) enrich and stabilize Ananda so it can ascend as a true offering.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Madhu (honeyed) implied, Devam (divine one)
- Related deities
- Agni (Atharvan-fire principle), Bṛhaspati (formulation), Indra (illumined mind)
Cosmic role
Soma is the refined essence that nourishes the gods and mediates exchange between mortal and immortal planes.
Inner power
Sweet luminous Ananda that becomes a vehicle for devotion and upward offering.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering with admixture metaphors (milk/honey) during Soma-yajña
अ॒भि ते॒ मधु॑ना॒ पयोऽथ॑र्वाणो अशिश्रयुः । दे॒वं दे॒वाय॑ देव॒यु ॥
अ॒भि । ते॒ । मधु॑ना । पयः॑ । अथ॑र्वाणः । अ॒शि॒श्र॒युः॒ । दे॒वम् । दे॒वाय॑ । दे॒व॒ऽयु ॥
abhi | te | madhunā | payaḥ | atharvāṇaḥ | aśiśrayuḥ | devam | devāya | deva-yu
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3 x 8 syllables
supple and devotional; a ‘leaning’ movement followed by an upward offering cadence
Encourages bhakti-like warmth while keeping clarity—sweetness without sentimentality.
- मधु (madhu) / मधुना (madhunā)
- Literal: honey, sweetness. Symbolic: Ananda’s sweetness; harmony and gladness in the offering
- पयः (payaḥ)
- Literal: milk, nourishing sap. Symbolic: luminous substance—clarity, sattwic nourishment of mind/heart
- अथर्वाणः (atharvāṇaḥ)
- Literal: Atharvans. Symbolic: the will of right working and formulation; inner priesthood of effective aspiration
- अशिश्रयुः (aśiśrayuḥ)
- Literal: have leaned/attached themselves. Symbolic: steady reliance—turning the whole being toward the delight-principle
- देवं देवाय (devam devāya)
- Literal: the god to the god. Symbolic: the divine delight offered upward to the Divine Consciousness; lower Ananda seeking its source
- देवयु (devayu)
- Literal: god-seeking. Symbolic: the aspirant-soul that yearns for higher powers and their life
Soma offering enriched with milk/honey imagery; Atharvan tradition invoked as guarantor of effective, ancient consecration in Soma rites
During Soma purification/oblations, especially when Soma is praised as sweet/nourishing
Recitation while Soma is prepared/offered; affirmation of priestly support (Atharvans)
For devotional meditation: ‘sweeten and clarify’ one’s inner state before offering it upward (prayer, surrender, gratitude).
madhu ‘honey/sweet’ from PIE *médʰu (cf. English mead). payas ‘milk’ from √pā ‘to drink/nourish’ or √pyā ‘swell’ (semantic nourishment). Atharvan is an ancient priestly name; etymology debated, but in RV associated with fire and effective rites. √śri ‘lean on/resort to’ indicates taking support. deva as above; -yu in devayú from √yu ‘to join/seek’ or a desiderative suffix meaning ‘one who seeks/desires’.
delight (madhu) as substance of realization, nourishment of the inner being (payaḥ), aspiration (devayú) as motive force
Right offering (ṛta) requires the proper ‘mixture’: sweetness (joy) aligned with clarity (payaḥ).
The ‘milk’ aspect suggests truth-substance supporting delight so it can reach the Divine without distortion.
Essences (rasa) transmute and ascend; the human refines experience into an offering, enabling divine response.
Integral Vedic psychology: transformation of rasa (experience) into Ananda aligned with Truth.
Milk = luminous nourishment; honey = sweetness of Ananda; leaning = sustained concentration; offering upward = ascent of consciousness.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘honeyed milk’ and ‘divine to the Divine’: Soma as a divinity is strengthened by sweetness and nourishment, then carried to a higher divine station—an ascent of delight to delight. The Atharvans represent the primordial efficacy that makes the offering a true bridge.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a clear IE inheritance (*médʰu). The verse also shows a typical IE poetic parallelism: substance terms (madhu, payaḥ) encode abstract experience (delight, essence), while deva/devāya creates a reflexive divine circuit (‘the divine to the divine’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi situates the human tradition (Atharvans) as the channel that rightly ‘leans’ the offering toward Soma; Soma, made sweet and full, becomes the aspirant (devayú) that draws the sacrificer into communion with higher divine powers.
Cultivate a ‘honeyed clarity’: let joy become calm and luminous, then offer it upward to the higher Self.
Anāhata (sweet devotion) with Ājñā (clarity)
Inhale: feel ‘payaḥ’ (cool clarity) filling the head; exhale: feel ‘madhu’ (sweet warmth) filling the heart; then offer upward on a long exhale.
Devotional concentration moving into uplifted offering and receptive stillness.
Before japa, recall one pure joy; refine it by sincerity and quiet mind; then mentally ‘carry’ it to the Divine as a gift, without demand.
Maintain clear udātta on key offering words; keep ‘devam devāya’ as a single rising intention.
Do not over-pause at ‘payo’; let the phrase flow into the Atharvan action-word aśiśrayuḥ.
: dental ‘dh’, short u, : ‘payaḥ’ visarga lightly before consonant/pause, : clear ‘thar’, retroflex ‘ṇ’, : split as deva-yu, keep ‘yu’ light
warm, steady, devotional
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