Rig Veda 9.64.1: Mandala 9, Sukta 64, Mantra 1
Sukta 9.64
- Rishi
- Traditionally: Soma Pavamāna seers
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
वृषा सोम द्युमाँ असि वृषा देव वृषव्रतः । वृषा धर्माणि दधिषे ॥
vṛ́ṣā soma dyu-mā́m̆ asi vṛ́ṣā deva vṛ́ṣa-vrataḥ | vṛ́ṣā dhármāṇi dadhiṣe ||
Touro és tu, ó Soma, fulgente de poder; Touro, ó deus, com a firme vontade do Touro. Como Touro, sustentas e estabeleces em nós as leis da Verdade.
Word by Word
- वृषा
- the bull; vigorous oneNoun (used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (सम्बोधन-वाक्ये विशेषणरूपेण) / विधेय-विशेषणRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक) < PIE *wers- ‘to rain/sprinkle; be vigorous’
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक) < √सु ‘to press (Soma)’
- द्यु॒माँ
- bright, radiantAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विधेय-विशेषण (असि इत्यस्य) / कर्तृ-विशेषणRoot द्यु॒मत् (प्रातिपदिक) < द्यु ‘heaven/light’ + मत्
- असि
- you areVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole अख्यात (क्रिया)Root √अस् ‘to be’
- वृषा
- a bull; mightyNoun (used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विधेय-विशेषणRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- देव
- O godNounपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक) < √दिव् ‘to shine’
- वृषव्रतः
- whose ordinance is strong; of bull-like resolveAdjective (compound)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विधेय-विशेषण (सोमस्य)Root वृष-व्रत (समास-प्रातिपदिक: कर्मधारय/बहुव्रीहि-भावः) = वृष ‘bull/strong’ + व्रत ‘vow, ordinance’
- वृषा
- a bull; powerfulNoun (used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole विधेय-विशेषणRoot वृषन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- धर्माणि
- laws, ordinances; supportsNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) < √धृ ‘to hold, support’
- दधिषे
- you place; you establishVerbलट् (वर्तमाने), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole अख्यात (क्रिया)Root √धा ‘to place, set, establish’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: वृषा | सोम | द्युमाँ | असि | वृषा | देव | वृषव्रतः | वृषा | धर्माणि | दधिषे ।
- ‘द्युमाँ’ = द्युमत्-शब्दस्य प्रथमा-एकवचन (पुं.) वैदिक-रूपः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma is praised as a bull of luminous power, a god with bull-like steadfast vows, who establishes the dharmas (laws) in the right way.
Inner meaning
The repeated vṛṣā (Bull) signifies a concentrated, victorious spiritual potency: Soma as purified Delight becomes a force of luminous energy (dyumān) and unwavering will (vṛṣavrata). This power does not merely intoxicate; it founds dharmāṇi—inner laws of right functioning—so the seeker’s mind, life-force, and body align to Truth (satya/ṛta).
Universal truth
True spiritual joy is not laxity; when purified, it becomes a strong, steadfast power that establishes right order in the being.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Inner purification, Truth-order (ṛta/dharma), Luminous force, Deity-as-psychological-power
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer-poets (RV 9.64 tradition; Anukramaṇī varies)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.64.2, RV 9.64.3, RV 9.64.4
Family tradition
Collective Pavāmāna lineage specializing in Soma’s purification hymns; the voice is that of the inspired sacrificer-seer addressing the flowing deity.
Significance
This opening sets the keynote: Soma as luminous-force and law-establisher—delight as a foundation for ethical-spiritual order, not mere rapture.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Vṛṣā (Bull), Dyumān (luminous), Deva (god), Vṛṣavrata (steadfast-willed)
- Related deities
- Indra (illumined mind), Agni (divine will), Varuṇa/Mitra (ṛta guardians)
Cosmic role
Purified Soma energizes the gods/powers and sustains ṛta by establishing stable ‘dharmas’ in the worlds and in the sacrificer.
Inner power
A force of ananda-śakti: joy that becomes strength, clarity, and steadfast will, organizing the nature around truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavāmāna Soma chants during Soma purification/pressing
वृषा॑ सोम द्यु॒माँ अ॑सि॒ वृषा॑ देव॒ वृष॑व्रतः । वृषा॒ धर्मा॑णि दधिषे ॥
वृषा॑ । सो॒म॒ । द्यु॒ऽमान् । अ॒सि॒ । वृषा॑ । दे॒व॒ । वृष॑ऽव्रतः । वृषा॑ । धर्मा॑णि । द॒धि॒षे॒ ॥
vṛṣā | soma | dyu-mān | asi | vṛṣā | deva | vṛṣa-vrataḥ | vṛṣā | dharmāṇi | dadhiṣe
44
4 pādas × 11 syllables (Diction and cadence strongly Triṣṭubh-like for assertive praise).
Firm, driving, declarative—well-suited to repeated ‘vṛṣā’ and law-establishing emphasis.
Builds courage and uprightness; the listener feels strengthened and ‘set in order’ by the rhythm.
- वृषा (vṛṣā)
- Literal: bull. Symbolic: victorious, generative spiritual force; concentrated potency that overcomes resistance
- द्यु-मान् (dyu-mān)
- Literal: possessing light, luminous. Symbolic: illumined consciousness; clarity that guides action
- वृषव्रतः (vṛṣa-vrataḥ)
- Literal: with bull-vow; steadfast in vow. Symbolic: unshakable will to Truth; fixed orientation to the Divine aim
- धर्माणि (dharmāṇi)
- Literal: laws, supports, right practices. Symbolic: inner right workings: habits of truth, harmony, self-governance aligned with ṛta
- दधिषे (dadhiṣe)
- Literal: thou placest/establishest. Symbolic: Soma’s action of installing stable formations of truth in consciousness
Soma sacrifice context: Pavāmāna chants during Soma pressing and purification through the filter (pavitra), especially in Agniṣṭoma/related Soma-yāgas.
At the start of a hymn sequence to invoke Soma’s strong clarifying descent
Recitation while Soma is filtered; praise to intensify purification and invoke right order in the rite and sacrificer
A mantra for strengthening resolve and aligning daily conduct with inner truth—use before disciplined practice or vows.
Key roots: vṛṣā ‘bull’ from √vṛṣ ‘to rain down, be strong/virile’ → Soma as outpouring force and fertilizing delight; dyu-mān from dyu ‘sky/light’ + -mān ‘possessing’ → luminous consciousness; vrata from √vṛ ‘to choose/will, restrain/ordain’ → fixed law of action; dharma from √dhṛ ‘to hold, support’ → sustaining principles of ṛta; dadhiṣe (2sg mid.) from √dhā ‘to place/establish’ indicating Soma’s self-effective establishing within the seeker.
Ṛta (cosmic order) implicit through dharma as sustaining law, Satya/Truth-consciousness (implied by dharma upheld by Soma), Vrata (divine law/will as steady inner governance)
Soma is portrayed as an agent who installs ṛta as dharma within the human instrument.
Dyumān (luminous) implies truth-revealing clarity; dharmas are ‘true’ when founded on satya.
Order emerging from purified essence: when Soma is clarified, right law manifests in mind and life.
Integral-psychological Vedism (Aurobindo/Kashyap): dharma as inner right functioning shaped by higher consciousness.
Bull = concentrated spiritual potency; light = illumined mind; Soma flow = ananda-current purifying and organizing the nature.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘Bull Soma’ mythologem: Soma as the force that rains down power and delight, simultaneously luminous (dyu-mān) and law-bearing (vrata), establishing dharmas. Mythically it is the energizing outpour that sustains ṛta; psychologically it is the descent of clarified delight that founds right inner order.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dyu- ‘sky/light’ continues PIE *dyew- (cf. Greek Zeús, Latin Iūpiter via *dyēus ph₂tēr; Sanskrit dyáuḥ). dhṛ (in dharma) aligns with PIE *dher- ‘to hold, support’ (cf. Greek thronos in semantic vicinity of support; English ‘firm’ via different route but comparable ‘hold’ semantics). The bull/rain semantic complex in √vṛṣ is Indo-Iranian in poetic function (fertilizing outpour), though not a direct PIE bull-word continuation; it shows inherited metaphorical mapping of potency → rain → fertility.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The speaker recognizes Soma not merely as an offering but as an indwelling conscious power: ‘thou art’ (asi) asserts essential presence; Soma ‘establishes’ (dadhiṣe) dharmas within the human vessel. The reciprocity is implicit: the seer invokes/affirms Soma’s bull-like steadfast working, and Soma responds by founding luminous order in the seeker—an exchange of aspiration for inner law and force.
Invoke Soma as ‘steadfast luminous force’ to establish right inner laws (habits of truth) in mind and life.
Maṇipūra (will/steadfastness) supported by Ājñā (luminous clarity)
Brisk-then-settle: 9 rounds of slightly energizing breath (bhastrikā-light) followed by quiet nasal breathing while chanting mentally.
Collected power with clear head; joyful discipline.
Repeat on days of wavering will: feel a luminous ‘bull-force’ rising in the spine, then spreading as orderly calm through thoughts and impulses.
Maintain Vedic accents as per śākhā; repeated ‘vṛṣā’ often carries prominence—keep udatta peaks distinct and avoid monotone repetition.
Let each ‘vṛṣā’ be a measured emphasis, not louder but clearer; keep ‘dyumān’ bright and forward; ‘dharmāṇi’ articulated fully.
vṛṣā: vocalic ṛ clear (not ‘ri’), retroflex ṣ, dyumān: ‘dyu’ as a tight cluster, long ā in mān, vṛṣavrataḥ: split cleanly vṛṣa-vrataḥ; keep ‘vr’ conjunct, dharmāṇi: aspirated dh; long ā; retroflex ṇ
Firm, resonant, slightly energizing; end each pāda with composed steadiness.
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.
