Rig Veda 9.7.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 7, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.7
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
परि यत्काव्या कविर्नृम्णा वसानो अर्षति । स्वर्वाजी सिषासति ॥
pári yát kā́vyā kavír nṛ́mṇā vásāno árṣati | svàr-vājī sisāsati ||
Quando o vidente (kaví), vestido de poder, flui ao redor com a inspiração do poeta, ele, vencedor do mundo solar (svar) e da plenitude, busca dominar e aperfeiçoar as energias.
Word by Word
- परि
- around; forthIndeclinableUpasarga/avyaya; governs verbal sense ‘around, forth’Root परि (upasarga) / pari (indecl.)
- यत्
- which (that)PronounNeuter, nominative singular (yát) (Vedic relative)Role Kartā (of अर्षति)Root यद् (sarvanāma-stem) / relative pronoun
- काव्याः
- the poetic (powers/insights); the inspired (ones)Adjective (used substantively) / NounFeminine, nominative plural (Vedic: ‘kāvyā́ḥ’)Role Kartā (of सिषासति) (collective subject)Root काव्य (adj./n. from कवि)
- कविः
- the seer; poetNounMasculine, nominative singularRole Kartā (apposition to यत्) (of अर्षति)Root कवि (prātipadika)
- नृम्णा
- with manly power; with heroic mightNounNeuter, instrumental singularRole Karaṇa (means) (with वसानः)Root नृम्ण (prātipadika)
- वसानः
- wearing; clothed (in)ParticiplePresent middle participle, masculine nominative singular (agreeing with कविः)Role Kartā (descriptive of subject) / Karaṇa-sambandhaRoot √वस् (वस्—‘to clothe, wear’)
- अर्षति
- streams; rushes; flowsVerbPresent indicative, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kriyā (main verb); subject = यत्/कविःRoot √ऋष्/अर्ष् (Vedic: ‘to flow, rush, stream’)
- स्वर्वाजी
- heaven-winning; possessing radiant strength/prizeAdjectiveMasculine, nominative singular (bahuvrīhi/tatpuruṣa-type compound used adjectivally) (agreeing with कविः)Role Kartā (descriptive epithet of subject)Root स्वर् + वाजिन् (compound: ‘having light/heaven’ + ‘having prize/strength’)
- सिषासति
- desires to impel/command; seeks to set in motionVerbDesiderative present, 3rd person singular, parasmaipadaRole Kriyā (secondary verb); subject = काव्याः (or the same subject in poetic apposition)Root √शास् (to instruct/impel/command) with desiderative formation (siṣās-)
Sandhi Notes
- External sandhi is minimal in this pāda. यत् + काव्याः: final -t of यत् remains before k- (no change). कविः + नृम्णा: visarga before n- is realized as r (kavír nṛmṇā) per Vedic sandhi
- written here as कविर्नृम्णा. वसानः + अर्षति: hiatus resolved by normal word-boundary
The meaning
Outer meaning
When the seer, with poetic inspiration, clothed in strength, flows around; as a winner of heaven and of sustenance, he seeks to master.
Inner meaning
Soma becomes kavi—seer-power—moving pervasively (pari…arṣati) through the being with kāvyā, the creative mantric intuition. Clothed in nṛmṇā (heroic might), he wins svar (the luminous world, sun-consciousness) and vāja (plenitude, effective force). ‘siṣāsati’ signals a will to discipline and perfect the energies: Soma’s delight is not indulgence but a training power that educates (śās) the life-force into mastery.
Universal truth
True inspiration is a force of transformation: it circulates through the whole nature, brings higher light, and trains the energies into skillful, victorious action.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Seerhood, Illumination, Power and mastery
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer(s) of RV 9.7 per Anukramaṇī tradition.
- Other hymns
- RV 9.7.1–9.7.9
Significance
The seer presents Soma as the inner guru-force: inspiration plus strength that ‘educates’ the energies into a solar mastery (svar).
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Kavi (seer), Vājī (winner of plenitude), Svarvājī (winner of light and force)
- Related deities
- Sūrya, Indra, Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Bestower of illumination and power; circulates as a cosmic stream linking earth to the solar worlds.
Inner power
Ananda that becomes inspired intelligence and disciplined force, perfecting the instruments of action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification hymns in Soma-yajña
परि॒ यत्काव्या॑ क॒विर्नृ॒म्णा वसा॑नो॒ अर्ष॑ति । स्व॑र्वा॒जी सि॑षासति ॥
परि॑ । यत् । काव्या॑ । क॒विः । नृ॒म्णा । वसा॑नः । अर्ष॑ति । स्वः॑ । वा॒जी । सि॒सा॒स॒ति॒ ॥
pari | yat | kāvyā | kaviḥ | nṛmṇā | vasānaḥ | arṣati | svaḥ | vājī | sisāsati
48
4 × 12
Expansive and sweeping, matching pari (‘around’) and the rushing flow (arṣati).
Creates a sense of pervasion and uplift; energizes aspiration toward solar clarity and disciplined strength.
- kāvyā
- Literal: poetic inspiration. Symbolic: mantric intuition, creative truth-seeing
- kaviḥ
- Literal: seer-poet. Symbolic: the illumined consciousness in us that knows by identity
- nṛmṇā vasānaḥ
- Literal: clothed in might. Symbolic: Ananda invested with heroic force to change nature
- arṣati
- Literal: flows, rushes. Symbolic: the streaming movement of consciousness through all parts
- svaḥ (svar)
- Literal: heaven, sun-world. Symbolic: plane of illumination; solar consciousness
- vājī
- Literal: winner of vāja (prize/strength). Symbolic: bringer of plenitude and effective power
- siṣāsati
- Literal: seeks to instruct/discipline. Symbolic: inner training toward mastery and perfection of energies
Pavamāna chant/recitation in Soma sacrifice during purification and forward-flow to the offering
During the flowing/straining and praise of Soma’s victorious qualities.
Chant to accompany Soma’s circulation and offering; invoke victory of light and plenitude.
Use before work requiring inspired concentration and self-discipline; a mantra for training energies rather than merely calming them.
kaví ‘seer’ from √kū/√kav ‘to see/poetically perceive’ (Vedic semantic); √vas ‘wear/dwell’ → ‘clothed in might’ (nṛmṇā); √ṛṣ ‘rush/flow’ used for Soma’s swift movement; svàr ‘sun-world’ marks ascent to luminous consciousness; vāja from √vaj/√vāj ‘be strong, vigorous’ → plenitude of force (not merely ‘food/prize’).
Kavi as inner sight (inspiration as knowledge), Svar as plane of illumined mind, Vāja as plenitude of force
siṣāsati implies alignment of energies to right law through inner training.
kāvyā/kaviḥ indicates truth-seeing as the source of effective action.
Illumination descending into life to organize and perfect it—creation as conscious mastery.
Vedic psychology of transformation: inspiration (kāvya) as a power that reforms prakṛti.
Flow is circulating consciousness; Sun-world is illumined mind; vāja is abundant life-force made skillful through inner discipline.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the inspired seer-power: the flowing Soma is simultaneously ‘kavi’ (vision) and ‘kāvya’ (inspired speech), moving in circles (pari) as an all-pervading clarification that aims at svar (illumined world) and vāja (force-plenitude).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- svàr relates to PIE *s(w)el- ‘sun’ (semantic field of solar brightness; cf. Latin sōl). √vas ‘wear/dwell’ reflects PIE *wes- ‘to clothe/dwell’ (cf. Eng. wear). √ṛṣ ‘rush’ is Indo-Iranian-specific but fits a common poetic metaphor of ‘flowing’ for inspired potency.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi recognizes Soma as the very principle of inspired cognition: the hymn frames Soma not as object but as subject (kavi) whose movement generates the poet’s power and lifts the practitioner toward svar-consciousness and victorious vāja.
Invite a circulating luminous force to pervade the whole system; then consciously ‘train’ one unruly energy (anger, restlessness) into skillful action.
Maṇipūra (force/mastery) elevated toward Ājñā (illumination).
Bhastrikā-light (gentle bellows) 20–30 strokes, then chant once slowly; finish with quiet observation.
Bright, empowered, disciplined.
Chant standing or seated upright. Feel the mantra ‘circle’ (pari) through head–heart–navel; end by choosing one concrete act of mastery for the day.
Rigvedic tri-svara; exact accents require svara-pāṭha for RV 9.7.4.
Emphasize kāvyā and kaviḥ with clear articulation; keep nṛmṇā with vocalic ṛ; sustain arṣati as a flowing phrase.
kāvyā: long ā; vy cluster clean, kaviḥ: short a; visarga light, nṛmṇā: vocalic ṛ; retroflex ṃṇ cluster nasalized properly, vasānaḥ: long ā; final ḥ light, arṣati: retroflex ṣ; a-r-ṣa-ti distinct, siṣāsati: retroflex ṣ; long ā in -śā-
Bright, projecting, but controlled—heroic rather than harsh.
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