Rig Veda 9.2.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 2, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.2
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Gāyatrī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Shringara (love)
अधुक्षत प्रियं मधु धारा सुतस्य वेधसः । अपो वसिष्ट सुक्रतुः ॥
ádhukṣata priyáṃ mádhu dhā́rā sutásya vedhásaḥ | apó vasiṣṭa su-krátuḥ ||
Выдоили они любимый мёд: потоки выжатой Сомы — для мудрого устроителя (ведхаса). О Васиштха, воды, ведомые благим разумным намерением (сукрату), несут и проясняют эту сладость в нас.
Word by Word
- अधुक्षत
- they milked out / they drew forthVerbलुङ् (aorist), परस्मैपदम्, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया)Root √दुह् (दुहँ प्रपूरणे/दोहने)
- प्रियम्
- dear, belovedAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (अधुक्षत् इत्यस्य)Root प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधु
- sweet drink; honey; Soma-juiceNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन (अत्र कर्मत्वे द्वितीया)Role कर्म (अधुक्षत् इत्यस्य)Root मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
- धाराः
- streams, flowsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (अधुक्षत् इत्यस्य)Root धारा (प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतस्य
- of the pressed (Soma)Noun/Participleपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (धाराः इत्यस्य)Root सुत (√सु ‘to press’ से निष्पन्न कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
- वेधसः
- of the wise one / of the ordainerNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (सुतस्य/धाराः इत्यादि-संबन्धे)Root वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wise/ordainer’, Vedic)
- अपः
- the watersNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्म (अधुक्षत् इत्यस्य; ‘waters’ as what is drawn/obtained) अथवा कर्म (आ-√प्/आप्नोति इत्यर्थे)Root अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसिष्ठ
- O VasiṣṭhaNoun (Vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषिनाम)
- सुक्रतुः
- the good-minded / of good resolveAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ/विशेष्य (अन्तर्निहितः—‘he, the good-willed/wise one’)Root सु-क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक; ‘good in resolve/rite’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (Vedic sandhi resolved): अधुक्षत | प्रियम् | मधु | धाराः | सुतस्य | वेधसः | अपः | वसिष्ठ | सुक्रतुः । 1) ‘धारा॑ सु॒तस्य॑’ इत्यत्र संधिः न विशेषः (आकारान्त-आकारादि संयोगः पदविभागे स्पष्टः)। 2) ‘वे॒धस॑: । अ॒पो’ इत्यत्र विसर्गः पादान्ते स्थितः
- संहितायां पादविरामे विसर्गः अव्यभिचारी। 3) ‘अपो वसिष्ट’ इत्यत्र ‘अपः’ (द्वि. बहु.) + ‘वसिष्ठ’ (सम्बोधन) — संहितायां ‘अपो’ रूपं पदान्त-विसर्गलोप/विसर्ग-परिवर्तन (Vedic) के कारण दृश्यते
- पदपाठे ‘अपः’ इति।
The meaning
Outer meaning
They have milked the beloved honey: the streams of the pressed Soma for the wise maker. O Vasiṣṭha, the waters of good intelligence.
Inner meaning
The inner powers (helpers of the sacrifice) draw out the cherished sweetness (priyam madhu)—the refined delight-streams of Soma—for the shaping wisdom (vedhas, the inner fashioner). The waters (āpaḥ)—currents of consciousness—guided by su-kratu (right will/intelligent intention) carry, cleanse, and distribute this sweetness through the being.
Universal truth
When intention is rightly oriented, the currents of life and mind become purifying waters that extract and circulate the soul’s sweetness, nourishing the creative intelligence that builds a truer life.
Themes
Extraction of essence, Sweetness/bliss, Waters of purification, Rishi self-address
The seer
- Rishi
- Vasiṣṭha
- Lineage
- Vasiṣṭha gotra
- Other hymns
- RV 7.49 (Waters hymn, traditional Vasiṣṭha), RV 7.33 (Rivers)
Family tradition
A tradition of inner ‘right formation’—speech and will aligned to ṛta; often invokes waters/rivers as powers of movement and purification.
Significance
Calling the waters sukratuḥ highlights Vasiṣṭha’s method: purification through right intention and harmonious flow, not violent suppression.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (assisted by Āpaḥ)
- Epithets
- madhu (honeyed), suta (pressed), pavamāna (purifying)
- Related deities
- Āpaḥ (Waters), Sarasvatī, Agni
Cosmic role
Gives the nectar that nourishes the gods and the wise builder-power; waters assist by cleansing and distributing.
Inner power
Sweet ananda refined into usable force; waters as widening, clarifying movements of consciousness.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma pressing (savana) and purification with water involvement
अधु॑क्षत प्रि॒यं मधु॒ धारा॑ सु॒तस्य॑ वे॒धस॑: । अ॒पो व॑सिष्ट सु॒क्रतु॑: ॥
अधु॑क्षत । प्रि॒यम् । मधु॑ । धारा॑ । सु॒तस्य॑ । वे॒धसः॑ । अ॒पः । व॒सि॒ष्ट॒ । सु॒ऽक्रतुः॑ ॥
adhukṣata | priyam | madhu | dhārā | sutasya | vedhasaḥ | apaḥ | vasiṣṭa | su-kratuḥ
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3 × 8
Gentle flow with a ‘milking’ cadence; the second half feels like spreading streams.
Soothes and clarifies; evokes sweetness and a clean inner flow.
- adhukṣata
- Literal: they milked out. Symbolic: Extraction of essence—bringing subtle sweetness out of experience
- priyam madhu
- Literal: beloved honey. Symbolic: Inmost sweetness of ananda, dear to the soul
- dhārā
- Literal: streams. Symbolic: Continuous currents of delight/force moving through consciousness
- sutasya
- Literal: of the pressed. Symbolic: Delight made available by effort, aspiration, and offering
- vedhasaḥ
- Literal: of the wise fashioner. Symbolic: The formative intelligence (truth-builder) within
- āpaḥ
- Literal: waters. Symbolic: Consciousness-currents that cleanse, widen, and carry force
- su-kratuḥ
- Literal: good-willed, good-intentioned. Symbolic: Right resolve (aligned will) guiding the purification
Soma pressing/straining: the ‘milking’ metaphor corresponds to extracting Soma and mixing/flowing with waters; recited to intensify sweetness and right kratu in the sacrifice.
During pressing/straining; when Soma is mixed/clarified with waters and prepared.
Chant to affirm extraction of Soma essence and its purification by waters.
Use when seeking emotional cleansing: chant, then visualize inner waters washing through the body-mind, carrying sweetness rather than agitation.
√duh ‘milk’ (PIE *dʰeugʰ- ‘produce/milk’) used for drawing Soma’s essence: inner ‘milking’ of sweetness. madhu (PIE *médʰu) pan-IE ‘mead/honey’ → bliss-essence. √su ‘press’ indicates extraction/bringing out latent delight. vedhas from √vid/√vedh?—Vedic vedhas ‘disposer’ connected to knowledge and ordering; kratu ‘will, intelligence, resolve’ (effective cognitive force) + su- ‘good’ → sukratu: right-directed inner intention. apas ‘waters’ as purifying currents.
Madhu as bliss-substance supporting ṛta, Kratu as effective will aligned to truth
Dhārā (streams) moving rightly is ṛta as circulation of force.
The ‘honey’ is the true essence extracted from mixed experience.
The wise fashioner builds the inner world using refined delight as substance.
Aurobindonian symbolism: waters as consciousness; vedhas as formative truth-intelligence.
Milking = extracting subtle joy; waters = cleansing currents of awareness; honey = ananda-essence nourishing the inner maker.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘milking of honey’ mythologem: Soma’s essence is drawn out as madhu and carried in streams with the waters. Psychologically, the being is pressed so that bliss-essence is extracted and made to flow in purifying energies under right-directed will (kratu).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu is a classic PIE inheritance (*médʰu), widespread across IE (Skt madhu, Av maδu, Gk méthy, Eng mead). √duh ‘milk’ reflects an IE pastoral-sacral metaphor for extracting essence; this shared poetics supports the Indo-European background of ‘sweet drink’ as sacral inspiration.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi witnesses and affirms an accomplished action (‘they have milked out’): the gods/powers have already drawn the sweetness. By addressing ‘Vasiṣṭha’ (self or lineage), the hymn internalises the rite: the seer’s steadiness is the vessel in which waters and Soma cooperate to establish good kratu.
Extract the ‘sweet essence’ from experience; let it circulate as calm joy through the system.
Anāhata (sweetness) and Svādhiṣṭhāna (waters/flow)
Cooling breath (śītali/śītkārī) gently, if suitable; otherwise slow nasal breathing while visualizing clear waters.
Soft, purified, affectionate calm.
Recall one difficulty; ‘press’ it with sincerity until the learning/sweetness emerges. Then imagine waters carrying that sweetness through the nerves—no bitterness left behind.
Keep a smooth svara contour; avoid harsh peaks—this verse benefits from even udātta rises and gentle resolutions.
Let ‘priyam madhu’ be slightly caressed (without sentimentality); articulate ‘āpo’ clearly as a new movement.
adhukṣata: pronounce kṣ as a conjunct (ad-huk-ṣa-ta), vedhasaḥ: dental dh; final ḥ light aspiration, sukratuḥ: short u; crisp t; final ḥ audible
Warm, flowing, slightly softened; maintain clarity of consonants.
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