Rig Veda 9.72.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 72, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.72
- Rishi
- Soma-Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna, in relation to Indra
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
साकं वदन्ति बहवो मनीषिण इन्द्रस्य सोमं जठरे यदादुहुः । यदी मृजन्ति सुगभस्तयो नरः सनीळाभिर्दशभिः काम्यं मधु ॥
sā́kaṃ vádanti bahávo manīṣíṇa índrasya sómaṃ jaṭháre yádāduhúḥ | yadī́ mṛjánti sú-gabhastayo nárāḥ sanī́ḷābhir daśábhiḥ kā́myaṃ mádhu ||
Вместе говорят многие мудрецы о Соме Индры, когда его надоили в чрево — во внутренний сосуд. Когда сильнорукие мужи очищают его десятью сёстрами, живущими в одном доме, тогда возникает и приготовляется желанный мёд услады — для вкушения душой.
Word by Word
- साकम्
- together, in unisonIndeclinableअव्यय (सह/समं अर्थे)Role Adhikaraṇa (रीत्या/सहभावे)Root साकम् (अव्यय) < साक (सह-अर्थे)
- वदन्ति
- they speakVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √वद् (वदति) ‘to speak’
- बहवः
- many (people)Adjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मनीषिणः
- the wise, the insightfulNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (बहवः इत्यस्य विशेषण/समानााधिकरण)Root मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक) < मनीषा ‘thought, insight’
- इन्द्रस्य
- of IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- जठरे
- in the bellyNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot जठर (प्रातिपदिक)
- यदा
- whenIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (काले)Root यदा (अव्यय)
- अदुहुः
- they drew/milked outVerbलुङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √दुह् (दोहति) ‘to milk, draw (out)’
- यदि
- when/ifIndeclinableशर्त/कालवाचक-अव्ययRole Adhikaraṇa (निमित्ते/शर्ते)Root यदि (अव्यय)
- मृजन्ति
- they cleanse/purifyVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole (क्रिया) —Root √मृज् (मार्जति) ‘to wipe, cleanse, purify’
- सुगभस्तयः
- having good hands/strong armsAdjective (used substantively)पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole KartāRoot सु-गभस्ति (प्रातिपदिक); गभस्ति ‘hand/forearm, ray’
- नरः
- menNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole Kartā (सुगभस्तयः इत्यस्य समानााधिकरण)Root नर (प्रातिपदिक)
- सनीळाभिः
- with (those) sharing one seat/nestAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot स-नीळा (प्रातिपदिक) ‘having a common nest/seat’; नीळ ‘nest, seat’
- दशभिः
- with tenNumeral (Adjective)(सर्वलिङ्ग), तृतीया, बहुवचनRole Karaṇa (सनीळाभिः इत्यस्य विशेषण)Root दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- काम्यम्
- desirableAdjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole Karma (मधु इत्यस्य विशेषण)Root काम्य (प्रातिपदिक) < √कम्/काम ‘to desire’
- मधु
- sweet drink; honey (Soma)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: साकं | वदन्ति | बहवः | मनीषिणः | इन्द्रस्य | सोमम् | जठरे | यदा | अदुहुः || यदि | मृजन्ति | सुगभस्तयः | नरः | सनीळाभिः | दशभिः | काम्यम् | मधु || विशेष-सन्धि: (1) ‘नरः सनीळाभिः’ इत्यत्र विसर्गः परे स-कारे ‘नरः’ इति पदान्त-विसर्गः यथावत् (पदपाठे ‘नरः । सनीळाभिः’)। (2) ‘सनीळाभिर्दशभिः’ = सनीळाभिः + दशभिः (र्-आदेशः/रेफ-सन्धिः: विसर्ग-लोपो न, अपितु पदान्त ‘-भिः’ परे द-कारे संहितायां ‘-भिर्द-’)। (3) ‘यदा अदुहुः’ संहितायां ‘यदा॑दुहुः’ (अ + अ = आ)।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Many seers speak together about Indra’s Soma when it is drawn into the belly; strong-handed men purify it with the ten sisters in one home, producing the desired honey.
Inner meaning
The ‘many seers’ are multiple inner faculties (or awakened seekers) coming into harmony—sākaṃ vadanti—when the delight is received into the ‘belly’ (jaṭhara), the central vital-psychic receptacle. Indra’s Soma means delight offered to the illumined Mind (Indra) so that illumination may grow. The ‘strong-handed men’ are firm powers of practice (disciplined energies) that cleanse experience. The ‘ten sisters in one home’ can be read as the ten instruments/operations (often correlated with ten senses or ten prāṇic functions) unified in a single adhāra; when coordinated, they refine raw experience into kāmya madhu—desired honey: a stable, enjoyable Ananda fit for the soul’s use, not for craving.
Universal truth
When the many parts of us speak together (integration), delight can be held safely in the center; coordinated faculties purify experience into a sweetness that supports clarity and strength rather than indulgence.
Themes
Soma-ritual, purification, inspired speech, Indra-strength, inner alchemy (essence drawn and refined)
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna seer (specific attribution uncertain for RV 9.72.2 in provided data)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.72 (same hymn cluster), RV 9.62 (Indra-Soma strengthening motifs; thematic), RV 8.48 (Soma as joy and expansion; thematic)
Family tradition
Soma-Pavamāna lineages emphasizing collective chant and coordinated purification (stotra as a unifying act).
Significance
The vision highlights integration: illumination (Indra) is strengthened when delight is processed in the center and the whole instrument participates in purification.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (in relation to Indra)
- Epithets
- Indrasya Soma (Soma for Indra), Madhu (honey), Pavamāna (purifying)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni
Cosmic role
Nourishes the god-powers, especially Indra’s force of illumination; converts raw life into refined nectar.
Inner power
Transforms sensation and vital impulse into stable bliss that supports discernment and victory over obscurity.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification chant during pressing (pavamāna)
सा॒कं व॑दन्ति ब॒हवो॑ मनी॒षिण॒ इन्द्र॑स्य॒ सोमं॑ ज॒ठरे॒ यदा॑दु॒हुः । यदी॑ मृ॒जन्ति॒ सुग॑भस्तयो॒ नर॒: सनी॑ळाभिर्द॒शभि॒: काम्यं॒ मधु॑ ॥
सा॒कम् । व॒द॒न्ति॒ । ब॒हवः॑ । म॒नी॒षिणः॑ । इन्द्र॑स्य । सोम॑म् । ज॒ठरे॑ । यत् । आ॒ऽदु॒हुः । यदि॑ । मृ॒जन्ति॑ । सुऽग॑भस्तयः । नरः॑ । सऽनी॑ळाभिः । द॒सऽभिः॑ । काम्य॑म् । मधु॑ ॥
sākam | vadanti | bahavaḥ | manīṣiṇaḥ | indrasya | somam | jaṭhare | yat | āduhuḥ | yadi | mṛjanti | su-gabhastayaḥ | naraḥ | sa-nīḷābhiḥ | daśa-bhiḥ | kāmyam | madhu
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4 × 12 (norm)
Collective, expansive rhythm—fits ‘many seers together’ and the coordinated action of purification.
Creates a sense of group coherence and inner alignment; supports steady energization without haste.
- साकम् (sākam)
- Literal: together, in unison. Symbolic: integration of inner parts; harmonized functioning of faculties
- मनीषिणः (manīṣiṇaḥ)
- Literal: thinkers/seers. Symbolic: illumined discernment-powers within; awakened viewpoints converging
- इन्द्रस्य (indrasya)
- Literal: of Indra. Symbolic: belonging to the illumined mind; delight that feeds illumination
- जठरे (jaṭhare)
- Literal: in the belly. Symbolic: central receptacle—vital-psychic center where experience is digested/transformed
- आदुहुः (āduhuḥ)
- Literal: they milked/drew out. Symbolic: drawing the essence from life-experience through attention and aspiration
- सुगभस्तयः (sugabhastayaḥ)
- Literal: with good/strong hands. Symbolic: effective disciplined energies; steady executive force of sādhanā
- सनीळाभिः (sanīḻābhiḥ)
- Literal: dwelling in one nest/home. Symbolic: faculties unified in one consciousness-basis (single aim, single center)
- दशभिः (daśabhiḥ)
- Literal: with ten. Symbolic: the full set of instruments (senses/prāṇas/operations) brought into harmony
- काम्यं मधु (kāmyaṃ madhu)
- Literal: desired honey. Symbolic: true sweetness of Ananda—sought by the soul, not by desire
Soma sacrifice context: Pavamāna-stotras (purification hymns) chanted during Soma pressing/filtration in Śrauta rites (e.g., Agniṣṭoma cycle).
During Soma-yajña when Soma is drawn, filtered, and prepared for offering—often in sequences associated with Indra’s portion.
Drawing (milking) Soma, filtering, mixing with milk, preparing madhu for offering.
Use for ‘inner integration’ practice: before work or meditation, invoke harmony among senses and mind; offer experience into the ‘belly’ to be digested into calm sweetness.
Key roots: √duh ‘to milk/draw out’ (ā-duh: ‘draw forth into/unto’, here drawing Soma-essence into the inner vessel); √mṛj ‘to wipe, cleanse’ (ritual filtration mirrored as psychological purification). manīṣiṇaḥ from manīṣā ‘inspired thought’ (man- ‘to think’ with intensifying/insight nuance). gabhasti denotes ‘hand’ and also ‘ray’ in Vedic usage, supporting the double sense: strong grasp and luminous ray-power. nīḷa/nīḍa ‘nest, seat’ → sanīḷā- ‘sharing one seat’, indicating harmonized faculties. madhu from PIE *médʰu ‘honey, mead’ (cf. Avestan madu-, Greek méthy), in RV often ‘sweet delight/nectar’.
inner purification (śuddhi as mṛj), collective inspiration (sākam vadanti), delight/ānanda as madhu (Soma)
‘Together’ (sākam) and ‘one home’ (sanīḻa) are images of ṛta as coordinated functioning.
Purified madhu implies truth of experience—what remains after distortion is removed.
Refinement: essence extracted from multiplicity, forming a higher nourishment for the god-mind.
Integral psychological reading: senses/prāṇas unified to support illumined mind (Indra).
Life is ‘milked’ for its essence; the central digestion (jaṭhara) converts it into sweetness; the ten instruments become sisters cooperating rather than scattering.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The pressing/drawing and purification of Soma as a transformative extraction of essence: the powers (seers/heroic doers) ‘milk’ the Soma into the inner vessel and cleanse it through coordinated faculties (‘ten’). Mythically this is the making-ready of the divine drink for Indra; psychologically it is the refinement of delight-consciousness so it can empower the Indra-force (victorious luminous mind) within.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu continues PIE *médʰu (‘honey/mead’), a pan-Indo-European poetic substance of sweetness and intoxication (Avestan madu-, Greek méthy). The verb √duh ‘milk’ aligns with an old Indo-Iranian pastoral/ritual lexicon where ‘milking’ becomes a standard metaphor for drawing out spiritual essence; √mṛj ‘cleanse’ encodes the ritual act of filtration and its inward counterpart.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer-voices (bahavo manīṣiṇaḥ) do not merely praise; they cooperate with the deity’s process: they draw, purify, and thereby ‘prepare’ Soma for Indra. The reciprocity is functional—human (and inner) effort refines the divine delight; the refined delight then supports and increases the Indra-power in the practitioner, culminating in kāmya madhu, the sought sweetness of fulfillment.
Integration of faculties: draw awareness into the navel/heart center; let all ‘voices’ agree on one aspiration.
Maṇipūra (jaṭhara digestion/transforming force) with support from Anāhata (sweetness without craving)
Even breathing with a gentle emphasis on exhale into the navel region; feel ‘digesting’ tensions into warmth.
Collected, harmonized, quietly joyful.
Before japa, name (mentally) the scattered faculties and invite them ‘into one home.’ Repeat the mantra 10 or 20 times as a vow of integration; sit and feel a stable sweetness replacing restlessness.
Vedic udātta/anudātta/svarita per recension; exact accenting requires a svara-marked text.
Keep ‘sākam’ crisp to convey unison; sustain long vowels (ā in sākaṃ, ī in yadī) without strain.
Retroflex ṭh in jaṭhare is clear and unaspirated beyond ṭh release., Maintain consonant clusters: sugabhastayaḥ (su-ga-bha-sta-yaḥ) evenly., Do not nasalize final -m excessively in madhu (it is not m).
Unified, steady, slightly bright (Indra-associated clarity).
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