Rig Veda 10.85.2: Mandala 10, Sukta 85, Mantra 2
Sukta 10.85
सोमेनादित्या बलिनः सोमेन पृथिवी मही । अथो नक्षत्राणामेषामुपस्थे सोम आहितः ॥
sómenādityā́ balínaḥ sómena pṛthivī́ mahī́ | átho nákṣatrāṇām eṣā́m upásthe sóma ā́hitaḥ ||
सोमेनेत्यादित्या बलिनो भवन्ति, सोमेनेयं पृथिवी मही महिमानं प्राप्नोति। अथ चैतानि नक्षत्राणामुपस्थे सोमः स्थापितः—ऋतस्य ज्योतिषां मध्ये गूढपोषणानन्दरूपेण।
Soma-centered cosmological affirmation; resonates with Soma installation (ādhāna/āhavana contexts) and with wedding-hymn cosmology where celestial order witnesses human rite.
nourishment of cosmic law by delight (Soma strengthening Ādityas), wideness (mahī) as expansion of consciousness
Soma empowers the Ādityas who uphold ṛta; delight is shown as the hidden support of order.
Truth becomes ‘mighty’ in the embodied field when nourished by Soma.
Worlds and lights are maintained by an inner nectar placed within their supports.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindonian) reading: ananda as ontological power sustaining mind and matter.
Earth = embodied practice-field; stars = stable knowledges; Soma = bliss-sap that feeds and orders illumination.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the strengthening sap of the cosmos: the truth-guardians (Ādityas) gain force through Soma, and Soma is ‘installed’ among the stars—delight set into the ordered lights that govern rhythms.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- āhita (ā-√dhā) reflects PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘place’; pṛthivī from ‘broad’ parallels Indo-European cosmic ‘broad earth’ formulae. Instrumental somena repeats as a causal refrain, a common inherited poetic device.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer contemplates Soma not merely as pressed juice but as a cosmic principle of delight that empowers divine law and stabilizes the human field (earth). The relationship is participatory: by invoking Soma, the human rite aligns with the cosmic installation of delight.
Place ‘Soma’ as felt sweetness/quiet joy into the mind’s lights and the body’s field; contemplate delight as support of truth.
Ājñā (stars/inner lights) and Anāhata (nectar of sweetness)
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow inhalation imagining ‘cool nectar’ descending; exhale establishing wideness in the body.
Widened, luminous equanimity with a subtle sweetness behind thought.
Begin with attention in the heart; evoke a cool, clear joy. Let it rise to the brow as steady points of light; then sink into the whole body as a vast, stable earth.
Triṣṭubh recitation with standard Vedic accents (udātta/anudātta/svarita) as per śākhā; exact svara requires pada-svara notation not provided.
Lean on udātta peaks in ‘sómena’, ‘ādityā́’, ‘pṛthivī́’, ‘ná kṣatrāṇām’; keep transitions smooth at caesura after each pāda.
Maintain long vowels: somena (o), ādityāḥ (ā…yāḥ), mahī (ī)., Pronounce ṛ in pṛthivī as a syllabic ‘r’ (pṛ-thi-vī)., Keep retroflex ṭ/ḍ absent here; but articulate ṣ in nakṣatrāṇām clearly (kṣ cluster).
Clear, steady, slightly resonant (cool ‘Soma’ tone rather than forceful)
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.
