Rig Veda 8.91.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 91, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.91
- Devata
- Soma with Indra/guest motif in background
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Hasya (mirth)
असौ य एषि वीरको गृहंगृहं विचाकशद् । इमं जम्भसुतं पिब धानावन्तं करम्भिणमपूपवन्तमुक्थिनम् ॥
asáu yá éṣi vīráko gṛháṃgṛhaṃ vicā́kaśat | imáṃ jámbhasutaṃ piba dhānā́vantaṃ karambhíṇam apū́pavantaṃ ukthínam ||
असौ य एषि वीरकः गृहं गृहं विचाकशत्—हे (इन्द्र), इमं जम्भसुतं पिब; धानावन्तं करम्भिणम्, अपूपवन्तम्, उक्थिनम्। परिभ्रमद् बलम् अनेन सुसंस्कृतेन साररसेन तृप्यतु।
Word by Word
- असौ
- that (he), yonder onePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- यः
- whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- एषि
- you go/comeVerbलट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया) —Root इ (धातु)
- वीरकः
- the little hero / brave oneNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role KartāRoot वीरक (प्रातिपदिक; ‘वीर’ + क)
- गृहम्
- houseNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
- गृहम्
- (each) houseNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
- विचाकशत्
- he appeared conspicuous / shone forthVerbलङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया) —Root चकाश्/कश् (धातु; ‘to shine/appear, be conspicuous’) + वि-
- इमम्
- thisPronounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- जम्भसुतम्
- Jambha’s son (epithet)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot जम्भसुत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘जम्भ’ + ‘सुत’)
- पिब
- drinkVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया) —Root पा (धातु)
- धानावन्तम्
- having grain / rich in grainAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot धानावत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘धान’ + वत्)
- करम्भिणम्
- with karambha (barley-mixture)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot करम्भिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अपूपवन्तम्
- having cakes (apūpa)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot अपूपवत् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘अपूप’ + वत्)
- उक्थिनम्
- praise-worthy / accompanied by hymnsAdjective/Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot उक्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): असौ | यः | एषि | वीरकः | गृहम् गृहम् | विचाकशत् | इमम् | जम्भसुतम् | पिब | धानावन्तम् | करम्भिणम् | अपूपवन्तम् | उक्थिनम् । 1) गृ॒हंगृ॑हम् → गृहम् गृहम् (अनुप्रास/पुनरुक्ति; अन्त्य -म् + आरम्भ ग-)
- 2) कर॒म्भिण॑मपू॒पव॑न्तम् → करम्भिणम् अपूपवन्तम् (अन्त्य -म् + आरम्भ अ-; पदसंयोगे सन्धिलोपः/पदपाठ-भेदः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
A bold visitor goes from house to house making himself known; he is invited to drink the pressed Soma, rich with grains, mixture, cakes, and hymns.
Inner meaning
The ‘visitor’ (vīraka) is a dynamic arriving power—often Indra as the guest, but psychologically the visiting divine force that moves through all ‘houses’ (gṛhaṃ-gṛham): the many parts of our nature (mind, life, body; and their sub-centers). It must be recognized everywhere (‘vicākaśat’). The Soma ‘from the jaws’ (jambhasuta) points to the crushing/pressing: the disciplined transformation of raw experience into refined delight. Mixed with grains/cakes/hymn-power signifies that delight is supported by nourishment (stable energies), offering (apūpa), and mantra (uktha)—so the visiting force can assimilate it and act in us.
Universal truth
Higher help must be welcomed in every compartment of life; when experience is consciously ‘pressed’ into refined delight and supported by right nourishment and mantra, the divine force can fully enter and work.
Themes
Soma offering, Guest-invitation, Nourishment + mantra synergy
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.91.1
Family tradition
Soma-guest motifs are common in Kāṇva and broader RV traditions; the verse dramatizes hospitality as inner receptivity.
Significance
The seer teaches integral reception: the divine guest must be acknowledged in every ‘house’ of the being and fed with refined delight supported by mantra and right substance.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma (offering) with Indra/Divine Guest motif
- Epithets
- vīraka (bold guest), ukthina (hymn-empowered Soma)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni (host/ritual fire), Bṛhaspati (word-power)
Cosmic role
Soma as the nourishing delight offered to the gods; Indra/guest as the power that comes to partake and then act for victory.
Inner power
Assimilative divine presence moving through all parts; Soma as refined joy that fuels transformative action.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering to the visiting deity (atithi) in Soma rites; invitational drinking formula.
अ॒सौ य एषि॑ वीर॒को गृ॒हंगृ॑हं वि॒चाक॑शद् । इ॒मं जम्भ॑सुतं पिब धा॒नाव॑न्तं कर॒म्भिण॑मपू॒पव॑न्तमु॒क्थिन॑म् ॥
अ॒सौ । यः । एषि॑ । वी॒र॒कः । गृ॒हम्ऽगृ॑हम् । वि॒ऽचाक॑शत् । इ॒मम् । जम्भ॑ऽसुतम् । पि॒ब॒ । धा॒नाऽव॑न्तम् । क॒र॒म्भिण॑म् । अ॒पू॒पऽव॑न्तम् । उ॒क्थिन॑म् ॥
asau | yaḥ | eṣi | vīrakaḥ | gṛham-gṛham | vi-cākaśat | imam | jambha-sutam | piba | dhānāvantam | karambhiṇam | apūpa-vantam | ukthinam
24
3 × ~8 syllables
Invitational, quick, hospitable; lists offerings in a rhythmic catalog.
Creates a feeling of welcome and readiness; helps the practitioner ‘open all rooms’ inwardly to receive higher force.
- वीरकः (vīrakaḥ)
- Literal: little hero, bold one, visitor. Symbolic: arriving divine force/heroic power that moves through the being
- गृहम्-गृहम् (gṛhaṃ-gṛham)
- Literal: house to house. Symbolic: all parts/levels of the nature; every life-domain
- विचाकशत् (vicākaśat)
- Literal: makes known, shines forth, becomes visible. Symbolic: recognition and conscious reception of the divine presence
- जम्भसुत (jambhasuta)
- Literal: pressed from the jaws/teeth (crushing). Symbolic: delight extracted by tapas—pressure that refines experience
- धानावन्त (dhānāvanta)
- Literal: rich in grains. Symbolic: stable vital substance; grounded energy supporting the work
- करम्भिण (karambhiṇa)
- Literal: mixed food/porridge mixture. Symbolic: integration—blend of life energies into a harmonious offering
- अपूपवन्त (apūpavant)
- Literal: with cakes. Symbolic: sweet offering; consecrated enjoyment
- उक्थिन (ukthina)
- Literal: with hymn-power. Symbolic: mantric vibration that carries the offering to the gods
Hospitality/guest imagery in Soma context: inviting the power (Indra/associated force) to drink Soma with accompaniments during offering.
At points of Soma offering where the deity is invited to drink; also in household-style devotional recitation as ‘welcoming the divine’.
Invitation (piba) to drink the prepared Soma with adjunct offerings and hymn.
A mantra for ‘inviting presence’: before meditation, mentally go through your life-domains and invite the higher force to enter each, supported by breath, mantra, and a calm, nourished body.
vi-cākāś from √kāś ‘shine’ → the visiting force becomes manifest. jambha ‘jaw’ suggests crushing/pressing; psychologically, the ‘pressing’ is the intense working over of experience to extract soma (delight). uktha ‘hymn’ links nourishment with speech-power: food and word converge as supports of inner transformation.
Extraction of essence through pressure (inner suṣoma), Speech-force (uktha) as nourishment
Going ‘house to house’ suggests establishing right order in all compartments; yajña integrates them into a single offering.
Recognition (vicākaśat) is truth-seeing: naming and acknowledging the divine movement rather than unconscious living.
Transformation of raw substance into refined delight through pressure; integration of parts into a unified field.
Integral yoga reading: the ‘houses’ are sub-selves; Soma is ananda refined; mantra (uktha) is a force of consciousness.
House = body-mind-life compartments; food offerings = stable energies and sweetened enjoyment; pressing = tapas that extracts essence from experience.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘wandering guest who drinks Soma’: the deity/power moves from house to house and is invited to partake. Inner sense: the divine force visits multiple parts of the being; the practitioner offers extracted delight (soma) with nourishment and hymn-force to stabilize and integrate that visiting power.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √pā ‘drink’ is broadly IE (cf. Latin pōtāre, ‘potable’). The distributive reduplication gṛhaṃ-gṛham parallels IE poetic repetition for intensity/distribution. √kāś ‘shine’ expresses a common IE motif of manifestation as shining.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi performs hospitality: he offers soma plus supportive ‘foods’ and uktha. The Devata reciprocates by becoming ‘vicākaśat’—manifest—within the houses (levels) of the being, accepting integration through delight and mantra.
Welcome the divine force into every ‘house’ of the being; refine experience into Soma-like delight and offer it upward.
Anahata (hospitality/receiving) with Svadhisthana (rasa)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 while mentally visiting ‘house to house’ (work, relationships, body, speech) and inviting presence.
Open, friendly receptivity; integrated readiness.
Before chanting, consciously ‘tidy’ the inner houses: relax jaw/shoulders, soften breath, release one worry. Then chant and imagine the guest-force drinking the refined essence and spreading strength through all domains.
Light, even three-tone delivery; treat ‘piba’ as the energetic peak of the verse.
Clear emphasis on: vīrako, gṛhaṃ-gṛham, vicākaśat, piba, jambhasutam, ukthinam.
gṛhaṃ-gṛham: vocalic ṛ; keep nasal ‘ṃ’, vicākaśat: ‘ś’ palatal; not ‘s’, jambhasutam: ‘jambha’ with clear ‘mbh’ cluster, apūpavantam: long ū and nasal ‘ntam’
Inviting, clear, slightly smiling tone; articulate the list of offerings distinctly.
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