Rig Veda 9.14.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 14, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.14
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shringara (love)
आदस्य शुष्मिणो रसे विश्वे देवा अमत्सत । यदी गोभिर्वसायते ॥
ā́d asya śuṣmíṇo rásé víśve devā́ amatsata | yadī́ góbhir vasā́yate ||
अथास्य शुष्मिणो रसे विश्वे देवाः प्रमोदन्ते, यदा गोभिः—रश्मिभिः—वसायते, दीप्तं वासो धारयति च।
Word by Word
- आत्
- from that; thereforeIndeclinableअव्यय (निपात), ‘तस्मात्/अतः’ अर्थेRole ApādānaRoot आ (उपसर्ग) + त् (निपात/अव्यय-प्रत्यय) → आत्
- अस्य
- of this (one)Pronounपुं/नपुं, षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive relation)Root इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → अस्य
- शुष्मिणः
- of the mighty/forcefulAdjectiveपुं, षष्ठी एकवचनRole Sambandha (Genitive relation)Root शुष्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘शुष्म’ = बल/तेज) अथवा शुष्म + इन्
- रसे
- in/at the juice; in the sap (Soma-रस)Nounपुं, सप्तमी एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot रस (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वे
- allAdjectiveपुं, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवाः
- the godsNounपुं, प्रथमा बहुवचनRole KartāRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- अमत्सत
- rejoiced; became exhilaratedVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot मद् (धातु; ‘हर्षे/मदे’) + अ (अग्म) → अमत्सत
- यदा
- whenIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययRole AdhikaraṇaRoot यदा (अव्यय)
- ईम्
- indeed; him/it (emphatic particle)Indeclinableअव्यय-निपात (प्रायः ‘एव/इमम्’ बलार्थक/अन्वर्थक)Root ईम् (निपात; एनम्/इमम्-प्रयोगः, वैदिक)
- गोभिः
- with cows; with kineNounस्त्री (वैदिके पुं/स्त्री-उभय), तृतीया बहुवचनRole KaraṇaRoot गो (प्रातिपदिक)
- वसायते
- clothes/arrays (himself); is adornedVerbलट्, आत्मनेपद, 3 पुरुष, एकवचनRole KriyāRoot वस् (धातु; ‘आच्छादने/वसने’) → वसायते
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: आत् | अस्य | शुष्मिणः | रसे | विश्वे | देवाः | अमत्सत | यदा | ईम् | गोभिः | वसायते । 1) ‘आद॑स्य’ = ‘आत् अस्य’ (त् + अ → द्, वैदिक-सन्धि/संहितापाठ-रूप)
- 2) ‘शु॒ष्मिणो॒ रसे॒’ = ‘शुष्मिणः रसे’ (विसर्गस्य ओ-आदेशः रकारादौ; वैदिक संहिता-रूप)
- 3) ‘यदी॒’ = ‘यदा ईम्’ (अ + ई → ई, संधि; संहितायां दीर्घीकरण)
- 4) ‘गोभि॑र्वसा॒यते’ = ‘गोभिः वसायते’ (विसर्ग-लोप/रुत्व-प्रभावः, संहिता-रूप)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Then all the gods rejoice in the sap of this powerful one, when he is clothed with the cows and is vested.
Inner meaning
When Soma’s puissant essence (śuṣmiṇaḥ rasa) is fully expressed, all the divine powers in us (viśve devāḥ) delight—because the Soma is ‘clothed with the cows’ (gobhiḥ): invested with rays of illumination/knowings that give form and clarity to bliss. Delight and light unite; bliss becomes luminous, and the whole being participates.
Universal truth
Joy becomes transformative when it is illumined by knowledge; then every higher faculty in us consents and rejoices.
Themes
Delight of the gods, Illumination, Soma as essence, Unity of powers
The seer
Significance
The seer indicates a hallmark of integral realization: ananda must be ‘clothed’ in illumination (go) so that all divine powers can harmonize in it—ecstasy without light is unstable; light without bliss is dry.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Śuṣmin (puissant), Rasavant (full of essence), Go-vāsita (clothed with rays)
- Related deities
- Viśve Devāḥ, Indra (illumined mind), Sūrya (light/rays)
Cosmic role
Nourisher of the gods; the essence that makes divine powers glad and effective.
Inner power
Luminous ananda—bliss that carries knowledge-rays and thereby integrates the whole nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-pavamāna recitation during offering; associated with delighting the gods through Soma
आद॑स्य शु॒ष्मिणो॒ रसे॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वा अ॑मत्सत । यदी॒ गोभि॑र्वसा॒यते॑ ॥
आत् । अ॒स्य॒ । शु॒ष्मिणः॑ । रसे॑ । विश्वे॑ । दे॒वाः । अ॒म॒त्स॒त॒ । यदि॑ । गोभिः॑ । व॒सा॒यते॑ ॥
āt | asya | śuṣmiṇaḥ | rase | viśve | devāḥ | amatsata | yadi | gobhiḥ | vasāyate
24
3×8 syllables
Celebratory and bright; the second pāda opens into a collective joy.
Invokes gladness and harmony; stabilizes uplift by linking bliss (rasa) with light (go).
- śuṣmiṇaḥ
- Literal: of the powerful, forceful. Symbolic: spiritual potency; intensified conscious energy
- rasa
- Literal: sap, essence, taste. Symbolic: essential delight-substance of experience (ānanda)
- viśve devāḥ
- Literal: all the gods. Symbolic: the totality of higher powers/faculties awakened in the being
- amatstata
- Literal: they rejoiced, took delight. Symbolic: harmonious participation; consent of the divine parts
- gobhiḥ
- Literal: with cows. Symbolic: with rays of light/knowledge; illuminations that ‘feed’ consciousness
- vasāyate
- Literal: is clothed/covered, puts on a garment. Symbolic: bliss taking a luminous form; embodiment of delight in clarified mind-life
Soma as delight of the gods; in ritual, gods ‘drink’ Soma; inwardly, all powers of the being are gladdened by clarified rasa.
At moments of offering/celebration of Soma’s clarified essence
Chant as Soma is presented; affirm that the offering gladdens the gods
For cultivating ‘luminous joy’: chant when joy arises, and consciously add clarity/understanding so it becomes steady and integrative.
śuṣma: ‘strength, vehemence’ (possibly from √śvas/√śuṣ ‘to swell/expand, be strong’ in Vedic semantic range). rasa: ‘sap, essence’ from √ras ‘taste/enjoy’ → essence of delight. mats: √mad ‘to be exhilarated’ → amatsata ‘they rejoiced’. go: polysemous ‘cow’ and ‘ray/light’ (root √gā ‘to go’ also supports ‘that which moves’, i.e., rays); symbolic reading justified by frequent RV usage ‘gāvaḥ’ as lights recovered.
ānanda/delight as divine essence (rasa), integration of powers (viśve devāḥ), knowledge-light as vesture (go)
When bliss is illumined, the devas align—this is ṛta as harmonious functioning of powers.
Illumined bliss supports satya by preventing self-deception and vital intoxication.
Worlds are upheld when essence (rasa) is clothed in light (go) and shared among the gods.
Aurobindonian synthesis: ananda + illumination yields integral harmony of the god-powers.
morning (suggested by rays/illumination)
Rasa = felt joy in the heart-body; go = clear perceptions/insights; vesture = stable mental-vital form that can hold the joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The gods’ exhilaration by Soma’s rasa. Mythically: the divine feast; psychologically: when consciousness is clothed with rays of knowledge, all inner powers rejoice in the essence of delight.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mad ‘be glad/intoxicated’ (PIE *med- ‘measure/appropriate’ has debated links; but Indo-Iranian √mad is central for exhilaration). √ras ‘taste’ relates to experiential ‘sap’ language common across IE poetics (essence as taste).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi presents Soma as the condition for divine harmony: Soma’s luminous clothing (gobhiḥ) enables the gods—inner powers—to consent joyfully. The seer’s aim is an integral gladness grounded in knowledge-light, not mere sensory intoxication.
Invite joy (rasa) to rise; then call in clarity (go) by asking, ‘What is the truth this joy wants to reveal?’
Anāhata (rasa/joy) illuminated by Ājñā (go/clarity)
Slow coherent breathing (5–6 breaths/min). On inhale: receive ‘go’ (light). On exhale: spread ‘rasa’ (joy).
Luminous gladness; integrated sattva with sweetness.
After chanting, practice 2 minutes of ‘luminous gratitude’: feel joy in the chest, visualize it wearing a mantle of golden rays around the head and shoulders.
Accents marked (e.g., आद॑, शु॒ष्मिणो॒, रसे॒, विश्वे॑, गोभि॑:); full svara melody depends on śākhā.
Open the tone on ‘rase’; brighten on ‘viśve devāḥ’; give a clear lift on ‘gobhiḥ’; let ‘vasāyate’ be smooth and ‘clothing-like’.
ād: long ā; do not shorten, śuṣmiṇaḥ: retroflex ṣ; ‘mi’ light, rase: dental ‘s’ (not ‘sh’), viśve: ‘śv’ cluster clear, gobhiḥ: aspirate ‘bh’; visarga soft, vasāyate: long ā; ‘ya’ distinct
Warm, luminous, celebratory without shouting.
21
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.
