Rig Veda 9.101.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 101, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.101
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
सुतासो मधुमत्तमाः सोमा इन्द्राय मन्दिनः । पवित्रवन्तो अक्षरन्देवान्गच्छन्तु वो मदाः ॥
sutā́so mádhumattamāḥ sómā índrāya mándinaḥ | pavítravanto akṣaran devā́n gacchantu vo mádāḥ ||
பிழிந்த சோமங்கள், இனிமையில் மிகச் செழுமையானவை, இந்திரனுக்கு மகிழ்வூட்டுவன—பவித்ரம் (வடிகட்டி) உடன் ஓடட்டும்; உங்கள் மது (பரமானந்தம்/உல்லாசம்) தேவர்களிடம் செல்வதாக.
Word by Word
- सुतासः
- the pressed (Soma-drops)Noun (used adjectivally)पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सुत (√सु ‘to press, extract’ > past passive participle ‘pressed’)
- मधुमत्तमाः
- most honeyed / sweetestAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मधुमत् (मधु + मतुप्) + तमप्
- सोमाः
- Soma (juices)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot सोम
- इन्द्राय
- for IndraNoun (proper)पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी; एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot इन्द्र
- मन्दिनः
- gladdening / exhilaratingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मन्दिन् (from √मन्द् ‘to rejoice, be exhilarated’)
- पवित्रवन्तः
- having the filter (i.e., passing through the strainer)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot पवित्रवत् (पवित्र + मतुप् ‘possessing a filter/strainer’)
- अक्षरन्
- (they) streamed / flowedVerbलुङ् (aorist, injunctive/augmentless); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot √क्षर् ‘to flow, stream’
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot देव
- गच्छन्तु
- let (them) go / may (they) goVerbलोट् (imperative); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचनRoot √गम् ‘to go’
- वः
- of you / yourPronounषष्ठी (enclitic genitive); बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot युष्मद्
- मदाः
- exhilarations / intoxicating draughtsNounपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot मद (from √मद् ‘to be exhilarated, intoxicated’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सुतासः मधुमत्तमाः सोमाः इन्द्राय मन्दिनः । पवित्रवन्तः अक्षरन् देवान् गच्छन्तु वः मदाः ॥ 1) अक्षरन् + देवान् → अक्षरन्देवान् (नकार-संधि/व्यञ्जन-संधि: final -न् before initial द-)
- 2) गच्छन्तु + वः → गच्छन्तु वोः (उ/ओ-गुण: final -उ before व- gives -ओ; written as ‘वो’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Pressed Somās, richest in sweetness, gladdening for Indra, flow with the purifier; may your ecstasies go to the gods.
Inner meaning
When Soma is well-pressed, it becomes the most honeyed delight (madhumattama), and it naturally gladdens Indra—the illumined mind-power—so that illumination can act. Flowing through the purifier (pavitra), these clarified raptures (madāḥ) rise as offerings to the higher powers (devāḥ), i.e., the divine faculties in the being.
Universal truth
Purified joy, sweetened by sincerity and clarity, strengthens the power of illumination and becomes an offering that elevates all higher capacities of life.
Themes
Offering, Sweet Soma, Indra empowerment, Purified ecstasy
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.101.1-3
Significance
Shows the completion of the inner process: purified delight becomes a conscious offering that strengthens illumination (Indra) and nourishes the whole divine economy of the being.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (with Indra as chief recipient among the gods)
- Epithets
- madhumattama (most honeyed), mandin (gladdening), pavitravant (filter-possessing/purified)
- Related deities
- Indra, Agni, Viśve Devāḥ
Cosmic role
Carries the offering to the gods; energizes Indra for victory; distributes delight as a sustaining food of the higher powers.
Inner power
Ananda that, once purified, becomes supportive ecstasy—clarity without intoxication of ignorance; strength for illumination.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma libation after purification; dedication to Indra and the gods
सु॒तासो॒ मधु॑मत्तमा॒: सोमा॒ इन्द्रा॑य म॒न्दिन॑: । प॒वित्र॑वन्तो अक्षरन्दे॒वान्ग॑च्छन्तु वो॒ मदा॑: ॥
सु॒तासः॑ । मधु॑मत्ऽतमाः । सोमाः॑ । इन्द्रा॑य । म॒न्दिनः॑ । प॒वित्र॑ऽवन्तः । अ॒क्ष॒र॒न् । दे॒वान् । ग॒च्छ॒न्तु॒ । वः॒ । मदाः॑ ॥
sutāsaḥ | madhumat-tamāḥ | somāḥ | indrāya | mandinaḥ | pavitra-vantaḥ | akṣaran | devān | gacchantu | vaḥ | madāḥ
Celebratory flow with a benedictive ending (‘gacchantu’).
Invokes sweetness and uplift; leaves the mind turned upward in offering.
- सुतासः (sutāsaḥ)
- Literal: pressed (Somas). Symbolic: joy extracted by practice and self-offering
- मधुमत्तमाः (madhumattamāḥ)
- Literal: most honeyed/sweetest. Symbolic: deepest, most nourishing Ananda
- इन्द्राय (indrāya)
- Literal: for Indra. Symbolic: for the illumined mind; the power that breaks obstruction
- मन्दिनः (mandinaḥ)
- Literal: gladdening, exhilarating. Symbolic: that which gives luminous strength and courage
- पवित्रवन्तः (pavitravantaḥ)
- Literal: possessing the purifier/with the filter. Symbolic: clarified by discrimination; refined delight
- मदाः (madāḥ)
- Literal: intoxications/ecstasies. Symbolic: uplifted raptures that carry consciousness upward
- देवान् गच्छन्तु (devān gacchantu)
- Literal: may they go to the gods. Symbolic: may these energies feed the divine functions—light, will, harmony, wideness
Standard Soma offering logic: purified Soma is directed to Indra and the gods; used in Soma sacrifice sequences where Soma ‘flows’ through the strainer and is offered to deities.
At offering moments when Soma is ready and flowing through the pavitra
Recitation accompanying the flow and offering; blessing that the Soma-raptures reach the gods
A gratitude-and-offering mantra after meditation: offer the gained peace/joy to one’s highest ideals and to the welfare of all.
madhu ‘honey/sweet’ (delight; √mad ‘exhilarate’ nearby semantic); mandin- from √mand ‘gladden/exhilarate’; √kṣar ‘flow’ in akṣaran; deva- ‘shining one’ from √div ‘shine’; pavitra as before from √pū.
Ananda (madhu, mada), Ascent of offerings to higher powers (devān gacchantu), Indra as victorious illumined force
The ‘going to the gods’ is the vertical exchange that maintains ṛta between human and divine levels of consciousness.
Pavitra indicates discernment: delight becomes truthful, not sensational.
Ascent of refined energies to higher planes; descent of strengthened powers in return (implied).
Integral Vedantic psychology: Ananda as a mediator between mind (Indra) and divine powers.
Honey = nourishing joy; filter = discrimination; flow = unobstructed movement of consciousness; gods = higher faculties.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ascent of the offering: Soma’s ‘ecstasies’ are sent to the gods, especially to Indra who embodies victorious force. Innerly, clarified delight rises to and feeds the higher faculties, strengthening the Indra-power to conquer limitation.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- deva- from √div ‘shine’ matches IE ‘sky/shining’ semantics (Latin deus, Old Irish día). Indra is Indo-Iranian-specific as a theonym, but the offering-to-gods formulaic structure parallels IE hymn traditions (recipient dative + offering verb).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer directs the inner product of practice—purified rapture (madāḥ)—toward the divine powers. The relationship is transactional in the deeper sense: the human refines delight through pavitra, and the gods receive it as strength to act back upon the human field.
Rest in a sweet, clear joy; then deliberately ‘offer’ it upward—intend that this joy strengthen clarity (Indra) and all higher movements in you.
Anāhata (sweet joy) rising to Ājñā (illumined mind)
Slow breathing with a soft upward attention on exhale (offering), and a quiet receiving on inhale (grace).
Quiet bliss with consecration; uplifted clarity.
After any inner gain, avoid possessiveness. Mentally dedicate the ‘madāḥ’ to the Divine—let joy become fuel for truth, courage, and service.
Not fully determinable from the provided text; chant with a gentle celebratory rise on ‘madhumattamāḥ’ and a benedictive softness on ‘devān gacchantu’.
Keep ‘pavitravanto akṣaran’ flowing without harsh breaks; give a clear pause before the final blessing phrase.
sutāso: long ‘ā’, madhumattamāḥ: ‘dh’ aspirate; double ‘tt’ crisp; final ‘āḥ’ long with visarga, akṣaran: ‘kṣ’ cluster clear, gacchantu: ‘cch’ aspirated cluster
Warm, smooth, devotional; avoid nasal strain.
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