Rig Veda 9.68.7: Mandala 9, Sukta 68, Mantra 7
Sukta 9.68
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Trishtubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वां मृजन्ति दश योषणः सुतं सोम ऋषिभिर्मतिभिर्धीतिभिर्हितम् । अव्यो वारेभिरुत देवहूतिभिर्नृभिर्यतो वाजमा दर्षि सातये ॥
tvā́ṃ mṛ́janti dáśa yóṣaṇaḥ sutáṃ sóma ṛ́ṣibhir matíbhiḥ dhītíbhiḥ hitám | avyó vā́rebhir utá deváhūtibhir nṛ́bhir yató vājám ā́ dárṣi sātáye ||
ஓ சோமா! உன்னை—சுத (அழுத்திப் பிழிந்த) நிலையில்—பத்து யோஷணைகள் (பத்து கன்னியர்) பரிமார்ஜனம் செய்கின்றனர்; ரிஷிகள் மனத்தாலும் தியான-நிலைத்த சிந்தனையாலும் (மதி, தீதி) உன்னை நிறுவினர். அவி-வார (மயிர்/ஊன் சலனிகள்) மூலமும், தேவஹூதி (தேவ-அழைப்புகள்) மூலமும், மனிதப் பலங்களாலும்—அங்கிருந்து நீ வெளிப்பட்டு, வெற்றிக்காக வாஜ (வலிமை-செல்வம்) நிறைவை வெளிக்காட்டுகிறாய்.
Word by Word
- त्वाम्
- you (as object)Pronounद्वितीया एकवचनRole कर्मRoot त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- मृजन्ति
- they cleanse/purifyVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot मृज् (धातु)
- दश
- tenNumeralअव्ययवत् (संख्याशब्दः), (योषणः इति विशेषणम्)Role विशेषणRoot दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- योषणः
- women; maidensNounप्रथमा बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)Role कर्तृRoot योषणा (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- सुतम्
- pressed; expressedParticiple (past passive)द्वितीया एकवचन (पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सोमम् इति विशेष्ये)Role कर्मRoot सु (धातु) → सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
- सोमम्
- SomaNounद्वितीया एकवचन (पुंलिङ्ग)Role कर्मRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- ऋषिभिः
- with/through seersNounतृतीया बहुवचन (पुंलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
- मतिभिः
- with thoughts; with devotionsNounतृतीया बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot मति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- धीतिभिः
- with insights; with hymnic inspirationsNounतृतीया बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot धीति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- हितम्
- placed; set; depositedParticiple (past passive)द्वितीया एकवचन (पुं/नपुं; सोमम् इति विशेष्ये)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण)Root धा (धातु) → हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
- अव्यः
- the sheep (i.e., the woolen filter)Nounप्रथमा एकवचन (पुंलिङ्ग)Role कर्तृRoot अवि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वारेभिः
- with hairs/wool (strands)Nounतृतीया बहुवचन (नपुंसकलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot वार (नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and; alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चयRoot उत (निपात)
- देवहूतिभिः
- with invocations/calls to the godsNounतृतीया बहुवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot देवहूति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
- नृभिः
- with menNounतृतीया बहुवचन (पुंलिङ्ग)Role करणRoot नृ (पुं-प्रातिपदिक)
- यतः
- from where; whenceIndeclinableअव्यय (सम्बन्ध/अपादानार्थे: ‘from where/whence’)Role अपादान (अर्थतः)Root यतस् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-प्रातिपदिक)
- वाजम्
- prize; strength; (winning) foodNounद्वितीया एकवचन (पुंलिङ्ग)Role कर्मRoot वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
- आ
- towards; forthIndeclinableअव्यय (उपसर्गः)Role प्रवर्तक (क्रियाविशेषण)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- दर्षि
- you see; you appear/come into viewVerbलट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (वैदिक रूप)Role क्रियाRoot दृश् (धातु)
- सातये
- for winning; for gain/victoryNounचतुर्थी एकवचन (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)Role सम्प्रदानRoot साति (स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सन्धिविग्रह): त्वाम् | मृजन्ति | दश | योषणः | सुतम् | सोमम् | ऋषिभिः | मतिभिः | धीतिभिः | हितम् || अव्यः | वारेभिः | उत | देवहूतिभिः | नृभिः | यतः | वाजम् | आ | दर्षि | सातये || प्रमुख-सन्धयः: (1) त्वां→त्वाम् (अनुस्वार/मकारादेशः पदान्ते) (2) सोम ऋषिभिः→सोमम् ऋषिभिः (पदान्त-म्) (3) धीतिभिर्हितम्→धीतिभिः हितम् (र्-आगमः/विसर्गाभावः; पदसंहिता-लेखन) (4) अव्यो वारेभिः→अव्यः वारेभिः (ओ = अः + व्) (5) देवहूतिभिर्नृभिः→देवहूतिभिः नृभिः (र्-आगमः संहितायाम्) (6) वाजमा दर्षि→वाजम् आ दर्षि (मकारः + आ) (7) दर्षि सातये→दर्षि सातये (सन्धिरहितः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Ten maidens cleanse you, O Soma, pressed, set in place by the seers with thoughts and meditations. With woolen sieves and with invocations to the gods, with men—thence you come, showing force/plenty for victory.
Inner meaning
The ‘ten maidens’ are the ten powers of the being (often mapped as ten senses/energies) that participate in purification: they refine Soma (delight) so it can be held in consciousness. The seers establish Soma ‘by thoughts (mati) and steady contemplations (dhīti)’—i.e., by sustained inner attention. The ‘woolen sieves’ (avya vāra) are symbolic filters: discernment and subtle discrimination that strain out mixture. ‘Devahūti’ (callings of the gods) indicates invocation of higher powers; ‘nṛbhiḥ’ (men) indicates the human instruments—will, life-force, embodied effort. From this integrated collaboration, Soma manifests as vāja: plenitude of effective force for the inner conquest.
Universal truth
Spiritual sweetness becomes power only when purified by the full instrumentation of our nature—senses, mind, discernment, and aspiration—so that delight turns into victorious energy rather than fleeting emotion.
Themes
Ten maidens (purifying powers), Mantra-assisted purification, Manifestation of force (vāja), Attainment/winning (sāti)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.68.1-9, Rig Veda 9.79 (pavamāna cleansing motifs), Rig Veda 9.96 (Soma as force for victory)
Significance
The rishi-voice emphasizes collaboration of inner faculties; the ‘ten maidens’ motif is a key psychological hint in Aurobindonian reading—nature’s powers serving the purification of delight.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- suta (pressed), pavamāna (purifying), indu (drop)
- Related deities
- Indra (victory-force), Agni (inner sacrifice leader), Maruts (energies)
Cosmic role
Transforms raw life-essence into divine offering; becomes strength (vāja) for the gods and for human victory.
Inner power
Purified ānanda that empowers will and action, harmonizing human instruments with divine call.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification through the strainer into vessels
त्वां मृ॑जन्ति॒ दश॒ योष॑णः सु॒तं सोम॒ ऋषि॑भिर्म॒तिभि॑र्धी॒तिभि॑र्हि॒तम् । अव्यो॒ वारे॑भिरु॒त दे॒वहू॑तिभि॒र्नृभि॑र्य॒तो वाज॒मा द॑र्षि सा॒तये॑ ॥
त्वाम् । मृ॒ज॒न्ति॒ । दश॑ । योष॑णः । सु॒तम् । सो॒म॒ । ऋषि॑ऽभिः । म॒तिऽभिः॑ । धी॒तिऽभिः॑ । हि॒तम् । अव्यः॑ । वारे॑भिः । उ॒त । दे॒वहू॑तिऽभिः । नृऽभिः॑ । य॒तः । वाज॑म् । आ । द॒र्षि॒ । सा॒तये॑ ॥
tvām | mṛjanti | daśa | yoṣaṇaḥ | sutam | soma | ṛṣi-bhiḥ | mati-bhiḥ | dhīti-bhiḥ | hitam | avyaḥ | vārebhiḥ | uta | devahūti-bhiḥ | nṛ-bhiḥ | yataḥ | vājam | ā | darṣi | sātaye
44
4 × ~11
Firm, processional; suits enumerative imagery (ten maidens, filters, invocations).
Grounding and strengthening—organizes the listener’s energies into a unified purification effort.
- दश योषणः (daśa yoṣaṇaḥ)
- Literal: ten maidens. Symbolic: ten functional powers (senses/energies) that refine experience
- मृजन्ति (mṛjanti)
- Literal: they cleanse/polish. Symbolic: purification and clarification of consciousness
- ऋषिभिः (ṛṣibhiḥ)
- Literal: by seers. Symbolic: illumined faculties guiding the process
- मतिभिः (matibhiḥ)
- Literal: by thoughts/intentions. Symbolic: directed mental formations aligned to truth
- धीतिभिः (dhītibhiḥ)
- Literal: by steady contemplations. Symbolic: sustained insight/meditative holding
- अव्यः वारेभिः (avyaḥ vārebhiḥ)
- Literal: with woolen sieves/filters. Symbolic: subtle discriminations that strain out impurity
- वाजम् (vājam)
- Literal: prize, strength, plenitude. Symbolic: effective spiritual force for inner victory (sātaye)
Describes practical purification (woolen filter) and mantra-work (devahūti). Used while Soma is strained and made ready to yield vāja (power/plenitude) to the sacrificer.
During the pressing/straining sequence; accompaniment to handling of pavitra and kalaśa
Chant while Soma is filtered; supports correctness and consecration of the offering
As a practice for ‘integrating the instruments’: chant before sādhanā, offering senses and mind to be refined; use as a reminder to purify motivation.
yoṣaṇā ‘maiden’ often symbolizes operative energies (including the ten fingers in pressing, or ten streams of purification). √su ‘press’ yields suta ‘expressed essence’. vāra ‘sieve/choice’ relates to √vṛ ‘choose’ (separating the pure). vāja again as ‘force/plenitude’ (not merely food/prize). √dṛś ‘see’ (PIE *derk-) in ā dárṣi: Soma becomes ‘seen’—inner visibility/manifestation.
Vāc and dhīti as instruments for making the divine visible, Purification as discernment (vāra/choice), Vāja as spiritual force for victory (sāti)
Purification is an enactment of ṛta: right ordering of energies.
Victory (sāti) is not conquest but truth’s establishment in the instruments.
Refinement of substance into power—alchemy of consciousness.
Yoga of inner sacrifice (Aurobindo): transformation of senses/energies into divine instruments
Filtering: discriminative refinement; stones: pressure of discipline; maidens: active faculties serving purification.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘ten maidens cleansing Soma’ mythologem: personified purifying energies refine the expressed Soma. Inwardly, multiple faculties (sensory-vital-mental operations) collaborate with seer-thought (mati, dhīti) to make the divine force visible and effective as vāja for attainment.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dṛś ‘see’ corresponds to PIE *derk- (cf. Gk dérkomai). √san ‘win’ has IE parallels in gain/attainment semantics. The repeated instrumental plurals (ṛṣibhiḥ, matibhiḥ, dhītibhiḥ) show the Vedic tendency to encode agency as a coordinated ensemble of powers.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seers do not merely praise; they ‘place’ Soma through matis and dhītis—disciplined thought and contemplation—while invocations (devahūti) call down supporting powers. Soma reciprocates by becoming ‘seen’ (ā dárṣi) as vāja—an embodied force of victory for the seeker.
Offer the ten faculties to purification; let delight become strength for right action.
Maṇipūra (vāja/force) refined through Viśuddha (purity/expression)
Box breathing 4-4-4-4 for 8 rounds to ‘press and filter’ the mind, then chant
Collected force (saṃhati) and purified vitality.
During chanting, scan the senses one by one (hearing, sight, etc.) and inwardly ‘wash’ them; end by feeling a single current of strength rising through the spine.
Follow marked accents (e.g., त्वां मृ॑जन्ति, दश॒, योष॑णः, दे॒वहू॑तिभिः, वाज॒मा). Exact svara contour depends on śākhā.
Keep cadence strong on key nouns (soma, ṛṣibhiḥ, vājam, sātaye).
yoṣaṇaḥ: retroflex ṣ, dhītibhiḥ: long ī in dhī-, devahūtibhiḥ: articulate hū as long ū with aspiration
Firm, steady, purifying—like rhythmic washing.
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