Rig Veda 9.90.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 90, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.90
- Rishi
- Rebha Kāśyapa
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shringara (love) and Adbhuta (wonder)
मत्सि सोम वरुणं मत्सि मित्रं मत्सीन्द्रमिन्दो पवमान विष्णुम् । मत्सि शर्धो मारुतं मत्सि देवान्मत्सि महामिन्द्रमिन्दो मदाय ॥
mátsi soma váruṇaṃ mátsi mitráṃ matsī́ndram indo pavamāna víṣṇum | mátsi śárdho mā́rutaṃ mátsi devā́n mátsi mahā́m índram indo mádāya ||
ஓ சோமா! வருணனுக்குப் மதாக (பரவசம்) ஆகு; மித்ரனுக்குப் மதாக ஆகு; ஓ பவமாந இந்து! இந்திரனுக்கும் விஷ்ணுவுக்கும் மதாக ஆகு. மருத்-சர்தத்திற்கு மதாக ஆகு; தேவர்களுக்கு மதாக ஆகு; ஓ இந்து! தெய்வ மदा (உயர்த்தல்) பொருட்டு மகா-இந்திரனுக்குப் பேரின்பமாக ஆகு.
Word by Word
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated / intoxicate (yourself)!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु) → मत्सि (लोट्/विधिलिङ्-रूप; वैदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (हे सोम)Role सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- वरुणम्
- VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated!Verbलोट्, मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु)
- मित्रम्
- MitraNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated!Verbलोट्, मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु)
- इन्द्रम्
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दो
- O Indu (Soma-drop)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (हे इन्दो)Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवमान
- O Pavamāna (self-purifying Soma)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (हे पवमान)Role सम्बोधनRoot पवमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पू/पु ‘to purify’ → पवमान ‘being purified, flowing clear’)
- विष्णुम्
- ViṣṇuNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated!Verbलोट्, मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु)
- शर्धः
- host / troopNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot शर्धस् (प्रातिपदिक)
- मारुतम्
- Marut-host (belonging to the Maruts)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (शर्धः-विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot मारुत (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated!Verbलोट्, मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु)
- देवान्
- the godsNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-बहुवचनम्Role KarmaRoot देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- मत्सि
- be exhilarated!Verbलोट्, मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्Role (क्रिया)Root मद् (धातु)
- महाम्
- greatAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (इन्द्रम्-विशेषणम्; वैदिक रूप ‘महाम्’)Role KarmaRoot महा (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्द्रम्
- IndraNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role KarmaRoot इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- इन्दो
- O InduNounपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
- मदाय
- for exhilaration / for intoxicationNounपुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-एकवचनम्Role SampradānaRoot मद (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (वैदिक-सन्धि-निरसन): मत्सि | सोम | वरुणम् | मत्सि | मित्रम् | मत्सि | इन्द्रम् | इन्दो | पवमान | विष्णुम् | मत्सि | शर्धः | मारुतम् | मत्सि | देवान् | मत्सि | महाम् | इन्द्रम् | इन्दो | मदाय । मुख्य सन्धयः: (1) ‘मात्सि॑’ इत्यत्र धातु √मद् का वैदिक आज्ञार्थ-रूप ‘मत्सि’ (अन्तःस्थ-त्स्) बारम्बार प्रयुक्त। (2) ‘मात्सीन्द्र॑मिन्दो’ = मत्सि + इन्द्रम् + इन्दो (इ-आदि पदों का संयोग; पदपाठे पृथक्)। (3) ‘दे॒वान्मत्सि’ = देवान् + मत्सि (न् + म् संयोग; पदपाठे देवान् | मत्सि)। (4) ‘म॒हामिन्द्र॑म्’ = महाम् + इन्द्रम् (म् + इ-; पदपाठे पृथक्)। उच्चारण-चिह्न (॑/॒) संहितापाठ के स्वर हैं
- पदपाठ में सामान्यतः हटते/सरल होते हैं।
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma, be the ecstasy for Varuṇa and Mitra; be the intoxication for Indra and for Vishnu. Be the rapture for the Marut host and for the gods; be the great Indra’s delight, O Indu, for intensification (mada).
Inner meaning
Purified Soma becomes a universal delight that can ‘intoxicate’ all the divine powers in us—meaning it heightens and gladdens their action. For Varuṇa it becomes the bliss that supports wideness and law; for Mitra, the joy of harmony and right relations; for Indra, the rapture that sharpens illumination and victorious force; for Vishnu, the delight that enables vast strides of consciousness. For the Maruts (dynamic life-forces), Soma becomes uplifted enthusiasm and coordinated energy. Finally, it is offered as the ‘great Indra’s’ delight—so that the highest illumined mind in us is intensified (mada) into powerful, luminous action. The mantra’s repeated matsi is a sustained insistence: let delight not remain private sensation but become the fuel of all godward functions in the being.
Universal truth
When joy is purified and consecrated, it becomes a universal catalyst: it strengthens order, harmony, illumination, expansive progress, and dynamic energies—turning life into a coordinated divine functioning.
Themes
Soma as universal catalyst, divine ecstasy (mada), integration of devatās, inner intensification
The seer
- Rishi
- Rebha Kāśyapa (traditional hymn attribution)
- Lineage
- Kāśyapa
- Other hymns
- RV 9.90 (hymn-level)
Family tradition
Kāśyapa vision often stresses wideness and universalization; here Soma is made a universal delight for all gods/powers.
Significance
The seer universalizes Soma: delight is not a single experience but an integrative force that energizes every divine faculty—order, harmony, illumination, expansion, and dynamic action.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (Indu as universal delight)
- Epithets
- pavamāna, indu, madāya (for intensification)
- Related deities
- Varuṇa, Mitra, Indra, Vishnu, Maruts
Cosmic role
Nectar that increases the gods; catalyst of expansion, harmony, and victorious illumination.
Inner power
Ānanda as shakti: it intensifies all higher functions and coordinates them into a single godward movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma offering chants addressed to Soma as the gods’ exhilaration
मत्सि॑ सोम॒ वरु॑णं॒ मत्सि॑ मि॒त्रं मत्सीन्द्र॑मिन्दो पवमान॒ विष्णु॑म् । मत्सि॒ शर्धो॒ मारु॑तं॒ मत्सि॑ दे॒वान्मत्सि॑ म॒हामिन्द्र॑मिन्दो॒ मदा॑य ॥
मत्सि॑ । सो॒म॒ । वरु॑णम् । मत्सि॑ । मि॒त्रम् । मत्सि॑ । इन्द्र॑म् । इ॒न्दो॒ इति॑ । प॒व॒मा॒न॒ । विष्णु॑म् । मत्सि॑ । शर्धः॑ । मारु॑तम् । मत्सि॑ । दे॒वान् । मत्सि॑ । म॒हाम् । इन्द्र॑म् । इ॒न्दो॒ इति॑ । मदा॑य ॥
matsi | soma | varuṇam | matsi | mitram | matsi | indram | indo iti | pavamāna | viṣṇum | matsi | śardhaḥ | mārutam | matsi | devān | matsi | mahām | indram | indo iti | madāya
48
4 × 12
Repetitive incantatory drive (matsi…matsi…) within an expansive frame.
Builds a rhythmic ‘wave’ of intensification; naturally induces uplift and devotional energy.
- मत्सि (matsi)
- Literal: become intoxication/rapture. Symbolic: become the intensifying delight that empowers a divine function
- वरुण (varuṇa)
- Literal: deity of vast law. Symbolic: inner wideness, ethical truth, right order (ṛta)
- मित्र (mitra)
- Literal: friend, harmony deity. Symbolic: inner concord, luminous relation, integrative balance
- इन्द्र (indra)
- Literal: lord of power. Symbolic: illumined mind, victorious intelligence
- विष्णु (viṣṇu)
- Literal: all-pervader. Symbolic: expansive consciousness taking ‘wide strides’
- शर्धो मारुतम् (śardho mārutam)
- Literal: Marut host. Symbolic: dynamic life-forces, prāṇic energies disciplined to the divine
- देवान् (devān)
- Literal: the gods. Symbolic: all higher powers/faculties in the being
- मदाय (madāya)
- Literal: for intoxication/intensification. Symbolic: for divine intensification—ecstatic increase of power and light
Pavamāna chant in Soma sacrifice: Soma is consecrated as the exhilarant offered to gods; supports the offering sequence where deities ‘drink’ Soma as power.
During Soma pressing/offerings to multiple deities; suitable where Soma is conceived as universal oblation
Recitation/chant while offering Soma; invoking delight to empower divine functions
Bhakti-infused meditation: offer one’s purified joy to wideness (Varuṇa), harmony (Mitra), illumination (Indra), expansion (Vishnu), and dynamic energies (Maruts).
Core root √mad ‘rejoice, be intoxicated’ (Vedic: ‘become rapture/illumination-delight’). The repeated imperative mátsi is performative: Soma is invoked to become the energizing delight for multiple devatās, indicating Soma as a universal catalyst. Varuṇa (√vṛ ‘cover/encompass’ → vast enclosing law), Mitra (from *mitra ‘contract/friendship’ → harmony), Viṣṇu (√viṣ/√viś ‘pervade’ + -nu) signal a spectrum: law, harmony, expansion—each ‘fed’ by Soma’s mada.
ṛta upheld by Varuṇa and harmonized by Mitra, divine delight (ānanda-like mada) as fuel of action, expansion (Vishnu’s wide stride)
Soma as delight supports ṛta by making truth-order joyful and sustainable.
Mada here is not confusion but truth-intensification—ecstasy that increases clarity and power.
Integration of multiple cosmic powers through a single nectar-force.
Integral synthesis: one force (ānanda) empowers many god-powers in the being.
Nectar = purified delight; intoxication = heightened consciousness-force; many gods = differentiated higher faculties unified by joy.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as the ‘drink of the gods’ that empowers each divine function. The mythic act is not combat but consecration: Soma becomes mada for Varuṇa (law), Mitra (harmony), Indra (force), Vishnu (expansion), and the Maruts (dynamic host), integrating the pantheon as coordinated inner powers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- The key root √mad has Indo-Iranian parallels (Avestan mad- ‘be intoxicated/joyful’), reflecting an inherited sacral lexicon of ‘ecstatic empowerment’. The enumerative parallelism (mátsi… mátsi…) is an archaic Indo-European poetic device (catalogue/epic listing) used here for theological integration.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions Soma as mediator: by invoking Soma’s transformation into mada for each deity, the human sacrifice becomes a means to awaken and coordinate multiple cosmic powers within the seeker. The reciprocity is: the rishi offers speech and pressing; Soma returns energized gods acting favorably in the inner and outer life.
Consecrate joy to the divine functions: wideness, harmony, illumination, expansion, and dynamic energy.
Anāhata (devotional joy) → Sahasrāra/Ājñā (offering to higher powers)
Gentle equal breathing; on inhale feel Soma fill the heart; on exhale ‘offer’ to each deity-quality in sequence (Varuṇa, Mitra, Indra, Vishnu, Maruts).
Ecstatic devotion with luminous steadiness (not emotional turbulence).
Use the repetition ‘matsi’ as a sankalpa: ‘Let this joy become power for truth, harmony, light, wideness, and right action.’ End with silent absorption in ‘madāya’—intensification without ego.
Because of repeated ‘matsi’, keep accents crisp and consistent; follow the saṃhitā svara marks for each occurrence (do not equalize them musically).
Maintain clear separation of deity names (varuṇam, mitram, indram, viṣṇum); avoid merging consonants across words beyond proper sandhi.
matsi: pronounce ts cluster cleanly, not ‘masi’., viṣṇum: retroflex ṣṇ; short u before final m., mārutam: long ā; dental t., madāya: long ā in -dā-, clear ya glide.
Warm, resonant, devotional; let repetition build a steady inner ‘ecstasy’ rather than excitement.
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