Rig Veda 10.97.7: Mandala 10, Sukta 97, Mantra 7
Sukta 10.97
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ, with Soma as an inner companion-power
- Chandas
- Jagatī/Anuṣṭubh mixture uncertain
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
अश्वावतीं सोमावतीमूर्जयन्तीमुदोजसम् । आवित्सि सर्वा ओषधीरस्मा अरिष्टतातये ॥
aśvāvatī́ṁ somāvatī́m ūrjáyantīm úd ojasam | ā́vitsi sárvā oṣádhīr asmā́ ariṣṭátātaye ||
అతనికోసం అన్ని ఓషధులను కనుగొనుడి—అశ్వవతీ, సోమవతీ, ఊర్జయంతీ, ఉదోజస్ (బలసంపన్న)—అతడు అరిష్టతా (అఖండ క్షేమం)ను పొందునట్లు.
Word by Word
- अश्वावतीम्
- having horses; horse-possessingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण ओषधीः प्रति)Root अश्वावत् (प्रातिपदिक; अश्व + वत्)
- सोमावतीम्
- having Soma; Soma-possessingAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण ओषधीः प्रति)Root सोमावत् (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + वत्)
- ऊर्जयन्तीम्
- strengthening; nourishingParticiple (present active)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (शतृ-प्रत्ययः: -यन्ती)Role कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण ओषधीः प्रति)Root ऊर्जय् (धातु; ऊर्ज्/ऊर्जा ‘बल/पोषण’ + णिच्), वर्तमान कृदन्त
- उदोजसम्
- with uplifted vigor; possessing high strengthAdjective/Noun-compoundनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole कर्म (विशेषणरूपेण ओषधीः प्रति)Root उद्-ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक; उद् + ओजस्)
- आ
- towards; hitherIndeclinableअव्ययRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- अवित्सि
- you have found; you discoveredVerbलुङ् (अोरिस्ट), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (त्वम्/देवी-सम्बोधन-भावः)Root विद् (धातु ‘जानाति/विन्दति’), लुङ् (आगमयुक्तः) 2 एकवचन; उपसर्गः: आ-
- सर्वाः
- allAdjective (used substantively)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot सर्व (सर्व-)
- ओषधीः
- medicinal plants; herbsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole कर्मRoot ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्मै
- for this (person); to himPronounपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक-प्रयोगे, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अयम्/इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अरिष्टतातये
- for unharmedness; for freedom from injuryNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचनRole सम्प्रदान (प्रयोजन-द्योतनम्)Root अरिष्टताति (प्रातिपदिक; अरिष्ट + ताति ‘अवस्था/भाव’)
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठः: अ॒श्वा॒व॒तीं सो॑माव॒तीमू॒र्जय॑न्ती॒मुदो॑जसम् । आवि॑त्सि॒ सर्वा॒ ओष॑धीर॒स्मा अ॑रि॒ष्टता॑तये ॥ पदच्छेदः (सन्धि-विग्रह): अश्वावतीम् | सोमावतीम् | ऊर्जयन्तीम् | उदोजसम् | आ | अवित्सि | सर्वाः | ओषधीः | अस्मै | अरिष्टतातये । मुख्य-सन्धयः: (1) सोमावतीम् + ऊर्जयन्तीम् → सोमावतीमूर्जयन्तीम् (म् + ऊ → मू)
- (2) ऊर्जयन्तीम् + उदोजसम् → ऊर्जयन्तीमुदोजसम् (म् + उ → मु)
- (3) आ + अवित्सि → आवित्सि (आ + अ → आ)
- (4) ओषधीः + अस्मै → ओषधीर्अस्मै (विसर्ग/रुत्व-प्रकारेण: ईः + अ → ईर् + अ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Seek out all the healing powers for him—those rich in horses (strength), rich in Soma, increasing energy and raising up vigor—so that he attains freedom from harm.
Inner meaning
Call in the complete spectrum of restorative forces: (aśvāvatī) those endowed with ‘horses’—vital energies that can carry the being forward; (somāvatī) those filled with Soma—conscious delight that renews; (ūrjayantī) those that increase ūर्ज—sap and nourishment of life; (ut-ojasam) those that uplift ojas—steady strength. The goal is ariṣṭatāti: an unbroken integrity where no breach remains for disorder to enter.
Universal truth
True healing is multi-dimensional—energy, joy, nourishment, and strength must be restored together to create resilient wholeness.
Themes
integral healing, Soma-delight and strength, unbroken wholeness
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 10.97
Family tradition
Healing hymn stream in RV 10 with close stylistic kinship to Atharvanic therapeutics.
Significance
The seer speaks as a guide of integral restoration—bringing together prāṇa (aśva), ānanda (soma), and ojas (strength) into one cure.
The deity
- Devata
- Oṣadhayaḥ (Healing Powers) with Soma as companion-force
- Epithets
- aśvāvatī (horse-powered), somāvatī (Soma-filled), ūrjayantī (nourishing), ut-ojas (strength-raising)
- Related deities
- Soma, Aśvins, Agni, Maruts (vital forces)
Cosmic role
They are Nature’s intelligent restorers, carrying the Soma principle into embodied life to rebuild vigor and immunity.
Inner power
Replenishment of prāṇa and ānanda leading to resilient ojas; harmonization of life-force and mind’s joy.
In ritual
Where it is used
Therapeutic invocation to ‘collect’ the right herbs/powers for a patient
अ॒श्वा॒व॒तीं सो॑माव॒तीमू॒र्जय॑न्ती॒मुदो॑जसम् । आवि॑त्सि॒ सर्वा॒ ओष॑धीर॒स्मा अ॑रि॒ष्टता॑तये ॥
अ॒श्व॒ऽव॒तीम् । स॒म॒ऽव॒तीम् । ऊ॒र्जय॑न्तीम् । उत्ऽओ॑जसम् । आ । अ॒वि॒त्सि॒ । सर्वाः॑ । ओष॑धीः । अ॒स्मै । अ॒रि॒ष्टऽता॑तये ॥
aśva-vatīm | sama-vatīm | ūrjayantīm | ut-ojasam | ā | avitsi | sarvāḥ | oṣadhīḥ | asmai | ariṣṭa-tātaye
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Often felt as 4 pādas of ~12 syllables (with textual/melodic variations)
Longer breath-line; expansive and enumerative, suitable for ‘calling in’ many powers.
Builds a cumulative surge—each epithet adds a layer of force, ending in a seal of wholeness.
- अश्ववतीम् (aśvavatīm)
- Literal: possessing horses. Symbolic: endowed with vital force and effective movement of prāṇa
- सोमवतीम् (somavatīm)
- Literal: possessing Soma. Symbolic: filled with delight/nectar of consciousness that rejuvenates
- ऊर्जयन्तीम् (ūrjayantīm)
- Literal: increasing nourishment/sap. Symbolic: building life-substance, steady vitality, restorative assimilation
- उदोजसम् (udójasam / ut-ojasam)
- Literal: raising strength. Symbolic: uplifting ojas—stable luminous vigor, immunity-like resilience
- अरिष्टतातये (ariṣṭatātaye)
- Literal: for non-injury/undecay. Symbolic: for inviolable wholeness; protected integration of being
Therapeutic invocation; calling a full spectrum of remedies for protection and recovery.
When selecting/combining remedies; before administration; also as protective prayer
Summoning and assembling oṣadhis with specified qualities (force, Soma, nourishment, strength)
Use as an affirmation sequence: energize (aśva) → delight (soma) → nourishment (ūrj) → strength (ojas) → wholeness (ariṣṭatāti).
aśva-vat: possessive -vat ‘having’; soma-vat similarly. ūrj: ‘sap, vigor’ from √ūrj/urj ‘to be strong, nourish’. ojas: ‘vital might’ (often concentrated energy). ariṣṭa: ‘unharmed’ (a- + riṣ ‘to injure’), tātí ‘extension/state’ → condition of intactness.
ojas (strength), ūrj (nourishing energy), wholeness as ṛta in the body
Ariṣṭatāti is ṛta embodied—no gaps in the order of the being.
Healing aligns the body-life with its truth-pattern.
Soma as immortal principle feeding mortal forms; renewal as continual ‘re-creation’.
Integral Yoga reading: health as alignment of prāṇa, ānanda, and ojas under conscious will.
Horses = dynamic prāṇa; Soma = delight-nectar; sap = assimilative vitality; ojas = stable luminous strength.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘quest for the total remedy’: the seer commands the discovery of ‘all’ oṣadhīs characterized by force and Soma-essence, so the seeker regains ariṣṭatāti—mythically, the reintegration of the fragmented being into intact wholeness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- ojas (strength) is Indo-Iranian; while direct PIE mapping is debated, the semantic field ‘vigor/power’ is an inherited poetic domain. The privative formation ariṣṭa (a- + √riṣ injure) reflects a common Indo-European strategy of negation to mark auspicious states (‘un-harmed’).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely praise; he directs the divine agencies into application (‘ā avitsi’). The devatā are instruments of transformation: they bring force (aśva), delight-essence (Soma), nourishment (ūrj), and uplifted strength (ojas) to establish lasting intactness.
Sequential restoration: prāṇa → ānanda → nourishment → ojas → inviolable wholeness.
manipura (ojas/tejas support)
moderate
Expansive replenishment; felt fullness and resilience.
On each epithet, inhale as if drawing that quality in; brief hold to ‘assimilate’; exhale into the whole body. End by resting in the sense of ariṣṭatāti—no breach, no fear.
Maintain Vedic udatta/anudatta distinctions; longer meter invites smoother svarita glides.
Let the epithets (aśvāvatīm, somāvatīm, ūrjayantīm, ut-ojasam) each receive clear articulation as a ‘step’ in the build-up.
aśvāvatīm: long ā; śv conjunct, somāvatīm: long ā, ūrjayantīm: long ū; rj cluster, ariṣṭatātaye: retroflex ṣṭ; long ā in -tāt-
Nourishing, expansive; slightly uplift on ut-ojasam; settle calmly on ariṣṭatātaye.
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