Rig Veda 9.37.4: Mandala 9, Sukta 37, Mantra 4
Sukta 9.37
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī/Triṣṭubh region
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
स त्रितस्याधि सानवि पवमानो अरोचयत् । जामिभिः सूर्यं सह ॥
sa tritasya adhi sānavi pavamāno arocayat | jāmi-bhiḥ sūryaṃ saha ||
పవమాన సోముడు త్రితస్య సాను (శిఖరం/పర్వతమొచ్చు) పై ప్రకాశాన్ని ప్రజ్వలింపజేశాడు; జామి—స్వజన శక్తులతో—సూర్యుణ్ణి ప్రదర్శించాడు.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स-
- त्रितस्य
- of TritaNoun (proper/name)पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root त्रित (प्रातिपदिक)
- अधि
- upon, overIndeclinable (preverb/preposition)अव्ययम्Role अधिकरण (locative sense with gen./loc.)Root अधि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- सानवि
- on the ridge/summitNounनपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम् (वेदिक रूप: सानवि < सानौ)Role अधिकरणRoot सानु (प्रातिपदिक)
- पवमानः
- purifying, flowing (Soma)Participle (adjectival)पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot पू (धातु) → पवमान (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ/शानच्)
- अरोचयत्
- made shine, illuminedVerbलङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot रुच् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → रोचयति
- जामिभिः
- with kinsmen/companions (kindred ones)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करणRoot जामि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सूर्यम्
- the SunNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- सह
- together withIndeclinableअव्ययम्Role सहकार (association) / करण (with-instrumental sense)Root सह (अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: त्रि॒तस्याधि॒ → त्रितस्य + अधि (vowel coalescence: अ + अ → आ)
- सान॑वि॒ is a Vedic locative singular of सानु ‘ridge’ (classical: सानौ)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Purifying Soma caused a shining forth on the ridge of Trita; with kindred powers he brought the Sun into manifestation.
Inner meaning
In the inner ascent (Trita as a deep/third-state seer-power), Soma’s purification makes a new radiance break out on the ‘ridge’—the summit-line between lower and higher consciousness. With jāmi-bhiḥ, allied kindred powers (harmonious faculties of the being), he brings forth Sūrya: the supramental/true illumination that reveals and orders all.
Universal truth
Purified delight is not merely comfort—it is a catalyst for revelation. When inner powers unite in kinship, truth-illumination rises like a sun over the summit of our evolving consciousness.
Themes
Soma-illumination, Ascent, Solar symbolism, Trita myth-complex
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.37
Significance
Invokes a classic Vedic motif: hidden light released through a deeper seer-state (Trita). The verse points to an initiatory breakthrough rather than routine ritual.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- pavamāna (purifying), illuminator (implicit through arocayat)
- Related deities
- Sūrya (manifested illumination), Indra (mind-force that supports revelation), Agni (will that kindles ascent)
Cosmic role
Revealer who cooperates with solar truth; awakens the sun of consciousness on the summit of the worlds.
Inner power
Ananda as illuminative catalyst—delight that births truth-light when purified and allied with kindred powers.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification hymns; also thematically linked to rites invoking solar revelation
स त्रि॒तस्याधि॒ सान॑वि॒ पव॑मानो अरोचयत् । जा॒मिभि॒: सूर्यं॑ स॒ह ॥
सः । त्रि॒तस्य॑ । अधि॑ । सान॑वि । पव॑मानः । अ॒रो॒च॒य॒त् । जा॒मिऽभिः॑ । सूर्य॑म् । स॒ह ॥
saḥ | tritasya | adhi | sānavi | pavamānaḥ | arocayat | jāmi-bhiḥ | sūryam | saha
Likely Jagatī or Triṣṭubh (Cadence suggests a strong 4-pāda structure)
44
4 pādas × ~11 syllables (Triṣṭubh norm, approximate)
Firm, ascending steps; a ‘ridge-climb’ feel culminating in ‘sūryaṃ saha’.
Supports an inner sense of ascent and breakthrough; ends with a bright opening of awareness.
- Trita
- Literal: ‘the Third’; a Vedic figure/seer. Symbolic: the third state/level of consciousness; deep hidden seeker-power that releases light
- sānavi
- Literal: ridge, summit, back of a mountain. Symbolic: the threshold/summit of ascent where higher light breaks through
- arocayat
- Literal: made to shine, illumined. Symbolic: caused revelation; awakened luminous perception
- jāmibhiḥ
- Literal: with kindred/related ones. Symbolic: harmonized inner faculties; allied powers supporting transformation
- sūryam
- Literal: the Sun. Symbolic: truth-illumination; the revealed conscious light governing the being
Soma pressing and purification; ‘bringing forth the sun’ corresponds to the rite’s inner aim: clarifying mind to receive illumination
During Soma flow/chanting; symbolically at moments of ‘bringing forth’ light in the rite.
Chanted as Soma is clarified and elevated; aligns offering with illumination.
Use when seeking insight or after purification practices; a mantra for ‘bringing the sun out’ in the mind—clarity after confusion.
trita ‘third’ from tri ‘three’ (PIE *tréyes). sānú ‘ridge, summit’ possibly from √san ‘rise/attain’ (semantic: elevated point). arocayat causative of √ruc ‘shine’ (PIE *leuk-). sūrya from √svar/√sūr ‘shine’ (connected to solar radiance). jāmi ‘kinsman, of same stock’ from √jam ‘be born, be related’.
manifestation of Sūrya as Truth-vision, cooperation of inner faculties (jāmi), ascent to higher plane (adhi sānavi)
The sun’s manifestation implies r̥ta’s governance—right order revealed to the mind.
Sūrya is the emblem of satya: self-revealing truth.
Birth of the sun/light from hidden states; recurring Vedic cosmogony of releasing illumination.
Integral Vedantic symbolism: emergence of higher light through purified Ananda and harmonized faculties.
dawn or sunrise (implied by bringing forth the sun)
A breakthrough of higher illumination at the summit of inner ascent, supported by unified powers of the being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The Trita-complex: Soma’s purification awakens light ‘on Trita’s ridge’ and manifests Sūrya with allied powers. Mythically it echoes the recovery/raising of hidden light from the depths; psychologically it is illumination emerging when the ‘third’ depth-principle is activated.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- trita ‘third’ is transparently Indo-European (*tréyes). sūrya belongs to the Indo-Iranian solar lexicon (cf. Avestan hvar ‘sun’ is different; but both reflect inherited solar semantics). √ruc ‘shine’ aligns with PIE *leuk- ‘light’.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi witnesses Soma not merely as an offering but as an inner agent that coordinates ‘kindred’ faculties (jāmi) to produce unified illumination (saha). The relationship is one of inner collaboration: invocation calls the power; the power organizes the practitioner’s parts into solar clarity.
Contemplate a purified joy rising to the ‘ridge’ of awareness; invite the inner sun (truth-light) to appear and organize perception.
Ajñā (sun of insight) supported by Anāhata (Soma-joy) and Sahasrāra as the summit ridge.
Slow inhalation imagining ascent to the ridge; brief pause; exhale imagining the sun expanding through the head and chest.
Illumined quiet—clear seeing without strain.
Chant 7 times at dawn or before study/contemplation; then sit facing light (or a candle) and wait for a ‘sunrise’ of insight.
Keep a gentle rising contour through ‘tritasyādhi sānavi’; brighten on ‘arocayat’; open resonance on ‘sūryaṃ’.
Mark a caesura after arocayat; let ‘jāmibhiḥ … saha’ be chanted as a unified supportive phrase.
tritasyādhi: clear sandhi; do not split -syādhi awkwardly, sānavi: long ā; dental n, arocayat: roll lightly into ‘ro’; keep ‘c’ as palatal ‘ch’ sound in transliteration context (Sanskrit ‘c’), jāmibhiḥ: long ā; aspirate bh; final ḥ audible but soft
Luminous, gently ascending; end with an open, bright tone.
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.
