Rig Veda 9.65.21: Mandala 9, Sukta 65, Mantra 21
Sukta 9.65
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
इषं तोकाय नो दधदस्मभ्यं सोम विश्वतः । आ पवस्व सहस्रिणम् ॥
íṣaṃ tokā́ya no dádhad asmábhyaṃ soma viśvát aḥ | ā pavasva sahasríṇam ||
మా సంతానానికి పోషణశక్తిని—అవును, మాకూ, అన్ని దిశల నుండీ—స్థాపిస్తూ, ఓ సోమా, మా వైపు పవిత్రమై ప్రవహించు; సహస్రగుణ సమృద్ధిని తీసుకొని రా.
Word by Word
- इषम्
- nourishment, refreshmentNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot इष् (इष्/इषा- प्रातिपदिक ‘इष्’)
- तोकाय
- for (our) offspring/childNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचनRole SampradānaRoot तोक (प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- our / for usPronounषष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic) — ‘of us/our’Role SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- दधत्
- placing, bestowingVerb (participle)वर्तमाने कृदन्तः: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (सम्बोधनार्थे सोमस्य विशेषणम्) — ‘placing/giving’Role KartāRoot धा (धातु)
- अस्मभ्यम्
- to usPronounचतुर्थी विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole SampradānaRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole SambodhanaRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वतः
- from every side, whollyIndeclinableअव्यय — ‘from all sides/altogether’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित/अव्ययीभाव)
- आ
- hither, forthIndeclinableनिपात/उपसर्ग — ‘hither, forth’Role AdhikaraṇaRoot आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- पवस्व
- purify yourself; flow forth (as purified)Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole KartāRoot पू (धातु; Vedic: पवते ‘to purify/flow’)
- सहस्रिणम्
- thousand-fold; rich in thousandsAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (सोमम् विशेषयति) — ‘thousand-fold/possessing thousands’Role KarmaRoot सहस्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (sandhi-resolved): इषम् | तोकाय | नः | दधत् | अस्मभ्यम् | सोम | विश्वतः | आ | पवस्व | सहस्रिणम् । 1) इषं तोकाय → इषम् तोकाय (अनुस्वारस्य परसवर्णः/पदान्त-म्). 2) दधदस्मभ्यम् → दधत् अस्मभ्यम् (पदान्त-द् → त्; तत्पश्चात् स्वरादौ ‘अ’). 3) विश्वत: आ → विश्वतः | आ (विसर्ग/ः पदान्तः; पृथक् निपातः). 4) सहस्रिणम् इति सोमस्य विशेषणम्
- ‘आ पवस्व’ इत्यत्र ‘आ’ उपसर्ग-निपातः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Placing nourishment for our offspring and for us from every side, purify yourself towards us, O Soma, bringing thousandfold abundance.
Inner meaning
Soma is asked to establish iṣa (nourishing force, impulse of growth) for the ‘tokāya’—not only physical progeny but the soul’s ‘offspring’: new formations, works, and states born of sadhana. ‘From every side’ (viśvataḥ) indicates an integral action on all parts of the being. The call ‘ā pavasva’ asks Soma to purify while approaching—bringing sahasriṇam, a plenitude that is vast and manifold: a thousandfold richness of Ananda-power supporting the next stages of becoming.
Universal truth
When delight is purified and made integral, it nourishes the future—our next becoming—and supplies abundant resources from all directions of life.
Themes
benediction, progeny/continuity, plenitude, Soma purification
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.65 (Soma Pavamāna hymn context)
Significance
The seer frames Soma not only as present joy but as the sustainer of the future being (‘tokāya’)—the continuity of inner evolution supported by purified Ananda.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Soma, Pavamāna, Sahasrī (thousandfold)
- Related deities
- Pūṣan (nourishment, thematic), Bhaga (portioning, thematic), Agni (sacrifice leader)
Cosmic role
Giver of nourishment and plenitude; purifier whose flow sustains generations and worlds.
Inner power
Ananda that nourishes new inner births and supplies integral abundance to the whole nature.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and blessing for prosperity/continuity of the sacrificer’s line
इषं॑ तो॒काय॑ नो॒ दध॑द॒स्मभ्यं॑ सोम वि॒श्वत॑: । आ प॑वस्व सह॒स्रिण॑म् ॥
इष॑म् । तो॒काय॑ । नः॒ । दध॑त् । अ॒स्मभ्य॑म् । सो॒म॒ । वि॒श्वतः॑ । आ । प॒व॒स्व॒ । स॒ह॒स्रिण॑म् ॥
iṣam | tokāya | naḥ | dadhat | asmabhyam | soma | viśvataḥ | ā | pavasva | sahasriṇam
48
4×12
Broad, beneficent cadence; suited to nourishment and plenitude imagery.
Soothing and strengthening; evokes a sense of being ‘filled from all sides’.
- iṣam
- Literal: nourishment, refreshment; impulse. Symbolic: growth-force that sustains evolution of consciousness
- tokāya
- Literal: for offspring/children. Symbolic: future formations of the soul: new capacities, works, inner births
- dadhat
- Literal: placing, establishing. Symbolic: making the force steady and operative
- viśvataḥ
- Literal: from all sides. Symbolic: integral action on all parts of nature
- pavasva
- Literal: purify yourself, flow pure. Symbolic: self-clarifying descent of Ananda removing mixture and obscurity
- sahasriṇam
- Literal: thousandfold, abundant. Symbolic: manifold plenitude—richness of joy, force, and light for the path
Blessing for continuity/progeny and universal increase in Soma rite; ‘thousandfold’ as hyperbolic plenitude typical of benedictive verses.
During Pavamāna sequences; also thematically aligned with blessings for progeny and prosperity within the Soma rite
Chanted as Soma is invited to approach purified and bestow nourishment
A mantra for support of long-term aims: health, creativity, projects (‘inner offspring’), and holistic replenishment after stress.
dadhat from √dhā ‘place, set’ (PIE *dʰeh₁- ‘to put’). toka ‘offspring’ (continuity; also ‘lineage’). sahasra ‘thousand’ (PIE *ǵheslo-? numeral etymologies complex; Sanskrit sahasra has Indo-Iranian parallels). viśvataḥ ‘from all sides’ from viśva ‘all’ (PIE *weyḱ-? debated; but ‘all’ lexeme is old).
continuity of being (toka as inner progeny), installation of force (√dhā), plenitude (sahasrin) as fullness of consciousness
‘From every side’ suggests r̥ta as total harmony—no part left unfed or unpurified.
Purification is alignment with truth; abundance follows truth, not desire.
Sustenance of continuity—new births and formations supported by the purified essence.
Integral yoga orientation: nourishment of future becoming through purified delight.
Nourishment = subtle replenishment of prāṇa and clarity; offspring = emergent capacities; thousandfold = manifold richness of inner resources.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Soma as installer of nourishment for ‘offspring’ and as bringer of thousandfold plenitude. Innerly, Soma establishes the force that generates future growth (new inner births) and floods the being universally with abundance of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √dhā ‘to place’ is a strong PIE inheritance (*dʰeh₁-). The verse’s participial construction (dadhat) presents Soma as continuously ‘installing’ the force, emphasizing process over static gift—typical of Vedic verbal dynamism.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi asks Soma to both establish (dadhat) and to flow (pavasva): a twofold action—stable foundation plus dynamic influx. The devatā is invoked as architect of continuity and provider of plenitude.
Receive purified delight as nourishment for present stability and future inner births (creativity, character, realization).
Svādhiṣṭhāna (creative generativity/tokāya) and Anāhata (nourishing warmth)
On inhale: feel Soma approaching (ā pavasva). On exhale: feel nourishment spreading 360° (viśvataḥ).
Replenished, quietly optimistic, steady.
Use when depleted: chant 9 times, then rest attention in the lower abdomen and heart, allowing a gentle ‘thousandfold’ sense of resources—many small supports—rather than one dramatic surge.
Precise svaras require a svara-annotated text; keep disciplined three-tone chanting and preserve compound integrity (viśvataḥ, sahasriṇam).
Let ‘iṣaṃ tokāya’ be tender and steady; emphasize ‘ā pavasva’ as the turning point; broaden tone on ‘sahasriṇam’ to suggest plenitude.
iṣam: retroflex ṣ, tokāya: long ā, dadhat: dental dh, final t crisp, asmabhyam: clear smbhy cluster without extra vowel, viśvataḥ: palatal ś, soft final ḥ, pavasva: v clearly (not b), sahasriṇam: aspirated h, trilled r lightly, retroflex ṇ
Warm, nourishing, inwardly smiling tone (without sentimentality).
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