Rig Veda 9.87.9: Mandala 9, Sukta 87, Mantra 9
Sukta 9.87
उत स्म राशिं परि यासि गोनामिन्द्रेण सोम सरथं पुनानः । पूर्वीरिषो बृहतीर्जीरदानो शिक्षा शचीवस्तव ता उपष्टुत् ॥
utá smā rāśíṃ pári yāsi gónām índreṇa soma sa-ráthaṃ punānáḥ | pūrvī́r íṣo bṛhatī́r jīradāno | śíkṣā śacīvas táva tā́ upa-stút ||
మరియు నిజముగా, ఓ సోమా, నీవు పవిత్రమవుతూ, ఇంద్రునితో ఒకే రథంలో సమరథంగా, ప్రకాశమయ గోవుల (గోనాం) రాశి-భాండారాన్ని చుట్టి సంచరిస్తావు. ప్రాచీన పరిపూర్ణతలతో కూడిన మహత్తర పోషణ-శక్తులను ప్రసాదించువాడా, బలవంతుడా, శచీపతీ! నీ ఆ శక్తులను యథావిధిగా స్తుతించుట మాకు నేర్పుము.
Pavamāna recitation during Soma filtration; supports Indra-Soma synergy in offering
R̥ta (right order of movements ‘pari yāsi’), Śakti/Śacī (effective power as inner capacity), Education of consciousness (śikṣa as inner training)
Saratha (one chariot) indicates harmonized cosmic functioning—powers yoked under R̥ta.
Request to learn upaṣṭut implies truth-aligned speech that makes invocation effective.
Accumulation and organization of light-stores in consciousness; stable growth through enduring gifts.
Integral psychology: synthesis of Ananda and Knowledge; mantra as effective power (śakti of Vāc).
Circulation of purified delight around accumulated illuminations; integration with illumined mind; learning right speech as a creative force.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The encircling of the ‘heap of cows/lights’ (rāśiṃ … gonām) by the purified Soma, together with Indra in one chariot—mythically the mustering and securing of the luminous wealth; psychologically the organisation of recovered illuminations into a stable store, through the joint action of delight (Soma) and victorious mind-force (Indra).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Again √yā (yāsi) and the chariot formula are Indo-European poetic inheritance (vehicle imagery for divine movement). iṣ (impulse/invigoration) is a characteristic Vedic abstraction built on verbal root semantics rather than concrete nouns, showing early IE capacity for ‘force-terms’ that are both physical and psychological.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi requests inner pedagogy: Soma is asked to ‘teach’ (śikṣa) the right mode of praise/approach (upa-stut), i.e., to shape the human receptivity so Soma’s ancient vast impulses (pūrvīr bṛhatīr iṣaḥ) can be received and stabilised.
Unite joy with clear intelligence; circle awareness around your ‘store of light’ (past insights) without pride; ask inwardly to be taught right invocation.
Ājñā (Indra/illumination) with Anāhata (Soma/joy)
Moderate japa; on ‘indreṇa saratham’ feel inhale and exhale become one coordinated movement; end with a quiet pause on ‘śikṣā’.
Integrated, steady, teachable silence
Recall a few genuine insights (rāśi of light); let a calm joy pervade them; then offer speech/thought to truth—resolve to speak only what aligns with inner clarity.
Vedic svara per Śākala; exact accent marks require the svara-pāṭha.
Keep ‘indreṇa soma saratham’ as one flowing unit; soften tone on the petition ‘śikṣā’.
saratham: light ‘sa-ra-tham’, no heavy aspiration., bṛhatīr: retroflex ṛ; long ī., śacīvas: palatal ś; long ī.
Steady, integrated, ending gently prayerful
11
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.
