Rig Veda 9.61.6: Mandala 9, Sukta 61, Mantra 6
Sukta 9.61
- Rishi
- RV 9 Pavamāna tradition
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Jagatī
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
स नः पुनान आ भर रयिं वीरवतीमिषम् । ईशानः सोम विश्वतः ॥
sá naḥ punāná ā́ bhara rayíṃ vī́ravatīm íṣam | ī́śānaḥ soma viśvátas ||
เมื่อท่านชำระตนให้บริสุทธิ์แล้ว จงนำมาสู่เราซึ่ง rayi (ความอุดมสมบูรณ์/ความเต็มเปี่ยม) และความเพิ่มพูนที่มั่งคั่งด้วยพลังวีรชน โอ โสมะ (Soma) ผู้เป็นเจ้าเหนือทุกทิศ จงปกครองและเติมเต็มความเป็นอยู่ทั้งมวลของเราเถิด
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one = Soma)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (वाक्य-कर्ता; सोमः)Root तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- नः
- for us / to usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी, बहुवचनम् (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्प्रदान (अस्मभ्यं/अस्माकम्—हितार्थे)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पुनानः
- purifying (himself), being purifiedParticipleवर्तमानकाले, आत्मनेपदीयः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गःRole कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root √पू (पूञ् शौचने) + शानच्
- आ
- hither, towards (us)Indeclinableउपसर्गः (√भृ इत्यस्य)Root आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- भर
- bring!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रिया (आहर्तृ-क्रिया; कर्म = रयिम्)Root √भृ (भृञ् धारणे/आहरणे)
- रयिम्
- wealth, richesNounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot रयि (प्रातिपदिक)
- वीरवतीम्
- rich in heroes/men (abounding in warriors)Adjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म-विशेषणम् (रयिम् विशेषयति)Root वीरवत् (प्रातिपदिक; वीर + वत्) → स्त्री. वीरवती
- इषम्
- nourishment, vigor, refreshmentNounस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (रयिम् इव समुच्चितम्)Root इष्/इषा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘refreshment, strength, nourishment’)
- ईशानः
- ruling, sovereignParticipleवर्तमानकाले, आत्मनेपदीयः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्, पुंलिङ्गःRole कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root √ईश् (ईशँ ऐश्वर्ये) + शानच्
- सोम
- O SomaNoun (vocative)पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्Role सम्बोधनRoot सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
- विश्वतः
- from all sides, on every sideIndeclinable (adverb) / Ablatival adverbअव्ययम्; अर्थतः ‘सर्वतः/सर्वस्मात्’Role अधिकरण/अपादान-भाव (दिशा/परिसर-निर्देशः)Root विश्व (सर्व) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: सः नः पुनानः आ भर रयिम् वीरवतीम् इषम् । ईशानः सोम विश्वतः ॥ Sandhi/phonetics: (1) स नः = सः + नः (विसर्ग-लोपः पदान्ते एन्क्लिटिक-सर्वनामपूर्वे)
- (2) पुना॒न आ = पुनानः + आ (विसर्गः पदपाठे न दृश्यते; संहितायां ‘पुनान आ’ इति)
- (3) आ भर = उपसर्ग ‘आ’ + लोट् ‘भर’ (अभिसम्बन्धः)
- (4) वीरवतीम् इषम्—समुच्चिते द्वे कर्मणी (रयिम्… इषम्)
- (5) विश्वतः—तद्धित-अव्यय ‘-तस्’ (सर्वतः) ।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma, purifying himself, is asked to bring wealth/plenitude (rayi) and nourishing increase (iṣ) rich in heroes/strength (vīravatī). Soma is invoked as īśānaḥ, a master from every side (viśvataḥ).
Inner meaning
As Ananda purifies, it brings not merely outer gain but the inner ‘rayi’: a plenitude of luminous powers and capacities. ‘Vīravatī iṣ’ is the increase of courageous energies—strong will, endurance, and victorious life-force—governed by the sovereign delight that can rule the nature from all sides, integrating mind, life, and body.
Universal truth
True abundance is a governed increase: when delight is purified, it becomes mastery—organizing energies into courageous, harmonious growth rather than scattered desire.
Themes
Boon-request, Inner strength, Soma sovereignty
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seers (RV 9 tradition; specific rishi per Anukramaṇī)
- Other hymns
- RV 9.61 (whole sūkta), RV 9.60–9.62 (neighboring Pavamāna hymns)
Family tradition
Specialized Soma-priestly transmission where mantric sound is used to ‘purify’ and ‘increase’ the inner offering.
Significance
This line emphasizes Soma not only as purifier but as lordly organizer of the whole being—Ananda as īśāna, the integrator.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Punāna (purifying), Īśāna (sovereign), Pavamāna (flowing-pure)
- Related deities
- Indra, Bṛhaspati (as giver of rayi in other contexts), Ādityas
Cosmic role
Bestower of increase and plenitude; strengthens gods and humans; establishes a universal governance of the sacrifice.
Inner power
Sovereign delight that converts aspiration into tangible inner resources—courage, nourishment, and integrality.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma-pavamāna chanting during pressing/straining and offering sequences
स न॑: पुना॒न आ भ॑र र॒यिं वी॒रव॑ती॒मिष॑म् । ईशा॑नः सोम वि॒श्वत॑: ॥
सः । नः॒ । पु॒ना॒नः । आ । भ॒र॒ । र॒यिम् । वी॒रऽव॑तीम् । इष॑म् । ईशा॑नः । सो॒म॒ । वि॒श्वतः॑ ॥
saḥ | naḥ | punānaḥ | ā | bhara | rayim | vīra-vatīm | iṣam | īśānaḥ | soma | viśvataḥ
Jagatī (to be verified against pada syllable counts)
48
4 × 12 syllables
Expansive, forward-driving; supports the sense of ‘bringing’ (ā bhara) and ‘increase’ (iṣ).
Builds a feeling of uplift and empowerment; the rhythm carries aspiration into confident receptivity.
- पुनानः (punānaḥ)
- Literal: purifying (oneself). Symbolic: self-clarifying consciousness; refinement of delight into truth
- रयिम् (rayim)
- Literal: wealth, treasure, plenitude. Symbolic: inner riches: luminous capacities, wideness, supportive conditions for sadhana
- वीरवतीम् (vīravatīm)
- Literal: rich in heroes/men of might. Symbolic: endowed with strong soul-forces; heroic will and victorious energy
- इषम् (iṣam)
- Literal: refreshment, nourishment, increase. Symbolic: growth-force; impulsion of progress and right enjoyment
- ईशानः (īśānaḥ)
- Literal: ruler, lord. Symbolic: sovereign governance of the being by higher Ananda
- विश्वतः (viśvataḥ)
- Literal: from every side, universally. Symbolic: integral mastery—no part of nature left outside the light
Soma is invoked to bring rayi and iṣ during the pressing; ritual ‘wealth’ maps to successful rite and inner strengthening.
As Soma is purified and prepared; invoked for prosperity and strength of the sacrificer
Recitation while Soma flows; prayer for rayi and iṣ
Chant as an invocation for inner resources before work or practice: ‘bring the plenitude and the heroic increase’—reframe goals as soul-strength and clarity.
(punāna) from √pū ‘purify’ indicates an ongoing process. (bhara) from √bhṛ ‘to bear, bring’ (PIE *bher-) is a classic ‘bringing’ of divine substance into the human. (rayi) ‘wealth’ in RV often denotes fullness and felicity, not merely material goods. (īśāna) from √īś ‘to own, be powerful’ marks sovereign mastery.
rayi as plenitude of being, vīra as heroic soul-force (not merely warrior), sovereignty (īśāna) of the truth-force over the nature
Soma’s lordship implies alignment of all parts with ṛta—right measure and movement.
Plenitude (rayi) is stable when rooted in satya, not craving.
From purified essence arises organized abundance—cosmic nourishment sustaining worlds.
Integral-Vedantic yoga reading: Ananda as executive sovereignty supporting transformation.
Nourishment = strengthening of prāṇa and mind; wealth = inner light-powers; sovereignty = central psychic governance.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘bestowal of rayi’ by the purifying Soma: the god brings a fullness that includes heroic powers (vīra) and the forward-driving increase (iṣ). Mythically, Soma is the conveyor of divine substance into the human economy.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √bhṛ ‘bear/bring’ is a transparent PIE inheritance (*bher-; cf. Greek pherō, Latin ferō). The sovereignty term īśāna reflects an Indo-Iranian development around power/possession (Avestan iš- ‘to own’ in related semantic territory).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer requests a governed descent: Soma is not only a flow but an īśāna, a regulating mastery ‘from all sides’. The human seeks a transformation where delight becomes organized power, producing heroic capacities and stable increase.
Receive purified delight as a force of integral abundance—invite it to govern all parts of nature.
Manipura (heroic force) supported by Anahata (joyful steadiness)
Inhale on ‘punāna ā bhara’; exhale on ‘rayiṃ vīravatīm iṣam’ imagining strength filling the torso.
Empowered quietude—strength without restlessness.
After centering, repeat the mantra 9–27 times; contemplate one area of life to bring under ‘viśvataḥ’ governance (thought, speech, habit), offering it to Soma’s purification.
Udatta rises often align with key imperatives (ā bhara) and titles (īśānaḥ); confirm exact accents with śākhā svara text.
Give a clear, energized emphasis to ‘ā bhara’; keep ‘īśānaḥ soma viśvataḥ’ dignified and steady.
punānaḥ: long ā; final ḥ audible but light, vīravatīm: long ī; keep vī-ra-va-tīm distinct, iṣam: short i; retroflex ṣ, īśānaḥ: long ī; ś palatal, not s, viśvataḥ: ś palatal; final ḥ soft
Clear, confident, slightly resonant in the chest.
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