Rig Veda 9.67.31: Mandala 9, Sukta 67, Mantra 31
Sukta 9.67
- Devata
- Praise of Pavamānī verses themselves, with Mātariśvan as operative power
- Chandas
- Likely Jagatī
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Adbhuta (wonder)
यः पावमानीरध्येत्यृषिभिः सम्भृतं रसम् । सर्वं स पूतमश्नाति स्वदितं मातरिश्वना ॥
yáḥ pāvamānī́r adhyéti ṛ́ṣibhiḥ sámbhṛtaṃ rásam | sárvaṃ sá pū́tam aśnāti svaditáṃ mātáriśvanā ||
ผู้ใดสาธยายหรือศึกษาโศลกปวะมานี (Pavamānī)—รสะ (rasa) อันเป็นแก่นสารที่ฤๅษีทั้งหลายรวบรวมไว้—ผู้นั้นย่อมเสวยทั้งหมดนั้น: สิ่งที่ชำระแล้ว และหวานชื่นด้วยมาทริศวาน (Mātariśvan).
Word by Word
- यः
- who, he whoPronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role सम्बन्ध/विशेष्य-निर्देशक (यः = ‘जो’)Root यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पावमानीः
- the Pavamānī verses (purifying Soma hymns)Noun (title/name) / Adjective used substantivelyस्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्Role कर्म (अध्येत्य्-क्रियायाः)Root पावमान (सोम-विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; √पू ‘पवित्रे/शोधने’ से)
- अध्येति
- recites, studiesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √इ (अधि- + √इ; ‘अध्ययन/पाठ’)
- ऋषिभिः
- with/through the seersNounपुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्Role करण (सह/द्वारा—‘ऋषियों के साथ/ऋषियों द्वारा संचित’ भाव) अथवा सहकारकRoot ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
- सम्भृतम्
- gathered, collectedParticiple (past passive) used adjectivallyनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (रसम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot सम्-√भृ (कृदन्त; ‘सम्भृत’ = संचित/समाहृत)
- रसम्
- sap, juice (Soma-essence)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (अश्नाति-क्रियायाः)Root रस (प्रातिपदिक)
- सर्वम्
- all (of it), the wholeAdjective (used substantively) / Pronoun-like adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्म (अश्नाति-क्रियायाः)Root सर्व (सर्वनाम-विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
- सः
- hePronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- पूतम्
- purifiedParticiple (past passive) used adjectivallyनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (सर्वम्/रसम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot √पू (कृदन्त; ‘पूत’ = शुद्ध/पवित्र)
- अश्नाति
- eats, partakesVerbलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्Role क्रियाRoot √अश् (भक्षणे)
- स्वदितम्
- sweetened, pleasant-tastingParticiple (past passive) used adjectivallyनपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (रसस्य/सर्वस्य विशेषणम्)Role कर्म-विशेषणRoot √स्वद् (स्वादने) (कृदन्त; ‘स्वदित’ = स्वादित/मधुर) अथवा ‘स्वदित’ (ppp)
- मातरिश्वना
- by Mātariśvan (the divine bringer/stirrer, often linked with Vāyu/Agni)Noun (proper name)पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्Role करण (येन/यस्य द्वारा—‘मातरिश्वन् द्वारा/से’)Root मातरिश्वन् (देव-नाम-प्रातिपदिक; वायु/अग्नि-रूप)
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution: पा॑वमा॒नीर॒ध्येत्यृषि॑भिः → पावमानीः + अध्येति + ऋषिभिः (इ + ऋ → यृ; written -त्यृ-)
- No further mandatory splits: सम्भृतं रसम् = सम्भृतम् + रसम् (anusvāra for m before r)
- स्वदि॒तं मा॑त॒रिश्व॑ना = स्वदितम् + मातरिश्वना (m before m)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Whoever studies/recites the Pavamānī verses—an essence gathered by the seers—enjoys all of it as purified, made sweet by Mātariśvan.
Inner meaning
The mantra is meta-yogic: the Pavamānī hymns are themselves a ‘rasam’—a concentrated sap of realization collected by seers. Recitation (adhyeti) is not mere reading; it is inward assimilation. Mātariśvan (the moving life-breath, carrier of fire) ‘sweetens’ the experience: prāṇa in right motion makes the mantra-essence living, digestible, and transformative, so the practitioner ‘tastes’ (aśnāti) the purified delight and knowledge.
Universal truth
Sacred speech becomes effective when it is assimilated and vitalized. Knowledge must become ‘rasa’—a tasted, lived sweetness—through right breath, attention, and sincerity.
Themes
metahymn (benefit of recitation), Soma rasa, mantric purification
The seer
- Rishi
- Didactic/metahymnic closure typical of some Soma hymns.
- Other hymns
- RV 9.67 (context), RV 10.71 (speech and seers—conceptual parallel), RV 1.164 (riddle-hymn on speech/knowledge—conceptual parallel)
Significance
Affirms śravaṇa–abhyāsa as a path: mantra recitation yields a purified ‘taste’ when supported by prāṇic right movement (Mātariśvan), linking Vedic chant to inner realization.
The deity
- Devata
- Pavamānī mantras (as efficacious power) with Mātariśvan as operative deity-force
- Epithets
- Mātariśvan
- Related deities
- Agni (brought/fanned by Mātariśvan), Soma (the rasa being tasted), Sarasvatī/Vāc (mantric speech)
Cosmic role
Mātariśvan is the mover between worlds—bringer of Agni, animator of life-breath; he enables transmission and assimilation of divine force.
Inner power
Prāṇa that carries mantra into the tissues of consciousness; the ‘wind’ that makes the inner fire blaze and turns recitation into lived rasa.
In ritual
Where it is used
Phalaśruti-style assertion within Soma book; supports recitation tradition of Pavamānī hymns
यः पा॑वमा॒नीर॒ध्येत्यृषि॑भि॒: सम्भृ॑तं॒ रस॑म् । सर्वं॒ स पू॒तम॑श्नाति स्वदि॒तं मा॑त॒रिश्व॑ना ॥
यः । पा॒व॒मा॒नीः । अ॒धि॒ऽएति॑ । ऋषि॑ऽभिः । सम्ऽभृ॑तम् । रस॑म् । सर्व॒म् । सः । पू॒तम् । अ॒श्ना॒ति॒ । स्व॒दि॒तम् । मा॒त॒रिश्व॑ना ॥
yaḥ | pāvamānīḥ | adhi-eti | ṛṣi-bhiḥ | sam-bhṛtam | rasam | sarvam | saḥ | pūtam | aśnāti | svaditam | mātariśvanā
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2 long pādas with explanatory, aphoristic flow
Measured and teaching-like; less ecstatic, more declarative—fits a ‘phalaśruti’ (benefit statement).
Instills confidence and steadiness; suggests that regular study yields a tangible sweetness and purity.
- pāvamānīḥ
- Literal: Pavamāna verses (Soma-purifying hymns). Symbolic: mantric currents of purification; a disciplined stream of consciousness-language
- adhyeti
- Literal: studies, recites. Symbolic: inner repetition with understanding and absorption; mantra as sādhanā
- ṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtam
- Literal: gathered/compiled by seers. Symbolic: concentrated realizations, not invented speech—seen truth packed into sound
- rasam
- Literal: sap, essence, taste. Symbolic: experiential essence of delight-knowledge; Ananda that can be ‘tasted’
- pūtam
- Literal: purified. Symbolic: freed from ego-mixture; clarified experience
- svaditam
- Literal: sweetened, made pleasant. Symbolic: made delightful and assimilable; joy that nourishes the being
- mātariśvanā
- Literal: by Mātariśvan. Symbolic: by the moving prāṇa that fans the inner fire and carries mantra into lived experience
Phalaśruti-like statement: benefit of reciting Pavamānī hymns; used to authorize recitation as purifying act.
As a concluding assurance after recitation; also suitable at the end of a chanting session
Recitation as study; inwardly, ‘tasting’ the rasa through breath-aligned chanting
Use as a closing mantra after a Soma/Pavamāna chanting set; reinforces faith in practice and encourages consistent adhyayana.
adhyéti: adhi-√i (+) ‘to go over, study, recite’. sámbhṛtam: sam-√bhṛ (+) ‘to bring together, collect’. rása: ‘sap/essence’ (also aesthetic ‘taste’), used for Soma’s inner delight. mātáriśvan: epithet linked to the wind/breath that carries fire; from mātar- ‘mother’ + √śvā/śvan ‘to blow/move’ (traditional etymologies vary); psychologically the life-force that makes the essence ‘sweet’ by right circulation.
mantra as transformative practice (adhyeti), purification leading to sweetness (svadita), transmission by seers (ṛṣi)
Regular adhyayana aligns speech-breath-mind into ṛta; the ‘gathered essence’ is ṛta condensed into mantra.
Ṛṣis ‘sambhṛta’ indicates truth seen and preserved; mantra is a vessel of Satya.
Transmission of realization across time: seer-vision becomes communal nourishment (rasa) through recitation.
Mantra-vidyā orientation; bridges to Upaniṣadic emphasis on internalization (antar-yajña) and prāṇa’s role.
Wind = prāṇa carrying mantra; sap = tasted experience; purification = clarified consciousness fit for higher knowledge.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is mantra-as-Soma: the hymns themselves are a gathered essence (rasa) prepared by seers; recitation is a form of inner drinking/eating that yields purified sweetness through Mātariśvan’s moving breath-power.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vid is not here, but adhi-√i ‘go over’ reflects an old pedagogical metaphor: knowledge as a path traversed. rása as ‘sap’ parallels IE poetic usage of ‘honey/sweetness’ for inspired speech (cf. Greek melí- imagery), suggesting a shared Indo-European poetics of sweetness = truth-delight.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi positions the seers as gatherers of essence and the reciter as participant; the devatā-power works through the mantra (Pavamānī) and through Mātariśvan’s breath to make the experience ‘svadita’—a lived sweetness of purified consciousness.
Svādhyāya as rasa: chant-study until meaning becomes a tasted sweetness; let prāṇa (Mātariśvan) carry the mantra inward.
Viśuddha (mantra/speech) supported by Anāhata (sweetness)
Ujjāyī soft breathing while reciting; feel vibration in throat and chest; end with silent awareness of ‘sweetness’.
Quiet assimilation; mantra becomes substance rather than thought.
Study one Pavamānī verse daily with meaning. Chant 9 times, then sit 3 minutes sensing ‘rasa’ in the chest. Offer the sweetness upward as gratitude, not possession.
Didactic lines benefit from careful accent fidelity; keep udātta clearly on key verbs (adhyeti, aśnāti) as per recensional marking when available.
Slightly emphasize ‘rasam’ and ‘pūtam’ to highlight ‘essence’ and ‘purified’; let ‘svaditam mātariśvanā’ soften into sweetness.
‘pāvamānīr’ long ī; avoid shortening., ‘adhyeti’ = adh-ye-ti (clear y glide)., ‘sambhṛtam’ = sam-bhṛ-tam (aspirated bh; retroflex ṛ)., ‘mātariśvanā’ = mā-ta-ri-śva-nā (clear śv cluster).
Quiet, steady, teaching tone; end gently on ‘mātariśvanā’.
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