Rig Veda 9.99.5: Mandala 9, Sukta 99, Mantra 5
Sukta 9.99
- Rishi
- Traditionally attributed within the Pavamāna Soma corpus
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace) and Vira (heroism)
तमुक्षमाणमव्यये वारे पुनन्ति धर्णसिम् । दूतं न पूर्वचित्तय आ शासते मनीषिणः ॥
tám ukṣámāṇam avyáye vā́re punanti dharṇasím | dūtáṃ na pū́rva-cíttaya ā́ śā́sate manīṣíṇaḥ ||
โสมะผู้หลั่งไหลนั้น เหล่าปราชญ์ชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ในเครื่องกรองขนแกะอันไม่เสื่อมสลาย; ผู้ทรงมั่นคงผู้แบกรับพิธีกรรม เขาถูกแต่งตั้งและสั่งการ—ดุจทูต—ให้มุ่งสู่ความระลึกอันดึกดำบรรพ์ (สำนึกปฐมกาล).
Word by Word
- तम्
- him/that (Soma)Pronounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- उक्षमाणम्
- sprinkling/being poured, streamingAdjective (participle)वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्म (तम्-विशेषणम्)Root √उक्ष् (उक्षति ‘to sprinkle, to pour/bedew’; here participial)
- अव्यये
- in the imperishable (place/state)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (स्थाने/अधिकारणे)Role अधिकारणRoot अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
- वारे
- in/with waterNounनपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचनम्Role अधिकारणRoot वारि/वार (प्रातिपदिक; ‘water’)
- पुनन्ति
- they purifyVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √पू (पुनाति ‘to purify’)
- धर्णसिम्
- the strong-flowing/supporting one (Soma)Noun (epithet)पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्म (तम्-समनाधिकरण/विशेष्य)Root धर्णसि (प्रातिपदिक; RV ‘support/stream/strong course’, epithet of Soma)
- दूतम्
- (as) a messengerNounपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्Role कर्म (तम्-समनाधिकरण)Root दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
- न
- like/asIndeclinableउपमानार्थक-अव्ययम्Root न (उपमा-निपात)
- पूर्वचित्तयः
- those of ancient insight/forethoughtAdjective/Noun (compound)पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot पूर्व-चित्ति (समास-प्रातिपदिक; ‘former/ancient thought/intent’)
- आ
- towards, forthIndeclinable (preverb)उपसर्गः (शासते इत्यस्य)Root आ (उपसर्ग/निपात)
- शासते
- they direct/command, they instructVerbलट्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √शास् (शास्ते ‘to instruct, command, direct’; Ātmanepada)
- मनीषिणः
- the wise (seers)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-बहुवचनम्Role कर्तृ (पूर्वचित्तयः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wise, thoughtful’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (सम्भाव्यः): तम् | उक्षमाणम् | अव्यये | वारे | पुनन्ति | धर्णसिम् | दूतम् | न | पूर्वचित्तयः | आ | शासते | मनीषिणः । 1) ‘तमुक्षमाणम्’ = ‘तम् + उक्षमाणम्’ (म् + उ → मु)
- 2) ‘अव्यये वारे’ इति द्वे सप्तम्यौ—अधिकारणद्वयम् (स्थाने/माध्यमे) । 3) ‘आ शासते’ इत्यत्र ‘आ’ उपसर्गः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Him, pouring forth, the wise purify in the imperishable woolen filter; the steadfast one they commission and direct like a messenger toward the ancient consciousness/remembrance.
Inner meaning
Soma, the outpouring delight-force (ukṣamāṇa), is purified in the imperishable ‘wool’ (avyaya vāra)—symbol of the enduring discriminative filter in the being that separates truth-essence from mixture. The manīṣiṇaḥ (wise) appoint Soma as a dūta (messenger): delight becomes the envoy between human and divine, carrying the offering upward and bringing back light and power. They direct it toward pūrvacitti—primeval awareness, the original consciousness before division—so the current of ananda reconnects the surface mind with the ancient, foundational knowing.
Universal truth
A stable inner discernment can refine raw experience into a messenger of transformation. Purified joy reconnects us to an original, deeper consciousness that remembers truth.
Themes
Soma-ritual, purification, messenger-motif, remembrance of primordial knowledge
The seer
- Rishi
- Pavamāna Soma seer tradition (specific rishi varies by Anukramaṇī for 9.99).
- Other hymns
- RV 9.73 (Soma as messenger-like and purifier), RV 9.62 (Soma through the filter), RV 6.75 (dūta motif elsewhere: messenger principle)
Family tradition
Soma-priestly seers specializing in the pavitra imagery; psychological emphasis on purification as discrimination and the recovery of primordial awareness.
Significance
Highlights a key inner discipline: establish an ‘imperishable filter’ (steady discernment) so the delight-force can serve as envoy to the deeper truth-consciousness.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Pavamāna, Dūta (messenger), Dharṇasi (steadfast supporter), Ukṣamāṇa (outpouring)
- Related deities
- Agni (messenger fire; parallel mediator), Bṛhaspati (guiding intelligence), Indra (receiver of strengthened force)
Cosmic role
Purifies and mediates: conveys offerings to the gods and returns their powers; sustains the rite and the worlds.
Inner power
Discriminated ananda acting as a carrier-wave between subconscious/vital and higher mind/psychic being.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma straining through woolen filter (pavitra)
तमु॒क्षमा॑णम॒व्यये॒ वारे॑ पुनन्ति धर्ण॒सिम् । दू॒तं न पू॒र्वचि॑त्तय॒ आ शा॑सते मनी॒षिण॑: ॥
तम् । उ॒क्षमा॑णम् । अ॒व्यये॑ । वारे॑ । पु॒न॒न्ति॒ । ध॒र्ण॒सिम् । दू॒तम् । न । पू॒र्वऽचि॑त्तये । आ । शा॒स॒ते॒ । म॒नी॒षिणः॑ ॥
tam | ukṣamāṇam | avyaye | vāre | punanti | dharṇasim | dūtam | na | pūrva-cittaye | ā | śāsate | manīṣiṇaḥ
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4 × ~11 syllables
Firm and directive; ‘commissioning’ verbs give a commanding cadence.
Builds steadiness and discrimination; helpful when emotions are strong and need purification into clear aspiration.
- ukṣamāṇam
- Literal: pouring forth, streaming. Symbolic: the spontaneous outflow of ananda/prāṇa when released
- avyaye vāre
- Literal: in imperishable wool/filter. Symbolic: enduring inner discernment/purificatory medium; the psychic-vital ‘pavitra’
- punanti
- Literal: they purify. Symbolic: conscious refinement through attention and aspiration
- dharṇasim
- Literal: steadfast, bearer/supporter. Symbolic: the stable force that upholds the inner work; Soma as sustaining power
- dūtam
- Literal: messenger. Symbolic: mediating energy linking lower and higher consciousness
- pūrvacittaye
- Literal: to the ancient consciousness/remembering. Symbolic: return to original awareness (psychic/memory of truth)
Soma-pavamāna sequence in Soma sacrifice (e.g., Agniṣṭoma): filtration through wool (vāra) into vessels; chanted during pressing/clarification to ‘send’ Soma to the gods.
At the moment of filtration/collection; when Soma is ‘sent’ toward offering
Straining Soma through sheep’s wool; reciting to consecrate the purified flow and its onward dispatch
As a mantra for emotional clarity: use when overwhelmed—let discernment filter experience and convert it into a message to the deeper self.
ukṣamāṇam: present middle participle of √ukṣ ‘sprinkle, strengthen’; Soma ‘pours’ delight that also ‘fortifies’. punanti: 3pl pres. of √pū ‘purify’, a technical Soma-pavamāna verb. avyaya: ‘imperishable’ (a- + vyaya ‘decay/spending away’), suggests a deathless support in consciousness. vāra: ‘wool/fleece’ used for filtering Soma; inwardly a subtle discriminating sheath that refines mixed impulses. dharṇasi- (epithet): from √dhṛ ‘hold’, the sustaining capacity that bears the rite/order. dūta: messenger (PIE *dewh₂- ‘to lead/drive’ is sometimes compared, though etymology is debated); functionally a mediator. pūrva-citti: compound indicating ‘original awareness’—the remembered archetypal knowledge preceding mental distortion.
Ṛta (right order upheld by dharṇasi), Citti (awakening/remembering of consciousness), Amṛtatva (imperishability implied by avyaya)
The ‘imperishable filter’ is ṛta embodied—right selection and right movement.
Pūrvacitti is the remembering of satya behind present confusion.
Return-current: manifestation reconnects to its source through a mediator (Soma).
Integral yoga psychology: purification as discrimination; mediator principle akin to Agni/Soma duality.
Wool = subtle fibers of discernment; flow = prāṇa/ananda; messenger = upward channel linking layers of being.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘purified Soma as messenger’ mythologem: Soma is strained and then ‘commissioned’ to travel between worlds, carrying the offering/force to the gods. Inwardly, the refined delight-energy becomes a mediator that reconnects the seeker to pūrva-citti—an original, pre-mental luminosity.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Key roots are conservative Indo-European action-verbs: √pū ‘cleanse’ (cf. Latin pūrus ‘pure’), √dhṛ ‘hold’ (cf. Greek thronos ‘seat’ from a ‘support’ notion; Sanskrit dhāraṇā), and √śās ‘instruct/command’ (governing/ordering semantics). The verse’s syntax is ritual-technical: object (tam) + participle (ukṣamāṇam) + locatives (avyaye vāre) + main verb (punanti), then a second clause with dūtam as apposition and śāsate as commissioning.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The manīṣiṇaḥ (seer-intelligences) do not merely ‘praise’ Soma; they actively refine and direct him. Reciprocity is practical: by purifying Soma (inner delight made clear), they gain access to pūrva-citti (primordial awareness). Soma, in turn, bears and stabilizes ṛta (dharṇasi) within the human vessel.
Establish the ‘imperishable filter’: witness-feeling + discernment so delight-energy flows upward without distortion.
Viśuddha (purification) and Suṣumṇā channel focus; secondary at Anāhata (delight)
Slow exhale emphasis (inhale 4, exhale 8) while feeling ‘straining’—letting coarse agitation fall away.
Purified, steady aspiration; emotional clarity.
Chant 21 times; visualize a white, soft filter at the throat/heart through which all feelings pass, emerging as a clear golden stream directed to the crown as ‘message’ to the deepest self.
Keep a steady, directive contour; udatta lifts on key verbs (punanti, śāsate) should feel like ‘sending forth’.
Mark the caesura after vāre; give ‘dūtaṃ na’ a slight emphasis to highlight the messenger simile.
ukṣamāṇam: retroflex ṣ; long ā, avyaye: keep vy as consonant cluster, not ‘vi-ya’ separated, vāre: long ā, pūrvacittaye: pronounce citti as ‘chit-ti’ with clear double t
firm, even, slightly commanding yet calm
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