Rig Veda 8.85.2: Mandala 8, Sukta 85, Mantra 2
Sukta 8.85
इमं मे स्तोममश्विनेमं मे शृणुतं हवम् । मध्वः सोमस्य पीतये ॥
imáṃ me stómam aśvinemáṃ me śṛṇutaṃ hávam | mádhvaḥ sómasya pītáye ||
Ang aking himno, O mga Ashvin - ang aking tawag na ito, pakinggan ninyo. Umaliw para sa pag-inom ng pulot na Soma, at ang tamis ng kasiyahan ay maging masigla sa amin.
Standard Aśvin invitation in soma ritual: hearing of the hymn/call precedes their arrival to the Soma. Suitable for Aśvin-related grahas and dawn-linked offerings.
śruti (hearing) as divine reception, mantra as channel, delight as transformative essence
The Aśvins restore r̥ta in the human system—right measure, right movement—so Soma can be held without disturbance.
Truthful invocation: the sincere call aligns speech and will with the soul’s need.
Descent of delight into embodied life; transformation by assimilation of Soma.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral (Aurobindo-Kashyap style): Soma as Ananda, deities as powers of consciousness.
dawn/twilight (Aśvins’ characteristic hour)
Honey/Soma signifies a refined sweetness of consciousness; dawn-association signifies the first opening of illumination in the mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘divine hearing and arrival’: the Aśvins are summoned through stoma and havam; hearing is the decisive opening that allows their approach and the Soma-drinking communion. Innerly, concentrated invocation makes the twin helping powers present.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Dual forms (śṛṇutaṃ) reflect archaic IE dual preserved in Indo-Iranian. √śru (hear) continues PIE *ḱlew-, central to a tradition where ‘hearing’ is both literal and sacral (fame, hymn, revelation).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi offers a formed praise (stoma) and a direct call (havam); the Aśvins’ side of the exchange is to ‘hear’—to accept the connection—and then to partake of Soma, i.e., to enter the seeker’s delight and act as swift helpers within it.
Invoke swift inner help to harmonize the nature; receive Ananda as an active, healing energy.
Anāhata (heart) and Viśuddha (throat) for devotion and mantra-speech
Gentle nāḍī-śodhana or slow equal breathing (sama-vṛtti) while repeating the refrain
Receptive, luminous calm with a sweetness spreading through the being
Begin with 9 or 27 repetitions of the closing phrase ‘madhvaḥ somasya pītaye’ as japa; feel the ‘drink’ as a descent of sweetness into mind and life; end with a quiet offering of all movements to the inner sacrifice.
Not provided; chant with standard Rigvedic accent awareness: maintain udātta lift on accented syllables, avoid flattening svarita transitions (requires śākhā-specific notation for precision).
Keep a slight pitch rise on principal udātta syllables; let the refrain end (‘pītaye’) resolve gently, not abruptly.
aśvinā: keep ś as palatal (like ‘sh’), short i, madhvaḥ: pronounce dhv conjunct clearly (mad-dhvaḥ), final ḥ as soft visarga, somasya: clear o, avoid diphthongizing, pītaye: long ī; dental t (not retroflex)
Clear, inviting, slightly bright (dawn-like), with a soft finish on the refrain
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