Rig Veda 8.79.9: Mandala 8, Sukta 79, Mantra 9
Sukta 8.79
- Devata
- Soma
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
अव यत्स्वे सधस्थे देवानां दुर्मतीरीक्षे । राजन्नप द्विषः सेध मीढ्वो अप स्रिधः सेध ॥
áva yát sve sadhásthe devānāṃ durmatī́r ī́kṣe | rājan ápa dvíṣaḥ sedha mīḍhvo ápa srídhaḥ sedha ||
جب اے راجا، تم دیوتاؤں کے درمیان اپنے مقام پر ٹیڑھے خیالات کو دیکھتے ہو، تو دشمن قوتوں کو دور بھگا دو، اور ہمارے اندر کے دینے والے سے رکاوٹیں اور زخم پہنچانے والی طاقتیں دور کرو۔
Word by Word
- अव
- down; away; offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot अव (उपसर्ग) अव्- (अव्यय-प्रयोग)
- यत्
- that which; whatPronounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole KarmaRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- स्वे
- in (your/one’s) ownPronoun (possessive) / Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सधस्थे
- seat; abode; common dwelling-placeNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot सधस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
- देवानाम्
- of the godsNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root देव (प्रातिपदिक)
- दुर्मतीः
- evil thoughts; ill-will; hostile intentionsNoun (f.)स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot दुर्मति (प्रातिपदिक)
- ईक्षे
- I behold; I look uponVerbलट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचनRole KartāRoot ईक्ष् (धातु)
- राजन्
- O king (royal one)Noun (vocative) / Addressपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- अप
- away; offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot अप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- द्विषः
- haters; enemiesNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot द्विष् (प्रातिपदिक, ‘द्विष्’ = शत्रु/द्वेष्टा)
- सेध
- drive away; repel; ward offVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (आज्ञा) क्रियाRoot सिध्/सेध् (धातु; वैदिक रूप ‘सेध’ = आज्ञार्थ)
- मीढ्वः
- of the bountiful/strong one (epithet)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive)Root मीढ्वस् (प्रातिपदिक; वैदिक)
- अप
- away; offIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRoot अप (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- स्रिधः
- injurers; deceivers; hostile plottersNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot स्रिध् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘स्रिध्’ = हानिकर/द्रोही)
- सेध
- drive away; repel; ward offVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचनRole (आज्ञा) क्रियाRoot सिध्/सेध् (धातु; वैदिक रूप ‘सेध’ = आज्ञार्थ)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (sandhi-resolved): अव | यत् | स्वे | सधस्थे | देवानाम् | दुर्मतीः | ईक्षे || राजन् | अप | द्विषः | सेध | मीढ्वः | अप | स्रिधः | सेध || 1) यत्स्वे → यत् + स्वे (त् + स् संयोग)
- 2) दे॒वानां॑ दुर्म॒तीरीक्षे॑ → देवानाम् + दुर्मतीः + ईक्षे (विसर्ग/म्-लोप व पदपाठ-परम्परा; ई-आदि स्वर से संधि-प्रवृत्ति)
- 3) राज॒न्नप॒ → राजन् + अप (न् + अ)
- 4) द्विष॑: सेध → द्विषः + सेध (विसर्ग + स)
- 5) मीढ्वो॒ अप॒ → मीढ्वः + अप (ः + अ)
- 6) स्रिध॑: सेध → स्रिधः + सेध (विसर्ग + स)
The meaning
Outer meaning
When Soma, seated among the gods, looks upon evil/crooked thoughts, O King, he should repel enemies and drive away obstructing and wounding powers from the giver.
Inner meaning
Soma as inner king, established in the divine seat (sve sadhasthe devānām), has the sovereign vision that detects durmatīḥ—perverse thought-currents and distortions. The mantra asks Soma to ‘repel’ (sedha) both the openly hostile forces (dviṣaḥ) and the subtler obstructers/wounders (sridhaḥ) that hinder the inner giver (mīḍhvaḥ: the offering soul/inner generosity, or the power that pours out). Psychologically, it is a request for blissful luminous consciousness to act as a discriminating protection, expelling negativity and blockages from the movement of self-giving aspiration.
Universal truth
When higher consciousness is enthroned within, it naturally perceives and removes hostile and obstructive patterns; inner sovereignty brings purification and safe progress.
Themes
inner protection, purification of thought, banishing hostile formations, Soma as king and seer
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.79.7, Rig Veda 8.79.8
Family tradition
Likely within the Kāṇva-associated Eighth Maṇḍala Soma liturgy; the tone is protective and purificatory.
Significance
Shows Soma not merely as delight but as a kingly governor: Ananda enthroned becomes a power of discernment and purification, safeguarding the sacrificer’s inner giving.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma (addressed as rājan)
- Epithets
- rājan (king), devānāṃ sadhastha (seated among the gods—implied)
- Related deities
- Indra (warrior-mind against Vṛtra-like cover), Varuṇa/Mitra (guardians of r̥ta—ethical-psychic order), Agni (purifier and priest)
Cosmic role
Soma as divine king in the celestial assembly, sustaining the gods and empowering victory over hostile beings.
Inner power
Sovereign Ananda-consciousness that sees distortions and expels both gross hostility and subtle obstruction from the aspirant’s offering movement.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma rite protection/averting formula (general)
अव॒ यत्स्वे स॒धस्थे॑ दे॒वानां॑ दुर्म॒तीरीक्षे॑ । राज॒न्नप॒ द्विष॑: सेध॒ मीढ्वो॒ अप॒ स्रिध॑: सेध ॥
अव॑ । यत् । स्वे । स॒धऽस्थे॑ । दे॒वाना॑म् । दुः॒ऽम॒तीः । ईक्षे॑ । राज॑न् । अप॑ । द्विषः॑ । से॒ध॒ । मीढ्वः॑ । अप॑ । स्रिधः॑ । से॒ध॒ ॥
ava | yat | sve | sadha-sthe | devānām | duḥ-matīḥ | īkṣe | rājan | apa | dviṣaḥ | sedha | mīḍhavaḥ | apa | sridhaḥ | sedha
Two half-lines with imperative repetitions ‘apa… sedha’ creating a driving expulsive rhythm.
Forceful yet controlled; the double ‘apa… sedha’ acts like two decisive strokes of purification.
Energizes protective clarity; helpful when confronting intrusive thoughts or inner sabotage.
- स्वे सधस्थे (sve sadhasthe)
- Literal: in your own seat/abode. Symbolic: stable establishment of the higher power in the inner being
- देवानाम् (devānām)
- Literal: of the gods. Symbolic: the illumined faculties/principles in us
- दुर्मतीः (durmatīḥ)
- Literal: bad/crooked thoughts. Symbolic: distorted mental-vital formations, doubt, perversion, depression
- ईक्षे (īkṣe)
- Literal: you look upon. Symbolic: witnessing discernment; luminous seeing that exposes falsehood
- द्विषः (dviṣaḥ)
- Literal: haters/enemies. Symbolic: hostile forces—inner negativity, sabotage, resistant impulses
- सेध (sedha)
- Literal: repel, ward off. Symbolic: protective rejection; establishing a boundary of consciousness
- मीढ्वः (mīḍhvaḥ)
- Literal: of the bountiful giver/pourer. Symbolic: the inner offering-force (psychic generosity) that pours aspiration/oblation
- स्रिधः (sridhaḥ)
- Literal: obstructors, injurers. Symbolic: subtle blockages and wounding reactions that break continuity of sadhana
Protective (rakṣoghna) intent within Soma rite: warding hostile thoughts and forces during offering/pressing.
When seeking warding of hostile influences during Soma offerings; adaptable as a daily protective recitation before meditation.
Recite as an apotropaic (protective) prayer while offering or mentally offering Soma/clarified intention.
Use during periods of negative thought-loops or psychic attack sensations; pairs well with journaling/recognition of ‘durmatīḥ’ and deliberate rejection.
īkṣe from √īkṣ ‘to see’ (divine vision as ordering intelligence). dur-matīḥ: matí ‘thought, intention’ from √man ‘think’ (PIE *men-), with dur- ‘bad, difficult’. dviṣaḥ from √dviṣ ‘hate’ (PIE *dweis- ‘to hate’). sedha from √sedh/√sidh ‘to ward off, restrain’ (causative/imperative function in Vedic). sridhaḥ from √sridh ‘to injure/obstruct’ (semantic field of thwarting the right movement of Rita). mīḍhvaḥ ‘bountiful/giver’ relates to mīḍh- ‘granting, bestowing’ used of Indra/Soma as well as the sacrificer’s generous force.
Rita as discernment and correction of durmati (perverse thought), divine seeing (īkṣ) as truth-perception, removal of inner hostility (dviṣ) and obstruction (sridh)
Hostile and obstructive forces are ‘an-r̥ta’ movements; Soma’s kingship restores r̥ta in the mental-vital field.
Seeing (īkṣ) is the act of satya: illumination that exposes distortion.
Establishing a divine seat within the human creates a microcosmic ‘assembly of gods’ that governs evolution.
Aurobindonian psychology: hostile forces and subconscient obstructions are real dynamics; higher Ananda-consciousness can reject them.
night-to-dawn transition (purification and guarding in subtle hours)
Lunar delight enthroned in the inner heaven, casting a discerning gaze that dissolves and expels dark formations.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem is the enthroned deity’s seeing-and-banishing: Soma ‘in the seat of the gods’ surveys hostile thoughts and expels adversaries. Mythically it echoes the divine court where the kingly power maintains order; psychologically it is the descent of illumined delight that detects and rejects distortions (durmatīḥ) and hostile impulses (dviṣ, sridh) that violate Rita.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- dur-matīḥ centers on √man ‘think’ from PIE *men- (wide IE reflexes: Greek menos, Latin mens). dviṣ- ‘hate’ aligns with PIE *dweis- (cf. Old Irish dís ‘hate’, Gothic twisan ‘to quarrel’ in broader semantic neighborhood). The repeated imperatives sedha…sedha show Vedic poetic parallelism (formulaic doubling) typical of Indo-European hymn style.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The Rishi appeals to Soma not merely as an offering-receiver but as sovereign judge and protector. The human side offers and opens a ‘seat’ for Soma’s descent; Soma reciprocates by clearing the field—restraining hostility and obstruction so the sacrificer’s generous force (mīḍhvaḥ) can act without injury.
Establish Soma (quiet delight) ‘on the seat of the gods’ in the head/heart; practice witness-seeing of distorted thoughts, then firm rejection.
Ajna (discernment) with support from Anahata (calm sovereignty)
Inhale: ‘īkṣe’ (see). Exhale: ‘apa… sedha’ (expel). Keep exhale slightly longer.
Witness clarity with protective power; calm courage.
Name one recurring durmati (e.g., doubt, resentment) before chanting; after 9–18 repetitions, sit silently and feel a boundary of light around the mind.
Not fully reconstructible without svara-marked text; emphasize the imperatives ‘sedha’ clearly and consistently.
Slight lift on ‘rājan’; decisive stress on ‘apa dviṣaḥ sedha’ and ‘apa sridhaḥ sedha’.
sadhasthe: pronounce ‘dha’ aspirated; keep consonant cluster clean, durmatīḥ: retroflex ṭ? (here ‘t’ is dental; keep ‘m’ clear), long īḥ, dviṣaḥ: pronounce ‘dvi’ as cluster; retroflex ṣ, sridhaḥ: initial ‘sr’ cluster; keep retroflex ḍh aspirated
Clear, firm, protective; not angry—like a command of light.
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