Rig Veda 9.79.1: Mandala 9, Sukta 79, Mantra 1
Sukta 9.79
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
अचोदसो नो धन्वन्त्विन्दवः प्र सुवानासो बृहद्दिवेषु हरयः । वि च नशन्न इषो अरातयोऽर्यो नशन्त सनिषन्त नो धियः ॥
acódaso no dhanvantv índavaḥ prá suvānā́so bṛhád-diveṣu háryaḥ | ví ca náśann a iṣó arā́tayo’ryó náśanta sániṣanta no dhíyaḥ ||
بغیر اکسائے ہوئے سوما کے قطرے ہمارے لیے آگے دوڑیں، نچوڑے ہوئے، روشن آسمانوں میں روشن چیزیں۔ ہماری ترغیبات اور غذا پھیل جائیں، نہ دینے والے اجنبیوں کی طرح ہلاک ہوں، اور ہماری سوچیں فتح حاصل کریں۔
Word by Word
- अचोदसः
- unimpelled / self-impelled (not driven by another)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole विशेषण (कर्तृसम्बन्धी) — ‘इन्दवः’ काRoot अ-चोदस् (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास) < चोदस् (√चुद् ‘प्रेरणे’ से) अथवा चोदस् ‘प्रेरणा/आदेश’
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive) — ‘our’Root अस्मद्
- धन्वन्तु
- let them run / speed forthVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √धन्/धन्व् (धन्वति/धन्वते ‘धावने/वेगे’ वैदिक)
- इन्दवः
- the Soma-dropsNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृRoot इन्दु (सोम)
- प्र
- forth / forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot प्र
- सुवानासः
- being pressed / pressing (as Soma)Participle (Adjective/Noun)वर्तमान कृदन्त (परस्मैपदी), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ-विशेषण — ‘इन्दवः’ काRoot √सु (सुनोति ‘अभिषवे’) → सुवान (कृदन्त)
- बृहद्दिवेषु
- in the lofty heavens / in the great skiesNoun phrase‘दिव’ नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘बृहत्’ विशेषण (सप्तमी बहुवचन) समासवत् प्रयोगRole अधिकारणRoot बृहत् (विशेषण) + दिव्/द्यौ (दिव् ‘day/sky’)
- हरयः
- the tawny ones (golden Soma-streams)Nounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (द्वितीय पादे निहित क्रियासम्बन्ध) / अथवा ‘इन्दवः’ के विशेष्य-सम्बन्धीRoot हरि (हरितवर्ण/हरि ‘bay/ tawny’; सोमवर्ण)
- वि
- apart / awayIndeclinableउपसर्ग/निपातRole क्रियाविशेषणRoot वि
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयRole सम्बन्धकRoot च
- नशन्
- destroying / driving awayParticipleवर्तमान कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (काव्यगत/सामान्य-कर्तृ; बहुवचनार्थेऽपि) अथवा प्रथमा बहुवचन-प्रयोग का संक्षेपRole कर्तृ-विशेषण/क्रियासम्बन्धीRoot √नश् (नशति ‘नाशने/प्रापणे’ वैदिक; यहाँ ‘नाशयति/नश्यति’ भाव)
- नः
- of us / ourPronounषष्ठी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद्
- इषः
- refreshments / strengths / boonsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वैदिक रूप: इषः = इषस्) अथवा प्रथमा बहुवचन सन्दर्भानुसार; यहाँ ‘नशन्’ का कर्मRole कर्मRoot इष् (स्त्री. ‘इष्टि/पोषण/refreshment, strength’)
- अरातयः
- hostilities / enemies / niggardlinessesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचनRole कर्तृ (नशन्त) / विरोधी-समूहRoot अराति (स्त्री. ‘हानि/अभाव/दुष्टता’; ‘अराति’ = शत्रुता/कंजूसी) → अराति- (प्रातिपदिक)
- अर्यः
- a noble man / an AryaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (उपमान-कर्तृ) — ‘अरातयः’ के लिए उपमाRoot अर्य (पुं. ‘आर्य/स्वामी/हितैषी’)
- नशन्त
- they perish / they are destroyedVerbलट्, परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रियाRoot √नश्
- सनिषन्त
- may they win / may they gainVerbविधिलिङ्/लोट्-सदृश आशीर्लिङ् (वैदिक), परस्मैपद, 3 पुरुष, बहुवचनRole क्रिया (आशीः)Root √सन् (सनोति ‘लाभे/प्राप्तौ’)
- नः
- to usPronounचतुर्थी (एन्क्लिटिक), बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद्
- धियः
- insights / prayers / inspired thoughtsNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (वैदिक रूप: धियः = धियस्) — ‘सनिषन्त’ का कर्मRole कर्मRoot धि (स्त्री. ‘धिया’ = thought, insight, prayer)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (सन्धि-विग्रह): अचोदसः नः धन्वन्तु इन्दवः । प्र सुवानासः बृहद्दिवेषु हरयः । वि च नशन् नः इषः अरातयः । अर्यः नशन्त । सनिषन्त नः धियः ॥ मुख्य सन्धि: (1) धन्वन्त्विन्दवः = धन्वन्तु + इन्दवः (उ + इ → वि-प्रवेश/संयोग)
- (2) हरयः । वि च = हरयः + वि (विसर्ग-लोप/पदविराम)
- (3) अरातयोऽर्यः = अरातयः + अर्यः (विसर्ग → ‘ओऽ’)
- (4) इषो = इषः (वैदिक रूप; पदान्त -ः का ओ-आदेश/पदपाठ-परम्परा)
- (5) धियः/इषः में -ः = वैदिक बहुवचन -स् का लेखन/उच्चारण-परम्परा। स्वर-चिह्न (उदात्त/अनुदात्त/स्वरित) मूल संहिता-पाठानुसार हैं
The meaning
Outer meaning
May the unimpelled Soma drops speed for us, pressed out, the bright ones in the vast heavens. Let our impulsions and nourishments spread; let the non-givers perish like strangers, and let our thoughts win the gain.
Inner meaning
The Soma-drops (indavaḥ) move ‘unimpelled’ (acodasaḥ): not driven by ego-force but by their own divine impetus once released through practice (suvānāsaḥ). They become bright energies in the ‘vast heaven’ (bṛhaddiveṣu)—the widened mind-space. As these currents run, our iṣaḥ—inner impulsions, seekings, and nourishments—expand and distribute through the being. The arātayaḥ—those in us that do not give (stinginess, withholding, tamasic refusal, hostile denials)—perish like outsiders to the soul’s law. Then dhiyaḥ—illumined thoughts/understandings—win the true gain (saniṣanta): stable acquisition of light and right movement.
Universal truth
When inner joy is released beyond egoic pushing, it naturally rises into wideness; generosity of energy spreads, the withholding tendencies fall away, and the mind wins lasting understanding and fulfillment.
Themes
Soma-ritual, Expansion of inner nourishment (iṣ), Defeat of withholding powers, Victory of insight (dhī)
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.78.5, Rig Veda 9.79.2 (contextual continuation in the hymn sequence)
Family tradition
A practical hymn-voice for the sacrificer: it asks for self-driven Soma-currents, expansion of iṣa, removal of ‘non-givers’, and victory of dhi—typical of Soma’s psychological economy.
Significance
Highlights a key yogic law: true progress comes when the divine current moves without egoic forcing; then expansion, purification of motives, and illumined gain follow.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna (Indu/Indavaḥ)
- Epithets
- Indu (bright drop), Hari (bright/tawny), Suvāna (pressed out), Acodasa (self-impelled)
- Related deities
- Indra (vast heaven and illumination), Bṛhaspati (winning of dhī), Agni (pressing/inner extraction)
Cosmic role
Self-moving delight-current that expands the heaven of mind and nourishes right impulsions while dissolving denial.
Inner power
Spontaneous divine impetus; spreads nourishment (iṣa) and secures illumined understanding (dhī).
In ritual
Where it is used
Pavamāna Soma chanting in Soma-yajña
अ॒चो॒दसो॑ नो धन्व॒न्त्विन्द॑व॒: प्र सु॑वा॒नासो॑ बृ॒हद्दि॑वेषु॒ हर॑यः । वि च॒ नश॑न्न इ॒षो अरा॑तयो॒ऽर्यो न॑शन्त॒ सनि॑षन्त नो॒ धिय॑: ॥
अ॒चो॒दसः॑ । नः॒ । ध॒न्व॒न्तु॒ । इन्द॑वः । प्र । सु॒वा॒नासः॑ । बृ॒हत्ऽदि॑वेषु । हर॑यः । वि । च॒ । नश॑न् । नः॒ । इ॒षः । अरा॑तयः । अ॒र्यः । न॒श॒न्त॒ । सनि॑षन्तन । धियः॑ ॥
acodasaḥ | naḥ | dhanvantu | indavaḥ | pra | suvānāsaḥ | bṛhat-diveṣu | harayaḥ | vi | ca | naśan | naḥ | iṣaḥ | arātayaḥ | aryaḥ | naśanta | saniṣanta | naḥ | dhiyaḥ
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables
Strong, martial-forward beat suitable for motion (‘dhanvantu’) and victory (‘saniṣanta’).
Energizes forward movement and mental clarity; supports cutting off denial and establishing expansive aspiration.
- अचोदसः (acodasaḥ)
- Literal: unimpelled/unsolicited. Symbolic: not forced by ego; self-moved by the divine rhythm once opened
- इन्दवः (indavaḥ)
- Literal: Soma drops. Symbolic: units of purified Ananda-energy in the system
- धन्वन्तु (dhanvantu)
- Literal: may they run/speed. Symbolic: may the currents of delight actively course through the being
- सुवानासः (suvānāsaḥ)
- Literal: pressed out. Symbolic: released by tapas and discrimination; extracted essence of experience
- बृहत्दिवेषु (bṛhaddiveṣu)
- Literal: in the vast heavens. Symbolic: in widened luminous mind/being (bṛhat)
- हरयः (harayaḥ)
- Literal: bright/tawny ones. Symbolic: luminous dynamic energies in action
- इषः (iṣaḥ)
- Literal: impulsions/nourishments. Symbolic: aspirations, life-impulses aligned with growth and offering
- अरा॑तयः (arātayaḥ)
- Literal: non-givers/stingy ones. Symbolic: withholding, denial, inertia, hostile refusal within the nature
- अ॒र्यो न (aryo na)
- Literal: like a stranger/non-kin. Symbolic: what is alien to the soul’s law of r̥ta and generosity
- धियः (dhiyaḥ)
- Literal: thoughts/insights. Symbolic: illumined intelligence, inspired discernment
- सनि॑षन्त (saniṣanta)
- Literal: may they win/obtain. Symbolic: secure the lasting gain of light, right action, and inner wealth
Soma praise and petition for increase of iṣ (impulsions/nourishment) and victory of dhī during Soma offerings
During pressing/flow of Soma and invocations for prosperity of thought and removal of obstructers.
Chant to accompany the running Soma and to secure boons (iṣa, dhī).
Use when stuck or over-efforting: chant to shift from forced striving to self-carried flow; good before study, contemplation, or creative work.
acodasaḥ (a- + codas from √cud ‘to impel’) frames Soma as self-moving truth-force. √dhanv ‘to run’ gives kinetic imagery. dhī is inspired thought/vision, central to RV poetics. arāti ‘non-giving’ (a- + rāti ‘gift’) is the withholding power; psychologically, forces that deny the flow of inner nourishment (iṣ).
Wideness (bṛhat), Right giving vs withholding (rāti/arāti), Dhī (inspired thought)
‘Non-givers’ are anti-r̥ta; Soma restores r̥ta by spreading iṣa and enabling dhī to win.
The ‘gain’ of dhī is stable acquisition of truth-consciousness, not transient excitement.
Emergence of vast heaven in the human: delight-currents build wideness and luminous order.
Integral-psychological reading aligned with Aurobindo: bṛhat as widened consciousness; dhī as inspired intelligence.
Sky = mind-space; bright drops = Ananda units; running = circulation of force; non-givers = constrictions/denials.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘race of Soma-drops’ bringing expansion and the defeat of the non-givers: a social-ritual mythologem transposed inwardly as the victory of free flow over withholding obstruction, so that dhī can ‘win the prize’.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √su (suvānāsaḥ) from PIE *sewH- ‘press/produce’ in Indo-Iranian Soma context. dhī is an inherited poetic abstraction (cf. Avestan daēnā in broader semantic field of vision/insight, though not a direct cognate), reflecting shared Indo-Iranian concern with inspired cognition.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi seeks an inner economy of giving: Soma’s self-driven flow expands iṣ (life-impulsions) and empowers dhī to attain. The devatā is asked to dissolve arāti—forces that block the sacrificial exchange and the soul’s growth.
Shift from efforting to allowing the self-impelled flow of joy; let it widen the mind and dissolve inner stinginess/denial.
Ājñā (dhī/clarity) with Viśuddha (expression of dhī) and Anāhata (generous flow vs withholding).
Open-monitoring with soft inhale; on exhale, mentally release ‘arātayaḥ’ (withholding) and feel space widen overhead (bṛhat).
Effortless dynamism—flowing, widened, clear.
Begin by noticing where you ‘push’. Chant once slowly, then let the breath become natural; feel bright drops rising into a wide sky in the head; conclude by setting an intention of generosity (inner giving) so dhī can ‘win’.
Vedic accents with clear lift on,,,; maintain fall-rise on svarita where indicated by tradition; avoid leveling the cadence of Triṣṭubh.
Keep pāda breaks clean; emphasize motion words (धन्वन्तु, प्र सुवानासः) and the concluding ‘धियः’ as the goal.
acodasaḥ: ‘co’ long-ish by sandhi feel; keep dental d, dhanvantu: conjunct ‘nv’ clear, bṛhaddiveṣu: vocalic ṛ; double d in bṛhad-diveṣu by sandhi articulation, arātayo: long ā; keep ‘t’ dental
Clear, forward, slightly elevated pitch on udatta; end with steady grounded tone.
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