Rig Veda 9.36.2: Mandala 9, Sukta 36, Mantra 2
Sukta 9.36
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
स वह्निः सोम जागृविः पवस्व देववीरति । अभि कोशं मधुश्चुतम् ॥
sá váhniḥ sóma jā́gṛviḥ páv asva deva-vī́r áti | abhí kóśaṃ madhú-ścutam ||
Hỡi Soma, kẻ mang ngọn lửa, đấng luôn tỉnh thức—hãy tuôn chảy trong sự thanh lọc, tiến vượt đến cảnh giới anh hùng của thần linh; hãy thúc mình đến chiếc bình nhỏ giọt vị ngọt như mật.
Word by Word
- सः
- he (that one)Pronounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृRoot तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) → स
- वह्निः
- the bearer/impelling fire (Agni-like)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सः इति सर्वनामस्य विशेषण/समनाधिकरणम्)Root वह्नि- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘carrier, fire, impeller’)
- सोमः
- SomaNounपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (समनाधिकरणम्)Root सोम- (प्रातिपदिक)
- जागृविः
- wakeful, vigilantAdjectiveपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्Role कर्तृ (सोमस्य विशेषणम्)Root जागृवि- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘wakeful, vigilant’) < √जागृ (जागरणे)
- पवस्व
- purify yourself / flow clearVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थे), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्Role क्रियाRoot √पू (पवने/शोधने) → पवते
- देववीरति
- O (Soma) of divine heroes / O leader amid the gods’ heroesNoun (vocative compound)सम्बोधनम्, एकवचनम् (समासः: देव-वीरति)Role सम्बोधन (आह्वानम्)Root देव- + वीरति- (प्रातिपदिक; ‘host/line of heroes’; RV-विशेष प्रयोग)
- अभि
- towards, ontoIndeclinableउपसर्गः/अव्ययम्Role दिशा/उपसर्ग-सम्बन्धः (क्रियायाः ‘पवस्व’ इत्यस्य)Root अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- कोशम्
- into the vessel/receptacle (vat)Nounपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्Role कर्मRoot कोश- (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुश्चुतम्
- honey-dripping, sweet-flowingAdjective (past participial compound)पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘कोशम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्Role कर्म (कोशम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)Root मधु- + च्युत/चुत- (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < √च्यु/च्युत् (स्रवणे/पतने) ; RV-रूप: चुत
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः (Vedic pada): सः | वह्निः | सोमः | जागृविः | पवस्व | देववीरति | अभि | कोशम् | मधुश्चुतम् । 1) स + वह्निः → स वह्निः (विसर्गः पदान्ते; संहितायां ‘स वह्निः’ इति)
- 2) सोमः + जागृविः → सोम॒ जागृ॑वि॒: (विसर्गः पदान्ते; संहितायां विसर्ग-लोप/विसर्ग-चिह्नः पाठभेदानुसारः)
- 3) मधु + चुतम् → मधुश्चुतम् (श्-आदेशः: उकारान्त ‘मधु’ + ‘च’ → ‘मधुश्च’)
The meaning
Outer meaning
O Soma, the vahni (carrier), the wakeful one—flow purified beyond, toward the god-heroic state; go toward the honey-dripping vessel.
Inner meaning
Soma is called vahni: the bearer who carries the offering and also carries consciousness forward—here almost Agni-like in function. As jāgṛviḥ (wakeful), he awakens the inner being from dullness. The mantra urges the purified flow to move ‘beyond’ (ati): beyond ordinary human limitation into devavīr (god-heroic) consciousness—courage and power governed by light. The goal is the kośa madhuścut (honey-dripping vessel): the receptacle of Ananda where delight becomes a steady nectar, not a passing pleasure.
Universal truth
Awakening plus purification leads beyond limitation into a courageous divine life; true sweetness is a stable inner nectar stored in consciousness.
Themes
Soma as carrier (vahni), Awakening, Madhu (delight), Purified flow into the vessel
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 9.36
Significance
The seer-impulse here is explicitly yogic: awaken, purify, transcend, and establish delight in a stable vessel—an inner sādhanā sequence.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- Vahni (bearer), Jāgṛvi (wakeful), Punāna/Pavamāna (purifying flow), Madhuścut (honey-dripping, by effect)
- Related deities
- Agni (vahni function), Indra (heroic illumination), Aśvins (awakening/healing sweetness)
Cosmic role
Awakens and purifies; carries the offering to the gods; brings divine heroism and delight to the sacrificer.
Inner power
Ananda acting as awakened will: it both clarifies and empowers the vital nature into divine courage.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma purification and offering; invocation during flow toward the collecting vessel
स वह्नि॑: सोम॒ जागृ॑वि॒: पव॑स्व देव॒वीरति॑ । अ॒भि कोशं॑ मधु॒श्चुत॑म् ॥
सः । वह्निः॑ । सो॒म॒ । जागृ॑विः । पव॑स्व । दे॒व॒ऽवीः । अति॑ । अ॒भि । कोश॑म् । म॒धु॒ऽश्चुत॑म् ॥
saḥ | vahniḥ | soma | jāgṛviḥ | pavasva | deva-vīḥ | ati | abhi | kośam | madhu-ścutam
48
4×12 (approx.)
Invocatory and ascending; ‘ati…abhi…’ gives a thrust beyond and toward.
Wakes the mind, then lifts it; leaves a taste of sweetness and aspiration for higher courage.
- वह्निः (vahniḥ)
- Literal: carrier; fire-priest. Symbolic: the bearer-force that transports aspiration and offering; will that carries consciousness forward
- जागृविः (jāgṛviḥ)
- Literal: wakeful. Symbolic: awakened awareness that does not relapse into inertia
- पवस्व (pavasva)
- Literal: flow purified. Symbolic: let the consciousness-current clarify and intensify
- देववीः (deva-vīḥ)
- Literal: god-heroic. Symbolic: divine courage and power—illumined vital force
- अति (ati)
- Literal: beyond. Symbolic: transcendence of limiting formations
- कोशम् (kośam)
- Literal: vessel; sheath; container. Symbolic: inner receptacle (sheath of consciousness) able to hold steady Ananda
- मधुश्चुतम् (madhu-ścutam)
- Literal: honey-dripping. Symbolic: streaming sweetness of Ananda—delight that nourishes and heals
Invocation during Soma’s flow into the collecting vat/vessels after straining; also a mantra of ‘wakefulness’ in the offering.
As Soma is strained and directed into the kośa/vessel; also as an energizing call in stotra/śastra sequences
Urging Soma to flow beyond obstacles and fill the vessel; consecrating the sweetness for offering
Mantra for awakening in meditation and for transforming the vital into divine courage; also for restoring sweetness after stress.
Key terms: (1) vahni: from √vah ‘to carry, convey’—often Agni-epithet; here Soma is also ‘carrier’ of the offering-force, indicating functional identity of divine powers in the sacrifice/inner work. (2) jāgṛvi: from √jāgṛ ‘to be awake’—wakeful consciousness opposed to tamas. (3) pavasva: middle imperative from √pū/√pav ‘to purify, become clear’—Soma is both process and result. (4) madhu: ‘honey/sweetness’ also ‘delight’; in RV frequently denotes the bliss-substance of truth-consciousness; ścut ‘to drip, distil’ (√ścut/√cyut ‘to fall, trickle’).
tamas vs. jāgrat (wakeful consciousness), madhu as bliss of truth, transcendence (ati) beyond the lower nature
Purification (pavasva) is ṛta’s action in the substance of consciousness.
The ‘vessel’ as a stable form to hold delight—Ananda embodied in a sheath (kośa).
Integral yoga resonance: awakening (jāgṛvi), purification, ascent beyond, and establishment of Ananda.
pre-dawn to morning (wakefulness motif)
Honey is concentrated sweetness (Ananda); vessel is the stabilized consciousness-body; wakefulness is the end of tamas; heroism is purified prāṇa.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘wakeful Soma’ mythologem: the divine drink is not inert but vigilant and leading beyond (ati) toward the divine heroic condition (deva-vīḥ). The honey-dripping vessel is the inner store where delight of truth gathers.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √vah ‘carry’ corresponds to PIE *weǵh- ‘to convey’ (cf. Latin vehere). The wakefulness root √jāgṛ is Indo-Iranian-specific development but expresses an archaic IE opposition of waking/vision vs. darkness. The directive particles abhi/ati preserve old spatial semantics used metaphorically for spiritual ascent.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer commands a precise inner movement: Soma must remain wakeful and exceed the lower limit, entering the right receptacle of madhu. The human aspiration (imperative pavasva) meets the deity’s active agency as vahni that carries the being forward.
Awaken the inner carrier (vahni): feel a bright current rising; invite it to purify and pass beyond limitation into courageous clarity; rest in a honeyed fullness in the heart-space.
Anahata (sweetness/nectar) with Manipura (heroic force)
3-part breath: (1) quick bright inhale (jāgṛvi), (2) smooth steady exhale (pavasva), (3) brief stillness tasting ‘madhu’ in the heart.
Wakeful uplift leading to nectar-like calm.
When tamas or discouragement appears, repeat the mantra gently; then do one courageous, truthful action (devavīr) while keeping a sweetness in the chest (madhu).
Invocatory rise on ‘soma jāgṛviḥ’; emphasize the forward thrust on ‘pavasva…ati…abhi’; settle warmly on ‘madhuścutam’.
Do not clip final consonants; keep ‘madhu-’ soft and sweet; let ‘ati abhi’ be clearly separated and directional.
vahniḥ: ‘hn’ cluster—keep h audible, jāgṛviḥ: long ‘ā’; ‘ṛv’ crisp with vocalic ṛ, pavasva: ‘sv’ cluster clean, devavīr: long ‘ī’; roll r lightly, madhuścutam: palatal ‘śc’ cluster; keep ‘madhu’ voiced and mellow
Wakeful, resonant, then sweetened and soothing at the end.
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