Sukta 49
Sukta 9.49
Soma (Pavamāna)
这首简短的帕瓦玛那·苏摩赞歌祈请苏摩自我澄净，将其视为宇宙与祭仪的净化：如雨般降下滋养，向祭主赐予强健与疗愈的力量。诗中请求苏摩以清澈如酥油的流注穿行于祭献之中，驱退敌对之力，并重新点燃自古以来真理与秩序之光。
Mantras
Mantra 1
पवस्व वृष्टिमा सु नोऽपामूर्मिं दिवस्परि । अयक्ष्मा बृहतीरिषः ॥
请自净而流注于我等：降下甘霖——自天界彼岸而来的众水之波；无病无恙，赐予广大而高昂的冲力。
Mantra 2
तया पवस्व धारया यया गाव इहागमन् । जन्यास उप नो गृहम् ॥
以那一道流注请自净——凭那一道流注，光之光线在此降临；同族的诸力亦趋近我等之居所。
Mantra 3
घृतं पवस्व धारया यज्ञेषु देववीतमः । अस्मभ्यं वृष्टिमा पव ॥
以一道恒常之流，作为酥明之精华而流入我等祭祀中，噢，最为诸神所悦纳者；为我等净化，并降下甘霖——滋养丰盈的下临。
Mantra 4
स न ऊर्जे व्यव्ययं पवित्रं धाव धारया । देवासः शृणवन्हि कम् ॥
他为使我们增长生命的充盈之力，穿越滤器而奔流——不朽不坏——以涌注之流疾驰；诸天神确实听见我们内在的那一声呼唤。
Mantra 5
पवमानो असिष्यदद्रक्षांस्यपजङ्घनत् । प्रत्नवद्रोचयन्रुचः ॥
当他自净之时，便疾驰向前，驱逐黑暗之力；如同太古之者，使诸光再度炽然显耀。
Inside Sukta 49
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
A direct call to Soma to purify and pour down vṛṣṭi—imagined as a heavenly ‘wave of waters’—bringing great, healthful impulses.
- Development
Soma’s flow is emphasized as steady and luminous, ‘ghṛta-like,’ welcomed by the gods within the sacrifice and directed toward the worshippers’ welfare.
- Climax
The purified Soma surges forth as a force that strikes down rakṣas and hostile obscurity, restoring the ancient radiances.
- Where it settles
The hymn settles on Soma’s enduring role as purifier and illuminator: nourishment descends, dangers are repelled, and light is re-established.
The deity: Soma
- In the VedaSoma as Pavamāna is the pressed and filtered sacred drink, rushing through the woolen strainer, shining, ghee-bright, and life-giving; he is praised as a purifier who brings strength, inspiration, and victory while driving away darkness and hostile powers.
- Cosmic functionMediator of vitality and fertility: he links waters, rain, and growth; he energizes the gods in yajña and sustains ṛta by cleansing and illuminating.
- Inner significanceThe purified Soma symbolizes clarified consciousness—thought and speech refined through discipline—so that inspiration becomes ‘healthy’ (free from affliction) and inner light overcomes confusion and fear.
The seer
- AnonymusRepresentative of the Soma-Pavamāna hymn tradition in Mandala 9, where the focus is on Soma’s purification, potency, and beneficence rather than on a named family seer.
Famous verses
apām ūrmiṃ divas pari
घृतं पवस्व धारया यज्ञेषु देववीतमः । अस्मभ्यं वृष्टिमा पव ॥rakṣāṃsy apajaṅghanat
Attributes of the deity
- Purifier (pavamāna) flowing through the filter
- Rain-bringer and nourisher (vṛṣṭi, apām ūrmi)
- Ghee-like brilliance (ghṛta, ruc)
- Protector who repels hostile forces (rakṣāṃsi)
- Bestower of strength, impulse, and uplift (iṣaḥ)
Also by this seer
- Associated broadly with the Pavamāna (purifying Soma) corpus of Rig Veda Mandala 9
- Contributes to the recurring Soma themes of cleansing, rain/nourishment, and protection from rakṣas
The rite, step by step
- Pressing of Soma (extraction of juice) and preparation for filtration
- Filtering/purifying through the strainer (pavitra), while reciting Pavamāna verses
- Letting Soma stream steadily into the collecting vessel as an offering-current in the yajña
- Invocation for vṛṣṭi (rain/nourishing descent) and for healthful, expansive impulses (bṛhatī iṣaḥ)
- Apotropaic intent: prayer that the purified Soma drives away rakṣas and rekindles the lights
Offerings
- Purified Soma libations
- Ghee (ghṛta) and associated oblations within the sacrifice
- Water as ritual accompaniment (symbolically linked to apām ūrmi, the wave of waters)
Frequently Asked Questions
It asks Soma to purify himself in the ritual flow and to bring nourishing rain-like abundance, strong uplifting energy, and protection for the worshippers.
It poetically links Soma’s purified stream with cosmic waters and rainfall, suggesting that ritual purification supports fertility and nourishment in the world.
Rakṣas represent harmful, obstructing forces; Soma’s purification symbolizes clearing those obstacles so clarity, truth, and inner illumination can shine again.
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