००९

सर्वाष् टीकाः ...{Loading}...

सायण-भाष्यम्

‘परि प्रिया’ इति नवर्चं नवमं सूक्तम् । ऋष्याद्याः पूर्ववत् । परि प्रिया’ इत्यनुक्रान्तम् । उक्तो विनियोगः ।।

Jamison Brereton

9 (721)
Soma Pavamāna
Asita Kāśyapa or Devala Kāśyapa
9 verses: gāyatrī
Unlike the relatively straightforward preceding hymns, this one is full of puz zles and ambiguities, with the implements and process of soma purification compared to cosmic entities and actions. Some of the puzzles are illuminated by the next hymn, IX.10, which is in some ways a more straightforward twin to this one. This one also appears to be an omphalos hymn, with an inner ring1244 IX.9
defined by numerological repetition in verses 4 and 6, around the omphalos verse 5.
On the ritual level, the soma is pressed between or in his two granddaughters (vs. 1): most likely the hands of the priest, on the basis of IX.10.2; after his journey (vss. 1–2), accompanied by hymns he is united with the waters (vss. 4–5), who make him their eye. He is called upon to give aid to the ritual and to the hymn (vss. 7–8).
This synopsis leaves a number of questions unanswered. Who, for example, are his two mothers in verse 3? Are they the same as his two female kinsmen in verse 1? Since R̥gvedic poets delight in paradoxical kinship relationships, this is certainly possible. If so, they could be both the ritual implement (hands) and Heaven and Earth, and in this latter cosmic manifestation their son Soma, who makes them shine in verse 3, could be identified with the sun—an identification that is supported by the “single eye” of verse 4. Again under a cosmic interpretation the rivers of verse 4 can be not only the waters with which soma mixes in his ritual preparation, but also the heavenly streams (and indeed real rivers).
The referents in the middle verses 4–6 are especially floating and uncertain: both the insights and the rivers of verse 4 are feminine in gender. The agent of verse 5 (the omphalos verse) is feminine plural, and so could be either insights or rivers or both, and “the great” is also left unspecified. In verse 6 we encounter “the seven” again, which can either be the seven insights of verse 4 (which we also met in the preceding hymn, IX.8.4) or the rivers, since the canonical number of rivers is seven. This series of puzzles is capped by the final pāda of verse 6, with the impossible word krívi, which seems here to refer to Soma. The goddesses whom he satisfies could, again, be either the rivers or the insights (or perhaps even just goddesses).
The final three verses (7–9), with their requests, cause little difficulty, by contrast. Although the mysteries of the hymn remain largely unsolved, we can note a the matic strain that provides some unity: the issue of light and darkness. The Soma/
Sun of verse 3 lights up his mothers; he may also be the Sun in verse 4. In verse 7 we call upon Soma to help us combat darkness and in verse 8 to light up the lights. The last word of the hymn (vs. 9) is “sun” (svàḥ). It seems that in this hymn Soma is both identified with the Sun and seen as a force that can win and keep the light that Vedic people so craved and worried about. This focus on the sun is also found in the next hymn, IX.10.

Jamison Brereton Notes

On the structure and often puzzling content of this hymn, see published introduction.

01 परि प्रिया - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

प᳓रि प्रिया᳓ दिवः᳓ कवि᳓र्
व᳓यांसि नप्ति᳓योर् हितः᳓
स्वानो᳓° याति कवि᳓क्रतुः

02 प्रप्र क्षयाय - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

प्र᳓-प्र क्ष᳓याय प᳓न्यसे
ज᳓नाय जु᳓ष्टो अद्रु᳓हे
वीती᳓ अर्ष च᳓निष्ठया

03 स सूनुर्मातरा - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

स᳓ सूनु᳓र् मात᳓रा शु᳓चिर्
जातो᳓ जाते᳓ अरोचयत्
महा᳓न् मही᳓ ऋतावृ᳓धा

04 स सप्त - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

स᳓ सप्त᳓ धीति᳓भिर् हितो᳓
नद्यो᳡ अजिन्वद् अद्रु᳓हः
या᳓ ए᳓कम् अ᳓क्षि वावृधुः᳓

05 ता अभि - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

ता᳓ अभि᳓ स᳓न्तम् अ᳓स्तृतम्
महे᳓ यु᳓वानम् आ᳓ दधुः
इ᳓न्दुम् इन्द्र त᳓व व्रते᳓

06 अभि वह्निरमर्त्यः - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अभि᳓ व᳓ह्निर् अ᳓मर्तियः
सप्त᳓ पश्यति वा᳓वहिः
क्रि᳓विर् देवी᳓र् अतर्पयत्

07 अवा कल्पेषु - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

अ᳓वा क᳓ल्पेषु नः पुमस्
त᳓मांसि सोम यो᳓धिया
ता᳓नि पुनान जङ्घनः

08 नू नव्यसे - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

नू᳓ न᳓व्यसे न᳓वीयसे
सूक्ता᳓य साधया पथः᳓
प्रत्नव᳓द् रोचया रु᳓चः

09 पवमान महि - गायत्री

विश्वास-प्रस्तुतिः ...{Loading}...

प᳓वमान म᳓हि श्र᳓वो
गा᳓म् अ᳓श्वं रासि वीर᳓वत्
स᳓ना मेधां᳓ स᳓ना सु᳓वः