घृतपृष्ठा मनोयुजो ये त्वा वहन्ति वह्नयः ।
आ देवान्त्सोमपीतये ॥ ६ ॥

Gritaprishthaa manoyujo ye tvaa vahanti vahnayah ।
Aa devaant somapeetaye ॥ 6 ॥

Meaning

घृतपृष्ठाः (Gritaprishthaa): Those who have light as their foundation; those who have knowledge as their basis. “Grita” indicates light, radiance and clarity; “Prishtha” gives the meaning of foundation or supporting ground. Therefore, “Gritaprishthaa” means those who have luminous knowledge itself as the foundation of life. True worshippers do not base their lives on ignorance or desire; they live with knowledge and clarity as their foundation. The light of knowledge becomes the basis of their journey through life.

मनोयुजः (Manoyujah): Those who have united the mind; those who have disciplined the mind. “Manas” means mind; “Yuj” means to unite, control and direct. “Manoyujah” refers to those who strive to prevent the mind from wandering towards external objects and sensory pleasures and direct it towards the higher principle of the Self and remembrance of the Divine. This expresses the fundamental truth of mental discipline and meditation. True worship takes place when the mind becomes established in the Divine path.

ये (Ye): They, those who. This word refers to the worshippers mentioned in the mantra. It serves as a connecting word for describing the qualities of those who live according to the Divine path.

त्वा (Tvaa): You, You alone, the Divine. Here the Divine is presented as the centre of human life. All the actions of the worshippers are connected with the Divine; they live with remembrance of the Divine. This is what the word conveys.

वहन्ति (Vahanti): They carry, they bear, they uphold. “Vahanti” does not merely mean physical carrying. According to the explanation, carrying the Divine means performing all actions while maintaining remembrance of the Divine and the Divine path. Worshippers connect their life, duties and actions with remembrance of the Divine. They live without separating their actions from Divine remembrance.

वह्नयः (Vahnayah): Those who lead forward; those who bring actions to completion. “Vahni” conveys the meaning of carrying forward and progressing. Here, those who act with remembrance of the Divine are called “Vahnayah.” Those who act while remembering the Divine do not abandon any task halfway; they carry it towards completion. Remembrance of the Divine gives them sustained effort and a sense of responsibility.

आ (Aa): Towards, within, for receiving, to approach. This word conveys the process of accepting Divine qualities within oneself. The worshipper does not seek them outside; he develops Divine qualities within himself.

देवान् (Devaan): Divine qualities; Divine attributes. Here “Devas” does not refer only to separate deities; it refers to light, compassion, truth, self-control, knowledge and love and other Divine qualities. The true worshipper accepts and develops these Divine qualities in his life. This mantra teaches that holding these qualities within oneself is the true invocation of the Divine.

सोमपीतये (Somapeetaye): For preserving and experiencing Soma; for Soma drinking. “Somapeetaye” does not merely mean drinking a beverage. As explained in the previous mantras, Soma is the subtle essential energy of life. Preserving this Soma energy and experiencing the vital strength, inner contentment, light of knowledge and spiritual bliss obtained through it is described as “Soma drinking.” Preserving Soma is the fundamental path of true Divine worship. Through this preservation of Soma, a person rises towards the Divine Truth known as “Soma.”

Explanation

This Vedic mantra is a profound spiritual guide explaining how a true worshipper of the Divine lives, through which inner qualities he attains spiritual elevation, and how remembrance of the Divine should manifest in life. It teaches that worship is not merely a ritual or verbal praise; rather, it is a way of life filled with knowledge, mental discipline, Divine qualities and preservation of Soma energy.

The opening word of the mantra, “Gritaprishthaa (Gritaprishthaa),” explains the foundation of the worshipper’s life. “Grita” indicates light, clarity and radiance, while “Prishtha” indicates a foundation or supporting ground. Therefore, “Gritaprishthaa” refers to those who have the light of knowledge itself as the foundation of their lives. A true worshipper does not live based on ignorance, desire or confusion; he takes clarity filled with knowledge and discrimination as the guide of his life. The light of knowledge becomes his inner foundation and the basis of his journey through life.

The next word, “Manoyujah (Manoyujah),” explains the mental discipline of the worshipper. The mind naturally wanders towards sensory pleasures and external objects. But “Manoyujah” refers to those who strive not to allow the mind to wander in this way, but to unite it with the principle of the Self and remembrance of the Divine. This expresses the fundamental truth of meditation, self-control and inner attention. The deep message of this word is that true worship takes place only when the mind becomes established in the Divine path.

The mantra then says “Ye tvaa vahanti (Ye tvaa vahanti).” Here “Tvaa” refers to the Divine, while “Vahanti” means to carry or bear. But this carrying is not an external burden; it means performing all actions while maintaining remembrance of the Divine and the Divine path. A true worshipper does not see his life, duties, work and relationships as separate from the Divine. His actions and remembrance of the Divine remain united. Therefore, every action of his becomes an act of worship.

The mantra calls those who act with this remembrance of the Divine “Vahnayah (Vahnayah).” “Vahni” conveys the meaning of progressing and carrying something towards completion. Those who act while remembering the Divine do not abandon tasks halfway; they complete them with responsibility and sustained effort. Remembrance of the Divine gives them inner firmness and discipline in action. Therefore, this mantra teaches that worship does not mean withdrawing from action; rather, it means completing actions with remembrance of the Divine.

The next part of the mantra, “Aa Devaan (Aa Devaan),” explains the inner development of the worshipper. Here “Devas” does not refer only to separate deities; it refers to Divine qualities such as light, compassion, truth, love, self-control and knowledge. The true worshipper does not merely expect these Divine qualities from outside; he accepts and develops them within himself. This is explained as the true invocation of the Divine, or welcoming the Divine into the inner being.

The ultimate purpose of developing these Divine qualities is explained through the word “Somapeetaye (Somapeetaye).” “Soma drinking” does not mean drinking an external beverage; as explained in the previous mantras, it means preserving Soma, the subtle essential energy of life, and experiencing its spiritual benefits. This Soma energy gives a human being vital strength, inner contentment, the light of knowledge and spiritual bliss. Therefore, the mantra emphasizes that preserving Soma is the fundamental path of true Divine worship. Through this preservation of Soma, a person rises towards the state of attaining the Divine Truth known as “Soma.”

Therefore, this Vedic mantra profoundly teaches that true worship is not an external ritual; it is a complete spiritual life filled with making knowledge the foundation of life, establishing the mind in the Divine path, performing actions with remembrance of the Divine, bringing them to completion, developing Divine qualities within oneself, and preserving Soma energy and experiencing its spiritual bliss.

Conclusion

This mantra deeply explains that true Divine worship does not remain limited to external rituals and verbal praises; it is a complete way of life filled with knowledge, mental discipline, remembrance of the Divine, development of Divine qualities and preservation of Soma energy. A true worshipper makes the light of knowledge the foundation of his life and lives not through ignorance and desires but through discrimination and clarity. He strives to withdraw the mind from the wandering of the senses and establish it in the principle of the Self and remembrance of the Divine, because worship cannot become complete without mental discipline and meditation.

At the same time, this mantra emphasizes that remembrance of the Divine is not something separate from life; action and remembrance of the Divine must remain united. A true worshipper performs all his duties with remembrance of the Divine and completes every task fully without abandoning it halfway. This remembrance of the Divine gives him inner firmness and discipline in action.

Furthermore, through the idea of “Devaan (Devaan),” the mantra teaches that developing Divine qualities such as light, compassion, truth, love and self-control within oneself is the true invocation of the Divine. As the ultimate purpose of such a Divine life, “Soma drinking” is explained as preserving Soma, the subtle essential energy of life, and experiencing the vital strength, inner contentment, light of knowledge and spiritual bliss obtained through it.

Therefore, this mantra leads the human being from external worship towards inner experience of the Divine. Making knowledge the foundation, disciplining the mind, performing actions with remembrance of the Divine, developing Divine qualities and preserving Soma energy is true Divine worship. This mantra thus stands as a profound spiritual and practical guide to life.