Hymn to Soma Pavamana
Rigveda IX.111 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 9 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. Being purified with this golden light, he crosses over every hostility with his self-yoked steeds, like the sun with his self-yoked steeds. The stream of the pressed soma shines, being purified, ruddy and tawny, as he passes through all his forms with the seven-mouthed singers, with the singers.
2. You found that wealth which the Paṇis had hidden; you cleanse yourself together with the mother-waters in your own house, in the house of truth, amid its insights. Like a melody from far away is that place, where the thoughts take their delight. With the threefold ruddy lights, shining, he takes on new vigor — he takes on vigor.
3. Watchful, he goes on along the ancient eastward course; he arrays himself with his rays — a splendid chariot, a splendid divine chariot. The hymns and the deeds of manly strength have come, gladdening Indra toward victory. And when you and the thunder-mace stand unshaken in the clashes of battle, unshaken.
Translator's note: verse 2's "tridhātubhir aruṣībhiḥ" (threefold ruddy [ones]) is left general, as the Sanskrit does not specify cows, lights, or waters. Verse 3's "vajraś ca yad bhavathaḥ" uses a dual verb, addressing Soma together with the thunder-mace (or, by extension, Indra armed with it); the English keeps that dual address as "you and the thunder-mace."
Colophon
Rigveda IX.111 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
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Source Text: ṛgveda IX.111
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
ayā rucā hariṇyā punāno viśvā dveṣāṁsi tarati svayugvabhiḥ sūro na svayugvabhiḥ |
dhārā sutasya rocate punāno aruṣo hariḥ |
viśvā yad rūpā pariyāty ṛkvabhiḥ saptāsyebhir ṛkvabhiḥ || 1 ||
tvaṁ tyat paṇīnāṁ vido vasu sam mātṛbhir marjayasi sva ā dama ṛtasya dhītibhir dame |
parāvato na sāma tad yatrā raṇanti dhītayaḥ |
tridhātubhir aruṣībhir vayo dadhe rocamāno vayo dadhe || 2 ||
pūrvām anu pradiśaṁ yāti cekitat saṁ raśmibhir yatate darśato ratho daivyo darśato rathaḥ |
agmann ukthāni pauṁsyendraṁ jaitrāya harṣayan |
vajraś ca yad bhavatho anapacyutā samatsv anapacyutā || 3 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).