Hymn to Soma

Rigveda IX.40 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, the far-seeing one has advanced against all scorners. They adorn the inspired one with their hymns.

2. The ruddy one has mounted into the womb; the pressed bull goes to Indra. He sits in the firm seat.

3. Now, O drop, O Soma, flow toward us from every side, bringing us great wealth — wealth in the thousands.

4. O Soma, purifying yourself, bring us all splendid gifts, O drop; you know refreshments in the thousands.

5. Being purified, bring to us, to the singer, wealth rich in strong sons. Strengthen the songs of the one who praises.

6. Being purified, O drop, O Soma, bring us doubly abundant wealth — O bull, O drop, wealth worthy of our praise.

Colophon

Rigveda IX.40 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.40

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.

punāno akramīd abhi viśvā mṛdho vicarṣaṇiḥ |
śumbhanti vipraṁ dhītibhiḥ || 1 ||

ā yonim aruṇo ruhad gamad indraṁ vṛṣā sutaḥ |
dhruve sadasi sīdati || 2 ||

nū no rayim mahām indo 'smabhyaṁ soma viśvataḥ |
ā pavasva sahasriṇam || 3 ||

viśvā soma pavamāna dyumnānīndav ā bhara |
vidāḥ sahasriṇīr iṣaḥ || 4 ||

sa naḥ punāna ā bhara rayiṁ stotre suvīryam |
jaritur vardhayā giraḥ || 5 ||

punāna indav ā bhara soma dvibarhasaṁ rayim |
vṛṣann indo na ukthyam || 6 ||

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).