Hymn to Soma Pavamana (Soma, Self-Purifying)
Rigveda IX.62 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. These swift drops have been released, streaming through the filter, toward every good fortune.
2. Breaking through many troubles, the vigorous ones cut good paths for our offspring and our racehorse, stretching the way onward by their own strength.
3. Making wide room for the cow, they flow toward fine praise, toward the offering gathered for us.
4. The stalk has been pressed for exhilaration — the skillful one who dwells on the mountain, now in the waters; like a falcon he has settled into his nest.
5. The bright juice, dear to the gods, shaken in the waters, pressed by men — the cows sweeten it with their milk.
6. Then, as drivers groom a horse, they have made him beautiful for the immortals — the honeyed sap, at the shared feast.
7. Your streams, dripping honey, O drop, have poured out for our help; with them you have taken your seat on the filter.
8. He flows for Indra to drink, across the sheep's fleecy hairs, settling into his place among the wooden vats.
9. You, O drop, flow all around, sweetest to the Aṅgirases, finder of open room, as ghee and milk.
10. This far-seeing one, set in place, purifying himself, perceives — driving on the great bond of kinship.
11. This bull, true to a bull's own law, purifying himself, breaker of curses, shall bring goods to the one who gives offerings.
12. Purify yourself and bring us a wealth of a thousand — rich in cows and horses, brightly shining, much desired.
13. This one is poured out all around, being groomed clean by the living, wide-ranging, of a poet's will.
14. With a thousand aids, a hundred gifts, measurer of the airy realm, the poet — the exhilarating drink purifies itself for Indra.
15. Born through the hymn, praised here, the drop is set down for Indra — a bird in its nest, in its own dwelling.
16. Purifying himself, pressed by men, Soma has rushed on as if toward a prize, to settle by his own power in the bowls.
17. They yoke him, to make him travel, into the three-backed, three-seated chariot, with the seven insights of the seven seers.
18. O pressers, urge on that swift one, winner of wealth, the tawny, vigorous one, to travel for the prize.
19. Entering the jar, pressed out, flowing toward every splendor, he stands among the cows like a champion.
20. For your exhilaration, O drop, the living milk out the milk; the gods milk out honey for the gods.
21. Release Soma for us into the filter — sweetest of all, most renowned among the gods, for the gods.
22. These soma-drops have poured out, sung over for great renown, in the stream of the most exhilarating one.
23. Purifying yourself, you flow toward the wealth of cattle and manly strength, for our enjoyment; winner of the prize, flow all around.
24. And flow to us all the cow-rich gifts of food, resounding on every side, praised by Jamadagni.
25. Purify yourself, O Soma, foremost of speech, with your wondrous aids, toward all works of poetic craft.
26. You, the foremost, stirring the ocean's waters and the tongues of men — purify yourself, you who set all things in motion.
27. For you, O poet, these worlds stand fast in your greatness, O Soma; for you the rivers hasten.
28. Your streams go forth unceasing, like the rains from heaven, toward the bright foundation spread beneath.
29. Purify the drop for Indra — the fierce one, accomplisher for skill, the ruler whose bounty is there for the asking.
30. Purifying himself, the true one, the poet, Soma has settled on the filter, granting the one who praises him heroic strength.
Translator's note: "viśvāny abhi saubhagā" (v.1) is elliptical in the Sanskrit — literally "toward all good fortunes," with no verb of arrival stated; rendered here by extension from the verse's own flowing-forth. "vītirādhasam" (v.29) is a compound of uncertain analysis; rendered conservatively as "whose bounty is there for the asking" (enjoyment/hospitality + gift).
Colophon
Rigveda IX.62 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.62
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.
ete asṛgram indavas tiraḥ pavitram āśavaḥ |
viśvāny abhi saubhagā || 1 ||
vighnanto duritā puru sugā tokāya vājinaḥ |
tanā kṛṇvanto arvate || 2 ||
kṛṇvanto varivo gave 'bhy arṣanti suṣṭutim |
iḻām asmabhyaṁ saṁyatam || 3 ||
asāvy aṁśur madāyāpsu dakṣo giriṣṭhāḥ |
śyeno na yonim āsadat || 4 ||
śubhram andho devavātam apsu dhūto nṛbhiḥ sutaḥ |
svadanti gāvaḥ payobhiḥ || 5 ||
ād īm aśvaṁ na hetāro 'śūśubhann amṛtāya |
madhvo rasaṁ sadhamāde || 6 ||
yās te dhārā madhuścuto 'sṛgram inda ūtaye |
tābhiḥ pavitram āsadaḥ || 7 ||
so arṣendrāya pītaye tiro romāṇy avyayā |
sīdan yonā vaneṣv ā || 8 ||
tvam indo pari srava svādiṣṭho aṅgirobhyaḥ |
varivovid ghṛtam payaḥ || 9 ||
ayaṁ vicarṣaṇir hitaḥ pavamānaḥ sa cetati |
hinvāna āpyam bṛhat || 10 ||
eṣa vṛṣā vṛṣavrataḥ pavamāno aśastihā |
karad vasūni dāśuṣe || 11 ||
ā pavasva sahasriṇaṁ rayiṁ gomantam aśvinam |
puruścandram puruspṛham || 12 ||
eṣa sya pari ṣicyate marmṛjyamāna āyubhiḥ |
urugāyaḥ kavikratuḥ || 13 ||
sahasrotiḥ śatāmagho vimāno rajasaḥ kaviḥ |
indrāya pavate madaḥ || 14 ||
girā jāta iha stuta indur indrāya dhīyate |
vir yonā vasatāv iva || 15 ||
pavamānaḥ suto nṛbhiḥ somo vājam ivāsarat |
camūṣu śakmanāsadam || 16 ||
taṁ tripṛṣṭhe trivandhure rathe yuñjanti yātave |
ṛṣīṇāṁ sapta dhītibhiḥ || 17 ||
taṁ sotāro dhanaspṛtam āśuṁ vājāya yātave |
hariṁ hinota vājinam || 18 ||
āviśan kalaśaṁ suto viśvā arṣann abhi śriyaḥ |
śūro na goṣu tiṣṭhati || 19 ||
ā ta indo madāya kam payo duhanty āyavaḥ |
devā devebhyo madhu || 20 ||
ā naḥ somam pavitra ā sṛjatā madhumattamam |
devebhyo devaśruttamam || 21 ||
ete somā asṛkṣata gṛṇānāḥ śravase mahe |
madintamasya dhārayā || 22 ||
abhi gavyāni vītaye nṛmṇā punāno arṣasi |
sanadvājaḥ pari srava || 23 ||
uta no gomatīr iṣo viśvā arṣa pariṣṭubhaḥ |
gṛṇāno jamadagninā || 24 ||
pavasva vāco agriyaḥ soma citrābhir ūtibhiḥ |
abhi viśvāni kāvyā || 25 ||
tvaṁ samudriyā apo 'griyo vāca īrayan |
pavasva viśvamejaya || 26 ||
tubhyemā bhuvanā kave mahimne soma tasthire |
tubhyam arṣanti sindhavaḥ || 27 ||
pra te divo na vṛṣṭayo dhārā yanty asaścataḥ |
abhi śukrām upastiram || 28 ||
indrāyendum punītanograṁ dakṣāya sādhanam |
īśānaṁ vītirādhasam || 29 ||
pavamāna ṛtaḥ kaviḥ somaḥ pavitram āsadat |
dadhat stotre suvīryam || 30 ||
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).