Hymn to Soma Pavamana
Rigveda IX.70 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. Thrice seven milch-cows have yielded for him their true milk-mixture in the highest heaven. He made four other worlds fair for his bright garment, when he grew strong through the cosmic order.
2. Seeking his share of the fair immortal drink, he parted the two world-halves by his poetic skill. He wrapped himself round with the brightest waters, when they recognized his seat through the god's renown.
3. Let these be his beacons — undying, unassailable — following both races, gods and men. By these both human and divine powers are purified. Then indeed they grasped the king with their devotion.
4. He, being cleansed by the ten skillful fingers, goes forth among the middle mothers, in his foremost place. Guarding the laws of the fair immortal drink, with his man-seeing gaze he watches over both peoples.
5. He, cleansed for the sake of strength fit for Indra, set between the two bounds of heaven and earth, is roused. The bull with his fury drives away ill intentions, taking aim again and again, like an archer at his spoils.
6. He, the ruddy one, seen approaching his two mothers, goes roaring, like the sound of the Maruts. Knowing the first order — the realm of heavenly light — the wise one has chosen it for his glory.
7. The fearsome bull roars with might, sharpening his two golden horns, all-seeing. Soma settles into his well-made womb. His hide becomes of cowhide, his robe of sheep's wool.
8. Pure, purifying his spotless body, the golden one has flowed down onto the surface of the sheep's fleece. Pleasing to Mitra, to Varuṇa, to Vāyu, the threefold sweet drink is made by the skillful priests.
9. Flow, O Soma, O bull, for the feast of the gods; enter Indra's heart, the vessel that holds Soma. Before distress comes upon us, carry us across our troubles — for one who knows the terrain tells the way to the one who asks.
10. Like a harnessed steed, race toward the prize; O drop, purify yourself into Indra's belly. Like a boat, carry us across the river, knowing the way; like a hero in battle, ward off blame from us.
Translator's note: verse 6's "kam" (rendered here as "it") is a compressed pronoun whose referent — the heavenly light just named, or bliss/water more generally — is genuinely ambiguous in the Sanskrit; the conservative reading is kept. Verse 10's "spaḥ" (from spaś, "to watch/spy out") is rendered as "ward off blame," following its sense of guarding against reproach rather than a more literal "spy."
Colophon
Rigveda IX.70 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.70
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.
trir asmai sapta dhenavo duduhre satyām āśiram pūrvye vyomani |
catvāry anyā bhuvanāni nirṇije cārūṇi cakre yad ṛtair avardhata || 1 ||
sa bhikṣamāṇo amṛtasya cāruṇa ubhe dyāvā kāvyenā vi śaśrathe |
tejiṣṭhā apo maṁhanā pari vyata yadī devasya śravasā sado viduḥ || 2 ||
te asya santu ketavo 'mṛtyavo 'dābhyāso januṣī ubhe anu |
yebhir nṛmṇā ca devyā ca punata ād id rājānam mananā agṛbhṇata || 3 ||
sa mṛjyamāno daśabhiḥ sukarmabhiḥ pra madhyamāsu mātṛṣu prame sacā |
vratāni pāno amṛtasya cāruṇa ubhe nṛcakṣā anu paśyate viśau || 4 ||
sa marmṛjāna indriyāya dhāyasa obhe antā rodasī harṣate hitaḥ |
vṛṣā śuṣmeṇa bādhate vi durmatīr ādediśānaḥ śaryaheva śurudhaḥ || 5 ||
sa mātarā na dadṛśāna usriyo nānadad eti marutām iva svanaḥ |
jānann ṛtam prathamaṁ yat svarṇaram praśastaye kam avṛṇīta sukratuḥ || 6 ||
ruvati bhīmo vṛṣabhas taviṣyayā śṛṅge śiśāno hariṇī vicakṣaṇaḥ |
ā yoniṁ somaḥ sukṛtaṁ ni ṣīdati gavyayī tvag bhavati nirṇig avyayī || 7 ||
śuciḥ punānas tanvam arepasam avye harir ny adhāviṣṭa sānavi |
juṣṭo mitrāya varuṇāya vāyave tridhātu madhu kriyate sukarmabhiḥ || 8 ||
pavasva soma devavītaye vṛṣendrasya hārdi somadhānam ā viśa |
purā no bādhād duritāti pāraya kṣetravid dhi diśa āhā vipṛcchate || 9 ||
hito na saptir abhi vājam arṣendrasyendo jaṭharam ā pavasva |
nāvā na sindhum ati parṣi vidvāñ chūro na yudhyann ava no nidaḥ spaḥ || 10 ||
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).