Hymn to Soma Pavamana
Rigveda IX.91 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. He has been released, winding like a chariot-horse in a race — by insight the first thinker, the sage. The ten sister-fingers drive the bearer onward, upon the fleece's back, toward the seats of the gods.
2. For the feast of the heavenly people, pressed out by the poet-sages, the sons of Nahusha, the drop of Soma — immortal, he is groomed forth by mortal hands, with sheep's wool, with cow's milk, with waters.
3. The bull, bellowing again and again for the bull Indra, the Soma-stalk being purified for him, sends forth the bright milk of the cow. By a thousand unerring paths, the eloquent singer, like the sun, passes through the fine fleece.
4. Break even the firm strongholds of the demon! Purifying yourself, O drop, lay open the spoils. Cut down from above with your driving weapon those who from afar bring the leader of these foes near.
5. As in ancient times, make forward-leading paths for our new hymn, O bountiful one. The great treasures, hard to win — may we obtain them from you, doer of many deeds, lord of abundant wealth.
6. Thus purifying yourself, grant us waters, sunlight, cattle, abundant children and descendants. Give us a wide, good field, and lights, O Soma; long may you grant us to behold the sun.
Colophon
Rigveda IX.91 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.91
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.
asarji vakvā rathye yathājau dhiyā manotā prathamo manīṣī |
daśa svasāro adhi sāno avye 'janti vahniṁ sadanāny accha || 1 ||
vītī janasya divyasya kavyair adhi suvāno nahuṣyebhir induḥ |
pra yo nṛbhir amṛto martyebhir marmṛjāno 'vibhir gobhir adbhiḥ || 2 ||
vṛṣā vṛṣṇe roruvad aṁśur asmai pavamāno ruśad īrte payo goḥ |
sahasram ṛkvā pathibhir vacovid adhvasmabhiḥ sūro aṇvaṁ vi yāti || 3 ||
rujā dṛḻhā cid rakṣasaḥ sadāṁsi punāna inda ūrṇuhi vi vājān |
vṛścopariṣṭāt tujatā vadhena ye anti dūrād upanāyam eṣām || 4 ||
sa pratnavan navyase viśvavāra sūktāya pathaḥ kṛṇuhi prācaḥ |
ye duḥṣahāso vanuṣā bṛhantas tām̐s te aśyāma purukṛt purukṣo || 5 ||
evā punāno apaḥ sva1r gā asmabhyaṁ tokā tanayāni bhūri |
śaṁ naḥ kṣetram uru jyotīṁṣi soma jyoṅ naḥ sūryaṁ dṛśaye rirīhi || 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).