Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.92 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. The tawny stalk, pressed out on every side, is sent onto the filter like a chariot sent forth to win a race. Being purified, he has attained the fame that belongs to Indra; he pleases the gods with offerings of refreshment.
2. He who watches over men flows toward the filter, taking on the name "seer" in its womb; sitting like a Hotar-priest in his seat, in the cups, the seven inspired sages draw near to him.
3. The very wise, path-finding one, belonging to all the gods — Soma, being purified, goes forth continually to his lasting seat. He is present in all songs of praise; the wise one orders himself according to the five peoples.
4. These, O Soma Pavamana, dwell in your hidden depths — all the gods, thrice eleven of them. The ten fingers, each with its own power, and the seven young, rushing rivers cleanse you upon the sheep's fleece.
5. Let this then stand as true of the Purifying One, on which all singers agree: he made the light and the wide space for the day; he furthered Manu, and set him against the Dasyu.
6. Like a Hotar-priest going around the cattle-rich dwelling, like a true king approaching the assemblies, Soma, being purified, has reached the vats, settling there like a wild buffalo among the wooden bowls.
Translator's note: "abhīkam" in verse 5 (rendered "set him against") is a rare word describing an encounter or confrontation; the sense of Manu being matched or pitted against the Dasyu is conservative but not certain. "vaneṣu" in verse 6 means both "in the woods" and "among the wooden vessels" — the image plays on both at once, since the Soma is poured into wooden bowls.
Colophon
Rigveda IX.92 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.92
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.
pari suvāno harir aṁśuḥ pavitre ratho na sarji sanaye hiyānaḥ |
āpac chlokam indriyam pūyamānaḥ prati devām̐ ajuṣata prayobhiḥ || 1 ||
acchā nṛcakṣā asarat pavitre nāma dadhānaḥ kavir asya yonau |
sīdan hoteva sadane camūṣūpem agmann ṛṣayaḥ sapta viprāḥ || 2 ||
pra sumedhā gātuvid viśvadevaḥ somaḥ punānaḥ sada eti nityam |
bhuvad viśveṣu kāvyeṣu rantānu janān yatate pañca dhīraḥ || 3 ||
tava tye soma pavamāna niṇye viśve devās traya ekādaśāsaḥ |
daśa svadhābhir adhi sāno avye mṛjanti tvā nadyaḥ sapta yahvīḥ || 4 ||
tan nu satyam pavamānasyāstu yatra viśve kāravaḥ saṁnasanta |
jyotir yad ahne akṛṇod u lokam prāvan manuṁ dasyave kar abhīkam || 5 ||
pari sadmeva paśumānti hotā rājā na satyaḥ samitīr iyānaḥ |
somaḥ punānaḥ kalaśām̐ ayāsīt sīdan mṛgo na mahiṣo vaneṣu || 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).