Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.96 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 hero-general goes forth at the front of the chariots, seeking cattle; his army is exultant. Making the calls to Indra auspicious for his friends, Soma puts on his vigorous robes.
2. The tawny fingers together groom his tawny steed, driving him on unceasingly with gestures of homage. Indra's friend mounts the chariot; knowing the way, he goes toward good favor.
3. Purify yourself for us, O god, for the divine gathering, for great delight, Soma, Indra's drink; making the waters, raining down the sky and this earth, purifying, grant us open room from the wide expanse.
4. Purify yourself so we are unconquered, unstruck, for well-being, for lofty wholeness. All these companions desire this; this I too desire, O self-purifying Soma.
5. Soma purifies himself — begetter of thoughts, begetter of heaven, begetter of earth, begetter of Agni, begetter of the Sun, begetter of Indra, and begetter of Vishnu.
6. Formulator of the gods, pathfinder of the poets, seer of the inspired, buffalo among wild beasts, falcon among birds of prey, axe among the forests — Soma passes through the filter, roaring.
7. Soma, purifying himself, has stirred forth songs and inspired thoughts as a river stirs the wave of speech. Seeing within, surveying the nearer camps, he mounts up, a bull discerning among the cows.
8. Exhilarating, conquering in battles, unopposed, thousand-powered — flow toward the prize. For Indra, O drop, purifying, wise, raise up the wave of the stalk, driving the cattle onward.
9. Around into the vat goes the dear one, desired by the gods, Soma, delightful, for Indra's exhilaration — the thousand-streamed, hundred-prized drop goes to the gatherings like a race-horse.
10. He, primal, finding treasure as he is born, groomed in the waters, milked upon the stone, protector from curses, king of the world — being purified, he finds the path for the sacred hymn.
11. For with you, O Soma, our forefathers of old, wise ones, performed their rites, O purifying one. Conquering, unopposed, throw open the barriers; be to us a bountiful lord, with heroes and horses.
12. As you purified yourself for Manu — life-giving, enemy-slaying, finder of freedom, accompanied by the offering — so purify yourself now, bestowing wealth. Join together with Indra; forge weapons.
13. Purify yourself, Soma, honey-sweet, true to law, clothing yourself in the waters upon the sheep's fleece; settle into the ghee-filled vats, most intoxicating, exhilarating, Indra's drink.
14. Purify yourself, hundred-streamed, bringing heaven's rain, thousand-winning, seeking strength, at the feast of the gods; bellowing together with the streams in the vat, together with the ruddy cows, lengthening our days.
15. This same Soma, purified by our thoughts, overcomes our foes like a swift racehorse. Vigorous like the milked milk of Aditi, broad as a road, obedient as a well-guided carrier-beast.
16. Well-armed, purified by the pressers, flow toward the dear, hidden name; toward the prize, like a steed racing for glory, toward Vayu, toward the cattle, O god Soma.
17. They groom the newborn, delightful child; the Maruts, in their troop, adorn the courser. Poet by his songs, poet by his poetic craft, being a poet — Soma passes through the filter, chanting.
18. Seer-minded, seer-making, sun-winning, of a thousand paths, pathfinder of the poets — the buffalo, seeking to win the third realm, Soma rules by the measure of the far-shining chant.
19. Sitting in the bowl, a falcon, a wide-winged bird, the cow-seeking drop bearing weapons — following the wave of the waters, the sea, the buffalo proclaims the fourth realm.
20. Like a shining youth grooming his own body, like a racehorse running to win riches, like a bull among the herds, flowing around the vat — bellowing, he has entered the two bowls.
21. Purify yourself, O drop, purifying, with your mighty powers; bellowing, flow around the strainer's fibers. Playing, enter the two bowls as you are purified; let your intoxicating sap gladden Indra.
22. His lofty streams have been sent surging forth; anointed with milk, he has entered the vats. Making the Sāman chant, apt for the chant, inspired, he goes bellowing, as to a friend's own sister.
23. Driving off enemies you go, O purifying one, like a lover to his beloved — the drop hailed with song. Settling as a bird settles in the woods after flight, Soma, being purified, has taken his seat in the vats.
24. Your gleams, O purifying Soma, come like well-milking, well-streaming maidens. The tawny one, led into the waters, much-desired, has bellowed in the vat of those who long for the gods.
Translator's note: several epithets resist a single fixed English equivalent — "vṛjanema avarāṇi" (verse 7, rendered "the nearer camps") is an obscure compound whose exact reference is uncertain; "turīyaṁ dhāma" and "tṛtīyaṁ dhāma" (verses 18–19, "the third/fourth realm") refer to a cosmological scheme of stations or worlds that the hymn does not itself explain; and "guhyaṁ cāru nāma" (verse 16, "the dear, hidden name") is a set phrase for a secret or esoteric name whose specific referent is not given in the verse. These are rendered conservatively, following the Sanskrit words rather than supplying an interpretation the text does not state.
Colophon
Rigveda IX.96 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.96
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.
pra senānīḥ śūro agre rathānāṁ gavyann eti harṣate asya senā |
bhadrān kṛṇvann indrahavān sakhibhya ā somo vastrā rabhasāni datte || 1 ||
sam asya hariṁ harayo mṛjanty aśvahayair aniśitaṁ namobhiḥ |
ā tiṣṭhati ratham indrasya sakhā vidvām̐ enā sumatiṁ yāty accha || 2 ||
sa no deva devatāte pavasva mahe soma psarasa indrapānaḥ |
kṛṇvann apo varṣayan dyām utemām uror ā no varivasyā punānaḥ || 3 ||
ajītaye 'hataye pavasva svastaye sarvatātaye bṛhate |
tad uśanti viśva ime sakhāyas tad ahaṁ vaśmi pavamāna soma || 4 ||
somaḥ pavate janitā matīnāṁ janitā divo janitā pṛthivyāḥ |
janitāgner janitā sūryasya janitendrasya janitota viṣṇoḥ || 5 ||
brahmā devānām padavīḥ kavīnām ṛṣir viprāṇām mahiṣo mṛgāṇām |
śyeno gṛdhrāṇāṁ svadhitir vanānāṁ somaḥ pavitram aty eti rebhan || 6 ||
prāvīvipad vāca ūrmiṁ na sindhur giraḥ somaḥ pavamāno manīṣāḥ |
antaḥ paśyan vṛjanemāvarāṇy ā tiṣṭhati vṛṣabho goṣu jānan || 7 ||
sa matsaraḥ pṛtsu vanvann avātaḥ sahasraretā abhi vājam arṣa |
indrāyendo pavamāno manīṣy a1ṁśor ūrmim īraya gā iṣaṇyan || 8 ||
pari priyaḥ kalaśe devavāta indrāya somo raṇyo madāya |
sahasradhāraḥ śatavāja indur vājī na saptiḥ samanā jigāti || 9 ||
sa pūrvyo vasuvij jāyamāno mṛjāno apsu duduhāno adrau |
abhiśastipā bhuvanasya rājā vidad gātum brahmaṇe pūyamānaḥ || 10 ||
tvayā hi naḥ pitaraḥ soma pūrve karmāṇi cakruḥ pavamāna dhīrāḥ |
vanvann avātaḥ paridhīm̐r aporṇu vīrebhir aśvair maghavā bhavā naḥ || 11 ||
yathāpavathā manave vayodhā amitrahā varivovid dhaviṣmān |
evā pavasva draviṇaṁ dadhāna indre saṁ tiṣṭha janayāyudhāni || 12 ||
pavasva soma madhumām̐ ṛtāvāpo vasāno adhi sāno avye |
ava droṇāni ghṛtavānti sīda madintamo matsara indrapānaḥ || 13 ||
vṛṣṭiṁ divaḥ śatadhāraḥ pavasva sahasrasā vājayur devavītau |
saṁ sindhubhiḥ kalaśe vāvaśānaḥ sam usriyābhiḥ pratiran na āyuḥ || 14 ||
eṣa sya somo matibhiḥ punāno 'tyo na vājī taratīd arātīḥ |
payo na dugdham aditer iṣiram urv iva gātuḥ suyamo na voḻhā || 15 ||
svāyudhaḥ sotṛbhiḥ pūyamāno 'bhy arṣa guhyaṁ cāru nāma |
abhi vājaṁ saptir iva śravasyābhi vāyum abhi gā deva soma || 16 ||
śiśuṁ jajñānaṁ haryatam mṛjanti śumbhanti vahnim maruto gaṇena |
kavir gīrbhiḥ kāvyenā kaviḥ san somaḥ pavitram aty eti rebhan || 17 ||
ṛṣimanā ya ṛṣikṛt svarṣāḥ sahasraṇīthaḥ padavīḥ kavīnām |
tṛtīyaṁ dhāma mahiṣaḥ siṣāsan somo virājam anu rājati ṣṭup || 18 ||
camūṣac chyenaḥ śakuno vibhṛtvā govindur drapsa āyudhāni bibhrat |
apām ūrmiṁ sacamānaḥ samudraṁ turīyaṁ dhāma mahiṣo vivakti || 19 ||
maryo na śubhras tanvam mṛjāno 'tyo na sṛtvā sanaye dhanānām |
vṛṣeva yūthā pari kośam arṣan kanikradac camvo3r ā viveśa || 20 ||
pavasvendo pavamāno mahobhiḥ kanikradat pari vārāṇy arṣa |
krīḻañ camvo3r ā viśa pūyamāna indraṁ te raso madiro mamattu || 21 ||
prāsya dhārā bṛhatīr asṛgrann akto gobhiḥ kalaśām̐ ā viveśa |
sāma kṛṇvan sāmanyo vipaścit krandann ety abhi sakhyur na jāmim || 22 ||
apaghnann eṣi pavamāna śatrūn priyāṁ na jāro abhigīta induḥ |
sīdan vaneṣu śakuno na patvā somaḥ punānaḥ kalaśeṣu sattā || 23 ||
ā te rucaḥ pavamānasya soma yoṣeva yanti sudughāḥ sudhārāḥ |
harir ānītaḥ puruvāro apsv acikradat kalaśe devayūnām || 24 ||
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).