Hymn to Soma
Rigveda II.40 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 2 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 by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
O Soma, precious plant, thou giver of strength and vision! We have pressed thy juices from the stalk. We have mixed thy essence with the milk. Come now to this sacred place and drink of what we have prepared with care and reverence.
O golden Soma, thou who makest the mind to soar and the heart to sing! Thou who givest to the warrior his courage in battle! Thou who givest to the priest his wisdom in the sacred mysteries! Thou who givest to all creatures their joy and their vitality! We praise thee beyond measure.
Together with thee, O Pūṣan, we make our offering. O golden guide, thou who knowest the paths of heaven and the paths of earth, thou who leadest the wanderer safely home, thou who feedest all creatures with thy bounty — accept our praise.
O Soma and O Pūṣan, ye work together for our benefit. Soma doth elevate and inspire; Pūṣan doth guide and sustain. Soma giveth us the vision of what might be; Pūṣan showeth us the path to reach it. Soma maketh us bold; Pūṣan maketh us prudent. Together, ye are perfect.
Grant us the nourishment we need to sustain our bodies and our spirits. Grant us the guidance we need to walk the righteous path. Grant us the strength to face our labors. Grant us the wisdom to avoid the pitfalls that lurk along the way.
O Soma, make us intoxicated with thy joy! O Pūṣan, lead us safely through the journey! O ye divine powers, grant us the blessing of thy combined grace. Let Soma's ecstasy and Pūṣan's prudence work within us as one, that we might be filled with both enthusiasm and wisdom, both courage and care. Make us whole, O divine ones. Make us complete.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda II.40
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.
somāpūṣaṇā jananā rayīṇāṁ jananā divo jananā pṛthivyāḥ |
jātau viśvasya bhuvanasya gopau devā akṛṇvann amṛtasya nābhim || 1 ||
imau devau jāyamānau juṣantemau tamāṁsi gūhatām ajuṣṭā |
ābhyām indraḥ pakvam āmāsv antaḥ somāpūṣabhyāṁ janad usriyāsu || 2 ||
somāpūṣaṇā rajaso vimānaṁ saptacakraṁ ratham aviśvaminvam |
viṣūvṛtam manasā yujyamānaṁ taṁ jinvatho vṛṣaṇā pañcaraśmim || 3 ||
divy a1nyaḥ sadanaṁ cakra uccā pṛthivyām anyo adhy antarikṣe |
tāv asmabhyam puruvāram purukṣuṁ rāyas poṣaṁ vi ṣyatāṁ nābhim asme || 4 ||
viśvāny anyo bhuvanā jajāna viśvam anyo abhicakṣāṇa eti |
somāpūṣaṇāv avataṁ dhiyam me yuvābhyāṁ viśvāḥ pṛtanā jayema || 5 ||
dhiyam pūṣā jinvatu viśvaminvo rayiṁ somo rayipatir dadhātu |
avatu devy aditir anarvā bṛhad vadema vidathe suvīrāḥ || 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).
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