Hymn to Soma
Rigveda VI.72 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 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 Indra, mighty drinker of Soma! O Soma, divine plant of ecstasy and immortality! Together ye form an invincible union. When Indra hath drunk deep of thee, O Soma, he becometh the greatest of all the gods. His strength increaseth beyond measure; his courage knoweth no bounds.
We celebrate the sacred drinking! We celebrate the marriage of the warrior-god with the sacred plant! When Indra drinketh the Soma juice, he shineth forth like the sun itself. His limbs grow mighty; his heart swelleth with valor. There is nothing that can stand before him; there is no enemy he cannot overcome.
Thou, O Soma, art the giver of victory to the one who drinketh thee with reverence and right intention. Thou art the bestower of immortality, the granter of wisdom, the revealer of hidden truths. In thee reside all the powers that bring strength and success.
We have seen Indra in his glory after drinking thee, O Soma! We have witnessed how he doth rise to slay the demons and the asuras. The very mountains quake at his roar; the very oceans tremble at his approach. He is invincible, irresistible, supreme in all his works.
Therefore do we honor this sacred union. We make our offerings of Soma unto Indra. We call upon thee both to grant us victory in all our struggles. Grant us courage to face our enemies. Grant us the inner strength that comes from righteous action. May we dwell forever under the protection of Indra's mighty arm and the blessing of Soma's sacred gift.
Accept our hymn, O triumphant pair, and let your power flow through us.
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 VI.72
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.
indrāsomā mahi tad vām mahitvaṁ yuvam mahāni prathamāni cakrathuḥ |
yuvaṁ sūryaṁ vividathur yuvaṁ sva1r viśvā tamāṁsy ahataṁ nidaś ca || 1 ||
indrāsomā vāsayatha uṣāsam ut sūryaṁ nayatho jyotiṣā saha |
upa dyāṁ skambhathuḥ skambhanenāprathatam pṛthivīm mātaraṁ vi || 2 ||
indrāsomāv ahim apaḥ pariṣṭhāṁ hatho vṛtram anu vāṁ dyaur amanyata |
prārṇāṁsy airayataṁ nadīnām ā samudrāṇi paprathuḥ purūṇi || 3 ||
indrāsomā pakvam āmāsv antar ni gavām id dadhathur vakṣaṇāsu |
jagṛbhathur anapinaddham āsu ruśac citrāsu jagatīṣv antaḥ || 4 ||
indrāsomā yuvam aṅga tarutram apatyasācaṁ śrutyaṁ rarāthe |
yuvaṁ śuṣmaṁ naryaṁ carṣaṇibhyaḥ saṁ vivyathuḥ pṛtanāṣāham ugrā || 5 ||
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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