Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.107 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 by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Sprinkle now the sacred draught—the pressed and potent Soma—high as the loftiest offering; for the virile god, plunging through the waters, hath the priest with stones compelled it forth.
Being strained through sheep-soft fleece, flow thou about us, unfoolable and rich of fragrance; fresh from the watery press we thrill beneath thy stalk, preparing thee with kine as noblest oblation.
All about the eye may gaze upon thee—joy of gods, far-seeing drop, full freight of firm resolve.
O Soma, while thou art purified in torrent, robing thyself in waters, thou bestowest treasure; here upon truth’s own womb thou sittest, a golden font, O god.
Milking heaven’s udder of its honeyed sweetness, thou regainest thine ancient throne. The prize-winner darts to the boon worth asking, wide-eyed and rinsed by mortal hands.
While thou art laved in fleecy wool, wakeful and beloved, thou becamest a seer of fire-bright song, chief of the Aṅgirases; steep our rite in honey.
Rewarding Soma shines, best pathfinder, inspired, all-beholding sage; thou art the poet who most pursueth gods—thou madest the Sun ascend in heaven.
Pressed by the stones upon the backs of sheep, Soma drives his flood as with a golden courser, delighting all with his shining stream.
With kine dost thou mingle by the river’s edge; with milked-out flows runs Soma, slipping into pens as rivers glide to sea; the rousing draught wells for our delight.
Across the fleeces where the stones have bruised thee, tawny one, thy course is here; like a warrior into fortress walls thou plungest into twin cups, thine seat set deep in wooden womb.
Groomed upon the ewe’s fine hairs, as racers for the prize, self-cleansing Soma must be cheered by minds aflame, by bards of burning verse.
As a flood-swollen river, thou hast swelled with milk of plant to chase the gods, wakeful as an enrapturing cup toward the honey-dripping vat.
Sweet one, thou clokest thyself in silver sheen to be caressed as a darling son; the toilers guide thee in their two hands as a chariot plunging toward the rivers.
These Soma juices—the life-fires—clarify into joy upon joy: thinkers they are, bringing ecstasy, finding the sun upon the ocean’s gleam.
Self-purged, thou crossest the sea with thine own wave, king and god, high-truth in motion, rushing by the due of Mitra and Varuṇa, thrust aloft—holiest decree.
Led by men, delightful, far-seeing lord of ocean’s realm, thou movest on.
For Indra and the Maruts, Soma gladdening spreads; a thousand streams o’erleap the fleece, while the life-fires tend thee.
In the cup made clean, a poet begetting thought, thou rejoicest among the gods; robed in waters, wrapped in kine as choicest cloth, thou sittest secure in wooden bowers.
Daily, O drop, I rejoice in thy fellowship; many a burden, brown One, drags me earthward—o’erleap these hindrances.
By night and by day, Soma, I cling to thy udder; like birds we have flown beyond the sun that scorcheth.
While thou art groomed, deft spirit, thou drivest thine utterance upon the sea; self-pure, thou rushest toward vast, yearned-for, golden wealth.
Shorn upon the sheep’s wool, cleansing thyself, as a bull thou roar’st into the wooden hold; to parley with gods thou speedest, anointed with kine.
Cleanse thyself to grasp the prize, aiming at every craft of song; Soma, glad heart of gods, thou first didst spread the sea before them.
Purge through the realms of earth and heaven in keeping with thine ordinances; far-seeing, the inspired compel thee forward, bright with thought and vision.
Set free across the strainer’s steam, the racing coursers fit for Indra and the Maruts speed toward wisdom and welcome fare.
Robed in waters, the drop circles the vat, urged on by pressing hands; begetting light, he makes the glad kine low, folding the cows as in a fresh-wrought cloak.
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 IX.107
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.
parīto ṣiñcatā sutaṁ somo ya uttamaṁ haviḥ |
dadhanvām̐ yo naryo apsv a1ntar ā suṣāva somam adribhiḥ || 1 ||
nūnam punāno 'vibhiḥ pari sravādabdhaḥ surabhiṁtaraḥ |
sute cit tvāpsu madāmo andhasā śrīṇanto gobhir uttaram || 2 ||
pari suvānaś cakṣase devamādanaḥ kratur indur vicakṣaṇaḥ || 3 ||
punānaḥ soma dhārayāpo vasāno arṣasi |
ā ratnadhā yonim ṛtasya sīdasy utso deva hiraṇyayaḥ || 4 ||
duhāna ūdhar divyam madhu priyam pratnaṁ sadhastham āsadat |
āpṛcchyaṁ dharuṇaṁ vājy arṣati nṛbhir dhūto vicakṣaṇaḥ || 5 ||
punānaḥ soma jāgṛvir avyo vāre pari priyaḥ |
tvaṁ vipro abhavo 'ṅgirastamo madhvā yajñam mimikṣa naḥ || 6 ||
somo mīḍhvān pavate gātuvittama ṛṣir vipro vicakṣaṇaḥ |
tvaṁ kavir abhavo devavītama ā sūryaṁ rohayo divi || 7 ||
soma u ṣuvāṇaḥ sotṛbhir adhi ṣṇubhir avīnām |
aśvayeva haritā yāti dhārayā mandrayā yāti dhārayā || 8 ||
anūpe gomān gobhir akṣāḥ somo dugdhābhir akṣāḥ |
samudraṁ na saṁvaraṇāny agman mandī madāya tośate || 9 ||
ā soma suvāno adribhis tiro vārāṇy avyayā |
jano na puri camvor viśad dhariḥ sado vaneṣu dadhiṣe || 10 ||
sa māmṛje tiro aṇvāni meṣyo mīḻhe saptir na vājayuḥ |
anumādyaḥ pavamāno manīṣibhiḥ somo viprebhir ṛkvabhiḥ || 11 ||
pra soma devavītaye sindhur na pipye arṇasā |
aṁśoḥ payasā madiro na jāgṛvir acchā kośam madhuścutam || 12 ||
ā haryato arjune atke avyata priyaḥ sūnur na marjyaḥ |
tam īṁ hinvanty apaso yathā rathaṁ nadīṣv ā gabhastyoḥ || 13 ||
abhi somāsa āyavaḥ pavante madyam madam |
samudrasyādhi viṣṭapi manīṣiṇo matsarāsaḥ svarvidaḥ || 14 ||
tarat samudram pavamāna ūrmiṇā rājā deva ṛtam bṛhat |
arṣan mitrasya varuṇasya dharmaṇā pra hinvāna ṛtam bṛhat || 15 ||
nṛbhir yemāno haryato vicakṣaṇo rājā devaḥ samudriyaḥ || 16 ||
indrāya pavate madaḥ somo marutvate sutaḥ |
sahasradhāro aty avyam arṣati tam ī mṛjanty āyavaḥ || 17 ||
punānaś camū janayan matiṁ kaviḥ somo deveṣu raṇyati |
apo vasānaḥ pari gobhir uttaraḥ sīdan vaneṣv avyata || 18 ||
tavāhaṁ soma rāraṇa sakhya indo dive-dive |
purūṇi babhro ni caranti mām ava paridhīm̐r ati tām̐ ihi || 19 ||
utāhaṁ naktam uta soma te divā sakhyāya babhra ūdhani |
ghṛṇā tapantam ati sūryam paraḥ śakunā iva paptima || 20 ||
mṛjyamānaḥ suhastya samudre vācam invasi |
rayim piśaṅgam bahulam puruspṛham pavamānābhy arṣasi || 21 ||
mṛjāno vāre pavamāno avyaye vṛṣāva cakrado vane |
devānāṁ soma pavamāna niṣkṛtaṁ gobhir añjāno arṣasi || 22 ||
pavasva vājasātaye 'bhi viśvāni kāvyā |
tvaṁ samudram prathamo vi dhārayo devebhyaḥ soma matsaraḥ || 23 ||
sa tū pavasva pari pārthivaṁ rajo divyā ca soma dharmabhiḥ |
tvāṁ viprāso matibhir vicakṣaṇa śubhraṁ hinvanti dhītibhiḥ || 24 ||
pavamānā asṛkṣata pavitram ati dhārayā |
marutvanto matsarā indriyā hayā medhām abhi prayāṁsi ca || 25 ||
apo vasānaḥ pari kośam arṣatīndur hiyānaḥ sotṛbhiḥ |
janayañ jyotir mandanā avīvaśad gāḥ kṛṇvāno na nirṇijam || 26 ||
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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