Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.110 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.
Rush on, sweep wide in conquering circles, scattering every hindrance. As faithful surety for our debts, speed on to master all spite and rancour.
Because we laud thee, Soma, pressed for the mighty reward, king amid the clash, thou leapest headlong toward the trophies, self-cleansing and bold.
For thou hast fathered the sun itself, O stainless Flow, spreading thy milky light by artful craft, hastening beside Abundance, lively with her kine.
Here among mortal kind, yet on the firm ground of Truth, thou hast begotten the deathless draught. Ever thou streamest, unwearied, toward the prize.
By thy renown thou hast bored ever nearer the bounty that never fails men, as to some hidden fount, borne aloft in priestly hands like spoil gathered by a bow-armed victor.
Therefore, beholding friendship with the radiant Giver, the heavenly folk shouted for joy. As Savitar reveals the precious, so he parts the fleece and shows the hidden gold.
In thee, Soma, the first grass-twisting sages set their inspired wit, seeking the grand wage of triumph and lasting fame. Stir now our own insight, brave one, toward heroic power.
From heaven’s ancient richness, sweet as first milk, they drew thee forth from the deepest sky; and in unison they hailed young Indra at his birth.
Now, self-bright Drop, by thy greatness thou climbest beyond these twin worlds and every creature in them; like the prime bull amid the herd, thou stretchest thine authority over all.
Purified within the woollen fleece, Soma streams like a frolicsome child— the drop of a thousand rills and a hundred prizes.
Honey-rich, truth-laden wave, thou clarifiest thyself for Indra— thou who seizest the prize, widenest the space, and breatheth life.
Cleanse thyself, beating back the combat-eager, repelling fiends and perilous plunges; armed with sure weapons and victorious over every rival, O Soma.
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.110
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.
pary ū ṣu pra dhanva vājasātaye pari vṛtrāṇi sakṣaṇiḥ |
dviṣas taradhyā ṛṇayā na īyase || 1 ||
anu hi tvā sutaṁ soma madāmasi mahe samaryarājye |
vājām̐ abhi pavamāna pra gāhase || 2 ||
ajījano hi pavamāna sūryaṁ vidhāre śakmanā payaḥ |
gojīrayā raṁhamāṇaḥ puraṁdhyā || 3 ||
ajījano amṛta martyeṣv ām̐ ṛtasya dharmann amṛtasya cāruṇaḥ |
sadāsaro vājam acchā saniṣyadat || 4 ||
abhy-abhi hi śravasā tatardithotsaṁ na kaṁ cij janapānam akṣitam |
śaryābhir na bharamāṇo gabhastyoḥ || 5 ||
ād īṁ ke cit paśyamānāsa āpyaṁ vasuruco divyā abhy anūṣata |
vāraṁ na devaḥ savitā vy ūrṇute || 6 ||
tve soma prathamā vṛktabarhiṣo mahe vājāya śravase dhiyaṁ dadhuḥ |
sa tvaṁ no vīra vīryāya codaya || 7 ||
divaḥ pīyūṣam pūrvyaṁ yad ukthyam maho gāhād diva ā nir adhukṣata |
indram abhi jāyamānaṁ sam asvaran || 8 ||
adha yad ime pavamāna rodasī imā ca viśvā bhuvanābhi majmanā |
yūthe na niṣṭhā vṛṣabho vi tiṣṭhase || 9 ||
somaḥ punāno avyaye vāre śiśur na krīḻan pavamāno akṣāḥ |
sahasradhāraḥ śatavāja induḥ || 10 ||
eṣa punāno madhumām̐ ṛtāvendrāyenduḥ pavate svādur ūrmiḥ |
vājasanir varivovid vayodhāḥ || 11 ||
sa pavasva sahamānaḥ pṛtanyūn sedhan rakṣāṁsy apa durgahāṇi |
svāyudhaḥ sāsahvān soma śatrūn || 12 ||
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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