Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.20 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.
Forth the poet doth hasten, threading the fleece of the sheep, in pursuit of the gods, having laid low all who withstood him.
He sendeth to the singers a rich reward of kine, in their thousands, whilst he doth cleanse himself.
With thine heed, thou gatherest all things unto thee; thou art made pure through our verse-born thought.
O Soma, thou shalt win us renown.
Hasten toward high-born glory, toward wealth that endureth, for our open-handed lords.
Bring forth delight unto the praisers.
Thou guardest the charge as doth a king; thou hast entered the lays, O Soma, even as thou art cleansed, O sure-footed draught-horse.
That steed, not lightly overtaken in the waters, well-curried by the priest’s hand,
O Soma, resteth in the cups.
Merry in soul, swift to bestow like a noble giver, thou passest through the sieve, O Soma, and makest firm the might of heroes for the singer.
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.20
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 kavir devavītaye 'vyo vārebhir arṣati |
sāhvān viśvā abhi spṛdhaḥ || 1 ||
sa hi ṣmā jaritṛbhya ā vājaṁ gomantam invati |
pavamānaḥ sahasriṇam || 2 ||
pari viśvāni cetasā mṛśase pavase matī |
sa naḥ soma śravo vidaḥ || 3 ||
abhy arṣa bṛhad yaśo maghavadbhyo dhruvaṁ rayim |
iṣaṁ stotṛbhya ā bhara || 4 ||
tvaṁ rājeva suvrato giraḥ somā viveśitha |
punāno vahne adbhuta || 5 ||
sa vahnir apsu duṣṭaro mṛjyamāno gabhastyoḥ |
somaś camūṣu sīdati || 6 ||
krīḻur makho na maṁhayuḥ pavitraṁ soma gacchasi |
dadhat stotre suvīryam || 7 ||
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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