Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.42 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.
Begetting the shining halls of heaven, begetting the sun midst the waters, He clotheth himself in kine, in waters—the tawny-hued one— By an elder thought, a god from gods,
He cleanseth himself in the running stream, when he is pressed.
For the ever-rising lord of might to gain his due, they strain and cleanse the soma with a thousand faces.
He draweth forth his long-stored milk, and is poured round through the woolen sieve; with roar he begetteth the gods anew.
Toward all things yearned for, toward gods grown strong by truth, Soma doth hasten as he is made pure.
O Soma, when thou art pressed, bring unto us riches— in kine, in heroes, in steeds and spoil— and lofty draughts that lift the soul as thou art purged.
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.42
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.
janayan rocanā divo janayann apsu sūryam |
vasāno gā apo hariḥ || 1 ||
eṣa pratnena manmanā devo devebhyas pari |
dhārayā pavate sutaḥ || 2 ||
vāvṛdhānāya tūrvaye pavante vājasātaye |
somāḥ sahasrapājasaḥ || 3 ||
duhānaḥ pratnam it payaḥ pavitre pari ṣicyate |
krandan devām̐ ajījanat || 4 ||
abhi viśvāni vāryābhi devām̐ ṛtāvṛdhaḥ |
somaḥ punāno arṣati || 5 ||
goman naḥ soma vīravad aśvāvad vājavat sutaḥ |
pavasva bṛhatīr iṣaḥ || 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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