Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.46 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.
They are let loose to seek the gods, like steeds that bring reward, rushing forth, waxed strong upon the heights of the hills.
The drops, made fair as a maid decked with her father’s gifts, the draughts of soma are loosed to Vāyu’s share.
These streams of soma, these drops of gladness, pressed in the cup, bring joy and might to Indra and his rites.
Wash it well, ye kindly hands; take up the twain— the stirred and the clear— blend the rousing draught with kine.
Make thyself pure, thou prize-winner, thou bringer of great gifts, and lead us on the way, O Soma.
The ten fingers tend this one most meet to tend— the self-cleansing draught, delight of Indra, joy’s own brew.
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.46
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.
asṛgran devavītaye 'tyāsaḥ kṛtvyā iva |
kṣarantaḥ parvatāvṛdhaḥ || 1 ||
pariṣkṛtāsa indavo yoṣeva pitryāvatī |
vāyuṁ somā asṛkṣata || 2 ||
ete somāsa indavaḥ prayasvantaś camū sutāḥ |
indraṁ vardhanti karmabhiḥ || 3 ||
ā dhāvatā suhastyaḥ śukrā gṛbhṇīta manthinā |
gobhiḥ śrīṇīta matsaram || 4 ||
sa pavasva dhanaṁjaya prayantā rādhaso mahaḥ |
asmabhyaṁ soma gātuvit || 5 ||
etam mṛjanti marjyam pavamānaṁ daśa kṣipaḥ |
indrāya matsaram madam || 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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