Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.62 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.
These drops have surged forth, swiftly crossing the cloth, bearing with them all tokens of good fortune.
They that seek the prize have burst through every hindrance, making the paths smooth for our seed and for our steed, stretching out the way by their own might.
They open a broad field for the kine, and haste toward the lovely song,
toward the draught that endureth for our gladdening.
The plant is bruised in the water for rapture’s sake— the mighty one that dwelleth upon the hill.
As a falcon he hath perched upon his womb.
The fair stalk, longed for by the gods—
rinsed in the waters, crushed by mortal hands— is sweetened by the cows with their milk.
Then, as riders dress the horse, they have adorned him for the undying ones:
the mead-sap, made ready for the common feast.
Thy streams, o honey-bearing drop, that have gushed forth for our good—
with these hast thou taken thy place upon the filter.
Hasten across the sheep's fleece,
O drink for Indra, thou that sittest upon thy womb in wooden bowls.
Stream about, O drop, sweet to the Aṅgirases,
finder of broad lands, drawn unto the ghee and milk.
Lo, the boundless one is set firm;
cleansing himself, he perceiveth the high friendship, being driven onward.
This bull, obeying the call of his own bull’s law, cleanseth himself, shattering the curse, and shall bestow bounty on the devout.
In thy cleansing, bring us wealth—
a thousand kine and steeds, a wealth that gleameth, a treasure longed for.
Lo, this one is poured in a ring, ever tended by the sons of long life,
he that fareth far with the soul of a bard.
With a thousand shapes of aid, a hundred boons,
measurer of the airy reach, and poet—
the gladsome draught doth cleanse himself for Indra.
Born upon the hill, or begotten of hymn, praised in this place, the drop is laid for Indra—
a bird within his womb, as if in a nest.
Cleansing himself, pressed by the hands of men, Soma hath run, as if to a prize, to rest in the cups by his own craft.
They yoke him to the chariot thrice-backed and thrice-seated, to be driven, harnessed by the seven seeing thoughts
of the seven seers.
O ye that press, urge on the fleet one to run for the spoil— the golden go-getter, the winner of wealth.
Bruised and poured into the vat, rushing to all that is bright,
he taketh his stand among the kine, a champion.
The sons of long life milk thy milk for mirth, O drop; the gods milk honey for their own delight.
Send into the cloth our soma—
sweetest for the gods, and clearest to their hearing.
These juices of soma, sung over in hymn, have surged for great renown, a stream of most rousing joy.
Thou rushest, while cleansed, to chase the kine and manly strength—
flowing around, seizing the prize.
And dash thou toward all our feasts, stocked with kine, ringed about with rhythm, sung by Jamadagni.
Cleanse thyself, Soma,
with thy brightening aid, going before the voice
to touch all fruit of bardic skill.
Thou that goest in front, stirring the sea’s waters and the tongues of men, cleanse thyself, thou that sett’st all things astir.
For thee, O singer, these worlds take their station;
for thy greatness, O Soma, the rivers make haste.
As showers from heaven, thy streams pour forth unspent,
seeking the shining floor beneath.
Cleanse the drop for Indra—
the mighty one who bringeth triumph to the craft, the lord whose gifts are worth the seeking.
Self-cleansing Soma, the true-speaking bard, hath sat in the cloth, laying up for the singer
a store of heroes.
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.62
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.
ete asṛgram indavas tiraḥ pavitram āśavaḥ |
viśvāny abhi saubhagā || 1 ||
vighnanto duritā puru sugā tokāya vājinaḥ |
tanā kṛṇvanto arvate || 2 ||
kṛṇvanto varivo gave 'bhy arṣanti suṣṭutim |
iḻām asmabhyaṁ saṁyatam || 3 ||
asāvy aṁśur madāyāpsu dakṣo giriṣṭhāḥ |
śyeno na yonim āsadat || 4 ||
śubhram andho devavātam apsu dhūto nṛbhiḥ sutaḥ |
svadanti gāvaḥ payobhiḥ || 5 ||
ād īm aśvaṁ na hetāro 'śūśubhann amṛtāya |
madhvo rasaṁ sadhamāde || 6 ||
yās te dhārā madhuścuto 'sṛgram inda ūtaye |
tābhiḥ pavitram āsadaḥ || 7 ||
so arṣendrāya pītaye tiro romāṇy avyayā |
sīdan yonā vaneṣv ā || 8 ||
tvam indo pari srava svādiṣṭho aṅgirobhyaḥ |
varivovid ghṛtam payaḥ || 9 ||
ayaṁ vicarṣaṇir hitaḥ pavamānaḥ sa cetati |
hinvāna āpyam bṛhat || 10 ||
eṣa vṛṣā vṛṣavrataḥ pavamāno aśastihā |
karad vasūni dāśuṣe || 11 ||
ā pavasva sahasriṇaṁ rayiṁ gomantam aśvinam |
puruścandram puruspṛham || 12 ||
eṣa sya pari ṣicyate marmṛjyamāna āyubhiḥ |
urugāyaḥ kavikratuḥ || 13 ||
sahasrotiḥ śatāmagho vimāno rajasaḥ kaviḥ |
indrāya pavate madaḥ || 14 ||
girā jāta iha stuta indur indrāya dhīyate |
vir yonā vasatāv iva || 15 ||
pavamānaḥ suto nṛbhiḥ somo vājam ivāsarat |
camūṣu śakmanāsadam || 16 ||
taṁ tripṛṣṭhe trivandhure rathe yuñjanti yātave |
ṛṣīṇāṁ sapta dhītibhiḥ || 17 ||
taṁ sotāro dhanaspṛtam āśuṁ vājāya yātave |
hariṁ hinota vājinam || 18 ||
āviśan kalaśaṁ suto viśvā arṣann abhi śriyaḥ |
śūro na goṣu tiṣṭhati || 19 ||
ā ta indo madāya kam payo duhanty āyavaḥ |
devā devebhyo madhu || 20 ||
ā naḥ somam pavitra ā sṛjatā madhumattamam |
devebhyo devaśruttamam || 21 ||
ete somā asṛkṣata gṛṇānāḥ śravase mahe |
madintamasya dhārayā || 22 ||
abhi gavyāni vītaye nṛmṇā punāno arṣasi |
sanadvājaḥ pari srava || 23 ||
uta no gomatīr iṣo viśvā arṣa pariṣṭubhaḥ |
gṛṇāno jamadagninā || 24 ||
pavasva vāco agriyaḥ soma citrābhir ūtibhiḥ |
abhi viśvāni kāvyā || 25 ||
tvaṁ samudriyā apo 'griyo vāca īrayan |
pavasva viśvamejaya || 26 ||
tubhyemā bhuvanā kave mahimne soma tasthire |
tubhyam arṣanti sindhavaḥ || 27 ||
pra te divo na vṛṣṭayo dhārā yanty asaścataḥ |
abhi śukrām upastiram || 28 ||
indrāyendum punītanograṁ dakṣāya sādhanam |
īśānaṁ vītirādhasam || 29 ||
pavamāna ṛtaḥ kaviḥ somaḥ pavitram āsadat |
dadhat stotre suvīryam || 30 ||
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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