Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.63 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.
In cleansing thyself, O Soma, bring us riches by the thousand, and a host of noble heroes; make firm our claims to renown.
Thou swellest with refreshment and meat; most gladdening to Indra, thou sittest now within the cups.
For Indra and for Vishnu is Soma pressed and poured into the tub; let it be sweet as honey for Vāyu.
These swift brown streams have surged through the woolen mesh— Soma’s juices, flowing in the path of truth.
Upholding Indra, crossing the waters, Aryan-making, thou breakest the hold of the giftless.
Pressed and poured, the brown drops speed to Indra’s own domain— the sacred juice, ever his.
Cleanse thyself in the very stream with which thou madest the sun to shine, and set a-going the waters of Manu.
Etaśa, steed of the Sun, he hath yoked, purifying himself in Manu’s sight, to ride the mid-realm’s path.
Yea, these ten bright mares of the Sun he hath yoked to draw thee, O drop divine, as thou criest, “To Indra I go.”
Here, round about, sprinkle the Soma pressed for Vāyu— the song-gift, the joy-bringer to Indra—upon the woolen fleece.
O self-cleansing Soma, win for us treasure none may match, hard to grasp for the longing heart.
Hasten thou toward wealth in thousands—of kine, of steeds, toward the prize of glory and good name.
Like the Sun-lord purifieth he, pressed by stones, and layeth his strength in the tub.
These clear streams, truth-flowing, have coursed through Aryan lands unto the prize of kine.
Pressed for Indra the mace-lord, the Soma, mingled with curds, hath streamed through the strainer white.
O Soma, most honey-sweet, speed into the filter for our gain, glad draught that best seeketh the gods.
Him do the Āyus bathe in the river-floods— the tawny prize-seeker, the joy of Indra.
Cleanse thyself, O Soma, and bring us heaps of gold, of steeds, of heroes—bring us the prize of kine.
As men sprinkle a prize-seeking horse ere the race is run, so do thou, prize-seeking Soma, circle down upon the fleece—most honeyed for Indra.
The seers, seeking aid, with deep insight anoint the sage worthy to be adorned.
The bull cometh forth roaring evermore.
To the bull who crosses waters, to Soma, in the stream of truth, the seers cry aloud in one voice with thought and vision.
Cleanse thyself, O god, with the Āyus about thee.
Let thy gladdening draught reach unto Indra; rise to Vāyu as the law ordaineth.
O self-purging Soma, thou pourest down fame-worthy wealth; as the beloved, enter the sea.
Breaking the prideful, thou cleansest thyself, finding thy will; thou thrillest with might, O Soma.
Cast out those who seek not the gods.
The self-cleansing Soma-streams, the clear drops, have flowed toward all the works of the poet’s craft.
The swift, bright, self-purging drops have surged, rending asunder all hatreds.
They have leapt from the heavens, from the mid-realm, and settled upon the back of the earth.
In thy stream, O Soma drop, make thyself pure; smite all wrongs, drive out the fiends, thou of good resolve.
Crushing the fiendish, Soma, roar on in thy storming brilliance.
Within us, O drop divine, fix the goods—heavenly, earthly, and all things most dearly prized.
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.63
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.
ā pavasva sahasriṇaṁ rayiṁ soma suvīryam |
asme śravāṁsi dhāraya || 1 ||
iṣam ūrjaṁ ca pinvasa indrāya matsarintamaḥ |
camūṣv ā ni ṣīdasi || 2 ||
suta indrāya viṣṇave somaḥ kalaśe akṣarat |
madhumām̐ astu vāyave || 3 ||
ete asṛgram āśavo 'ti hvarāṁsi babhravaḥ |
somā ṛtasya dhārayā || 4 ||
indraṁ vardhanto apturaḥ kṛṇvanto viśvam āryam |
apaghnanto arāvṇaḥ || 5 ||
sutā anu svam ā rajo 'bhy arṣanti babhravaḥ |
indraṁ gacchanta indavaḥ || 6 ||
ayā pavasva dhārayā yayā sūryam arocayaḥ |
hinvāno mānuṣīr apaḥ || 7 ||
ayukta sūra etaśam pavamāno manāv adhi |
antarikṣeṇa yātave || 8 ||
uta tyā harito daśa sūro ayukta yātave |
indur indra iti bruvan || 9 ||
parīto vāyave sutaṁ gira indrāya matsaram |
avyo vāreṣu siñcata || 10 ||
pavamāna vidā rayim asmabhyaṁ soma duṣṭaram |
yo dūṇāśo vanuṣyatā || 11 ||
abhy arṣa sahasriṇaṁ rayiṁ gomantam aśvinam |
abhi vājam uta śravaḥ || 12 ||
somo devo na sūryo 'dribhiḥ pavate sutaḥ |
dadhānaḥ kalaśe rasam || 13 ||
ete dhāmāny āryā śukrā ṛtasya dhārayā |
vājaṁ gomantam akṣaran || 14 ||
sutā indrāya vajriṇe somāso dadhyāśiraḥ |
pavitram aty akṣaran || 15 ||
pra soma madhumattamo rāye arṣa pavitra ā |
mado yo devavītamaḥ || 16 ||
tam ī mṛjanty āyavo hariṁ nadīṣu vājinam |
indum indrāya matsaram || 17 ||
ā pavasva hiraṇyavad aśvāvat soma vīravat |
vājaṁ gomantam ā bhara || 18 ||
pari vāje na vājayum avyo vāreṣu siñcata |
indrāya madhumattamam || 19 ||
kavim mṛjanti marjyaṁ dhībhir viprā avasyavaḥ |
vṛṣā kanikrad arṣati || 20 ||
vṛṣaṇaṁ dhībhir apturaṁ somam ṛtasya dhārayā |
matī viprāḥ sam asvaran || 21 ||
pavasva devāyuṣag indraṁ gacchatu te madaḥ |
vāyum ā roha dharmaṇā || 22 ||
pavamāna ni tośase rayiṁ soma śravāyyam |
priyaḥ samudram ā viśa || 23 ||
apaghnan pavase mṛdhaḥ kratuvit soma matsaraḥ |
nudasvādevayuṁ janam || 24 ||
pavamānā asṛkṣata somāḥ śukrāsa indavaḥ |
abhi viśvāni kāvyā || 25 ||
pavamānāsa āśavaḥ śubhrā asṛgram indavaḥ |
ghnanto viśvā apa dviṣaḥ || 26 ||
pavamānā divas pary antarikṣād asṛkṣata |
pṛthivyā adhi sānavi || 27 ||
punānaḥ soma dhārayendo viśvā apa sridhaḥ |
jahi rakṣāṁsi sukrato || 28 ||
apaghnan soma rakṣaso 'bhy arṣa kanikradat |
dyumantaṁ śuṣmam uttamam || 29 ||
asme vasūni dhāraya soma divyāni pārthivā |
indo viśvāni vāryā || 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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