Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.66 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.
Cleanse thyself, thou who art shared among all scattered tribes, rushing toward all the fruits of songcraft, a fellow to thy fellows, worthy of solemn call.
From the twain thou rulest all, O self-cleansing one— from Heaven and Earth that stand face to face, O Soma.
Thy realms, O Soma, thou encirclest wholly, in the due rites, O self-cleansing bard.
Cleanse thyself, begetter of delights, hastening toward all treasure, as a friend to uphold thy friends.
Thine are the shining beams that stretch wide on the back of heaven, through the sieve, O Soma, through thy lands.
Thine are these seven streams that rush at thy word, O Soma.
For thee the milk-cows make their run.
Pour forth, O Soma, in a flood, pressed to rouse Lord Indra, planting for thyself undying fame.
The seven kindred cried out as one to thee, urging the seer with wise thought in Vivasvant’s trial.
Together they anoint thee, the maidens unwed, on the fleece of the ram, in the lively stream, when, hoarse of cry, thou art greased in the wooden bowl.
Thy waves, O poet and prize-winner, have surged in their rising, as steeds that chase renown.
To the honeyed cask they have pressed, onto the sheep’s fleece; the keen thoughts have bellowed aloud.
Toward the sea the drops have flowed, as kine toward their home, unto the womb of truth.
For our great gladness, the waters and rivers leap forth, O drop, when thou arrayest thyself in kine.
Since we are like to gain in bond with thee, with thee for aid, we yearn for fellowship, O drop.
Cleanse thyself for the seeking of cattle, for the great one with the manly gaze, O Soma—enter the belly of Indra.
Mighty art thou, Soma, foremost, strongest of the strong, O drop.
A striver art thou—victorious always.
Thou art mightier than the mighty, more valiant than the bold, more bounteous than the great givers.
Thou, Soma, art the sun itself; bring hither refreshment at the winning of our sons and seed.
We choose thee as comrade; we choose thee as kin.
O Agni, by thy purging grant longer days; send to us fullness and refreshment.
Misfortune cast afar.
Agni—the seer, the self-cleansing flame, of the fivefold tribes, enthroned before all— him we entreat for a household of greatness.
O Agni, as a faithful worker, by thy purging grant splendor and a host of heroes to us, planting within me thriving and wealth.
The self-cleansing one darts through mishap to the fair song of praise, plain to all as the sun.
He, groomed ever by the Āyus, bringer of joy, is set for delight, the drop, a steed seen from afar.
The self-cleansing one, as the lofty truth, hath fathered the glinting flame, ever breaking the black shrouds of shadow.
Of that self-cleansing one, breaker of gloom, of the tawny-hued, the shining drops have gushed, quickened with flickering fire.
The self-cleansing one, the master charioteer, praised by the shining Maruts as most radiant, gold-gleaming, with the Maruts as his troop.
The self-cleansing one shall spread his beams, greatest in prize-winning, planting a troop of heroes for the singer.
Pressed, the drop hath streamed across the fleecy sieve;
cleansed, the drop hath flowed to Indra.
This Soma doth strike on the hides of kine with stone, ever calling Indra to joy.
Thou, self-cleansing one, whose sky-bright milk was fetched from heaven, with it be kindly to us, that we may live.
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.66
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.
pavasva viśvacarṣaṇe 'bhi viśvāni kāvyā |
sakhā sakhibhya īḍyaḥ || 1 ||
tābhyāṁ viśvasya rājasi ye pavamāna dhāmanī |
pratīcī soma tasthatuḥ || 2 ||
pari dhāmāni yāni te tvaṁ somāsi viśvataḥ |
pavamāna ṛtubhiḥ kave || 3 ||
pavasva janayann iṣo 'bhi viśvāni vāryā |
sakhā sakhibhya ūtaye || 4 ||
tava śukrāso arcayo divas pṛṣṭhe vi tanvate |
pavitraṁ soma dhāmabhiḥ || 5 ||
taveme sapta sindhavaḥ praśiṣaṁ soma sisrate |
tubhyaṁ dhāvanti dhenavaḥ || 6 ||
pra soma yāhi dhārayā suta indrāya matsaraḥ |
dadhāno akṣiti śravaḥ || 7 ||
sam u tvā dhībhir asvaran hinvatīḥ sapta jāmayaḥ |
vipram ājā vivasvataḥ || 8 ||
mṛjanti tvā sam agruvo 'vye jīrāv adhi ṣvaṇi |
rebho yad ajyase vane || 9 ||
pavamānasya te kave vājin sargā asṛkṣata |
arvanto na śravasyavaḥ || 10 ||
acchā kośam madhuścutam asṛgraṁ vāre avyaye |
avāvaśanta dhītayaḥ || 11 ||
acchā samudram indavo 'staṁ gāvo na dhenavaḥ |
agmann ṛtasya yonim ā || 12 ||
pra ṇa indo mahe raṇa āpo arṣanti sindhavaḥ |
yad gobhir vāsayiṣyase || 13 ||
asya te sakhye vayam iyakṣantas tvotayaḥ |
indo sakhitvam uśmasi || 14 ||
ā pavasva gaviṣṭaye mahe soma nṛcakṣase |
endrasya jaṭhare viśa || 15 ||
mahām̐ asi soma jyeṣṭha ugrāṇām inda ojiṣṭhaḥ |
yudhvā sañ chaśvaj jigetha || 16 ||
ya ugrebhyaś cid ojīyāñ chūrebhyaś cic chūrataraḥ |
bhūridābhyaś cin maṁhīyān || 17 ||
tvaṁ soma sūra eṣas tokasya sātā tanūnām |
vṛṇīmahe sakhyāya vṛṇīmahe yujyāya || 18 ||
agna āyūṁṣi pavasa ā suvorjam iṣaṁ ca naḥ |
āre bādhasva ducchunām || 19 ||
agnir ṛṣiḥ pavamānaḥ pāñcajanyaḥ purohitaḥ |
tam īmahe mahāgayam || 20 ||
agne pavasva svapā asme varcaḥ suvīryam |
dadhad rayim mayi poṣam || 21 ||
pavamāno ati sridho 'bhy arṣati suṣṭutim |
sūro na viśvadarśataḥ || 22 ||
sa marmṛjāna āyubhiḥ prayasvān prayase hitaḥ |
indur atyo vicakṣaṇaḥ || 23 ||
pavamāna ṛtam bṛhac chukraṁ jyotir ajījanat |
kṛṣṇā tamāṁsi jaṅghanat || 24 ||
pavamānasya jaṅghnato hareś candrā asṛkṣata |
jīrā ajiraśociṣaḥ || 25 ||
pavamāno rathītamaḥ śubhrebhiḥ śubhraśastamaḥ |
hariścandro marudgaṇaḥ || 26 ||
pavamāno vy aśnavad raśmibhir vājasātamaḥ |
dadhat stotre suvīryam || 27 ||
pra suvāna indur akṣāḥ pavitram aty avyayam |
punāna indur indram ā || 28 ||
eṣa somo adhi tvaci gavāṁ krīḻaty adribhiḥ |
indram madāya johuvat || 29 ||
yasya te dyumnavat payaḥ pavamānābhṛtaṁ divaḥ |
tena no mṛḻa jīvase || 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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