Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.67 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.
Thou, O Soma, art the upholder and strengthener, mightiest in the rite.
Cleanse thyself, and set forth wealth in readiness.
Thou, who bringest rapture to noble men when pressed, art most gladdening when thou hast run thy course— a patron to Indra, by thy holy stalk.
Pressed by the stones, thou rushest, ever roaring, toward the loftiest light, the storm-born splendor.
Impelled, the drop doth speed across the sheep’s white fleece; the tawny one hath roared for the prize.
Through the fleece thou dost stream, through the songs of acclaim, through the gifts of fortune, through the herds of kine, O Soma.
Bring hither, O drop, wealth in kine and steeds— an hundredfold, yea, a thousandfold, O Soma.
The self-cleansing drops, swift across the sieve, have reached great Indra in their wandering.
The foremost sap of Soma, the primal draught, doth cleanse itself for Indra—a living draught for the living god.
The rosy fingers drive the sun aloft;
unto the self-cleansing one, dripping with sweetness, they lift their voice in song.
Pūṣan, whose steeds are goats, is our guide upon every path— he shall grant us our portion among maidens.
This Soma now doth cleanse himself, sweet as honeyed ghee, for the god with braided locks—he shall grant us our portion among maidens.
This pressed Soma, gleaming like gold-rich ghee, cleanseth himself for thee, O shining one—he shall grant us our portion among maidens.
Born of the poets’ sacred speech, O Soma, cleanse thyself in streaming flow; for thou alone among the gods dost set down treasure.
He runneth to the vats; the falcon pierceth the mail, rushing to the bowls, with ceaseless roar.
Thy sap, O Soma, when pressed, doth surge and spread through the vat; like a falcon loosed in flight, it darteth forth.
Cleanse thyself, O Soma, bringer of rapture, sweetest to mighty Indra.
They are loosed to seek the gods, as chariots hasten toward the prize.
The clear, pressed Soma-draughts, most quickening, have flowed to Vāyu, breath of the sky.
Beaten by stone, uplifted with song, thou goest to the filter, O Soma, establishing for thy singer a host of heroes.
This one, pressed and praised, leapeth the fleece, the demon-slayer surging forth.
What foe is near, what lurketh afar—
O self-cleansing one, smite it away.
He who today is cleansed by our filter—
the boundless purifier—may he cleanse us wholly.
The filter here stretched out in thy flame, O Agni, and the sacred speech—through these, make us clean.
With thy flame-born sieve, O Agni, make us pure; with the breath of holy speech, cleanse us.
With both, O Savitar—by filter and by thy goad— purify me in full.
With all three, make us pure:
thou, O Savitar, with thy mightiest goads; thou, O Soma, through thy vast domains; and thou, O Agni, through thy craftsman's art.
Let the godly host make me clean;
let the Vasus cleanse me with sight;
ye All-Gods, make me pure;
thou, Jātavedas, cleanse me.
Swell forth, flow forth, O Soma, with all thy shoots, as the highest offering unto the gods.
We draw nigh to the dear youth, ever a wonder, who waxeth strong through the holy draught, bringing him our homage.
The flame of the Unstilled One hath vanished from sight.
By cleansing thyself, bring it back, O god Soma— and the rat as well, O god Soma.
Whoso reciteth the “Self-Purifying” lays— the sap gathered by the seers— he partaketh of the whole, the sweetened draught by Mātariśvan made.
Whoso reciteth the “Self-Purifying” lays— the sap gathered by the seers— for him Sarasvatī draweth forth milk, new butter, honey, and holy water.
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.67
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.
tvaṁ somāsi dhārayur mandra ojiṣṭho adhvare |
pavasva maṁhayadrayiḥ || 1 ||
tvaṁ suto nṛmādano dadhanvān matsarintamaḥ |
indrāya sūrir andhasā || 2 ||
tvaṁ suṣvāṇo adribhir abhy arṣa kanikradat |
dyumantaṁ śuṣmam uttamam || 3 ||
indur hinvāno arṣati tiro vārāṇy avyayā |
harir vājam acikradat || 4 ||
indo vy avyam arṣasi vi śravāṁsi vi saubhagā |
vi vājān soma gomataḥ || 5 ||
ā na indo śatagvinaṁ rayiṁ gomantam aśvinam |
bharā soma sahasriṇam || 6 ||
pavamānāsa indavas tiraḥ pavitram āśavaḥ |
indraṁ yāmebhir āśata || 7 ||
kakuhaḥ somyo rasa indur indrāya pūrvyaḥ |
āyuḥ pavata āyave || 8 ||
hinvanti sūram usrayaḥ pavamānam madhuścutam |
abhi girā sam asvaran || 9 ||
avitā no ajāśvaḥ pūṣā yāmani-yāmani |
ā bhakṣat kanyāsu naḥ || 10 ||
ayaṁ somaḥ kapardine ghṛtaṁ na pavate madhu |
ā bhakṣat kanyāsu naḥ || 11 ||
ayaṁ ta āghṛṇe suto ghṛtaṁ na pavate śuci |
ā bhakṣat kanyāsu naḥ || 12 ||
vāco jantuḥ kavīnām pavasva soma dhārayā |
deveṣu ratnadhā asi || 13 ||
ā kalaśeṣu dhāvati śyeno varma vi gāhate |
abhi droṇā kanikradat || 14 ||
pari pra soma te raso 'sarji kalaśe sutaḥ |
śyeno na takto arṣati || 15 ||
pavasva soma mandayann indrāya madhumattamaḥ || 16 ||
asṛgran devavītaye vājayanto rathā iva || 17 ||
te sutāso madintamāḥ śukrā vāyum asṛkṣata || 18 ||
grāvṇā tunno abhiṣṭutaḥ pavitraṁ soma gacchasi |
dadhat stotre suvīryam || 19 ||
eṣa tunno abhiṣṭutaḥ pavitram ati gāhate |
rakṣohā vāram avyayam || 20 ||
yad anti yac ca dūrake bhayaṁ vindati mām iha |
pavamāna vi taj jahi || 21 ||
pavamānaḥ so adya naḥ pavitreṇa vicarṣaṇiḥ |
yaḥ potā sa punātu naḥ || 22 ||
yat te pavitram arciṣy agne vitatam antar ā |
brahma tena punīhi naḥ || 23 ||
yat te pavitram arcivad agne tena punīhi naḥ |
brahmasavaiḥ punīhi naḥ || 24 ||
ubhābhyāṁ deva savitaḥ pavitreṇa savena ca |
mām punīhi viśvataḥ || 25 ||
tribhiṣ ṭvaṁ deva savitar varṣiṣṭhaiḥ soma dhāmabhiḥ |
agne dakṣaiḥ punīhi naḥ || 26 ||
punantu māṁ devajanāḥ punantu vasavo dhiyā |
viśve devāḥ punīta mā jātavedaḥ punīhi mā || 27 ||
pra pyāyasva pra syandasva soma viśvebhir aṁśubhiḥ |
devebhya uttamaṁ haviḥ || 28 ||
upa priyam panipnataṁ yuvānam āhutīvṛdham |
aganma bibhrato namaḥ || 29 ||
alāyyasya paraśur nanāśa tam ā pavasva deva soma |
ākhuṁ cid eva deva soma || 30 ||
yaḥ pāvamānīr adhyety ṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtaṁ rasam |
sarvaṁ sa pūtam aśnāti svaditam mātariśvanā || 31 ||
pāvamānīr yo adhyety ṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtaṁ rasam |
tasmai sarasvatī duhe kṣīraṁ sarpir madhūdakam || 32 ||
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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