Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.69 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.
Like an arrow drawn upon the string, so is my thought aimed forth— and loosed as a calf to the teats of its dam.
As a broad-uddered cow pours forth her stream, so cometh it leading the way.
At the bidding of this one—Soma—the draught is sent along.
As my thought swelleth, the honey is poured; the tongue, that merry goad, stirreth in the mouth.
The self-cleansing one thundereth, even as the beaters that drive the herd.
The honeyed draught danceth round the woollen veil.
Yearning for his brides, he cleanseth himself in fleece and hide; the child of Aditi looseth her gown for him who seeketh the true.
The tawny one, held close, neigheth with joy—he, the draught of the rite.
He whetteth his manhood like a wild ox and decketh himself in beauty.
The bull loweth, and the milk-cows draw near.
The goddesses haste to their tryst with the god.
He hath stepped beyond the white-fleeced shroud— Soma hath robed himself in milk as in a garment newly washed.
Now clad in splendour, the deathless tawny one hath wrapped himself in a shining robe never worn.
With his might he hath made heaven’s back his mantle, and the undercloud he hath spread in the twin bowls.
As sunbeams stir the sleepers from their rest, so leap the gladsome draughts from slumber all at once.
They surge swift round the strained line of cloth— yet without Indra, Soma purifieth no land of his.
As rivers plunge headlong into the deep, so rush the heady draughts, stirred by bulls, to their mark.
Be it well with our two-footed and our four-footed at their returning home.
Stand by us, O Soma, with spoils and with folk.
Cleanse thyself and bring us wealth—gold, kine, steeds and grain in heaps, and heroes stout of heart.
For ye, O Soma-drops, are my fathers, high in the heavens, begetters of my strength.
These self-cleansing draughts have gone unto Indra, as chariots speed unto the prize.
Pressed forth, the tawny ones break past the sheep’s white veil, their covers cast off, they hasten toward the rain.
O drop, purify thyself for mighty Indra, for thou art full of grace, unblamed, and kind to the far-off.
Bring shining gifts to the singer.
O Heaven and Earth, with all the gods—uphold us.
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.69
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.
iṣur na dhanvan prati dhīyate matir vatso na mātur upa sarjy ūdhani |
urudhāreva duhe agra āyaty asya vrateṣv api soma iṣyate || 1 ||
upo matiḥ pṛcyate sicyate madhu mandrājanī codate antar āsani |
pavamānaḥ saṁtaniḥ praghnatām iva madhumān drapsaḥ pari vāram arṣati || 2 ||
avye vadhūyuḥ pavate pari tvaci śrathnīte naptīr aditer ṛtaṁ yate |
harir akrān yajataḥ saṁyato mado nṛmṇā śiśāno mahiṣo na śobhate || 3 ||
ukṣā mimāti prati yanti dhenavo devasya devīr upa yanti niṣkṛtam |
aty akramīd arjunaṁ vāram avyayam atkaṁ na niktam pari somo avyata || 4 ||
amṛktena ruśatā vāsasā harir amartyo nirṇijānaḥ pari vyata |
divas pṛṣṭham barhaṇā nirṇije kṛtopastaraṇaṁ camvor nabhasmayam || 5 ||
sūryasyeva raśmayo drāvayitnavo matsarāsaḥ prasupaḥ sākam īrate |
tantuṁ tatam pari sargāsa āśavo nendrād ṛte pavate dhāma kiṁ cana || 6 ||
sindhor iva pravaṇe nimna āśavo vṛṣacyutā madāso gātum āśata |
śaṁ no niveśe dvipade catuṣpade 'sme vājāḥ soma tiṣṭhantu kṛṣṭayaḥ || 7 ||
ā naḥ pavasva vasumad dhiraṇyavad aśvāvad gomad yavamat suvīryam |
yūyaṁ hi soma pitaro mama sthana divo mūrdhānaḥ prasthitā vayaskṛtaḥ || 8 ||
ete somāḥ pavamānāsa indraṁ rathā iva pra yayuḥ sātim accha |
sutāḥ pavitram ati yanty avyaṁ hitvī vavriṁ harito vṛṣṭim accha || 9 ||
indav indrāya bṛhate pavasva sumṛḻīko anavadyo riśādāḥ |
bharā candrāṇi gṛṇate vasūni devair dyāvāpṛthivī prāvataṁ naḥ || 10 ||
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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