Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.88 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.
This Soma is bruised for thee, O Indra—it cleanseth itself for thy delight.
Drink thou of it—of that which thou hast made thine own, which thou hast chosen, the drop, the draught, Soma, that is yoked for rapture.
It is harnessed, as a chariot mighty in war, great in the winning of wealth.
Therefore all the offspring of Nahus, standing upright beside the wooden bowl, cry aloud at his triumph o'er the sun.
Thou—like fleet Vāyu with his coursers—keepest thy way as thou wilt, like the Nāsatyas art thou most swift to hearken, like the Lord of Treasure dost thou bring all things fair; like Pūṣan, thou speedest the thought that sees true, O Soma.
Thou, like Indra, workest great wonders—breaker of keeps, smiter of bonds.
As Pedu’s steed smiteth serpent-named foes, so smitest thou every Dasyu, O Soma.
He, like Agni let loose in wood, is poured forth in the wooden bowl, and spreads himself at will in the flowing streams.
As men at strife trample in tumult, so doth this mighty one thunder— Soma, self-cleansed, lifts up a swelling wave.
These Soma-streams rush down o’er the sheep’s white fleece, like heaven’s own buckets that bear the rains from cloud to earth— they flow at will to the tubs when pressed, as rivers hasten to the sea.
Stormful as the host of Maruts, purify thyself, shielded from spite as that high-born kin in heaven.
Hasten to be our good, wave-rich as waters, like a rite that winneth the strife of hosts.
Thine are the dooms of King Varuṇa;
thine is his lofty, secret realm, O Soma.
Thou glowest bright and clean as Mitra beloved; thou art sought for craft like Aryaman, O Soma.
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.88
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.
ayaṁ soma indra tubhyaṁ sunve tubhyam pavate tvam asya pāhi |
tvaṁ ha yaṁ cakṛṣe tvaṁ vavṛṣa indum madāya yujyāya somam || 1 ||
sa īṁ ratho na bhuriṣāḻ ayoji mahaḥ purūṇi sātaye vasūni |
ād īṁ viśvā nahuṣyāṇi jātā svarṣātā vana ūrdhvā navanta || 2 ||
vāyur na yo niyutvām̐ iṣṭayāmā nāsatyeva hava ā śambhaviṣṭhaḥ |
viśvavāro draviṇodā iva tman pūṣeva dhījavano 'si soma || 3 ||
indro na yo mahā karmāṇi cakrir hantā vṛtrāṇām asi soma pūrbhit |
paidvo na hi tvam ahināmnāṁ hantā viśvasyāsi soma dasyoḥ || 4 ||
agnir na yo vana ā sṛjyamāno vṛthā pājāṁsi kṛṇute nadīṣu |
jano na yudhvā mahata upabdir iyarti somaḥ pavamāna ūrmim || 5 ||
ete somā ati vārāṇy avyā divyā na kośāso abhravarṣāḥ |
vṛthā samudraṁ sindhavo na nīcīḥ sutāso abhi kalaśām̐ asṛgran || 6 ||
śuṣmī śardho na mārutam pavasvānabhiśastā divyā yathā viṭ |
āpo na makṣū sumatir bhavā naḥ sahasrāpsāḥ pṛtanāṣāṇ na yajñaḥ || 7 ||
rājño nu te varuṇasya vratāni bṛhad gabhīraṁ tava soma dhāma |
śuciṣ ṭvam asi priyo na mitro dakṣāyyo aryamevāsi soma || 8 ||
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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