Hymn to Soma
Rigveda IX.94 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.
When sage-born visions strive about him—as wreathéd honours round a victor, as kindreds circle the Sun— he chooseth the waters and lustrateth himself, shaping subtle thought as one would build a steadfast fold for grazing herds.
Again he layeth bare the realm of the deathless; the spacious worlds expand for the seeker of the Sun.
Those brightening insights, fat as kine on kindly pasture, true in their deed, have low’d aloud unto the shining drop.
The Poet compasseth all poesy, even as the champion car of the Sun ringeth all the spheres; to win renown for mortal men he toils among the gods, and for new-found wealth he laboureth once more with the tireless powers.
Born of splendour, he issueth forth in splendour; for the singers he appointeth glory and quickening breath.
Arrayed in brilliance, they fare unto immortality; their meetings are fulfilled beside the measured-stepping Flame.
Hasten to draught and sustenance, to steed and to herd; widen the light and make the gods rejoice.
For all these boons lie easy to thy conquering hand, O self-cleansing Soma; thou drivest the foemen far.
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.94
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.
adhi yad asmin vājinīva śubhaḥ spardhante dhiyaḥ sūrye na viśaḥ |
apo vṛṇānaḥ pavate kavīyan vrajaṁ na paśuvardhanāya manma || 1 ||
dvitā vyūrṇvann amṛtasya dhāma svarvide bhuvanāni prathanta |
dhiyaḥ pinvānāḥ svasare na gāva ṛtāyantīr abhi vāvaśra indum || 2 ||
pari yat kaviḥ kāvyā bharate śūro na ratho bhuvanāni viśvā |
deveṣu yaśo martāya bhūṣan dakṣāya rāyaḥ purubhūṣu navyaḥ || 3 ||
śriye jātaḥ śriya ā nir iyāya śriyaṁ vayo jaritṛbhyo dadhāti |
śriyaṁ vasānā amṛtatvam āyan bhavanti satyā samithā mitadrau || 4 ||
iṣam ūrjam abhy a1rṣāśvaṁ gām uru jyotiḥ kṛṇuhi matsi devān |
viśvāni hi suṣahā tāni tubhyam pavamāna bādhase soma śatrūn || 5 ||
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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