Rig Veda · 746 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XXIII. Soma Pavamana.
1.SWIFT Soma drops have been effused in streams of meath, the gladdening drink, For sacred lore of every kind.
2.Hither to newer. resting-place the ancient Living Ones are come. They made the Sun that he might shine.
3.O Pavamana, bring to us the unsacrificing foeman’s wealth, And give us food with progeny.
4.The living Somas being cleansed diffuse exhilarating drink, Turned to the vat which drips with meath.
5.Soma gows on intelligent, possessing sap and mighty strength, Brave Hero who repels the curse.
6.For Indra, Soma! thou art cleansed, a feast-companion for the Gods: 1ndu, thou fain wilt win us strength
7.When he had drunken draughts of this, Indra smote down resistless foes: Yea, smote them, and shall smite them still.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Soma both 'Pavamana' and a 'feast-companion' for the gods?
The hymn names Soma ‘Pavamana’ — the One who is purified or pours forth — because the verses describe Soma as being cleansed and flowing into the vat: “Soma drops have been effused” and “The living Somas being cleansed diffuse exhilarating drink.” That purified, flowing quality makes Soma the active sacramental offering that transforms ordinary juice into divine drink.
Calling Soma a “feast-companion for the Gods” ties that sacramental role to social and cosmic power: when Indra drinks this purified Soma he gains strength and “smote down resistless foes.” The chapter treats Soma as both ritual liquor and divine ally whose cleansing and pouring make gods victorious, a theme also central in the Bhagavad Gita where sacred action aligns human practice with divine power.
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