Rig Veda · 756 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XXXIII. Soma Pavamana.
1.LIKE waves of waters, skilled in song the juices of the Soma speed Onward, as buffaloes to woods.
2.With stream of sacrifice the brown bright drops have flowed with strength in store Of kine into the wooden vats.
3.To Indra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, to Viṣṇu, and the Maruts, flow The drops of Soma juice effused.
4.Three several words are uttered: kine are ]owing, cows who give their milk: The Tawny-hued goes bellowing on.
5.The young and sacred mothers of the holy rite have uttered praise: They decorate the Child of Heaven.
6.From every side, O Soma, for our profit, pour thou forth four seas Filled full of riches thousandfold.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn compare Soma to flowing kine and seas of riches?
The hymn uses images of kine and seas to make Soma’s movement and abundance tangible: “Like waves of waters, skilled in song the juices of the Soma speed” likens its motion to a herd or a flood, so worshippers feel vitality and wealth arriving. Naming deities who receive it — Indra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Viṣṇu, the Maruts — ties that vitality to cosmic order and favors the sacrificers with divine attention.
This poem treats Soma as both sacrificial drink and a generator of prosperity: “pour thou forth four seas / Filled full of riches thousandfold” is an explicit prayer for manifold gain. The technique of sacred simile appears across Vedic hymns; compare other Soma hymns in Rig Veda Mandala 9, which also equate Soma’s flow with rivers, bulls, and abundance.
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