Rig Veda · 761 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XXXVIII. Soma Pavamana.
1.THIS Steer, this Chariot, rushes through the woollen filter, as he goes To war that wins a thousand spoils.
2.The Dames of Trita with the stones onward impel this Tawny One Indu to Indra for his drink.
3.Ten active fingers carefully adorn him here; they make him bright And beauteous for the gladdening draught.
4.He like a falcon settles down amid the families of men. Speeding like lover to his love.
5.This young exhilarating juice looks downward from its place in heaven, This Soma-drop that pierced the sieve.
6.Poured for the draught, this tawny juice flows forth, intelligent, crying out, Unto the well-beloved place.
Asked of Guide
Why is Soma called a 'Steer' and 'Chariot' in this hymn?
The hymn personifies Soma as both a Steer and a Chariot to show its double role: Soma is a living sacrificial power (the Steer) and the vehicle that brings divine vitality to gods and worshippers (the Chariot). Verses like “THIS Steer, this Chariot, rushes through the woollen filter” make the processing of the juice into a sacred, moving force into vivid, bodily images.
The poem also links motion and desire—Soma is “speeding like lover to his love” and “this young exhilarating juice looks downward from its place in heaven,” so the metaphors tie the ritual action (pressing, filtering, pouring) to cosmic descent and ecstatic union. This treatment echoes other Rigvedic hymns where substances become animate agents delivering blessing, as in Mandala 8’s hymns to Soma.
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