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Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 821 of 1027

Mandala 9: HYMN XCVIII. Soma Pavamana.

1.STREAM on us riches that are sought by many, best at winning strength Riches, O Indu, thousandfold, glorious, conquering the great.

2.Effused, he hath, as on a car, invested him in fleecy mail: Onward hath Indu flowed in streams, impelled, surrounded by the wood.

3.Effused, this Indu hath flowed on, distilling rapture, to the fleece: He goes erect, as seeking kine in stream, with light, to sacrifice.

4.For thou thyself, O Indu, God, to every mortal worshipper Attractest riches thousandfold, made manifest in hundred forms.

5.Good Vṛtra-slayer, may we be still nearest to this wealth of thine Which many crave, nearest to food and happiness, Resistless One!

6.Whom, bright with native splendour, crushed between the pair of pressingstones- The wavy Friend whom Indra loves-the twice-five sisters dip and bathe,

7.Him with the fleece they purify, brown, golden-hued, beloved of all, Who with exhilarating juice goes forth to all the Deities.

8.Through longing for this sap of yours ye drink what brings ability, Even him who, dear as heaven’s own light, gives to our princes high renown.

9.Indu at holy rites produced you, Heaven and Earth, the Friends of men, Hill-haunting God the Goddesses. They bruised him where the roar was loud.

10.For Vṛtra-slaying Indra, thou, Soma, art poured that he may drink, Poured for the guerdon-giving man, poured for the God who sitteth there.

11.These ancient Somas, at the break of day, have flowed into the sieve, Snorting away at early morn these foolish evil-hearted ones.

12.Friends, may the princes, ye and we, obtain this Most Resplendent One. Gain him who hath the smell of strength, win him whose home is very strength.

Asked of Guide

Why does this hymn call Soma both 'Indu' and 'Vṛtra-slayer'?

The hymn uses Indu as the familiar, drinkable name for Soma — “Effused, this Indu hath flowed” — emphasizing its flowing, nourishing presence at sacrifice. Calling Soma Vṛtra-slayer links the drink to Indra’s triumph and to the cosmic power released when Soma is pressed and offered: the juice is literally what fuels the god who defeats obstacles.

The text makes Soma simultaneously sacred beverage and divine agent: it is poured “for Vṛtra-slaying Indra” and “poured for the guerdon-giving man,” so the ritual drink confers both divine might and princely success. This doubling of roles echoes other hymns in the Rig Veda where Soma empowers gods and mortals alike, as in Mandala 8 and 10’s hymns celebrating Soma’s role in sacrifice.

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