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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 · 835 of 1027

Mandala 9: HYMN CXII. Soma Pavamana.

1.WE all have various thoughts and plans, and diverse are the ways of men. The Brahman seeks the worshipper, wright seeks the cracked, and leech the maimed. Flow, Indu, flow for Indra’s sake.

2.The smith with ripe and seasoned plants, with feathers of the birds of air, With stones, and with enkindled flames, seeks him who hath a store of gold. Flow, Indu, flow for Indra’s sake.

3.A bard am I, my dad’s a leech, mammy lays corn upon the stones. Striving for wealth, with varied plans, we follow our desires like kine. Flow, Indu, flow for Indra’s sake.

4.The horse would draw an easy car, gay hosts attract the laugh and jest. The male desires his mate’s approach, the frog is eager for the flood, Flow, Indu, flow for Indra’s sake.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep repeating “Flow, Indu, flow for Indra's sake” after mundane images?

The hymn ties ordinary human wants—craftsmen, healers, bards, lovers—to Soma (Indu) as the energizing gift that fulfils desire; the refrain summons Soma’s flow so Indra can be strengthened and human aims achieved. It places religious ritual within everyday life by naming specific trades and longings and then invoking the divine medium that enables success.

This pattern resembles hymns in the Rig Veda where a deity’s ritual substance links heaven and household, as in other Soma hymns that also call the juice to ‘pavamana’—purifying and propelling action. The repetition makes the ritual gesture both concrete and communal: pour Soma, and those varied plans move forward.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.