A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.
Rig Veda · 727 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN IV. Soma Pavamana.
1.O Soma flowing on thy way, win thou and conquer high renown; And make us better than we are.
2.Win thou the light, win heavenly light, and, Soma, all felicities; And make us better than we are.
3.Win skilful strength and mental power. O Soma, drive away our foes; And make us better than we are.
4.Ye purifiers, purify Soma for Indra, for his drink: Make thou us better than we are.
5.Give us our portion in the Sun through thine own mental power and aids; And make us better than we are.
6.Through thine own mental power and aid long may we look upon the Sun; Make thou us better than we are.
7.Well-weaponed Soma, pour to usa stream of riches doubly great; And make us better than we are.
8.As one victorious unsubdued in battle pour forth wealth to us; And make us better than we are.
9.By worship, Pavamana! men have strengthened thee to prop the Law: Make thou us better than we are.
10.O Indu, bring us wealth in steeds, manifold. quickening all life; And mate us better than we are.
Asked of Guide
Why does every verse end with “And make us better than we are”?
The refrain asks Soma to transform worshippers across domains—fame, light, strength, wealth—so ritual yields moral and practical improvement. Each petition names a worldly good and then commits that good to inward change: the sacrament is an instrument for becoming better.
This repeats like a mantra to bind ritual outcomes to personal uplift; it echoes later Vedantic stress on inner purification found in the Upanishads, which also link sacrifice and knowledge to moral refinement. The line keeps the hymn from becoming mere prosperity prayer and keeps the focus on ethical consecration.
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.