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Rig Veda · 739 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XVI. Soma Pavamana.
1.THE pressers from the Soma-press send forth thy juice for rapturous joy The speckled sap runs like a flood.
2.With strength we follow through the sieve him who brings might and wins the kine, Enrobed in water with his juice.
3.Pour on the sieve the Soma, ne’er subdued in waters, waterless, And make it pure for Indra’s drink.
4.Moved by the purifier’s thought, the Soma flows into the sieve: By wisdom it hath gained its home.
5.With humble homage, Indra, have the Soma-drops flowed forth to thee, Contending for the glorious prize.
6.Purified in his fleecy garb, attaining every beauty, he Stands, hero-like, amid the kine.
7.Swelling, as ’twere, to heights of heaven, the stream of the creative juice Falls lightly on the cleansing sieve.
8.Thus, Soma, purifying himwho knoweth song mid living men, Thou wanderest through the cloth of wool.
Asked of Guide
Why is the Soma poured through a sieve and called ‘purified in his fleecy garb’ here?
The chapter shows the pressing and straining of Soma as a ritual transformation: the juice is poured “through the sieve” and emerges “purified in his fleecy garb,” which presents the sieve (cloth of wool) as the instrument that makes the drink fit for the gods. The act of straining is described as gaining a home “by wisdom,” so purification is both physical and sanctifying, turning raw sap into a consecrated offering for Indra.
This hymn treats the presser and sieve as active agents whose work produces beauty and strength—Soma comes forth “contending for the glorious prize” and stands “hero-like amid the kine.” Compare the Rig Veda’s ritual focus in other hymns of Mandala 9, where ceremonial preparation—like in Hymn 1’s offerings—creates the proper medium for divine communion.
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