Rig Veda · 740 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XVII. Soma Pavamana.
1.LIKE rivers down a steep descent, slaying the Vṛtras, full of zeal, The rapid Soma-streams have flowed.
2.The drops of Soma juice effused fall like the rain upon the earth: To Indra flow the Soma-streams.
3.With swelling wave the gladdening drink, the Soma, flows intoṭhe sieve, Loving the Gods and slaying fiends.
4.It hastens to the pitchers, poured upon the sieve it waxes strong At sacrifices through the lauds.
5.Soma, thou shinest mounting heaven as ’twere above light’s triple realm, And moving secm’st to speed the Sun.
6.To him, the head of sacnfice, singers and bards have sung their songs, Offering what he loves to see.
7.The men, the sages with their hymns, eager for help, deck thee strong &teed, Deck thee for service of the Gods.
8.Flow onward to the stream of meath rest efficacious in thy home, Fair, to be drunk at sacrifice.
Asked of Guide
Why is Soma described as a flowing stream that 'slays the Vṛtras'?
The hymn presents Soma as a vital, moving power whose poured drops and swelling wave renew strength and defeat obstacles: “Like rivers down a steep descent, slaying the Vṛtras.” Soma’s motion into sieves and pitchers emphasizes sacrificial transmission — the drink becomes efficacy when it flows into ritual vessels and reaches the gods and kingly powers like Indra.
This chapter puts ritual action and cosmic result on the same axis: pouring Soma produces divine favor and martial victory. Compare the Rig Veda hymn where Indra drinks Soma and conquers Vṛtra; here the image links the physical procession of juice to the poetically stated outcome of “slaying fiends.”
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