Rig Veda · 759 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XXXVI. Soma Pavamana.
1.FORTH from the mortar is the juice sent, like a car-horse, to the sieve: The Steed steps forward to the goal.
2.Thus, Soma, watchful, bearing well, cheering the Gods, flow past the sieve, Turned to the vat that drops with meath.
3.Excellent Pavamana, make the lights shine brightly out for us. Speed us to mental power and skill.
4.He, beautified by pious men, and coming from their hands adorned, Flows through the fleecy straining-cloth.
5.May Soma pour all treasures of the heavens, the earth, the firmament Upon the liberal worshipper.
6.Thou mountest to the height of heaven, O Soma, seeking steeds and kine, And seeking heroes, Lord of Strength!
Asked of Guide
Why does this hymn call Soma both 'Pavamana' and a 'Steed'?
The hymn uses Pavamana, “the Purifying One,” to name Soma’s active role: the juice is “forth from the mortar” and flows “through the fleecy straining-cloth,” so purification is a visible, moving process. Calling Soma a “Steed” and “mountest to the height of heaven” gives that movement an animal energy, a vehicle that carries divine power upward to gods, wealth, and mental strength.
This links image to function: purification enables ascent and bestowal—Soma propels blessings (“make the lights shine brightly”) and seeks “steeds and kine,” rewards for the sacrificer. Compare the Rgveda hymn’s bodily, ritual motion with Aurobindo’s readings of the Vedas, which also emphasize sacrificial action as transformational energy.
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