Rig Veda · 762 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XXXIX. Soma Pavamana.
1.FLOW On, O thou of lofty thought, flow swift in thy beloved form, Saying, I go where dwell the Gods.
2.Preparing what is unprepared, and bringing store of food to man, Make thou the rain descend from heaven.
3.With might, bestowing power, the juice enters the purifying sieve, Far-seeing, sending forth its light.
4.This is it which in rapid course hath with the river’s wave flowed down From heaven upon the straining cloth.
5.Inviting him frorh far away, and even from near at hand, the juice For Indra is poured forth as meath.
6.In union they have sung the hymn: with stones they urge the Tawny One. Sit in the place of sacrifice.
Asked of Guide
Why is Soma described as 'flow' and 'juice' poured for the gods and Indra?
The hymn treats Soma as a living, moving substance: “FLOW On” and “the juice enters the purifying sieve” make Soma both a river and a sacrificial drink brought down “From heaven upon the straining cloth.” The verbs—flow, descends, poured—present Soma as an active mediator that connects heaven, gods, and humans through ritual processing.
Soma’s motion also signals its function: it prepares the unprepared, “bringing store of food to man,” and empowers gods and worshippers—“bestowing power” and poured “For Indra.” This matches what Max Müller notes about Vedic hymns portraying sacrificial substances as dynamic forces that enact communion between worlds.
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