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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 768 of 1027

Mandala 9: HYMN XLV. Soma Pavamana.

1.FLOW, thou who viewest men, to give delight, to entertain the Gods, Indu, to Indra for his drink.

2.Stream to thine embassy for us: thou hastenest, for Indra, to The Gods, O better than our friends.

3.We balm thee, red of hue, with milk to fit thee for the rapturous joy: Unbar for us the doors of wealth.

4.He through the sieve hath passed, as comes a courser to the pole, to run Indu belongs unto the Gods.

5.All friends have lauded him as he sports in the wood, beyond the fleece: Singers have chanted Indu’s praise.

6.Flow, Indu, with that stream wherein steeped thou announcest to the man Who worships thee heroic strength.

Asked of Guide

Why is Soma called Indu and addressed as something that 'flows' to Indra?

The hymn treats Soma as a living draught called Indu because Indu means ‘‘the bright, refreshing one’’ and denotes the pressed juice that ‘‘flows’’ from the plant. The priests personify that flow: verses ask Soma to ‘‘Stream to thine embassy for us’’ and to go ‘‘to Indra for his drink,’’ making the liquid’s movement into a sacrificial channel the central action of worship.

Calling Soma Indu connects its physical pouring with its divine effect: it ‘‘announcest to the man / Who worships thee heroic strength’’ and ‘‘to give delight, to entertain the Gods.’’ This is the same functional praise found in other hymns of the Rig Veda where Soma’s pouring empowers gods and men, as in many hymns of Mandala 8 and 9 that celebrate Soma’s vitalizing role.

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