Rig Veda · 769 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN XLVI. Soma Pavamana.
1.LIKE able coursers they have been sent forth to be the feast of Gods, joying in mountains, flowing on.
2.To Vāyu flow the Soma-streams, the drops of juice made beautiful Like a bride dowered by her sire.
3.Pressed in the mortar, these, the drops of juice, the Somas rich in food, Give strength to Indra with their work.
4.Deft-handed men, run hither, seize the brilliant juices blent with meal, And cook with milk the gladdening draught.
5.Thus, Soma, Conqueror of wealth! flow, finding furtherance for us, Giver oF ample opulence.
6.This Pavamana, meet to be adorned, the fingers ten adorn, The draught that shall make Indra glad.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Soma “Pavamana” and describe it as a bride and a draught?
The hymn calls Soma “Pavamana” to present the juice as purifying and moving—an active, consecrated liquid whose flow brings blessing; lines speak of “Soma-streams” and “drops of juice” that are “made beautiful,” making motion and sanctity the poem’s focus. The bride image—“Like a bride dowered by her sire”—and the repeated ritual actions (pressing, cooking with milk, adorning with “the fingers ten”) treat Soma as an offered, dressed, and honored presence entering the divine feast.
This portrayal ties Soma’s physical processing to its social and sacred role: it is prepared, presented, and consumed to “Give strength to Indra” and to be “meet to be adorned,” so ritual labor transforms a plant into divine sustenance and social wealth. The hymn’s concretely domestic verbs and images echo later ritual manuals that describe Soma’s preparation and consecration as both purification and gift.
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