Rig Veda · 801 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN LXXVIII. Soma Pavamana.
1.RAISING his voice the King hath flowed upon his way: invested with the waters he would win the kine. The fleece retains his solid parts as though impure, and bright and cleansed he seeks the special place of Gods.
2.Thou, Soma, art effused for Indra by the men, balmed in the wood as wave, Sage, Viewer of mankind. Full many are the paths whereon thou mayest go: a thousand bay steeds hast thou resting in the bowls.
3.Apsarases who dwell in waters of the sea, sitting within, have flowed to Soma wise of heart. They urge the Master of the house upon his way, and to the Eternal Pavamana pray for bliss.
4.Soma flows on for u’s as winner of the kine, winner of thousands, cars, water, and light, and gold; He whom the Gods have made a gladdening draught to drink, the drop most sweet to taste, weal-bringing, red of hue.
5.Soma, as Pavamana thou, our faithful Friend, making for us these real treasures, flowest on. Slay thou the enemy both near and,far away: grant us security and ample pasturage.
Asked of Guide
Why is Soma called Pavamana and described as 'flowing' so insistently in this hymn?
The hymn treats Soma as a living, moving presence: Pavamana means “purifying” or “flowing forth,” so the poet pictures Soma as a cleansing stream that “flows on” toward the gods and grants wealth, victory, and bliss. Lines like “raising his voice the King hath flowed upon his way” and “Soma flows on for us as winner of the kine” make the sacrifice itself into a dynamic agent that carries potency into the world.
This movement ties ritual action to results: the verb of flowing links the poured juice, the priests’ effort, and Indra’s strength so that blessings follow—a theme also central to the Brihadaranyaka and later Upanishadic reflections on sacrificial acts producing cosmic effects. The hymn names Soma Pavamana to mark the rite as both purificatory and efficacious.
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