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Rig Veda · 834 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN CXI. Soma Pavamana.
1.WITH this his golden splendour purifying him, he with his own allies subdues all enemies, as Sara with his own allies. Cleansing himself with stream of juice he shines forth yellow-hued and red, when with the praisers he encompasses all forms, with praisers having seven mouths.
2.That treasure of the Paṇis thou discoveredst; thou with thy mothers deckest thee in thine abode, with songs of worship in thine home. As ’twere from far, the hymn is heard, where holy songs resound in joy. He with the ruddy-hued, threefold hath won life-power, he, glittering, hath won life-power.
3.He moves intelligent, directed to the East. The very beauteous car rivals the beams of light, the beautiful celestial car. Hymns, lauding manly valour, came, inciting Indra to success, that ye may be unconquered, both thy bolt and thou, both be unconquered in the war.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Soma 'with praisers having seven mouths' and describe him as 'ruddy-hued'?
The hymn personifies Soma as a living, sacrificial force: “with praisers having seven mouths” names the ritual voices and libations that feed and give voice to Soma, making him present and potent in the ritual. Calling him “ruddy-hued” and “glittering” ties Soma to vitality and light—his color signals life-power won through purification and the juice’s ritual cleansing.
This chapter links Soma’s motion and victory to cosmic order: he “moves intelligent, directed to the East” in a “celestial car,” and the hymn pairs his brightness with Indra’s martial success. The image of Soma supplying strength to gods echoes later Vedic readings, for example Max Müller’s translations that emphasize Soma as both sacrament and divine energizer.
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