Soma
Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Soma was a plant whose juice was pressed, filtered and drunk in Vedic rituals. Soma was also a god, praised as the spirit of this holy drink. The juice was offered to the gods, especially Indra, and drunk by the priests during the yajña (sacrifice). Scholars still do not agree on which plant soma actually was.
Example
The whole ninth book (maṇḍala) of the Ṛigveda is given to Soma Pavamāna, "Soma being purified". Its hymns describe the juice being pressed and strained through wool. Ṛigveda 9.112.3, the famous verse on a poet, a physician and a corn-grinder in one family, also comes from this book.
Don't confuse with
- Sura: another drink, an ordinary alcoholic one. The texts often criticise it. Soma was the sacred drink of the ritual.