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The Sacrifical Power of the Vedic god Soma

November 16, 2006 at 3:48 am by mahud

The Mythological Victim as the God Soma according to the Rig Veda.

The God, King Soma, was personified as the Plant of Immortality, which in turn was equated in the Rig Vedic hymns (I am using the Ralph Griffith 1896 translation) with the mythical World Tree (Footnote: Axis-Mundi) that upheld the sky, like a cosmic temple column (9.74.2), separating heaven and earth (9.70.2,5) at the centre of the world (9.72.7; 9.86.8).

The Soma Plant

The identity (or identities?) of the plant remains an academic enigma, although it was certainly narcotic.

“The identity (or identities?) of the plant remains an academic enigma, although it was certainly narcotic.”

In the hymns it was praised as the tree that “yields heavenly milk” (9.12.7), sacrificially served up at the banquet of the gods (9.20.1), as the ambrosia from which they derived their power (9.104.5; 9.25.1).

The Soma Sacrifice

During the Soma sacrifice, large quantities of the plant were swiftly and continuously crushed with mortar stones upon an ox hide (9.30.2; 9.79.4), releasing the ‘solar’ juice (9.63.13; 9.86.34) from the temporal plant who, “freeing himself he flows away leaving his body’s severed limbs” (9.14.4), elsewhere described as shedding his skin like a serpent (9.86.44), and then filtered through a woollen fleece.

Purification

The dynamic of the ceremony resides in the perpetual moment of purification. It is then that Soma rightfully becomes King; “May those his beautiful rays be ever free from death, inviolate…rays wherewith powers of men and gods are purified. Yea, even for this have sages welcomed him as King” (9.7.3). Self-purified (9.111.1), he enters the immortal realm (9.25.4), attaining the priestly power to purify (9.67.22), who is then, in turn, paradoxically purified by his worshippers (9.86.12), his body becoming pure and free from stain (9.70.8) in eternal (non-linear) and blissful beautification, reminiscent of the resurrection power, spoken of in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he writes;

I pray that your inner vision may be flooded with light, to enable you to see what hope the fact that he has called you gives you, to see the glorious wealth of the life that he has promised you as members of his dedicated people, to see how surpassingly great is his power to us who believe, that power demonstrated in the action of the mighty strength which was operative in the case of Christ, when he brought him back to life again, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. There he gave him a place far above all spiritual powers, above every ruler and authority and power and lord, and above every possible title of honour, not only in this world but in the next. He subjected all things to him, and he gave him as the supreme head to the church; and the church is his body, the complement of him who completes all things everywhere.(1:18–23. Barclay, W (Trans), 1969, p.421)

The gifts of King Soma

“In acquiring sovereignty through purification, Soma ‘containeth in his hands all treasures’, ‘winning all precious things at once’”

In acquiring sovereignty through purification, Soma “containeth in his hands all treasures”(9.18.4), “winning all precious things at once” (9.29.4) which he liberally showers upon all his worshippers (9..40.5–6; 9.62.11); such as rain (9.8.8), cattle (9.67.6), clothing (9.72.8), food, warriors, horses, and the spoils of war (9.42.6), as well as the gift of immortality. “Immortal in his self he has entered mortals” (8.48.12) through the drinking of the divine Soma (8.48.3).

Soma’s Spiritual Power

Soma also separates good and evil (9.97.18). “the worlds expand to him who from aforetime found light to spread the law of life eternal” (9.94.2) “Attaining purity,” he “plunges through the foe, making his ways all easy for pious men” (9.86.26). He vanquishes all enemies (9.48.2; 9.55.4) by crushing fiends (9.37.3; 9.53.1), destroying demons (9.63.28–29), slaying sinners (9.28.6; 9.61.19), and banishing curses, making a way for prayer (9.62.11; 9.96.10). With the powers of darkness he also banishes sickness (9.85.1); “all that is sick he medicines; the blind man sees, the cripple walks”(8.68.2).

The Celestial Symbolism

The celestial aspect of the ceremony can be reconstructed thus: As “bearer of a thousand burdens” (9.60.2), “he wanders,” (like the moon) “and comes near the cow’s mysterious place which his inventions have produced” (9.71.5). From there he enters “the scorcher’s sieve”, “is cleansed near the sun” (9.97.38), “the celestial doors are lifted” (9.5.5), and he pierces “for us a never-failing well for men to drink” (9.110.5). He scatters “foes as he is cleansed” (9.27.1), “appeases celestial anger” (8.48.2), and “attaining every beauty, he stands hero-like, amid the kine” (9.16.6). We are also informed that “he who hath not this power shall sink down into the pit” (9.73.9).

Soma in Animal Form

Soma’s prime animal form is the bull (9.64.1–2; 9.69.3–4; 9.70.5–7). He is believed to impregnate cows during his purification (9.19.5), and provide them with milk (9.33.4). “The cows have sung with joy to him, even as a woman to her love” (9.32.5).

“Soma’s prime animal form is the bull”

He is also a bird of prey, who acts as guardian of the heavenly law (9.48.4), and embodies the Soma juice in the drinking bowl (9.96.19). Compare Anzu and the Sumerian lion-bird. Soma is described as the ”watchful guardian of the mead, the lion” (9.89.3).

Epithets of Soma

Soma is Lord “of all that is” (9.31.6); “of heaven” (9.89.3); “of the multitude” (9.101.7); “of Holy Law” (9.35.6); “of strength” (9.36.6); “of cattle” (9.72.4); “of speech” (9.101.5); “of song” (9.99.6); “of hymns” (9.86.19); “of the world” (9.86.5); “of heros”; “of riches”.

Soma as Upholder of the Universe

Soma is immortal (9.84.2), eternal (9.72.6), and infallible (9.97.38); omnipotent (9.101.5; 9.96.10), omniscient (9.20.3; 9.71.9), and omnipresent (9.97.38; 9.86.5). He upholds the universe (9.76.1), sometimes, as we have already seen, in the form of a cosmic tree. He is victorious (9.24.4; 9.35.4), unconquered (9.4.8; 9.27.4), full of joy (9.47.1), forgiving and full of grace (8.48.9; 8.68.7–8; 9.29.5), and a faithful friend of friends (9.48.4; 9.66.1–4; 9.78.5).

Once purified, the Soma juice runs down into a wooden vat (9.66.11; 9.21.3), or is collected in jars (9.63.3, 13; 9.72.1), which appear to be personified by the God Indra (9.37.6; 9.60.3). All through the Soma sacrifice these hymns are sung, empowering (9.64.16) and empowered (9.64.25) by the God himself.

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