Sama Veda on Healing

1. Indra, this might of thine I praise most highly for the sacrifice That thou, O Lord of Power, dost slay Vritra with might 2. For thee this Soma hath been pressed, in whose wild joy thou madest once Sambara Divodasa's prey: O Indra, drink! 3. Come unto us, O Indra, dear, still conquering, unconcealable! Wide as a mountain spread on all sides, Lord of heaven! 4. Joy, mightiest Indra, that perceives, sprung from deep Soma draughts, whereby Thou smitest down the greedy fiend,-that joy we crave! 5. Adityas, very mighty ones, grant to our children and our seed This lengthened term of life that they may live long days! 6. Though knowest, Indra, Thunder-armed! how to avoid destructive powers, As one secure from pitfalls each returning day. 7. Drive ye disease and strife away, drive ye away malignity: Adityas, keep us far removed from sore distress! 8. Drive Soma, Indra, Lord of bays! and let it cheer thee: the stone, like a well-guided courser,

1. Hither, for powerful kinship, I call Agni, him who prospers you, Most frequent at our solemn rites. 2. May Agni with his pointed blaze cast down each fierce devouring fiend: May Agni win us wealth by war! 3. Agni, be gracious; thou art great: thou hast approached the pious man, Hast come to sit on sacred grass. 4. Agni, preserve us,from distress consume our enemies, O God, Eternal, with thy hottest flames 5. Harness, O Agni, O thou God, thy steeds which are most excellent! The fleet ones bring thee rapidly. 6. Lord of the tribes, whom all must seek, we worshipped Agni set thee down, Refulgent, rich in valiant men. 7. Agni is head and height of heaven, the master of the earth is he He quickeneth the waters' seed. 8. O Agni, graciously announce this our good fortune of the Gods, And this our newest hymn of praise! 9, By song, O Agni, Angiras! Gopavana hath brought thee forth Hear thou my call, refulgent one! 10. Agni, the Sage, the Lord of Strength, hath moved around the sacred gifts, Giving the offerer precious things. 11. His heralds bear him up aloft, the God who knoweth all that lives, The Sun, that all may look on him. 12, Praise Agni in the sacrifice, the Sage whose holy laws are true The God who driveth grief away. 13. Kind be the Goddesses to lend us help, and kind that we may drink: May their streams bring us health and wealth 14. Lord of the brave, whose songs dost thou in thine abundance now inspire, Thou whose hymns help to win the kine?

1. Graciously-minded he is flowing on his way to win dear names o'er which the youthful one grows great. The mighty and far-seeing one hath mounted now the mighty Surya's car which moves to every 2. Spontaneous let our drops of Soma juice flow on, pressed out and tawny-coloured, mightily, to the Gods! Still let our enemies, the godless, be in want, though filled with food; and let our prayers obtain success! 3. Most beauteous of the beauteous, Indra's thunderbolt, this Soma, rich in sweets, hath clamoured in the vat. Dropping with oil, abundant, streams of sacrifice flow unto him, and milch-kine, lowing, with their milk. 4. Indu hath started forth for Indra's settled place, and slights not, as a friend, the promise of his friend. Soma comes onward like a youth with youthful maids, and gains the beaker by a course of hundred paths. 5. On flows the potent juice, sustainer of the heavens; the strength of Gods, whom men must hail with shouts of joy. Thou, gold-hued, started like a courser by brave men, art lightly showing forth thy splendour in the streams. 6. Far-seeing Soma flows, the Steer, the Lord of hymns, the furtherer of days, of mornings, and of heaven. Breath of the rivers, he hath roared into the jars, and with the help of sages entered Indra's heart. 7. The three-times seven milch-kine in the loftiest heaven have for this Soma poured the genuine milky draught. Four other beauteous creatures hath he made for his adornment when he waxed in strength through holy rites. 8. Flow on to indra, Soma, carefully effused: let sickness stay afar together with the fiend! Let not the double-tongued delight them with thy juice: here be thy flowing drops laden with opulence! 9. Even as a King hath Soma, red and tawny Bull, been pressed: the wondrous one hath bellowed to the kine. While purified thou passest through the filtering fleece to seat thee hawk-like on the place that drops with oil. 10.

1. Sing to your Agni with each song, at every sacrifice for strength. Come, let us praise the wise and, everlasting God even as a well-beloved friend, 2. Agni, protect thou us by one, protect us by the second song, Protect us by three hymns, O Lord of power and might, bright God, by four hymns guard us 3. O Agni, with thy lofty beams, with thy pure brilliancy, O God, Kindled, most youthful one! by Bharadvaja's hand, shine on us richly, holy Lord! 4. O Agni who art worshipped well, dear let our princes be to thee, Our wealthy patrons who are governors of men, who part, as gifts, the stall of kine! 5. Agni, praise-singer! Lord of men, God! burning up the Rakshasas, Mighty art thou, the ever-present, household-lord! home-friend and guardian from the sky. 6. Immortal Jatavedas, thou bright-hued refulgent gift of Dawn, Agni, this day to him who pays oblations bring the Gods who waken with the morn! 7. Wonderful, with thy favouring help, send us thy bounties, gracious Lord. Thou art the charioteer, Agni, of earthly wealth: find rest and safety for our seed! 8. Famed art thou, Agni, far and wide, preserver, righteous, and a Sage. The holy singers, O enkindled radiant one, ordainers, call on thee to come. 9. O holy Agni, give us wealth famed among men and strengthening life! Bestow on us, O helper, that which many crave, more glorious still through righteousness! 10. To him, who dealeth out all wealth, the sweet-toned Hotar-priest of men, To him like the first vessels filled with savoury juice, to Agni let the lauds go forth.

1. Ne'er is he injured whom the Gods Varuna, Mitra, Aryam. The excellently wise, protect. 2. According to our wish for kine, for steeds and chariots, as of old, Be gracious to our wealthy chiefs 3. Indra, these spotted cows yield thee their butter and the milky draught, Aiders, thereby, of sacrifice. 4. That thou much-lauded! many-named! mayst, with this thought, that longs for milk, Come to each Soma sacrifice. 5. May bright Sarasvati, endowed with plenteous wealth and spoil, enriched With prayer, desire the sacrifice. 6. Why 'mid the Nahusha tribes shall sate this Indra with his Soma juice? He shall bring precious things to us. 7. Come, we have pressed the juice for thee; O Indra, drink this Soma here: Sit thou on this my sacred grass 8. Great, unassailable must be the heavenly favour of the Three, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman. 9. We, Indra, Lord of ample wealth, our guide, depend on one like thee, Thou driver of the tawny steeds!

1. These Soma juice mixt with curd have been expressed for Indra here: Come with thy bay steeds, Thunder-wielder, to our home, to drink them till they make thee glad! 2. Indra, these Somas with their lauds have been prepared for thy delight. Drink of the pleasant juice and listen to our songs; lover of song, reward the hymn! 3. I call on thee, Sabardugha, this day, inspirer of the psalm. Indra, the richly-yielding milch-cow who provides unfailing food in ample stream. 4. Indra, the strong and lofty hills are powerless to bar thy way None stays that act of thine when thou wouldst fain give wealth to one like me who sings thy praise. 5. Who knows what vital power he wins, drinking beside the flowing juice? This is the fair-cheeked. God who, joying in the draught, breaks down the castles in his strength. 6. What time thou castest from his seat and punishest the riteless man, Strengthen for opulence, O Indra Maghavan, our plant desired by many a one! 7. Let Tvashtar, Brahmanaspati, Parjanya guard our heavenly word, Aditi with her sons, the brothers, guard for us the invincible, the saving word! 8. Ne'er art thou fruitless, Indra, ne'er dost thou desert the worshipper: But now, O Maghavan, thy bounty as a God is poured forth ever more and more. 9. Best slayer of the Vritras, yoke thy bay steeds, Indra, far away Come with the high ones hither, Maghavan, to us, mighty, to, drink the Soma juice! 10. O Thunderer, zealous worshippers gave thee drink this time yesterday: So, Indra, listen here to him who offers lauds: come near unto, our dwelling-place! DECADE II 1. Advancing, sending forth her rays, the daughter of the Sky is seen. The mighty one lays bare the darkness with her eye, the friendly Lady makes the light. 2. These morning sacrifices call you, Asvins, at the break of day. For help have I invoked you rich in power and might: for, house by house, ye visit all. 3. Where are ye, Gods?

What mortal man, O Asvins, glows with zeal for you, Urging you with the crushing stone and with the stalk of Soma thus or otherwise? 4. This sweetest Soma juice hath been expressed for you at morning rites. Asvins, drink this prepared ere yesterday and give treasures to him who offers it! 5. Let me not, still beseeching thee with might and sound of Soma drops, Anger at sacrifice a fierce wild creature! Who would not beseech the almighty one! 6. Adhvaryu, let the Soma flow, for Indra longs to drink thereof. He even now hath yoked his vigorous bay steeds: the Vritraslayer hath come nigh. 7. Bring thou all this unto the good, O Indra, to the old and young! For, Maghavan, thou art rich in treasures from of old, to be invoked in every fight. 8. If I, O Indra, were the lord of riches ample as thine own, I would support the singer, God who scatterest wealth! and not abandon him to woe. 9. Thou in thy battles, Indra, art subduer of all hostile bands. Father art thou, all-conquering, cancelling the curse, thou victor of the vanquisher! 10. For in thy might thou stretchest out beyond the mansions of the sky. The earthly region, Indra, comprehends thee not. Thou hast waxed mighty over all. DECADE III 1. Pressed is the juice divine with milk commingled: thereto hath Indra ever been accustomed. We wake thee, Lord of bays, with sacrifices: mark this our laud in the wild joys of Soma! 2. A home is made for thee to dwell in, Indra: O much-invoked one, with the men go thither! Thou, that thou mayest guard us and increase us, givest us wealth and joyest in the Somas. 3. The well thou clavest, settest free the fountains, and gavest rest to floods that were obstructed. Thou, Indra, laying the great mountain open, slaying the Ddnava, didst loose the torrents. 4. When we have pressed the juice we laud thee, Indra, most valorous! even about to win the booty. Bring us prosperity, and by thy great wisdom, under thine own protection, may we conquer! 5.

1. O Agni, God, we kindle thee, refulgent, wasting not away, That this more glorious fuel may send forth for thee its shine to heaven. Bring food to those who sing thy praise! 2. With offerings of our own we choose thee, Agni, as our Hotar priest, Piercing and brightly shining-at your glad carouse-served with trimmed grass at sacrifice. Thou waxest great. 3. O heavenly Dawn, awaken us to ample opulence to-day, Even as thou didst waken us with Satyasravas, Vayya's son, high born! delightful with thy steeds! 4. Send us a mind that brings delight, send energy and mental power. Then-at your glad carouse-let men joy in thy love, sweet juice! as kine in pasturage. Thou waxest great, 5. Great, as his nature is, through power, terrible, he hath waxed in strength, Lord of bay steeds, strong-jawed, sublime, he in joined hands for glory's sake hath grasped his iron thunderbolt. 6. He, Indra, verily will mount the powerful car that finds the kine, Who thinks upon the well-filled bowl, the tawny coursers' harnesser. Now, Indra, yoke thy two bay steeds! 7. I think of Agni who is kind, whom, as their home, the milch-kine seek: Whom fleet-foot coursers seek as home, and strong enduring steeds as home. Bring food to those who sing thy praise! 8. No peril, no severe distress, ye Gods, affects the mortal man Whom Aryaman and Mitra lead, and Varuna, of one accord, beyond his foes.

1. Cleansing thee, Soma, in thy stream, thou flowest in a watery robe: giver of wealth, thou sittest in the place of Law, O God, a fountain made of gold. 2. Hence sprinkle forth the juice effused, Soma, the best of sacred gifts, who, friend of man, hath run amid the water-streams! He hath pressed Soma out with stones. 3. Expressed by stones, O Soma, and urged through the long wool of the sheep, thou, entering the press-boards even as men a fort, gold-hued hast settled in the vats. 4. O Soma,--for the feast of Gods, river-like he hath swelled with surge, sweet with the liquor of the stalk, as one who wakes, into the vat that drops with meath. 5. Pressed out by pressers, Soma goes over the fleecy backs of sheep, goes, even as with a mare, in tawny-coloured stream, goes in a sweetly-sounding stream. 6. O Soma, Indu, every day thy friendship hath been my delight. Many fiends follow me help me, thou tawny-hued: pass on beyond these barriers! 7. Deft-handed! thou when purified liftest thy voice amid the sea. Thou, Pavamana, makest riches flow to us, yellow, abundant, much desired. 8. The living drops of Soma juice pour, as they flow, the gladdening drink, intelligent drops above the station of the sea, exhilarating, dropping meath. 9. Soma, while thou art cleansed, most dear and watchful in the sheep's long wool, most like to Angiras! thou hast become a sage. Sprinkle our sacrifice with mead! 10. Soma, the gladdening juice, flows pressed for Indra with his Marut host: he hastens o'er the fleece with all his thousand streams: him, him the men make pure and bright. 11. Flow on, best winner of the spoil, to precious gifts of every sort! Thou art a sea according to the highest law, joy-giver, Soma! to the Gods 12. Over the cleansing sieve have flowed the Pavamanas in a stream, girt by the Maruts, gladdening, steeds with Indra's strength, for wisdom and for dainty food.

The drops of Soma juice, like cows who yield their milk, have flowed forth, rich in meath, unto the diety, And, seated on the grass, raising their voice, assumed the milk, the covering robe wherewith the address stream. 11. They balm him, balm him over, balm him thoroughly, caress the mighty strength and balm it with the meath. They seize the flying Steer at the stream's breathing-place: cleansing with gold they grasp the animal herein. 12. Spread is thy cleansing filter, Brahmanaspati: as prince thou enterest its limbs from every The raw, whose mass hath not been heated, gains not this: they only which are dressed, which bear, attain to it.