Dr. Jai Maharaj
2016-06-25 03:17:07 UTC
Soma, the Rishis' Potion
Hinduism Today Magazine
hinduismtoday.com
July-August-September 2012
Soma was a drink of ritual importance, a sublime mixture
capable of transforming mortals into Gods. Indra and Agni
are portrayed as consuming soma in copious quantities. It
is frequently mentioned in the Rig Veda, whose Soma
Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing
qualities.
It is described as prepared by extracting juice from the
stalks of a certain plant--unfortunately, which one is
today unknown, a secret lost to the ages.
Drinking soma was a restricted, yet documented ritual at
the time the Vedas were being written. Its proprieties
seem to have been stimulating of the sage's inner
faculties, who, with their yogic powers, were able to
soar in consciousness into the realms of the Gods.
Today, without the formula, modern Hindu rituals offer
expiatory prayers apologizing for the use of a substitute
plant because soma has become unavailable.
There has been much speculation concerning what is most
likely to have been the identity of the original plant.
There is no solid consensus. It is described as "green-
tinted" and "bright-shining" in the Rig Veda. One recipe
states that soma juice was filtered through lamb's wool,
and mixed with other ingredients (including cow milk)
before it was drunk. It was said to "roar."
Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, a modern scholar who has
performed extensive research, holds a view that the soma
was not simply one plant (though there may have been one
primary soma plant in certain times and places), but
instead several families of plants, including orchids and
sunflower. The great early Ayurvedic doctor, Sushrut,
spoke of 24 soma plants, growing mainly on Himalayan
lakes. Soma, therefore, was likely part of an entire
science of sacred plant preparations and not just one
plant in particular. The Atharva Veda mentions five great
plants of which soma is the best, including ganja, barley
and darbha, showing that many plants had soma-like
qualities.
Vamadeva believes that real soma is a secretion in the
brain from spiritual practices of yoga, pranayama, mantra
and meditation, releasing a flood of bliss throughout the
body. This inner soma is the main subject of the Vedic
hymns, though outer somas were once also important.
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5281
More at:
Hinduism Today Magazine
http://www.hinduismtoday.com
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://bit.do/jaimaharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
Hinduism Today Magazine
hinduismtoday.com
July-August-September 2012
Soma was a drink of ritual importance, a sublime mixture
capable of transforming mortals into Gods. Indra and Agni
are portrayed as consuming soma in copious quantities. It
is frequently mentioned in the Rig Veda, whose Soma
Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing
qualities.
It is described as prepared by extracting juice from the
stalks of a certain plant--unfortunately, which one is
today unknown, a secret lost to the ages.
Drinking soma was a restricted, yet documented ritual at
the time the Vedas were being written. Its proprieties
seem to have been stimulating of the sage's inner
faculties, who, with their yogic powers, were able to
soar in consciousness into the realms of the Gods.
Today, without the formula, modern Hindu rituals offer
expiatory prayers apologizing for the use of a substitute
plant because soma has become unavailable.
There has been much speculation concerning what is most
likely to have been the identity of the original plant.
There is no solid consensus. It is described as "green-
tinted" and "bright-shining" in the Rig Veda. One recipe
states that soma juice was filtered through lamb's wool,
and mixed with other ingredients (including cow milk)
before it was drunk. It was said to "roar."
Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, a modern scholar who has
performed extensive research, holds a view that the soma
was not simply one plant (though there may have been one
primary soma plant in certain times and places), but
instead several families of plants, including orchids and
sunflower. The great early Ayurvedic doctor, Sushrut,
spoke of 24 soma plants, growing mainly on Himalayan
lakes. Soma, therefore, was likely part of an entire
science of sacred plant preparations and not just one
plant in particular. The Atharva Veda mentions five great
plants of which soma is the best, including ganja, barley
and darbha, showing that many plants had soma-like
qualities.
Vamadeva believes that real soma is a secretion in the
brain from spiritual practices of yoga, pranayama, mantra
and meditation, releasing a flood of bliss throughout the
body. This inner soma is the main subject of the Vedic
hymns, though outer somas were once also important.
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5281
More at:
Hinduism Today Magazine
http://www.hinduismtoday.com
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://bit.do/jaimaharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.