SmartSurat  #  Hinduism

Soma

Soma was both a deity and a potent, hallucinogenic drink consumed by gods, priests. and worshippers alike at sacrificial ceremonies. It was important enough to have the whole of the ninth mandala of the Rug Veda devoted to it. The Vedic deity Indra was especially fond of Soma and consumed vast quantities of it in order to enhance his strength but, even though the preparation of it is detailed meticulously in the texts, we do not know what it was. It could not have been an alcoholic beverage of any kind since it could be produced quickly without fermentation, so it is likely that it was a plant of some sort. It was equated with amrta , the elixir of immortality which brought, not blissful unawareness, but immortal heightened consciousness:         We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered.        Like Agni, in some ways Soma is at one and the same time both a god and access to the gods, being responsible for enabling the human being to alter his state of consciousness in order to reach the higher states of religious experience, transcending the state of normal existence. Soma was conceived of as ruling over the waters and was often coupled with Agni. Soma has been connected with the sun in the Rug Veda but is connected with the moon in the Brahmanas: plants and herbs, indeed - which Soma must surely be - are mainly connected with the moon rather than the sun.