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Soma

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A ritual drink of paramount importance in Vedic and later Hindu culture, often personified as a deity; its exact identity is unknown and debated.

Detailed Definition
In the Rigveda, Soma is both a god and a sacred potion that grants immortality, ecstasy, and poetic inspiration to the gods and to priests. It is the "drink of the gods" that energizes the cosmos. For poets, Soma symbolizes divine intoxication, the ecstatic state of inspiration, and the quest for a substance or experience that can transport one beyond ordinary consciousness. It represents the mysterious source of visionary power, creativity, and the direct, exhilarating encounter with the sacred.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Vedic poetry, Soma is sacred drink and deity: “Press the stalk—Soma, nectar of immortality”; In mystical verse, Soma is inner elixir: “Drink the moon—Soma distilled in meditation”; In contemporary poetry, Soma is inspiration: “First coffee—modern Soma for weary poet”; Poets caution Soma’s misuse: “Not escape—Soma meant for vision, not oblivion.”
Additional Notes
Soma, praised in Rigveda, was a ritual drink inducing ecstasy and immortality; its botanical identity is lost, adding to its mystique; in poetry, soma represents divine intoxication—where consciousness expands beyond ego, and the drinker merges with cosmic rhythm, prefiguring later mystical states of union.
Also Known As
Haoma (Zoroastrian) Divine Drink
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