A History of Sanskrit Literature c7.107

c7.107

Soma is several times described as dwelling or growing on the mountains, in accordance with the statements of the *Avesta* about Haoma. Its true origin and abode is regarded as heaven, whence it has been brought down to earth. This belief is most frequently embodied in the myth of the soma-bringing eagle (*çyena*), which is probably only the mythological account of the simple phenomenon of the descent of lightning and the simultaneous fall of rain.