Vedic Mythology c5.s3.t4.30

c5.s3.t4.30

Though Soma is a terrestrial plant, it is also celestial (10, 116³); in fact its true origin and abode are regarded as in heaven. Thus it is said that the birth of the plant is on high; being in heaven it has been received by earth (9, 61¹⁰). The 'intoxicating juice' is the 'child of heaven' (9, 38⁵), an epithet frequently applied to Soma. In one passage, however, he is called the offspring (*jāḥ*) of the sun (9, 93¹) and in another Parjanya is spoken of as the father of the mighty bird (9, 82³ cp. 113³). In the AV. the origin of *amṛta* is also traced to the seed of Parjanya (AV. 8, 7²¹). When Soma is called a child (*śiśu*) simply (9, 96¹⁷) or a youth (*yuvan*), this is doubtless in allusion to the fact that, like Agni, he is continually produced anew⁴⁶. Soma is the milk (*pīyūṣa*) of heaven (9, 51² &c.), is purified in heaven (9, 83². 86²² &c.). He flows with his stream to the dear places of heaven (9, 12⁸). He runs through heaven across the spaces with his stream (9, 3⁷). He occupies heaven (9, 85⁹), is in heaven (ŚB. 3, 4, 3¹³), or is the lord of heaven (9, 86¹¹·³³). As bird of heaven he looks down on earth and regards all beings (9, 71⁹). He stands above all worlds like god Sūrya (9, 54³). The drops being purified have been poured from heaven, from the air, on the surface of the earth (9, 63²⁷)⁴⁷; for he is a traverser of space (*rajastur*: 4, 48⁴. 108⁷). Fingers rub him surrounded with milk 'on the third ridge, in the bright realm of heaven' (9, 86²⁷). His place is in the highest heaven (3, 32¹⁰; 4, 26⁶; 9, 86¹⁵) or in the third heaven (TS. 3, 5, 7¹ &c.)⁴⁸. 'Heaven', however, also seems to be frequently a mystical name of the strainer of sheep's wool⁴⁹. This seems to be the case when Soma is spoken of as being 'on the navel of heaven, on the sheep-filter' (9, 12⁴), as traversing the lights of heaven, the sheep-filter (9, 37³), as running with Sūrya in heaven, on the filter (9, 27⁵); or when it is said that 'the bull has occupied heaven, the king goes soaring over the strainer' (9, 85⁹ cp. 86⁸). The term *sānu*, 'summit', so frequently applied to the filter, is suggestive of *divaḥ sānu*, 'the summit of heaven'. Such terms would naturally come to be connected with the terrestrial Soma, because heaven is the abode of the celestial Soma or *amṛta* (6, 44²³).