Songs of Soma: Transcreations of Vedic Hymns

Soma is the most mystical and magical riddle of the Vedas. It is said to be the elixir of Joy and ecstasy – the honey – wine of bliss. It inspires great creativity and deep mystical insights. It moves the tongue to song. It made the Vedic seers so creative and prolific in their output of mystical verses inspired by Soma. Soma is also said to lengthen out the human life spans. It is the elixir of immortality – the fabled fountain of eternal youth. The fire bursts of Soma give incredible courage and heroism to the warriors in the battlefields. They take away all fear of death and pain. It was deified as a Deva – a god in the Vedic pantheon. The entire 9th Mandala of the Rig Veda is devoted to this magical Soma. Descriptions in the 9th Mandala of the Rig Veda (that is entirely devoted to Soma) suggest that it was a psychotropic plant of great power. A plant that could bend the mind and lead to altered states of conciousness. It was the favourite drink of the gods and used as sacrament in the Vedic fire sacrifices The later Atharva Veda and the Upanishads however, make no reference to psychtropic plants. Soma they felt was entirely endogenous – produced by the human body and mind itself and no Exogenic substances were involved. It was the deep silence of the forest and the depth of meditation that produced Soma and its mystical insights. That ecstasy came from within. The Inebriation with the devine elixir of Soma has resulted in the most elegant and mystic poetry ever composed by man. What follows in this book are the inspired Songs of Soma which I have personally experienced. Instead of attempting to translate the original Rig Vedic verses devoted to Soma, what I have attempted instead are trans-creations. Maj Gen (Dr) G D Bakshi is a combat veteran with considerable experience in Kargil, Kishtwar and Rajouri sectors of J&K. He is a renowned military historian and a prolific writer who has written over 41 books. He is India’s most popular commentator on TV on matters