He who has drunk thinks that the herb which men crush is the Soma; (but) that which the Brahmanas know to be Soma, of that no one partakes. – Rig Veda 10.85.3
Soma has been mentioned many times in the Rig Veda, primarily in three ways – as a God, as a plant and as a beverage made from a plant. It found a place in the Yajurveda as part of ritual ceremonies and Samveda as part of Sama chants. It also finds a place in the Upanishads. In all these texts, it is considered to be extraordinary.
However, scholars are divided on what Soma is. Some believe it was part of mythology. Some others believe it was a faded memory, a “sacred metaphor,” in the minds of Rig Vedic poets. Yet some others believe it to be a psychoactive substance used in rituals.
The Rig Veda also mentions Soma-Rasa as a drink. Soma is also constantly compared to fire and sun. At times, the liquid nature of Soma is also compared to rain. The poets repeatedly call Soma the “pillar” and “mainstay of the sky.” The verse mentioned above, taken from the Rig Veda, points towards its psychoactive properties.
Could Soma be a plant? If so, the most interesting part of the plant is that no one has been able to identify it. Or was it a mushroom?
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