Soma holds an unusual triple identity within Vedic tradition, referring simultaneously to a plant, the ritual drink extracted from that plant, and a deity worshipped in his own right – with an entire section of the Rigveda, its ninth Mandala, devoted almost exclusively to hymns praising him.
A drink central to the ritual itself
The Soma plant was pressed, filtered, and mixed to produce a drink used in Vedic sacrifices, believed to grant heightened perception, vigor, and even a form of temporary immortality to those who consumed it during ritual contexts, including, in several hymns, to Indra himself before his battle with Vritra.
Praised as a purifying force
The hymns of the ninth Mandala, known as the Pavamana Mandala, describe Soma as flowing and purifying itself as it passes through a woolen filter during preparation – a physical ritual process the hymns treat as a spiritually significant act of clarification, connecting bodily preparation directly to cosmic purity.
An identity that expanded over time
Over the course of Vedic literature, Soma became increasingly identified with Chandra, the moon, partly due to the drink’s pale, luminous appearance and partly due to broader mythological blending across the tradition. This layered identity – plant, drink, and eventually a celestial body – makes Soma one of the more conceptually fluid figures in the entire Vedic pantheon, resisting the kind of single fixed form more common among other major deities.