Soma is both the name of a god and a substance that is found in Hindu mythology. As a deity, Soma is one of the most important gods in the Rigveda. Soma is also considered to be a primeval being, even by the standards of the Hindu gods.
As for the substance, soma is said to be a drink that was originally consumed by the Hindu gods, though it was later stolen for mankind. Soma the god and soma the drink are intertwined with each other, the former being a personification of the latter.
The Drink…
This juice has been compared to the ambrosia of Greek mythology, and was said to have been originally consumed by the Hindu gods. There are among the most ancient documents evidences that the drink was made from a psychoactive mushroom. The psychoactive substance survives digestion and is emitted in the urine of whoever or whatever consumed it. So ritual drinking of urine of the priests who had drunk soma would have hallucinogenic effects on the consumer.
An ancient proverb has it that “God is in the soma.”
Soma is both the name of a god and a substance that is found in Hindu mythology. As a deity, Soma is one of the most important gods in the Rigveda. Soma is also considered to be a primeval being, even by the standards of the Hindu gods.
As for the substance, soma is said to be a drink that was originally consumed by the Hindu gods, though it was later stolen for mankind. Soma the god and soma the drink are intertwined with each other, the former being a personification of the latter.
The Drink…
This juice has been compared to the ambrosia of Greek mythology, and was said to have been originally consumed by the Hindu gods. There are among the most ancient documents evidences that the drink was made from a psychoactive mushroom. The psychoactive substance survives digestion and is emitted in the urine of whoever or whatever consumed it. So ritual drinking of urine of the priests who had drunk soma would have hallucinogenic effects on the consumer.
An ancient proverb has it that “God is in the soma.”