![]() Soma was originally known as the god of ecstasy, with his nectar, amrita, being the food of the gods (Jansen 67). Turner and Coulter (2000) describe Soma thus: “The deity Soma is a moon god, a god of the flowing waters, a god of inspiration, ecstasy and inspiration” (Turner & Coulter 438). The Vedic god Soma, in the Rg Veda, was considered to be the king of plants, and the bestower of immortality (amrita) (Basham 14). I shall separately discuss Soma as a god (deva) first and then Soma as a plant, placing more emphasis on the latter. ![]() ![]() This is because 120 of its thousand or so hymns are entirely devoted to the plant-god Soma. Soma is directly related to the RgVeda and plays an important part in understanding the text. There are a large variety of other sacred plants (even within India), but none of which have had quite the impact, influence, and controversy that Soma has. Soma is extraordinary in that it is recognized as one of only a few plants humans have ever deified (see Wasson 3). ![]() In the realm of Hinduism, Soma can be recognized as, and is considered to be, a god (deva), a magical and hallucinogenic plant, and the juice of that plant. ![]()
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