>We have drunk the soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to the light; we have found the gods. What can hostility do to us now, and what the malice of a mortal, o immortal one?
So what is the Soma mentioned in the Vedas? Do the "experts" really not know?
It's gotta be some dank kush, no?
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It’s obviously some kind of drug
yeah probably an ancient form of indian shamanic hallucinogens, kinda like the cannabis incense at tel arad.
There's a neat segment on it from a 2007 BBC documentary you can all watch here: https://youtu.be/i1yqkOanQwg?si=QLYmoMEtvYCnjKYJ&t=2093 The argument for the drink containing a mixture of psychoactive botanicals, with ephedra and opium being the primary components, is compelling.
There are a number of scholars who believe that these two plants were macerated and steeped with cannabis as well, and that the Haoma of Zoroaster and the Soma of the Vedas are essentially the same drink, though used in different ritual contexts (e.g. https://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/merv/sarianidi.htm ).
Good thread topic, OP. You're helping to heal this board.
It's usually identified as Amanita muscaria (hallucinogenic mushroom) or the Ephedra plant (a stimulant).
Supposedly it's the same as haoma in the Persian tradition-
>Some scholars, such as Mia Touw, have suggested that the Chinese name for cannabis, huǒ-má (火麻 lit.'fiery hemp'), which was also called hú-má (胡麻 lit.'barbarian hemp') meaning "Scythian hemp" or "Iranian hemp", was a phonosemantic borrowing from a Central Asian language, possibly a cognate of the Avestan word Haoma, lending some etymological evidence to the hypothesis that identifies cannabis as soma.[25][26]
This makes sense to me, I lean on the Cannabis sativa train on this one.
Right? I feel the same way. It had to have had cannabis in it. Ephedra + opium, without anything else, would basically be an ancient speedball, and a pretty bad time for most people.
The Iranian Haoma and Indian Soma might have had different recipes. I think Ephedra is most likely for the Indian version, the Rig Veda describes the plant as leafless and having ruddy stalks that are crushed to release their juice. Poppies aren't leafless and opium ian't extracted from their stalks. Ephedra is leafless and the stalks turn a slightly ruddy brown after being cut. If it was Ephedra, it was probably used as a stimulant to help concentrate on meditation and composing Vedic poems. Anecdotally, I've heard from meditation practicioners that having a cup of coffee before starting aids their concentration.
>Anecdotally, I've heard from meditation practicioners that having a cup of coffee before starting aids their concentration.
As a former Zengay, I can say that coffee never helped me with meditation. Occasionally, I would take one gentle inhalation of marijuana from a bowl before going to sit, and one time - when I had access to it - a puff of opium tar from a pipe, and those helped, especially when I was starting. When I would sit with caffeine running through my system, it was always a hindrance, though I'm sure other people have different experiences. A Roshi actually sternly asked me to leave for a break once, because I was all tweaked out from too much yerba mate an hour beforehand, and was unconsciously tapping my fingers while breathing too loudly.
There is a land far far away!
There is no night, there's only day!
Look into the book of life and you will see!
That there's a land, far far away!
That there's a land, far far away!
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Sits upon his throne and he rules us all!
Look into the book of life and you will see!
That he rules us all!
That he rules us all!
It's spiritual enlightenment coming from the rising of kundalini.
So the Haoma is
the plant has stems, roots and branches (Yasna 10.5).
it has a plant asu (Yasna 9.16). The term asu is only used in conjunction with a description of haoma, and does not have an established translation. It refers to 'twigs' according to Dieter Taillieu, 'stalk' according to Robert Wasson, 'fibre' or 'flesh' according to Ilya Gershevitch, 'sprouts' according to Lawrence Heyworth Mills.
it is tall (Yasna 10.21, Vendidad 19.19)
it is fragrant (Yasna 10.4)
it is golden-green (standard appellation, Yasna 9.16 et al.)
it can be pressed (Yasna 9.1, 9.2)
it grows on the mountains, 'swiftly spreading', 'apart on many paths' (Yasna 9.26, 10.3-4 et al.) 'to the gorges and abysses' (Yasna 10–11) and 'on the ranges' (Yasna 10.12)
it furthers healing (Yasna 9.16-17, 9.19, 10.8, 10.9)
it furthers sexual arousal (Yasna 9.13-15, 9.22)
it is physically strengthening (Yasna 9.17, 9.22, 9.27)
it stimulates alertness and awareness (Yasna 9.17, 9.22, 10.13)
the mildly intoxicating extract can be consumed without negative side effects (Yasna 10.8).
it is nourishing (Yasna 9.4, 10.20) and 'most nutritious for the soul' (Yasna 9.16).
This sounds very Indica Sativa doesn't it?
Sounds like Ephedra to be honest
True, no idea how fragnant is it, considering it also has a plant which I didn't know before.
But it's unsafe to drink, just checking out now.
It's edible and used as a herbal medicine. The way the juice juice is produced by crushing the tawny/ruddy stalks lines up closely with descriptions in the Rigveda
Aldous Huxley thought it might have been some derivative of cannabis.
It's also worthy to note that Scythians used Cannabis and were also hot boxing it, and they also had a presence in the North Indian plane IIRC, Buddha is speculated to be of Scythian origin.
North Indians still drink bhang today (cannabis + milk) at Holi and other events
Shaka = Scythians who didn't have a presence in North India until antiquity after the Greco-Bactrians
Sakya = aboriginal people in a proto-state following an oligarchic republican government with influence from the southern mahajanapadas during Buddha's lifetime
Ah interesting. I had no idea 'bhang' was a thing.
Sakya could have been Scythians as well,.no?
Reminder that the Mahayana & Vajrayana brahmins still perform the soma rituals.
And what is in their soma?
poo
i googled soma+vajrayana and I stumbled on a berkeley webpage lol
https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/resources/secret-drugs-of-buddhism-psychedelic-sacraments-and-the-origins-of-the-vajrayana/
Secret Drugs of Buddhism is the first book to explore the historical evidence for the use of entheogenic plants within the Buddhist tradition. Drawing on scriptural sources, botany, pharmacology, and religious iconography, this book calls attention to the central role which psychedelics played in Indian religions. It traces their history from the mysterious soma potion, celebrated in the most ancient Hindu scriptures, to amrita, the sacramental drink of Vajrayana Buddhism. Although amrita used in modern Vajrayana ceremonies lacks any psychoactivity, there is copious evidence that the amrita used by the earliest Vajrayana practitioners was a potent entheogen. It is the nature of this psychedelic form of the sacrament which is the central topic of this book. In particular, Secret Drugs of Buddhism attempts to identify the specific ingredients employed in amrita’s earliest formulations. To this end, the book presents evidence from many countries in which the Vajrayana movement flourished. These include Bhutan, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet but special attention is given to India, the land of its origin.
Reminder that Vajrayana is not buddhism.
>t. Chinese cultist
Neither is Theravada nor Mahayana.
I don't wanna read it, what was in it?
Sarcostemma acidum is the plant used by Indians in Soma rituals to this very day.
>Sarcostemma acidum
Does that even do anything?
Soma ->Haoma -> Harmala
Peganum harmala, syrian rue. Its still used as incense in much of the middle east. It contains harmalin and harmin, strong MAO-inhibitors. Combined with a source for DMT, for example from acacia, you get an ayahuasca analog. This would explain the iconography in hinduism. Their gods might as well come directly put of a DMT trip and in fact it is not unusual for modern western psychonauts to encounter indian or egyptian gods (as a side note, the egyptian tree of life is an acacia).
Now the recipe has been kept secret and its not unlikely that to original formulation was lost pretty far back and was later substituted by things like Cannabis, Amanita muscaria or Ephedra. Or it was kept in a very small brahman lineage and outsiders tried to use them as substitutes.
Ah, interesting.
It was Ephedrine. Sacred meth confirmed?
Soma is milk mixed with some drug/aphrodisiac. Because sacred cows and the cosmic Milky Way (The cow/woman in Vedic literature is associated with Maya, which is why Vajrayana Buddhists idolize her). The theme of Soma appears in many hymns of the Vedas. it is considered a holy substance, most probably liquid. It is referred to in the Hindu mythology, which is a mixture of both the Vedic beliefs brought by the Aryans, and the prior indian pantheon, as the milk which filled the world, the milk of the gods. Soma was a type of drink that is believed to have evolved into Bhang, a mixture of milk ghee and spices/drugs (hence the refference of "milk of the gods"). The Vedas say that the Aryans brought their sacred cows to India, but they did not eat them, what else did they do like them if not graze their fields and drink their divine milk?
>Dairy plays a significant part in numerous aspects of Indian society, including cuisine, religion, culture, and the economy
>India has the world's largest dairy herd with over 300 million bovines, producing over 187 million tonnes of milk. India is first among all countries in both production and consumption of milk. Most of the milk is domestically consumed, though a small fraction is also exported. Indian cuisine, in particular North Indian cuisine, features a number of dairy products like paneer, while South Indian cuisine uses more yogurts and milk. Milk and dairy products play a part in Hindu religious practice and legend
>Dairy production in the Indian subcontinent has historical roots that go back 8,000 years to the domestication of zebu cattle. Dairy products, especially milk, were consumed on the subcontinent at least from the Vedic period. In the mid- to late 20th century, Operation Flood transformed the Indian dairy industry into the world's largest. Previously, milk production in India occurred mainly on household farms
From the little i read soma spread at the same time as the worship of Indra. India consumes copious amounts of soma in battle. Thus I conclude a warrior cult where Ephedrine was used to produce euphoric fighting.
The thing is Soma also seems to have relaxing properties.
Fighting on meth is impossible to maintain the order and discipline that Indra is associated with. Much more likely that drinking milk + sativa produced the kind of continuous mild focused high that facilitates fighting just as much as worship
A rat is superior to a pajeet.
soma = magic mushrooms + veg diet + fasting