Versatile Genius

Soma: Man’s Search for Meaning

(By Santosh Krinsky)

(Santosh Krinsky is the founder of Lotus Light Publications (Wilmot) in U.S.A. specialising in the spiritual texts of India. He is a seeker of the New Consciousness as projected by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He is also a catalyst in the consumer movement in America).

The concept of Soma has allured seekers for many thousands of years. The pressing and drinking of the Soma constitutes one of the major activities of the Rig Veda. What has always created difficulty for the seeker, however, is that the Veda consistently veiled the true meaning of the Rishis behind symbols which could hold both an outer, exoteric meaning and an inner, esoteric or mystical significance. Only those who were prepared inwardly for the mystical experience could grasp the true meaning of the Veda; all others stumbled against a wall of symbols, each one believing that his interpretation was the true secret of the Veda.

No symbol has created more confusion over the centuries than that of Soma and the Soma rite. The vital nature of man is inevitably attracted to the excitement and exhilaration of ecstatic states of being which the Soma concept holds out as its promise. According to various dominant strains in his nature, man is drawn to various practices to try to invoke these inner states of ecstasy. Each type has created a school of practice and has led to the current confused rendering of the Soma concept in the West, where Soma has been likened to "magic mushrooms" or "psychedelic drugs" in recent years, in addition to the renderings which lead the practitioner into worlds of sexual or alcoholic fantasies in search of the intoxication of the "Soma wine." Because of the real dangers to the nieve seeker in these vital realms, teachers have been reluctant to introduce this concept to their disciples, and rules have been formulated to avoid all types of vital stimulation. On the other side, entire schools of practice have grown up which include the ritual use of intoxicants; ritual sexual practices; drugs; herbal mysticism and other activities which constitute the vital adventurist response to the search for the true meaning of Soma. The basic division between these two lines of approach, conservative and adventuresome, have been traditionally broken down into the divisions of Vedanta, the path of meditation and inner purification and quietude; and tantra, the path of Shakti, energy, and spiritual adventure.

Nowadays, in the West, these traditional divisions are no longer working, however. Greater interaction between the inwardly drawn practices of Vedanta with the natural outward personality of the Western culture have led to a challenging of the purely quietistic lines of yoga as being insufficient. On the one side, this has led to the characteristic Western approach of attempting to blend the meditative with the active personalities, and has given us manifold methods of "realisation" based on the outer symbol of the Soma. On the other side, this has also led to the sublime synthesis of Vedantic and Tantric lines of development which we can recognise in the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo, who represents the solution to the traditional dichotomy through inner understanding of the significance behind the symbols rather than the more common approach of trying to blend the outer activities of both lines without piercing the veil of symbols.

It is necessary to recognise the importance of the concept of Soma underlying all these attempts. The Veda stresses the invocation of Soma as absolutely necessary to the seeker who hopes to attain true realisation. Eventually it is therefore necessary to go behind the veil to the secret meaning of Soma. In the meantime, it makes little sense to condemn out of hand the activities of those who are engaged in the search for Soma in outward activities or physical manifestations. The scriptures warn repeatedly that no door is too lowly to admit entrance to the divine realisation for the sincere seeker. In reality all this searching is simply the alluring power of the intoxicating Soma acting upon the psychological natures of all human types and temperaments. The more refined and inward the temperament, the closer it may come to the unlocking of the secret. This seeking of humanity takes many different forms and the direction, the motivation is the important factor, more important than the individual actions or the stumblings along the way. In fact, such stumblings are inevitable given the use by the Vedic rishis themselves of outward symbols to simultaneously veil and reveal the psychological truth of the Soma.

Based on the outward symbolism of the Vedic rishis, Soma has been considered by some to be the intoxicating beverage distilled from a particular plant, leading some to believe it is a form of vine, which, when the juice of which is imbibed, leads to a state of exhilaration. According to this school of thought, the state of bacchic intoxication and forgetfulness of self is the true state resulting from the invocation of Soma.

Another parallel along this line is the recent Western interpretation, fostered by such modern philosophers and thinkers as Aldous Huxley and Alan Watts, of Soma as a form of plant which has the power to open new vistas of vision or take one behind the screen of the material world into other realms of consciousness, making Soma into a type of hallucinogenic substance, such as the "magic mushroom" or "mescaline peyote" of the American Indian shamans.

This parallel is viewed from the other side by the teaching that each "food" has its psychological dimension; that is, that each plant or food contains vibrations which can and do affect the texture of the consciousness and that certain dietary regulations, when followed, will assist the seeker in refinement of the consciousness and the consequent ability to go deeper into meditation or contemplation. This vedantic regulation (e.g. garlic or onions should be avoided as tamasic; spicy foods should be avoided as rajasic) to aid the seeker in the development of the contemplative life has its correlation in the teachings of the medicine men, shamans and mystical herbalists from basically all cultures of the world that there are certain herbs or plants which help in meditation, opening of inner states, developing quietude and extending health and life capabilities. We find statements in Zen meditation that tea is to be used as an aid to concentration and meditation; which directly parallels the vedantic injunction against the use of tea because of its stimulant properties. The science of Ayurveda details the usage of hundreds of herbs for the development of health and longevity, and also includes numerous references to herbs used to quiet the mind, improve memory and concentration and aid in achieving emotional and mental equilibrium.

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Another line of understanding begins to look at the Soma symbolically, but takes the symbol only a short distance below the surface. This line looks at the ecstatic energy produced by the Soma and tries to create it, taking the natural energies present in the vital being of man as the starting point. This line has led to the left-hand path of the tantras, where sexual practices are used as a means for "realisation". In fact, it is man's attempt to take the most intense vital experiences in the body and extend them beyond their limits, to activate the Soma energy. In this line of understanding, the Soma is interpreted to be the sexual, seminal fluids. And again, the issue is dealt with from opposite sides by the different major paths. The vedantic injunction is to restrain the sexual energies entirely and direct them inwards and upwards. The throwing out of the sexual energies, the development of the intensity of sexual energy is seen as a hindrance to the development of spirituality and as a misleading glimmer. The tantra has two lines of major development; one of which stresses the inward realisation, the harnessing of the Kundalini energy and the mystical union of Kundalini with the Divine consciousness through the re-directing of the sexual dynamic inward and upward so that the powerful forces of the sexual vitality become the means of realisation of the divine consciousness; while the other side makes use of outer sexual rites and activities as ostensible occasions for overstepping the bounds of the vital consciousness and reaching beyond the limits of vital/physical ecstasy to burst through the door to the other side. Again we see various lines of understanding and lines of practice based on an outer understanding of the symbols. And again, we can see in all these lines the underlying aspiration of man for a realisation exceeding the bounds of the ordinary, material life and consciousness.

The point here is not that one particular line of teaching is "right" or, "wrong". It is simply to understand, in an historical perspective, the differences in human temperament as applied to the same goal, the achievement of the consciousness of oneness and the invocation of the true meaning of Soma into the consciousness. As we can see, man's eternal seeking has led to the development of a number of different, even contradictory, schools of practice. We can see here the lines of the intoxicant, the mystic herbalist or medicine man, the tantric and the vedantist, all striving for that energy, that fulfilment, which will lead to the Soma experience and the Divine realisation.

We cannot simply condemn as misguided those who have wandered on one or more of these various paths seeking realisation. A clue, a symbol is shown. Each strives to realise according to his level of understanding and ability. Eventually, if the flame of aspiration is strong, the obscurities and deviations are burned away and a deeper understanding will result. And those who remain bound within the confines of one of these limited paths are those who are meant to work out a, specific formula and not meant to go further in this lifetime. It is likely that where such strong contradiction appears, that each extreme has missed some aspect of the reality that the other extreme is attempting in its own way to address. Truth can no longer be defined in a linear fashion; that is, "I am right; you are wrong." We can begin to recognise that truth is global, seen by each individual from a different angle and therefore having a different form. The secret is to be able to see the truth with this global perspective that has the ability to see the differences in approach and integrate their apparent contradictions into an overall harmony. Sri Aurobindo has stated in the Life Divine that nature's most extreme contradictions are the spur towards a greater and more puissant synthesis and integration at the next level of evolution.

"The greater that apparent disorder of the materials offered or the apparent disparateness, even to irreconcilable opposition, of the elements that have to be utilised, the stronger is the spur, and it drives towards a more subtle and puissant order than can normally be the result of a less difficult endeavour." ²³

It is therefore appropriate for us to view this varied seeking towards the meaning of Soma as signifying something of the deepest importance and hidden therefore deeply behind a thick curtain of symbolism by the rishis who had the experience and knowledge of the Soma-consciousness. The diversity of approach shows us that all of mankind is being readied for an evolutionary leap in consciousness, and that every energy, every motivating force in man is being tested, extended and prepared for the change which will occur on every level. No aspect of man's life can remain unchanged and, therefore, every aspect is being worked out in relation to the inner aspiration and drive of the spiritual consciousness.

In order to truly find the hidden meaning, it is necessary to leave behind us our pre-conceived notions of what the true significance of Soma is. Neither the Vedantic or the Tantric formulas, nor the Western conceptions, will aid us in finding out the hidden intention. We must gather up the courage to leave behind the doctrines of our own cherished spiritual teachings and confront this diversity and contradiction unflinchingly to recognise the deeper intentions of the spiritual energy at work behind the veil.

In Savitri, Sri Aurobindo has hinted at these deeper, hidden movements of the universal consciousness, movements that go far beyond our daily thoughts and cares and interaction with the material world:

"A maenad of the cycles of desire
Around a light she must not dare to touch,
Hastening towards a far-off unknown goal
Earth followed the endless journey of the Sun." ||93.1||

What this far-off, unknown goal may be, and where the endless journey of the Sun may be leading us, is akin to the secret intention in the world, and the eternal aspiration of mankind as evidenced in the varied paths and teachings. The real meaning of Soma, when it is realised in the consciousness, will be found to bring humanity into contact with its secret soul and destiny in the mystical journey of mankind to its still hidden goal.

Our first approach to understanding Soma would normally start with the Vedic rishis themselves and their own symbolic utterances; however, inasmuch as the symbolic language of the rishis is so foreign to our normal perceptions and thought processes, it may be better to address this issue later and first of all find a thread which contains a bridge between our normal methods of perception and those of the Vedic rishis. This bridge can be seen in the Upanishads, which express the spiritual principles in mental terms we can begin to deal with, while at the same time, keeping a close kinship with the Vedic symbology.

A certain passage in the Taittiriya Upanishad expounds on the principle of the bliss or delight of existence, the Soma, "In the beginning all this Universe was Non-Existent and Unmanifest, from which this manifest Existence was born. Itself created itself; none other created it. Therefore they say of it the well and beautifully made. Lo, this that is well and beautifully made, verily it is no other than the delight behind existence. When he has got him this delight, then it is that this creation becomes a thing of bliss; for who could labour to draw in the breath or who could have strength to breathe it out, if there were not that Bliss in the heaven of his heart, the ether within his being? It is He that is the fountain of bliss; for when the Spirit that is within us finds the Invisible, Bodiless, Undefinable and Unhoused Eternal his refuge and firm foundation, then he has passed beyond the reach of Fear." (Taittiriya Upanishad, Brahmananda Valli, Chapter 7, translated by Sri Aurobindo)

The Upanishad clearly indicates that this Bliss, the Soma, is the delight behind existence, the foundation upon which life and energy and mentality are able to exist, for "who could labour to draw in the breath, who could have strength to breathe it out, if there were not that Bliss in the heaven of his heart, the ether within his being?" Here we are shown the underlying reality that Soma permeates all life, all energy, all mentality, to some degree, hidden or open. Without the activity of Soma, without that Bliss in the heaven of the heart, there could be no creation or life in this universe. This passage illumines the Vedic hint that Soma is found in the essence of the plants, and that an epithet of Soma is "vanaspati lord of plants". Sri Kapali Sastry discusses this issue briefly in his exposition on a hymn of Medhatithi Kanwa, R. V. 1.13, verse 11, translated by Sri Aurobindo R's follows: "O Lord of the Earth's growths, thou art God and to the Gods offer this our oblation. May there be tangible knowledge to the giver." Sri Kapali Sastry's explanation of this Rik is helpful: "Then there is the invocation to Soma. He is addressed as the Lord of Plants, of the Earth's growths, vanaspati...The significance of Soma, the lord of delight in things, being called upon to offer the oblation lies in the fact that the outflowing of rasa, the principle of delight in the human being, is absolutely essential in all worship to the Gods... (Collected Works of T. V. Kapali Sastry, Vol.I pg. 106).

Soma remains all the time secretly involved in the entire manifestation of life and consciousness; the hidden support of everything; while at the same time, the awakening into conscious activity of Soma is the required means for realisation of the Vedic yoga. This concept of a dual role, the hidden foundational role which makes all life and activity possible; and a consciously developed evolution in the heart and mind of the seeker as an active principle is explained by the passage of the Upanishad already quoted, "When he has got him this delight, then it is that this creation becomes a thing of bliss." This thought reveals that although Soma is constantly active and silently supports all effort, our consciousness of separation does not allow us to partake of that Bliss actively, although in reality we could not exist without its flowing secretly in our inner being. Once the consciousness awakens to the activity of this flow of inner bliss, then all creation becomes blissful. The difference is simply one of awareness and attunement. The same action can be seen as either blissful or painful; the energy behind it is the same. It is the interpretation of the witness, participant consciousness that determines the response. Sri Aurobindo discusses this problem in The Life Divine as follows:

"...since in our depths we ourselves are that One, since in the reality of our being we are the indivisible All-Consciousness and therefore the inalienable All-Bliss, the disposition of our sensational experience in the three vibrations of pain, pleasure and indifference can only be a superficial arrangement created by that limited part of ourselves which is uppermost in our waking consciousness. Behind there must be something in us,—much vaster, profounder, truer than the superficial consciousness,—which takes delight impartially in all experiences; it is that delight which secretly supports the superficial mental being and enables it to persevere through all labours, sufferings and ordeals in the agitated movement of the Becoming."

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - I: Delight of Existence: The Solution

With this background, we can begin to see the direction of the Vedic Rishis in their symbology and experiential form of communication. Soma is constantly involved in the energy working in the world, it is the essence within the growths of the earth, it is the substratum of delight that permits all things to exist and manifest. However, the human instrument is not conscious of this substratum and therefore experiences pleasure, pain and indifference as the reaction to events and circumstances. Through various psychological disciplines and mystical attunement of the soul, it is possible to bring the human consciousness into harmony with the universal consciousness and invoke the active, conscious movement of Soma in the being. This is a state of inspiration, of delight, of seeming intoxication brought about by the direct action of Soma in the being in all its purity and in undiluted measure.

Inasmuch as the opening of the consciousness to the flowing of Soma requires a change from the normal, daily active consciousness, the Vedic Rishis have set forth a series of psychological movements and signposts to aid the seeker and guide rightly down the path. We see the requirement of invoking the God Agni, symbolically the fire of aspiration and the flame of devotion, as the first-pre-requsite. Once this aspiration is awakened, it becomes necessary to kindle by it, the powers of the being at all levels. Indra and the Maruts are invoked, the powers of mind and mentalised vital energy. These forces must be induced to aid the seeker in the striving for perfection. The imbibing of Soma, understood now in its purely psychological sense, is required to properly attune the mind and the vital powers to the work at hand. There must be a conscious attunement to the hidden delight.

Once Soma is understood in this sense, we can then see the inevitability of the symbols used to describe Soma and its action. The wine of intoxication is the feeling of overwhelming delight the seeker experiences when the contact is made with that world-delight. One loses contact with the outer world and experiences the uplifting of the mentality and vitality to a level not normally experienced in everyday life. There could be no other way to describe this to the outer consciousness than as a form of intoxication. There is no normal state comparable to the experience, so it is no wonder that people have consistently stumbled against this description. And that is why the Rishis have made it plain that only the Veda-knower can understand the Veda; that all others are only reading words:

"That they were secret symbols, images meant to reveal the truth which they protected but only to the initiated, to the knower, to the seer, Vamadeva himself tells us in the most plain and emphatic language in the last verse of this very hymn. 'All these are secret words that I have uttered to thee who knowest, O Agni, O Disposer, words of leading, words of seer-knowledge that express their meaning to the seer...'" (Secret of the Veda, p. 202

The outward interpretations are all based on a partial reading of the outward symbology of the Veda. The Rishis have warned us that such a reading will be incomplete and misleading. In order to discover the true inner sense of the Veda, it is necessary to trace the steps of the Rishis, acquire the experience of the inward consciousness to which the symbols point, and the use Vedic symbols as guiding lights and signposts along the way; that is, to develop the inner life and experience within oneself and thereby confirm the symbols anew. Even a short distance along the way, we can begin to experience things which make the symbols come to life, which confirm the truth behind the symbols and the difficulties in interpretation of the Vedic symbology begin to fade. Sri Aurobindo has pointed out in the Secret of the Veda that "In fact, once the central idea is grasped and the mentality of the Vedic rishis and the principle of their symbolism are understood, no incongruity and no disorder remain." (Secret of the Veda, p. 178)

The true experience of the Soma lies in the realm of consciousness, not in the seeking of plants, wine or hallucinogenic herbs. As we develop the practice of yoga within ourselves, we begin to get glimpses of that hidden delight., we feel sudden bursts of inspiration. At this point in time, it can be helpful to hear the words of the Rishis and their descriptions of experience, to understand their methods as described in the hymns on how to distill the Soma into the consciousness. Each symbol will come alive and illumine a psychological force or movement or obstacle that needs to be faced and worked out.

We have gained a slight glimpse of the meaning of the Soma concept. Sri Aurobindo has summarized "It is the divine delight hidden in all existence which once manifest supports all life's crowning activities and is the force that finally immortalises the mortal, the amrtam, ambrosia of the gods." It must be left for another time to work out the details of the symbology and chart the part towards invocation of the Soma into the consciousness on a constant basis.