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(Useful at home, in feast, and in assembly His father's glory)-gives, to him that worships
In war unharmed; in battle still a saviour;
Winner of heaven and waters, town-defender, Born mid loud joy, and fair of home and glory,
A conqueror, thou; in thee may we be happy. Thou hast, O Soma, every plant begotten;
The waters, thou; and thou, the cows; and thou hast Woven the wide space 'twixt the earth and heaven;
Thou hast with light put far away the darkness. With mind divine, o Soma, thou divine[34] one,
A share of riches win for us, o hero; Let none restrain thee, thou art lord of valor; Show thyself foremost to both sides in battle[35].
Of more popular songs, Hillebrandt cites as sung to Soma (!) VIII. 69. 8-10:
Sing loud to him, sing loud to him; Priyamedhas, oh, sing to him, And sing to him the children, too; Extol him as a sure defence.... To Indra is the prayer up-raised.
The three daily soma oblations are made chiefly to Indra and V[=a]yu; to Indra at midday; to the Ribhus, artisans of the gods, at evening; and to Agni in the morning.
Unmistakable references to Soma as the moon, as, for instance, in X. 85. 3: "No one eats of that soma which the priests know," seem rather to indicate that the identification of moon and Soma was something esoteric and new rather than the received belief of pre-Vedic times, as will Hillebrandt. This moon-soma is distinguished from the "soma plant which they crush."
