You must have read or heard about Somras in many places. Most people think that Somras means wine or liquor, which is wrong. Many people also believe that Somras is another name for Amrit. People also think this because, in many places in our various scriptures, gods have been shown drinking Somras. Generally, Gods drink nectar and that is why people consider Somras to be nectar which is wrong.
Now the question is what is Somras after all?
The topic of Somaras has been written in detail in Rigveda. It is mentioned in Rigveda that “May this squeezed milk mixed with Somras be given to Devraj Indra.” It is said in another verse – “O Pawandev! Because this Somras is spicy, it has been prepared by mixing it with milk.” Thus we can see here that milk has been used in the manufacturing of Somras, that is why it cannot be liquor because milk is not used in its manufacturing.
One who had attained divinity could drink Somras.
At the same time, the meaning of liquor is that which produces “Madakta” i.e. intoxication. The word “Soma” in Somaras is a symbol of coolness. It is said in Rigveda that Somaras were mainly used in Yagyas and mainly gods were its authorities. Drinking Somras is considered taboo for humans. There is also a story about Ashwini Kumar that, pleased with his penance, Supreme Father Brahma blessed him to be the master of Somras. That is, only the one who had attained divinity could drink Somras.
Somras was also known as a medicine.
A form of somras was also known as a medicine. It is said that Som was a special plant that was found only in Gandhara (today’s Afghanistan). After drinking it, there was mild intoxication. It is described in Mahabharata that when Bhishma went to Gandhara to ask for Gandhari’s hand for Dhritarashtra, Gandhari’s father welcomed him with Samaras. There is also a description of the Gandhara king telling Bhishma that this rare drink is not available anywhere else except Gandhara.
The method of making Somras is also mentioned in Rigveda:
उच्छिष्टं चम्वोर्भर सोमं पवित्र आ सृज। नि धेहि गोरधि त्वचि।।
औषधि: सोम: सुनोते: पदेनमभिशुण्वन्ति।
That is: Take out the crushed soma from the pestle place it on the seat of the sacred Kusha and place it on the sacred peak for filtering. Soma is a medicine which is crushed and juice is extracted.
Three stages of Somras formation have been described:
Perna: Extract the juice of Som leaves using a pestle.
Filter : Separating waste from juice by cloth.
Mixing: Consuming the filtered juice mixed with milk, ghee, or honey.
When Som is mixed with cow’s milk, it becomes Gavashiram
When Som is mixed with cow’s milk, it becomes Gavashiram and when it is mixed with curd, it becomes Dadhyashiram. Apart from this, it was also mixed with honey or ghee. At the end of the Yagya, the sages would first offer it to the gods and then drink it themselves. But later people started keeping this knowledge secret, due to which the identification of Soma became impossible, and the knowledge of this drink got lost.
In Rigveda, Som ras has been compared to Sanjivani and it is said that drinking Som ras daily brings immense strength to the body. Perhaps this was the reason why the gods became so powerful because of the drink of Som ras. If we talk about modern times, with time Som ras has been replaced by Panchamrit. Panchamrit is also made from milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey. This is also offered to the first gods and drinking it also gives strength. Therefore, Panchamrit can be called Som ras of modern times.