Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.18.15
Ūti· What drives us to actSoma Is Not Ordinary Intoxication
“All the demigods made Indra, the King of heaven, into a calf, and from the earth they milked the beverage soma, which is nectar. Thus they became very powerful in mental speculation and bodily and sensual strength.”
What the purport teaches
- The demigods made Indra into a calf and milked soma, a nectarean beverage, from the earth.
- Soma is available in the heavenly planets. It increases the demigods’ mental power, sensual power and bodily strength.
- The purport clearly distinguishes soma from intoxicating liquor and drugs. The demigods would not touch ordinary liquor.
Try this today
Write one sentence explaining why soma should not be equated with liquor or drugs.
Ask yourself
Am I careful to distinguish what the text describes from familiar earthly substances?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.