Shloka 4
हिरण्यपुरवर्णनम्
Description of Hiraṇyapura and the Nivātakavacas
अत्रामृतं सुरै: पीत्वा निहित॑ निहतारिभि: । अत: सोमस्य हानिश्च वृद्धिश्वैव प्रदृश्यते
atrāmṛtaṃ suraiḥ pītvā nihitaṃ nihatāribhiḥ | ataḥ somasya hāniś ca vṛddhiś caiva pradṛśyate ||
Nārada dit : «Ici même, après avoir abattu leurs ennemis, les dieux burent le nectar et déposèrent en ce lieu ce qui en restait. C’est pourquoi, chez Soma, l’on voit à la fois la diminution et l’accroissement—son déclin et sa croissance—issus de ce nectar résiduel.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers an etiological explanation for a cosmic rhythm: Soma’s waxing and waning is linked to a divine act and its residue, suggesting that observable natural cycles are grounded in a moral-mythic order shaped by the deeds of higher beings.
Nārada explains that the gods, after defeating their enemies, drank amṛta and left the remaining portion at that spot; this leftover is presented as the reason Soma is seen to diminish and increase over time.