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 ||
अत्रामृतं सुरैः पीत्वा निहितं निहतारिभिः । अतः सोमस्य हानिश्च वृद्धिश्चैव प्रदृश्यते ॥
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.