BhG 15.13

[Ekanta]

Im going to post a few verses from Gita that I need some help with... here we go:

BhG 15.13:
gām āviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmy aham ojasā |
puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ ||

Swami Sivananda:
15.13 And [ca] permeating [āviśya] the earth [gām] I [aham] support [dhārayāmi] all beings [bhūtāni] by (My) energy [ojasā]; and [ca] having become [bhūtvā] the watery [rasa-ātmakaḥ] moon [somaḥ] I nourish [puṣṇāmi] all [sarvāḥ] herbs [auṣadhīḥ].

Aurobindo :
15.13 I have entered into this form of earth (and am the spirit of its material force) and sustain by My might these multitudes. I am the godhead of Soma who by the rasa (the sap in the earth-mother) nourishes all plants and trees.

There are two words that need to be elaborated here:
rasa-ātmakaḥ (rasātmaka): having juice for its essence, consisting of nectar (as the moon)
somaḥ: "juice", but it also "moon"... also a vedic god representing the mind or manas...

Some other translations give it like: "juicy Soma" or "sapful moon"

Shankara comment is: "by becoming; somah, Soma; rasatmakah, which is of the nature of sap. Soma consists of all the juices; it is the source of all juices. Indeed, it nourishes all plants by infusing its own juice into everything."

+Shankaras comment to next vers is: "The eater is the fire called Vaisvanara, and the eaten is the food Soma. One who looks upon all that there is as being these two, fire and Soma, is not affected by the impurity of food."

Ramanujas comment: "Entering the earth I uphold all beings by My strength, namely, by My irresistible power, Likewise, becoming the Soma consisting of the juice of the nectar, I nourish all herbs. "

---

Some thoughts to go with: I know from the upanishads that prana & anna or prana & food/matter is a couple. I suspect prana is the rasa (vital essence or even amrita) and moon is mind (or even all phenomena as mind is the basis for that). But what do you say?

So... can we plz have a better explanation of the second part of the verse???

[kd gupta]

Yaj mantra 74/19 states that the sun drinks the somarasa , separating it by sunrays . So it is inferred that the somrasa is nourished in night when moon shines and this soma is the main solvent of amrutam say as milk , madhu etc.

This is proved in the case of honey . Honey bees collect honey in the period when moon is shining and they eat it completely in the dark moonless night of amavasya . Discovery channel has shown it . So nobody knows why these bees eat the madhu in moonless night while their family needs it everyday . Therefore we can conclude to the second para of shloka .
Pl correct me , I may be wrong too .

[atanu]

Namaste Ekanta

I will write a short reply due to paucity of time. But this is very interesting subject (which we can only speculate upon). Soma, generically, is that which flows -- and it is the self of Bhuta-s. It is called bhutatma.

I think the next verse, 15.14 throws light on your question.

15.13 And entering the earth I sustain the beings through (My) power; and nourish all the plants by becoming Soma which is the nature of sap.

15.14 Taking form of Vaisvanara and residing in the bodies of creatures, I, in association with Prana and Apana, digest the four kinds of food. (15.14)

Agni is the eater in association with Prana and Apana of food. But Amrtm is Self itself in the form of Soma and eater is the Self itself in the form of Agni.

Maitryana Brahmaya Upanishad

Surya (sun) is so called, because Soma is continually squeezed out (su).
--
As Agni (fire) is the food-eater among the gods, and Soma the food, so he who knows this eats food by Agni (is not defiled by food, as little as Agni, the sacrificial fire). This elemental Self, called Soma (food), is also called Agni, as having undeveloped nature for its mouth (as enjoying through nature, and being independent of it), because it is said, 'The Purusha (person) enjoys nature with its three qualities, by the mouth of undeveloped nature.' --
11. This is the highest form of Self, viz. food, for this Prana (this body) subsists on food. If it eats not, it cannot perceive, hear, touch, see, smell, taste, and it loses the vital airs. For thus it is said:
--
13. And thus it is said elsewhere: This food is the body of the blessed Vishnu, called Visvabhrit (all-sustaining). ---
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The Universal bliss called Soma-the food is Bhutatma. IMO, it is food because it is said to be bliss that all eat. And this Soma is in essence agni also - the eater.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Ekanta]

Thanks both. Deep stuff. At the moment my head spins. I get it and I dont get it, kind of.
Yet its kind of sad there are no good explanations of this, easy to find. At least I didnt find them.
Im gonna dig a bit deeper into this, but God knows when.
(and interesting story about the Honey bees!)

[atanu]

Guptaji is correct about Soma spreading honey.

Indra destroys vritta, the moon (mind), with the help of soma (moon-mind).

The following is an interesting read:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbr/sbe12/sbe1229.htm

But it is not necessary to read or understand these. Our Gurus have distilled the essence and taught us as to what is important and what is just husk.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Ekanta]

soma rasatmaka from book by Yogananda, see attached screenshot. (if anyone interested), I forgot what book it is.