Re: [tied] What is *IE for Soma?

I got to thinking about the term "juice" in English, and among some of its more slangy connotations is included the application of power.  "To juice something up" is to turn on or increase the power.  Likewise, "juice" can mean "gasoline" or some other type of fuel.  However, as I've already indicated, those are slangy usages, not the primary meanings of "juice".  If I say that I'll have a glass of "juice" with my breakfast, I certainly don't mean that I'll be drinking a glass of electricity or gasoline.  Is it possible that you're fixated on slangy or overly-specialized usage of "rasa" when you say it means "alchemy"?  I looked up "soma" and "rasa" at http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/indologie/tamil/mwd_search.html, and here are the results I got back:

Entry  soma:
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Meaning  1 m. (fr. 3. %{su}) juice , extract , (esp.) the juice of the Soma plant , (also) the Soma plant itself (said to be the climbing plant Sarcostema Viminalis or
Asclepias Acida , the stalks [%{aMzu}] of which were pressed between stones [%{adri}] by the priests , then sprinkled with water , and purified in a strainer [%{pavitra}] ; whence the acid juice trinkled into jars [%{kalaza}] or larger vessels [%{droNa}] ; after which it was mixed with clarified butter , flour &c. , made to ferment , and then offered in libations to the gods [in this respect corresponding with the ritual of the Iranian Avesta] or was drunk by the Bra1hmans , by both of whom its exhilarating effect was supposed to be prized ; it was collected by moonlight on certain mountains [in RV. x , 34 , 1 , the mountain Mu1ja-vat is mentioned] ; it is sometimes described as having been brought from the sky by a falcon [%{zyena}] and guarded by the Gandharvas ; it is personified as one of the most important of Vedic gods , to whose praise all the 114 hymns of the 9th book of the RV. besides 6 in other books and the whole SV. are dedicated ; in post-Vedic mythology and even in a few of the latest hymns of the RV. [although not in the whole of the 9th book] as well as sometimes in the AV. and in the Br. , Soma is identified with the moon [as the receptacle of the other beverage of the gods called Amr2ita , or as the lord of plants cf. %{indu} , %{oSadi-pati}] and with the god of the moon , as well as with Vishn2u , S3iva , Yama , and Kubera ; he is called %{rAjan} , and appears among the 8 Vasus and the 8 Loka-pa1las [Mn. v , 96] , and is the reputed author of RV. x , 124 , 1 , 5-9 , of a lawbook &c. ; cf. below) RV. &c. &c. ; the moon or moon-god (see above) ; a Soma sacrifice AitA1r. ; a day destined for extracting the Soma-juice A1s3vS3r. ; Monday (= %{soma-vAra}) Inscr. ; nectar L. ; camphor L. ; air , wind L. ; water L. ; a drug of supposed magical properties W. ; a partic. mountain or mountainous range (accord. to some the mountains of the moon) ib. ; a partic. class of Pitr2is (prob. for %{soma-pA}) ib. ; N. of various authors (also with %{paNDita} , %{bhaTTa} , %{zarman} &c. ; cf. above) Cat. ; = %{somacandra} , or %{some7ndu} HParis3. ; N. of a monkey-chief L. ; (%{A}) f. the Soma plant L. ; N. of an Apsaras MBh. ; of a river Ma1rkP. ; of a queen Inscr. ; (%{I}) f. g. %{gaurA7di} ; (%{am}) n. rice-water , rice-gruel L. ; heaven , sky , ether L. ; mfn. relating to Soma (prob. w.r. for %{sauma}) Ka1t2h.
 
Entry  rasa:
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Meaning  m. (ifc. f. %{A}) the sap or juice of plants , Juice of fruit , any liquid or fluid , the best or finest or prime part of anything , essence , marrow RV. &c. &c. ; water , liquor , drink MBh. Ka1v. &c. ; juice of the sugar-cane , syrup Sus3r. ; any mixture , draught , elixir , potion R. BhP. ; melted butter L. ; (with or scil. %{gavAm}) milk MBh. ; (with or scil. %{viSasya}) poison Das3. Ra1jat. [869,3] ; nectar L. ; soup , broth L. ; a constituent fluid or essential juice of the body , serum , (esp.) the primary juice called chyle (formed from the food and changed by the bile into blood) ib. ; mercury , quicksilver (sometimes regarded as a kind of quintessence of the human body , else where as the seminal fluid of S3iva) Sarvad. ; semen virile RV. i , 105 , 2 ; myrrh L. ; any mineral or metallic salt Cat. ; a metal or mineral in a state of fusion (cf. %{upa-} , %{mahA-r-}) ; gold L. ; Vanguieria Spinosa L. ; a species of amaranth L. ; green onion L. ; resin L. ; = %{amRta} L. ; taste , flavour (as the principal quality of fluids , of which there are 6 original kinds , viz. %{madhura} , sweet ; %{amla} , sour ; %{lavaNa} , salt ; %{kaTuka} , pungent ; %{tikta} , bitter ; and %{kaSAya} , astringent ; sometimes 63 varieties are distinguished , viz. beside the 6 original ones , 15 mixtures of 2 , 20 of 3 , 15 of 4 , 6 of 5 , and 1 of 6 flavours) S3Br. &c. &c. ; N. of the number `" six "' VarBr2S. S3rutab. ; any object of taste , condiment , sauce , spice , seasoning MBh. Ka1v. &c. ; the tongue (as the organ of taste) BhP. ; taste or inclination or fondness for (loc. with or scil. %{upari} , or comp.) , love , affection , desire MBh. Ka1v. &c. ; charm pleasure , delight ib. ; (in rhet.) the taste or character of a work , the feeling or sentiment prevailing in it (from 8 to 10 Rasas are generally enumerated , viz. %{zRGgAra} , love ; %{vIra} , heroism ; %{bIbhatsa} , disgust ; %{raudra} , anger or fury ; %{hAsya} , mirth ; %{bhayAnaka} , terror ; %{karuNa} , pity ; %{adbhuta} , wonder ; %{zAnta} , tranquillity or contentment ; %{vAtsalya} , paternal fondness ; the last or last two are sometimes omitted ; cf. under %{bhAva}) Bhar. Das3ar. Ka1vya7d. &c. ; the prevailing sentiment in human character Uttarar. Ra1jat. ; (with Vaishn2avas) disposition of the heart or mind , religious sentiment (there are 5 Rasas or Ratis forming the 5 degrees of %{bhakti} q.v. , viz. %{zAnti} , %{dAsya} , %{sAkhya} , %{vAtsalya} , and %{mAdhurya}) W. ; a kind of metre Pin3g. ; N. of the sacred syllable , `" Om , `" S3a1n3khGr2. ; the son of a Nisha1da and a S3anaki1 L. ; (%{A}) f. see s.v.
 
For "soma" there is no mineralogical or metallurgic meaning that I could see, and the overwhelming meaning for "rasa" seems to be "juice" or "liquid", followed by taste and contentment or well-being.  I don't see any reference to "alchemy" listed, and the meaning of "gold" doesn't seem to me to be specifically gold, but "metal" or "mineral", which gold happens to be.  In any case the mineral/metal meaning isn't primary, and combining "soma" with "rasa" would appear to me to be the juice of a particular plant.

 

Andy Howey

"S.Kalyanaraman" <kalyan97@...> wrote: