soma yagnyam & somalatha

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

There is supposed to be a mysterious plant called soma used in Vedic

Soma sacrifice. Western scholars have speculated the identity of soma

plant and have come up with various candidates ranging from cannabis

to ephedra and even mushrooms. I personally don't agree that Soma is

a hallucinogenic mushroom (it might be a hallucinogen nevertheless).

The plant is pressed and the juice is extracted and filtered with

woollen vats, mixed with milk/honey and then used in sacrifices.

Apparently now nobody knows the exact identity of Soma. Curiously,

Soma appears in Zend Avesta as Haoma with same description.

 

Any idea when was a Soma Yagnya last performed? Have Vaishnavas

performed it? Was any other plant used as a substitute for soma in

the Yagnya?

 

Regards,

KK