Author's Note:
For this story i read extensively on Soma and Chandra, the two distinct Gods who later merged in traditional Hindu narratives.  Chandra means "moon" and has always represented the moon.  Soma later came to be associated with the moon in addition to the essences he already was.  I used the third-person omniscient narrator story telling style.  I took the Gods' essences and used their personalities to weave the tale.  Of all the different Hindu Gods, I find Soma the most captivating.  The story has a personal relevance, and while i have elaborated on my sources to create an actual story to tell the tale, it is grounded in tradition.  There was little to read on the internet about the mythology behind Soma and Chandra.  I read the information about the Hindu tradition and tidbits about the myths behind them and went from there.


Once upon a time there was a world that was inhabited by Gods and Goddesses.  In this world was a God named Soma.  At the beginning of time he occupied a very important yet precarious place among the Gods and Goddesses.  He was not only a plant, but an intoxicating plant at that.  Gods and Goddesses feasted on a liquid made from Soma, a drink that carried the same name, giving them strength and life.  He was referred to as the nectar of the Gods.  This plant grew all over Earth, and was harvested by men for its hallucinogenic properties.  The Gods had no need to harvest, for they were able to drink of Soma in their own place and manner.  There were many men who would feast upon him, and bring about visions.  Those who hallucinated believed their visions to be divine.  They believed them to be so divine that they claimed to be holy for having had these visions.  They formed an oligarchy of spiritual leaders who would not share the plant outside their circle.  They claimed that only they had the physiology to withstand the effects.  In fact, they drank so much of this Soma that they developed a tolerance to it.  They were eventually able to consume such large amounts of it that there would be remnants of it in their urine.  They would perform religious ceremonies where they would urinate in a glass and allow the congregants to drink their urine, in order to gain milder hallucinogenic effects from the Soma.   Many men who lived on Earth would drink of this in an effort to reach a higher spiritual place, a place of enlightenment, in an effort to be closer to the Gods.

After years of this practice, mankind turned the page to a new chapter of understanding.  The great God Brahma decreed that intoxicating substances were no longer acceptable to the mind, body, or soul.  While some men believed he did this out of his convictions and earnest desire for the best for mankind, yet others believed it was because of a personal vendetta he had against Soma. 

Soma had lots of lovers, his poetic nature made sure of that.  One he particularly lusted after was Tara, the pole star, the wife of Brihaspati, Jupiter.  He seduced and then kidnapped her.  Both Brihaspati and Brahma tried to negotiate her release, but Soma refused.  There was a war that ensued in the night sky; many Gods were trying to secure Tara's release.  Once again, Brahma spoke with Soma, and this time Soma listened and gave Tara back, ending the war.  When Tara tried to return home to her husband, she was with child, and he would not accept her back until the child was born so he could see who the father was.  Immediately, as he heard this ultimatum spoken, Budha, Soma's son, was born.  At this same moment the planet Mercury came into existence.

Brahma banished Soma to the outer realms of the heavens. 

Brahma declared to the people that they were to view total sobriety as a virtue to be upheld.  Soma then left the common place he had held for millennia in Hindu teachings and joined forces with Chandra, the God of the moon.

With their combined forces, Soma and Chandra represented the phases of the moon.  As it waned, the Gods were still feasting on Soma and his mystical qualities.  As it waxed, Soma took this half of the month to replenish his energy so that he might shine brightly again, ready for another feast of the Gods.


Storybook Home
Divine Intervention: The Birth of Lord Krishna
Lord Ganesha
Giver of Knowledge: Narada

Soma Story, Encyclopedia Mythica
More about Soma from Indian Divinity: Hindu Mythology and the Indian Way of Life
The God Who Drank Urine, by Mike Crowley
Encyclopedia Mythica on Tara