Amrit :
Amrit means `immortal’ and is a benefic deity more popularly known as `Soma ‘ , the personification of a sacred plant and drink made from it, which has great exhilaratory powers . Soma represents the moon and the liquid coolness . Soma is both God as well as a divine drink . As Amrita , he is the golden nectar and the precious ambrosia of the Gods . The identity of this plant has always intrigued scholars and is identified with many plants like hemp , Asclepias Acida, Amanita muscaria . Some say it is the juice from medicinal herbs of Chandra hill of Plaksadvipa.
As the Vedic people worshipped all phenomena that they could not explain, the drink became a God next to natural elements like the sun and the sky . It made you feel immortal and was called `Amrita ‘ , the draught of immortality . It is said that during the great churning of the ocean, Goddess Lakshmi emerged carrying the pot of nectar . It also possesses curative powers of healing the sick and is a wise seer, a poet who stimulates thought and inspires hymns . He is also the king of the plants, the lord of the woods and is called Vanaspati . People prayed to him as a healer and for immortality . The attribute of intoxicating beverage makes him similar to Agni because of the fiery quality . The shining color makes him synonymous with luminous bodies . Later he became linked with the moon that is identified as the god of the plants . He is said to be the son of Rishi, Atri and Anasuya . But he is also said to be the son of Brahma and appeared during the churning of the oceans . He married the 27 daughters of Daksha who are the personification of the 27 nakshatras . He is the crescent that adorns Shiva ‘ s hair .
Amrita , the moon is described in the Puranas as a very handsome copper colored man, trailing a red pennant behind his chariot of three wheels, drawn by ten white horses . In his four hands, he carries a mace, a pot of nectar and a lotus . The fourth is raised in blessing . The drink is described as both white and tawny yellow .