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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 101 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN CI. Indra.

1.SING, with oblation, praise to him who maketh glad, who with Ṛjiśvan drove the dusky brood away. Fain for help, him the strong whose right hand wields the bolt, him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

2.Indra, who with triumphant wrath smote Vyaṁsa down, and Śambara, and Pipru the unrighteous one; Who extirpated Śuṣṇa the insatiate,—him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

3.He whose great work of manly might is heaven and earth, and Varuṇa and Sūrya keep his holy law; Indra, whose law the rivers follow as they flow,—him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

4.He who is Lord and Master of the steeds and kine, honoured—the firm and sure—at every holy act; Stayer even of the strong who pours no offering out,—him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

5.He who is Lord of all the world that moves and breathes, who for the Brahman first before all found the Cows; Indra who cast the Dasyus down beneath his feet,—him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

6.Whom cowards must invoke and valiant men of war, invoked by those who conquer and by those who flee; Indra, to whom all beings turn their constant thought,—him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

7.Refulgent in the Rudras’ region he proceeds, and with the Rudras through the wide space speeds the Dame. The hymn of praise extols Indra the far-renowned: him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend.

8.O girt by Maruts, whether thou delight thee in loftiest gathering-place or lowly dwelling, Come thence unto our rite, true boon-bestower: through love of thee have we prepared oblations.

9.We, fain for thee, strong Indra, have pressed Soma, and, O thou sought with prayer, have made oblations. Now at this sacrifice, with all thy Maruts, on sacred grass, O team-borne God, rejoice thee.

10.Rejoice thee with thine own Bay Steeds, O Indra, unclose thy jaws and let thy lips be open. Thou with the fair cheek, let thy Bay Steeds bring thee: gracious to us, he pleased with our oblation.

11.Guards of the camp whose praisers are the Maruts, may we through Indra, get ourselves the booty. This prayer of ours may Varuṇa grant, and Mitra, and Aditi and Sindhu, Earth and Heaven.

Asked of Guide

Why does every verse end with “him girt by Maruts we invoke to be our Friend”?

The refrain names Indra as accompanied by the Maruts and frames him as the hymn’s ally: calling “him girt by Maruts” keeps returning the prayer to Indra’s warlike, storm‑borne company and asks for friendship and protection. The repeated line ties the catalogue of feats—smiting Śambara, founding heaven and earth, casting down Dasyus—to a single petition: that this formidable lord accept the worshippers as friends.

This use of a refrain works like a ritual anchor; it appears throughout Vedic hymns to steady liturgy while listing epithets and deeds, the same technique you find in other hymns of the Rig Veda and in the Rig Veda’s hymn structure discussed in Wendy Doniger’s translations. The refrain reminds the sacrificer that praise, history, and request belong to the same act of offering.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.