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Rig Veda · 175 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN CLXXV. Indra.
1.GLAD thee: thy glory hath been quaffed, Lord of Bay Steeds, as ’twere the bowl’s enlivening mead. For thee the Strong there is strong drink, mighty, omnipotent to win.
2.Let our strong drink, most excellent, exhilarating, come to thee, Victorious, Indra! bringing gain, immortal conquering in fight,
3.Thou, Hero, winner of the spoil, urgest to speed the car of man. Burn, like a vessel with the flame, the lawless Dasyu, Conqueror!
4.Empowered by thine own might, O Sage, thou stolest Sūrya’s chariot wheel. Thou barest Kutsa with the steeds of Wind to Śuṣṇa as his death.
5.Most mighty is thy rapturous joy, most splendid is thine active power, Wherewith, foe-slaying, sending bliss, thou art supreme in gaining steeds.
6.As thou, O Indra, to the ancient singers wast ever joy, as water to the thirsty, So unto thee I sing this invocation. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn keep calling Indra “glad” and “rapturous joy” while also praising his violence against the Dasyu?
The hymn presents Indra’s gladness as his essential power: verses repeat that his “rapturous joy” and “most splendid…active power” are the source of victory and bounty. Joy here is a public, creative energy that fuels winning of steeds and the bringing of “strengthening food in full abundance.”
Praise of his violence appears as praise of function—Indra’s slaying of the Dasyu and stealing of Sūrya’s wheel are acts that restore cosmic order and secure resources for the community. This is similar to Mircea Eliade’s reading in The Sacred and the Profane, where heroic violence in myth serves a restorative, world-making role rather than mere cruelty.
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