Rig Veda · 178 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN CLXXVIII. Indra.
1.IF, Indra, thou hast given that gracious hearing where with thou helpest those who sang thy praises. Blast not the wish that would exalt us may I gain all from thee, and pay all man’s devotions.
2.Let not the Sovran Indra disappoint us in what shall bring both Sisters to our dwelling. To him have run the quickly flowing waters. May Indra come to us with life and friendship.
3.Victorious with the men, Hero in battles, Indra, who hears the singer’s supplication, Will bring his car nigh to the man who offers, if he himself upholds the songs that praise him.
4.Yea, Indra, with the men, through love of glory consumes the sacred food which friends have offered. The ever-strengthening song of him who worships is sung in fight amid the clash of voices.
5.Aided by thee, O Maghavan, O Indra, may we subdue our foes who count them mighty. Be our protector, strengthen and increase us. May we find strengthening food in full abundance.
Asked of Guide
Why does this hymn repeatedly ask Indra for both “life and friendship”?
The hymn asks Indra for “life and friendship” because it treats him as the giver of survival and social order: lines 2–3 link his coming with “life and friendship” and with bringing the Sisters (likely prosperity, perhaps Aditi’s daughters) to the household. The votary imagines Indra’s help as practical—victory in battle, abundant food, protection—so life is physical sustenance and friendship is the network of allies that secures that life.
This poem emphasizes reciprocal exchange: praise and song sustain Indra’s power and he, Maghavan, sustains the worshipper with wealth and protection (see line 3, “he who hears the singer’s supplication”). That dynamic appears across the Rig Veda and echoes themes in later dharma texts, where ritual reciprocity binds community and cosmos.
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