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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 29 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN XXIX. Indra.

1.O SOMA DRINKER, ever true, utterly hopeless though we be, Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

2.O Lord of Strength, whose jaws are strong, great deeds are thine, the powerful: Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

3.Lull thou asleep, to wake no more, the pair who on each other look Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

4.Hero, let hostile spirits sleep, and every gentler genius wake: Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

5.Destroy this ass, O Indra, who in tones discordant brays to thee: Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

6.Far distant on the forest fall the tempest in a circling course! Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands, O most wealthy One.

7.Slay each reviler, and destroy him who in secret injures us: Do thou, O Indra, give us hope of beauteous horses and of kine In thousands, O most wealthy One.

Asked of Guide

Why does every verse end with the same petition for horses and kine in thousands?

The hymn repeats the refrain asking Indra for “beauteous horses and of kine, In thousands,” to keep returning the worship to a concrete, communal goal: wealth and prosperity expressed through cattle and horses. Each stanza frames a different request—protection, victory, sleep for foes, destruction of enemies—while the repeated petition binds them into one practical prayer for material and social security.

This pattern matches other Rig Veda hymns where a refrain anchors varied petitions, like the repeated invocations in Mandala 1 hymn 24 that secure divine favor across multiple needs. The chorus shapes the ritual: varied intentions move toward a single promised boon from Indra, making the hymn effective in recitation and memorable for the community.

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