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Rig Veda · 4 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN IV. Indra
1.As a good cow to him who milks, we call the doer of fair deeds, To our assistance day by day.
2.Come thou to our libations, drink of Soma; Soma-drinker thou! The rich One’s rapture giveth kine.
3.So may we be acquainted with thine innermost benevolence: Neglect us not, come hitherward.
4.Go to the wise unconquered One, ask thou of Indra, skilled in song, Him who is better than thy friends.
5.Whether the men who mock us say, Depart unto another place, Ye who serve Indra and none else;
6.Or whether, God of wondrous deeds, all our true people call us blest, Still may we dwell in Indra’s care.
7.Unto the swift One bring the swift, man-cheering, grace of sacrifice, That to the Friend gives wings and joy.
8.Thou, Śatakratu, drankest this and wast the Vṛtras’ slayer; thou Helpest the warrior in the fray.
9.We strengthen, Śatakratu, thee, yea, thee the powerful in fight, That, Indra, we may win us wealth.
10.To him the mighty stream of wealth, prompt friend of him who pours the juice, Yea, to this Indra sing your song.
Asked of Guide
Why does this hymn call Indra 'Soma-drinker' and ask him to 'drink of Soma'?
The hymn names Indra “Soma-drinker” because Indra’s power and victorious deeds are bound up with Soma — he gains “rapture” and strength from it, as line 2 says, “The rich One’s rapture giveth kine.” The poets present Soma as the sacrificial energizer who makes Indra swift, generous, and able to slay foes like the Vṛtra (line 8).
Asking Indra to “drink of Soma” is a ritual appeal: offering Soma in sacrifice invites Indra’s presence and favor so he will “bring the swift, man-cheering, grace of sacrifice” (line 7) and bestow wealth and protection. This use of Soma echoes later Vedic passages collected in the Rig Veda where drink and gift exchange bind gods and worshippers, a theme also treated in Witzel’s studies of Vedic ritual.
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