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Rig Veda · 43 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN XLIII. Rudra.
1.WHAT shall we sing to Rudra, strong, most bounteous, excellently wise, That shall be dearest to his heart?
2.That Aditi may grant the grace of Rudra to our folk, our kine, Our cattle and our progeny;
3.That Mitra and that Varuṇa, that Rudra may remember us, Yea, all the Gods with one accord.
4.To Rudra Lord of sacrifice, of hymns and balmy medicines, We pray for joy and health and strength.
5.He shines in splendour like the Sun, refulgent as bright gold is he, The good, the best among the Gods.
6.May he grant health into our steeds, wellbeing to our rams and ewes, To men, to women, and to kine.
7.O Soma, set thou upon us the glory of a hundred men, The great renown of mighty chiefs.
8.Let not malignities, nor those who trouble Soma, hinder us. Indu, give us a share of strength.
9.Soma! head, central point, love these; Soma! know these as serving thee, Children of thee Immortal, at the highest place of holy law.
Asked of Guide
Why do the poets ask Rudra for both healing and fierce protection here?
The hymn speaks to Rudra’s double role: he is praised as “most bounteous, excellently wise” and as one who gives “balmy medicines,” so the singers appeal to his healing, life-preserving power for cattle, progeny, and human health. At the same time they invoke his might through images of splendour and renown—“refulgent as bright gold”—asking that his formidable presence guard them from malignities and those who trouble Soma.
This combination reflects Vedic comfort with gods who hold complementary powers; Rudra is both healer and feared warrior whose favor secures prosperity and safety. The pattern echoes other Vedic hymns where a deity’s gentle and terrible aspects are enlisted together, similar to how Book I elsewhere calls on varied gods for both bounty and defense.
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