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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 464 of 1027

Mandala 6: HYMN XXIII. Indra.

1.THOU art attached to pressed-out Soma, Indra, at laud, at prayer, and when the hymn is chanted; Or when with yoked Bays, Maghavan, thou comest, O Indra, bearing in thine arms the thunder.

2.Or when on that decisive day thou holpest the presser of the juice at Vṛtra’s slaughter; Or when thou, while the strong one feared, undaunted, gavest to death, Indra, the daring Dasyus.

3.Let Indra drink the pressed-out Soma, Helper and mighty Guide of him who sings his praises. He gives the hero room who pours oblations, and treasure even to the lowly singer.

4.E’en humble rites with his Bay steeds he visits: he wields the bolt, drinks Soma, gives us cattle. He makes the valiant rich in store of heroes, accepts our praise and hears the singer’s calling.

5.What he hath longed for we have brought to Indra, who from the days of old hath done us service. While Soma flows we will sing hymn, and laud him, so that our prayer may streng. then Indra’s vigour.

6.Thou hast made prayer the means of thine exalting, therefore we wait on thee with hymns, O Indra. May we, by the pressed Soma, Somadrinker! bring thee, with sacrifice, blissful sweet refreshment.

7.Mark well our sacrificial cake, delighted Indra, drink Soma and the milk commingled. Here on the sacrificer’s grass be seated: give ample room to thy devoted servant.

8.O Mighty One, be joyful as thou willest. Let these our sacrifices reach and find thee; And may this hymn and these our invocations turn thee, whom many men invoke, to help us.

9.Friends, when the juices flow, replenish duly your own, your bounteous Indra with the Soma. Will it not aid him to support us? Indra. spares him who sheds the juice to win his favour.

10.While Soma flowed, thus Indra hath been lauded, Ruler of nobles, mid the Bharadvājas, That Indra may become the singer’s patron and give him wealth in every kind of treasure.

Asked of Guide

Why does this hymn keep offering Soma and praise to Indra so insistently?

The hymn treats Soma and praise as the practical currency that secures Indra’s presence and power: pouring “pressed-out Soma” and chanting hymns invite him to “drink the pressed-out Soma” and take his seat at the sacrifice, where he then bestows cattle, treasure, and heroic strength. The ritual acts are presented as reciprocal transactions—singers supply Soma and hymns, and Indra repays with protection, wealth, and victory.

This chapter frames prayer as an established technique for enlistment and exaltation: “Thou hast made prayer the means of thine exalting,” so the community persists in offering until Indra’s vigour is renewed and he becomes the singer’s patron. If you want a parallel, see Yajurveda passages that likewise pair libation and reward, where ritual performance produces divine favor as a predictable outcome.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.