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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 63 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN LXIII. Indra.

1.THOU art the Mighty One; when born, O Indra, with power thou terrifiedst earth and heaven; When, in their fear of thee, all firm-set mountains and monstrous creatures shook like dust before thee.

2.When thy two wandering Bays thou drawest hither, thy praiser laid within thine arms the thunder, Wherewith, O Much-invoked, in will resistless, thou smitest foemen down and many a castle.

3.Faithful art thou, these thou defiest, Indra; thou art the Ṛbhus’ Lord, heroic, victor. Thou, by his side, for young and glorious Kutsa, with steed and car in battle slewest Śuṣṇa,

4.That, as a friend, thou furtheredst, O Indra, when, Thunderer, strong in act, thou crushedst Vṛtra; When, Hero, thou, great-souled, with easy conquest didst rend the Dasyus in their distant dwelling.

5.This doest thou, and art not harmed, O Indra, e’en in the anger of the strongest mortal. Lay thou the race-course open for our horses: as with a club, slay, Thunder-armed! our foemen.

6.Hence men invoke thee, Indra, in the tumult of battle, in the light-bestowing conflict. This aid of thine, O Godlike One, was ever to be implored in deeds of might in combat.

7.Warring for Purukutsa thou, O Indra, Thunder-armed! breakest down the seven castles; Easily, for Sudās, like grass didst rend them, and out of need, King, broughtest gain to Pūru.

8.O Indra, God who movest round about us, feed us with varied food plenteous as water— Food wherewithal, O Hero, thou bestowest vigour itself to flow to us for ever.

9.Prayers have been made by Gotamas, O Indra, addressed to thee, with laud for thy Bay Horses. Bring us in noble shape abundant riches. May he, enriched with prayer, come soon and early.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep calling Indra “Thunder-armed” and praising his conquests?

The hymn calls Indra “Thunder-armed” to name his essential power: his thunder and horses are the instruments by which he rends castles, slays Vṛtra, and aids patrons like Kutsa, Sudās, and Pūru. The repeated epithets — “Mighty One,” “Thunderer,” “Hero” — tie his martial deeds to cosmic force, so worship appeals to him as the decisive source of victory and wealth.

This praise functions as ritual logic: recalling Indra’s past feats invites him to repeat them now, to “feed us with varied food” and “bring us abundant riches.” The pattern matches other Rigveda hymns that link mythic exploits to present benefits, as when later hymns ask Indra to open the race-course and bestow vigour and gain.

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