Listen

Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 689 of 1027

Mandala 8: HYMN LXIX. Indra.

1.O Sarakratu! truely I have made none else my Comforter. Indra; be gracious unto us.

2.Thou who hast ever aided us kindly of old to win the spoil, As such, O Indra, favour us.

3.What now? As prompter of the poor thou helpest him who sheds the juice. Wilt thou not, Indra, strengthen us?

4.O Indra, help our chariot on, yea, Thunderer, though it lag behind: Give this my car the foremost place.

5.Ho there! why sittest thou at case? Make thou my chariot to be first And bring the fame of victory near.

6.Assist our car that seeks the prize. What can be easier for thee? So make thou us victorious.

7.Indra, be firm: a fort art thou. To thine appointed place proceeds The auspicious hymn in season due.

8.Let not our portion be disgrace. Broad is the course, the prize is set, The barriers are opened wide.

9.This thing we wish. that thou mayst take thy fourth, thy sacrificial name. So art thou held to be our Lord.

10.Ekadyu hath exalted you, Immortals: both Goddesses and Gods hath he delighted. Bestow upon him bounty meet for praises. May he, enriched with prayer, come soon and early.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep pleading with Indra to make the chariot first?

The hymn repeatedly asks Indra to make the chariot foremost because victory and honor are cast as his direct handiwork; lines like “Make thou my chariot to be first” treat Indra as the agent who grants prowess and removes obstacles. The speakers appeal to his past aid (“ever aided us kindly of old”) and to his role as a protector and fort, asking him to secure their portion and “bring the fame of victory near.”

This is a ritual petition: success in battle or contest depends on the god’s favor, and the chariot stands for that success in the ritual imagination. If you want a parallel, see Rig Veda Mandala 1 hymns to Indra, which make the same bargain of praise for booty and status.

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.