Rig Veda · 720 of 1027
Mandala 9: HYMN VIII. Praskaṇva’s Go.
1.THY bounty, Dasyave-vrka, exhaustless hath displayed itself: Its fulness is as broad as heaven.
2.Ten thousand Dasyave-vrka, the son of Putakrata, hath From his own wealth bestowed on me.
3.A hundred asses hath he given, a hundred head of fleecy sheep, A hundred slaves, and wreaths besides.
4.There also was a mare led forth, picked out for Putakrata’s sake, Not of the horses of the herd.
5.Observant Agni hath appeared, oblation-bearer with his car. Agni with his resplendent flame hath shone on high as shines the Sun, hath shone like Sūrya in the heavens.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call Dasyave-vrka endlessly generous and name his gifts in detail?
The hymn praises Dasyave-vrka’s largesse to show how ritual wealth creates social bonds: “Ten thousand Dasyave-vrka… hath From his own wealth bestowed on me,” and the list—asses, sheep, slaves, a mare—maps how honor and obligation are distributed. Naming specific gifts makes the giving concrete and memorable, turning generosity into a public act that secures reputation and reciprocal duty.
Agni’s appearance with the oblation links the gift to sacred sanction, as when it says “Agni with his resplendent flame hath shone…like Sūrya,” which frames the exchange as divinely witnessed and approved. This matches themes in other sacrificial hymns—see Hymn I.1—where visible ritual and named offerings bind human and divine order.
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