Rig Veda · 86 of 1027
Mandala 1: HYMN LXXXVI. Maruts.
1.THE best of guardians hath that man within whose dwelling place ye drink, O Maruts, giants of the sky.
2.Honoured with sacrifice or with the worship of the sages’ hymns, O Maruts, listen to the call.
3.Yea, the strong man to whom ye have vouchsafed to give a sage, shall move Into a stable rich in kine.
4.Upon this hero’s sacred grass Soma is poured in daily rites: Praise and delight are sung aloud.
5.Let the strong Maruts hear him, him surpassing all men: strength be his That reaches even to the Sun.
6.For, through the swift Gods’ loving help, in many an autumn, Maruts, we Have offered up our sacrifice.
7.Fortunate shall that mortal be, O Maruts most adorable, Whose offerings ye bear away.
8.O Heroes truly strong, ye know the toil of him who sings your praise, The heart’s desire of him who loves.
9.O ye of true strength, make this thing manifest by your greatness: strike The demon with your thunderbolt.
10.Conceal the horrid darkness, drive far from us each devouring fiend. Create the light for which we long.
Asked of Guide
Why does this hymn repeatedly ask the Maruts to grant strength and protect offerings?
The hymn treats the Maruts as active patrons whose favor secures prosperity and ritual efficacy: offerings borne away and soma poured on sacred grass link divine attention to household abundance and social standing. Lines like “Let the strong Maruts hear him” and “Whose offerings ye bear away” present protection and acceptance of sacrifice as the concrete signs of their blessing.
Requesting strength and protection also frames the Maruts’ role as storm-heroes who dispel chaos; the poet asks them to “strike the demon with your thunderbolt” and “Create the light for which we long,” asking cosmic violence that restores order. This emphasis on martial, purifying action echoes other Rig Veda hymns where deities secure cattle, fertility, and ritual success through force, as seen elsewhere in Mandala 1.
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