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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 860 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XXIII. Indra.

1.INDRA, whose right hand wields the bolt, we worship, driver of Bay Steeds seeking sundered courses. Shaking his beard with might he hath arisen, casting his weapons forth and dealing bounties.

2.The treasure which his Bay Steeds found at sacrifice,—this wealth made opulent Indra slayer of the foe. Ṛbhu, Ṛbhukṣan, Vāja-he is Lord of Might. The Dāsa’s very name I utterly destroy.

3.When, with the Princes, Maghavari, famed of old, comes nigh the thunderbolt of gold, and the Controller’s car Which his two Tawny Coursers draw, then Indra is the Sovran Lord of power whose glory spreads afar.

4.With him too is this rain of his that comes like herds: Indra throws drops of moisture on his yellow beard. When the sweet juice is shed he seeks the pleasant place, and stirs the worshipper as wind disturbs the wood.

5.We laud and praise his several deeds of valour who, fatherlike, with power hath made us stronger; Who with his voice slew many thousand wicked ones who spake in varied manners with contemptuous cries.

6.Indra, the Vimadas have formed for thee a laud, copious, unparalleled, for thee Most Bountiful. We know the good we gain from him the Mighty One when we attract him as a herdsman calls the kine.

7.Ne’er may this bond of friendship be dissevered, the Ṛṣi Vimada’s and thine, O Indra. We know thou carest for us as a brother with us, O God, be thine auspicious friendship.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Indra a herdsman and mention Bay Steeds and Tawny Coursers?

The hymn uses pastoral images—Bay Steeds, Tawny Coursers, and a herdsman calling kine—to describe Indra’s role as protector and benefactor who brings wealth and rain. These images cast his martial power in familiar rural terms so worshippers can see him as guardian of flocks, crops, and community prosperity.

That metaphor links his thunderbolt and victories to everyday needs: the “rain of his that comes like herds” and drops on his “yellow beard” promise fertility and bounty. This strategy appears elsewhere in the Rig Veda where divine action is pictured through agricultural life to make cosmic power immediately useful, as in other hymns praising Indra’s rain-bringing deeds.

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