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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 940 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN CIII. Indra.

1.SWIFT, rapidly striking, like a bull who sharpens his horns, terrific, stirring up the people, With eyes that close not, bellowing, Sole Hero, Indra. subdued at once a hundred armies.

2.With him loud-roaring, ever watchful, Victor, bold, hard to overthrow, Rouser of battle, Indra. the Strong, whose hand bears arrows, conquer, ye warriors, now, now vanquish in the combat.

3.He rules with those who carry shafts and quivers, Indra who with his band rings hosts together, Foe-conquering, strong of arm, the Soma-drinker, with mighty bow, shooting with well-laid arrows.

4.Bṛhaspati, fly with thy chariot hither, slayer of demons, driving off our foemen. Be thou protector of our cars, destroyer, victor in battle, breaker-up of armies.

5.Conspicuous by thy strength, firm, foremost fighter, mighty and fierce, victorious, all-subduing, The Son of Conquest, passing men and heroes, kine-winner, mount thy conquering car, O Indra.

6.Cleaver of stalls, kine-winner, armed with thunder, who quells an army and with might destroys it.- Follow him, brothers! quit yourselves like heroes, and like this Indra show your zeal and courage.

7.Piercing the cow-stalls with surpassing vigour, Indra, the pitiless Hero, wild with anger, Victor in fight, unshaken and resistless,may he protect our armies in our battles.

8.Indra guide these: Bṛhaspati precede them, the guerdon, and the sacrifice, and Soma; And let the banded Maruts march in forefront of heavenly hosts that conquer and demolish.

9.Ours be the potent host of mighty Indra, King Varuṇa, and Maruts, and Ādityas. Uplifted is the shout of Gods who conquer high-minded Gods who cause the worlds to tremble.

10.Bristle thou up, O Maghavan, our weapons: excite the spirits of my warring heroes. Urge on the strong steeds’ might, O Vṛtra-slayer, and let the din of conquering cars go upward.

11.May Indra aid us when our flags are gathered: victorious be the arrows of our army. May our brave men of war prevail in battle. Ye Gods, protect us in the shout of onset.

12.Bewildering the senses of our foemen, seize thou their bodies and depart, O Apva. Attack them, set their hearts on fire and burn them: so let our foes abide in utter darkness.

13.Advance, O heroes, win the day. May Indra be your sure defence. Exceeding mighty be your arms, that none may wound or injure you.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn ask Indra to 'seize thou their bodies and depart, O Apva'—who is Apva here and what happens?

Apva is invoked as a force allied with Indra to overwhelm enemies by confusion and physical seizure; the hymn calls on Apva to “bewilder the senses of our foemen, seize thou their bodies and depart,” which means the ritual petition asks for enemy disorientation followed by swift removal or rout. The stanza links Apva’s action to burning fear — “set their hearts on fire and burn them” — so the image is of psychological collapse made decisive on the battlefield.

The chapter consistently frames Indra as the martial guarantor — “Sole Hero…subdued at once a hundred armies” — and positions Apva as anInstrument of that victory rather than a separate moral agent. For a parallel use of a named force enlisted in battle-prayer, compare other hymns in the Rig Veda where Varuṇa or the Maruts are called to ‘‘confuse’’ or ‘‘break’’ enemies; those hymns treat named powers as components of the divine war-machine invoked by the rishi.

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