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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 949 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN CXII. Indra.

1.DRINK of the juice, O Indra, at thy plea. sure, for thy first draught is early morn’s libation. Rejoice, that thou mayst slay our foes, O Hero, and we with lauds will tell thy mighty exploits.

2.Thou hast a car more swift than thought, O Indra; thercon come hither, come to drink the Soma. Let thy Bay Steeds, thy Stallions, hasten hither, with whom thou cornest nigh and art delighted.

3.Deck out thy body with the fairest colours, with golden splendour of the Sun adorn it. O Indra, turn thee hitherward invited by us thy friends; be seated and be joyful.

4.O thou whose grandeur in thy festive transports not even these two great worlds have comprehended. Come, Indra, with thy dear Bay Horses harnessed, come to our dwelling and the food thou lovest.

5.Pressed for thy joyous banquet is the Soma, Soma whereof thou, Indra, ever drinking, Hast waged unequalled battles with thy foemen, which prompts the mighty flow of thine abundance.

6.Found from of old is this thy cup, O Indra: Śatakratu, drink therefrom the Soma. Filled is the beaker with the meath that gladdens, the beaker which all Deities delight in.

7.From many a side with proffered entertainment the folk are calling thee, O Mighty Indra. These our libations shall for thee be richest in sweet meath: dvink thereof and find them pleasant.

8.I will declare thy deeds of old, O Indra, the mighty acts which thou hast first accomplished. In genuine wrath thou loosenedst the mountain so that the Brahman easily found the cattle.

9.Lord of the hosts, amid our bands be seated: they call thee greatest Sage among the sages. Nothing is done, even far away, without thee: great, wondrous, Maghavan, is the hymn I sing thee.

10.Aim of our eyes be thou, for we implore thee, O Maghavan, Friend of friends and Lord of treasures. Fight, Warrior strong in truth, fight thou the battle: give us our share of undivided riches.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep inviting Indra to drink Soma so insistently?

The hymn insists Indra drink Soma because his drinking powers action and prosperity: “Soma whereof thou, Indra, ever drinking, Hast waged unequalled battles,” so the libation links his ritual intake to heroic deeds and the tribe’s welfare. The repeated summons—“come hither, come to drink the Soma,” “drink thereof and find them pleasant”—frames the offering as the mechanism that awakens his strength and generosity.

By enhancing Indra’s vigor the Soma secures booty, cattle, and wealth for the worshippers; the poet asks him to “give us our share of undivided riches,” promising praise and fitting hospitality in return. This match of ritual drink to divine gift echoes other hymns in the Rig Veda where sacrificial food and libation create reciprocal bonds between gods and men, as in many Indra hymns that celebrate his deeds after Soma.

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