Listen

Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 1003 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN CLXVI. Sapatnanāśanam.

1.MAKE me a bull among my peers, make me my rivals, conqueror: Make me the slayer of my foes, a sovran ruler, lord of kine

2.I am my rivals’ slayer, like Indra unwounded and unhurt, And all these enemies of mine are vanquished and beneath my feet.

3.Here, verily, I bind you fast, as the two bow-ends with the string. Press down these men, O Lord of Speech, that they may humbly speak to me.

4.Hither I came as conqueror with mighty all-effecting power, And I have mastered all your thought, your synod, and your holy work.

5.May I be highest, having gained your strength in war, your skill in peace my feet have trodden on your heads. Speak to me from beneath my feet, as frogs from out the water croak, as frogs from out the water croak.

Asked of Guide

Why does the speaker repeatedly ask to be made a conqueror and to trample rivals?

The speaker asks to be made a conqueror to claim decisive dominance: “Make me a bull…slayer of my foes, a sovran ruler.” The hymn stages desire for political and ritual superiority, using animal and warrior imagery to insist on visible, maintained power.

This is a prayer for ordained victory rather than mere luck—invoking Indra’s invulnerability and binding enemies “as the two bow-ends with the string.” The language echoes other Rig Veda hymns where rulers seek divine sanction for rule, as in hymns to Indra that celebrate conquest and ordained kingship.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.