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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 216 of 1027

Mandala 2: HYMN XXV. Brahmaṇaspati.

1.HE lighting up the flame shall conquer enemies: strong shall he be who offers prayer and brings his gift. He with his seed spreads forth beyond another’s seed, whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend.

2.With heroes he shall overcome his hero foes, and spread his wealth by kine wise by himself is be. His children and his children’s children grow in strength, whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend.

3.He, mighty like a raving river’s billowy flood, as a bull conquers oxen, overcomes with strength. Like Agni’s blazing rush he may not be restrained, whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend.

4.For him the floods of heaven flow never failing down: first with the heroes he goes forth to war for kine. He slays in unabated vigour with great might, whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend.

5.All roaring rivers pour their waters down for him, and many a flawless shelter hath been granted him. Blest with the happiness of Gods he prospers well, whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend.

Asked of Guide

Why does every verse repeat “whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend”?

The hymn repeats “whomever Brahmaṇaspati takes for his friend” to make blessing conditional and ritually certain: Brahmaṇaspati’s favor alone guarantees victory, prosperity, and offspring. Each image — river, bull, Agni, flowing floods — names a different domain of power that his friendship secures for the worshipper.

This closing line frames the whole hymn as an invocation seeking patronage rather than describing general law. It echoes other Rigveda hymns where a deity’s choice confers fortune, especially hymns to Indra and Agni that link divine selection with success in battle and abundance.

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.