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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 269 of 1027

Mandala 3: HYMN XXXV Indra.

1.MOUNT the Bay Horses to thy chariot harnessed, and come to us like Vāyu with his coursers. Thou, hastening to us, shalt drink the Soma. Hail, Indra. We have poured it for thy rapture.

2.For him, the God who is invoked by many, the two swift Bay Steeds to the pole I harness, That they in fleet course may bring Indra hither, e’en to this sacrifice arranged completely.

3.Bring the strong Steeds who drink the warm libation, and, Bull of Godlike nature, be thou gracious. Let thy Steeds eat; set free thy Tawny Horses, and roasted grain like this consume thou daily.

4.Those who are yoked by prayer I harness, fleet friendly Bays who take their joy together. Mounting thy firm and easy car, O Indra, wise and all-knowing come thou to the Soma.

5.No other worshippers must stay beside them thy Bays, thy vigorous and smooth-backed Coursers. Pass by them all and hasten onward hither: with Soma pressed we will prepare to feast thee.

6.Thine is this Soma: hasten to approach it. Drink thou thereof, benevolent, and cease not. Sit on the sacred grass at this our worship, and take these drops into thy belly, Indra.

7.The grass is strewn for thee, pressed is the Soma; the grain is ready for thy Bays to feed on. To thee who lovest them, the very mighty, strong, girt by Maruts, are these gifts presented.

8.This the sweet draught, with cows, the men, the mountains, the waters, Indra, have for thee made ready. Come, drink thereof, Sublime One, friendly-minded, foreseeing, knowing well the ways thou goest.

9.The Maruts, they with whom thou sharedst Soma, Indra, who made thee strong and were thine army,— With these accordant, eagerly desirous drink thou this Soma with the tongue of Agni.

10.Drink, Indra, of the juice by thine own nature, or by the tongue of Agni, O thou Holy. Accept the sacrificial gift, O Śakra, from the Adhvaryu’s hand or from the Hotar’s.

11.Call we on Maghavan, auspicious Indra, best Hero in the fight where spoil is gathered, The Strong, who listens, who.gives aid in battles, who slays the Vṛtras, wins and gathers riches.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep calling Indra to drink Soma and bring his horses to the sacrifice?

The hymn summons Indra to drink Soma because his presence and the sacrament make the sacrifice effective: “Thine is this Soma: hasten to approach it,” and the offering binds gods and worshippers in a shared feast. Calling the Bay Steeds and harnessing them frames Indra’s arrival as a dramatic entrance—his coming “with his coursers” turns the ritual into a victorious, mobile power that blesses the sacrificers.

The repeated commands also underline reciprocity: the people prepare grass, grain, cows and the pressed juice so that Indra, who “gives aid in battles” and “wins and gathers riches,” will accept and respond with strength and protection. This mirrors themes in other Vedic hymns where deity and worshippers trade gifts and favors; compare Rigveda Mandala 1 hymns where sacrifice and divine reward form a contractual bond.

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