Rig Veda · 498 of 1027
Mandala 6: HYMN LVII. Indra and Pūṣan.
1.INDRA and Pūṣan will we call for friend ship and prosperity And for the winning of the spoil.
2.One by the Soma sits to drink juice which the mortar hath expressed: The other longs for curd and meal.
3.Goats are the team that draws the one: the other hath Bay Steeds at hand; With both of these he slays the fiends.
4.When Indra, wondrous strong, brought down the streams, the mighty waterfloods, Pūṣan was standing by his side.
5.To this, to Pūṣan’s favouring love, and Indra’s, may we closely cling, As to a tree’s extended bough.
6.As one who drives a car draws in his reins, may we draw Pūṣan near, And Indra, for our great success.
Asked of Guide
Why are Indra and Pūṣan invoked together in this hymn?
The hymn pairs Indra and Pūṣan as cooperative patrons: Indra brings the mighty waters and victory while Pūṣan provides guidance, prosperity, and safe passage. Verse 4 names their shared deed — “When Indra… brought down the streams, Pūṣan was standing by his side” — and the speaker asks for both their favour like clinging “to a tree’s extended bough.”
The ritual language also distinguishes their roles with domestic images: one “sits to drink” Soma and drives goats, the other “longs for curd and meal” and keeps bay steeds, emphasising complementary powers for spoils and protection. This joint invocation resembles other Rigveda hymns where paired deities combine martial force and pastoral guardianship, as in hymns to Indra and Agni.
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