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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 52 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN LII. Indra.

1.I GLORIFY that Ram who finds the light of heaven, whose hundred nobly-natured ones go forth with him. With hymns may I turn hither Indra to mine aid,—the Car which like a strong steed hasteth to the call.

2.Like as a mountain on firm basis, unremoved, he, thousandfold protector, waxed in mighty strength, When Indra, joying in the draughts of Soma juice, forced the clouds, slaying Vṛtra stayer of their flow.

3.For he stays e’en the stayers, spread o’er laden cloud, rooted in light, strengthened in rapture by the wise. Indra with thought, with skilled activity, I call, most liberal giver, for he sates him with the juice.

4.Whom those that flow in heaven on sacred grass, his own assistants, nobly-natured, fill full like the sea,— Beside that Indra when he smote down Vṛtra stood his helpers, straight in form, mighty, invincible.

5.To him, as in wild joy he fought with him who stayed the rain, his helpers sped like swift streams down a slope, When Indra, thunder-armed, made bold by Soma draughts, as Tṛta cleaveth Vala’s fences, cleft him through.

6.Splendour encompassed thee, forth shone thy warrior might: the rain-obstructer lay in mid-air’s lowest deep, What time, O Indra, thou didst cast thy thunder down upon the jaws of Vṛitra hard to be restrained.

7.The hymns which magnify thee, Indra, reach to thee even as water-brooks flow down and fill the lake. Tvaṣṭar gave yet more force to thine appropriate strength, and forged thy thunderbolt of overpowering might.

8.When, Indra, thou whose power is linked with thy Bay Steeds hadst smitten Vṛtra, causing floods to flow for man, Thou heldst in thine arms the metal thunderbolt, and settest in the heaven the Sun for all to see.

9.In fear they raised the lofty self-resplendent hymn, praise giving and effectual, leading up to heaven, When Indra’s helpers fighting for the good of men, the Maruts, faithful to mankind, joyed in the light.

10.Then Heaven himself, the mighty, at that Dragon’s roar reeled back in terror when, Indra, thy thunderbolt In the wild joy of Soma had struck off with might the head of Vṛtra, tyrant of the earth and heaven.

11.O Indra, were this earth extended forth tenfold, and men who dwell therein multiplied day by day, Still here thy conquering might, Maghavan, would be famed: it hath waxed vast as heaven in majesty and power.

12.Thou, bold of heart, in thine own native might, for help, upon the limit of this mid-air and of heaven, Hast made the earth to be the pattern of thy strength: embracing flood and light thou reachest to the sky.

13.Thou art the counterpart of earth, the Master of lofty heaven with all its mighty Heroes: Thou hast filled all the region with thy greatness: yea, of a truth there is none other like thee.

14.Whose amplitude the heaven and earth have not attained, whose bounds the waters of mid-air have never reached,— Not, when in joy he fights the stayer of the rain: thou, and none else, hast made all things in order due.

15.The Maruts sang thy praise in this encounter, and in thee all the Deities delighted, What time thou, Indra, with thy spiky weapon, thy deadly bolt, smotest the face of Vṛtra.

Asked of Guide

Why does this hymn keep calling Indra the slayer of Vṛtra and praise his thunderbolt so much?

The chapter celebrates Indra as the rain‑giver whose victory over Vṛtra releases the waters and makes life possible; lines repeat the scene of Indra ‘‘smote down Vṛtra’’ and holding ‘‘the metal thunderbolt’’ to show that cosmic action. The repeated images — Soma empowering him, Maruts as helpers, thunderbolt forged by Tvaṣṭar — fix Indra’s role as both warrior and benefactor who orders the world by defeating the ‘‘rain‑obstructer.’’

This hymn treats myth as practical theology: praising Indra’s deed affirms the ritual goal of securing rain and prosperity. If you want a close parallel, see the Rigveda hymn where Trita (Tṛta) cleaves Vala; both hymns use the storm‑fight motif to connect ritual Soma, divine weaponry, and the community’s material needs.

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.