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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 610 of 1027

Mandala 7: HYMN XCIV. Indra-Agni.

1.As rain from out the cloud, for you, Indra and Agni, from my soul This noblest praise hath been produced.

2.Do ye, O Indra-Agni, hear the singer’s call: accept his songs. Ye Rulers, grant his heart’s desire.

3.Give us not up to poverty, ye Heroes, Indra-Agni, nor To slander and reproach of men.

4.To Indra and to Agni we bring reverence, high and holy hymn, And, craving help, softwords with prayer.

5.For all these holy singers here implore these Twain to succour them, And priests that they may win them strength.

6.Eager to laudyou, we with songs invoke you, bearing sacred food, Fain for success in sacrifice.

7.Indra and Agni, come to us with favour, ye who conquer men: Let not the wicked master us.

8.At no time let the injurious blow of hostile mortal fall on us: O Indra-Agni, shelter us.

9.Whatever wealth we crave of you, in gold, in cattle, or in steeds, That, Indra-Agni, let us gain;

10.When heroes prompt in worship call Indra and Agni, Lords of steeds, Beside the Soma juice effused.

11.Call hither with the song and lauds those who best slay the foemen, those Who take delight in hymns of praise.

12.Slay ye the wicked man whose thought is evil of the demon kind. Slay him who stays the waters, slay the Serpent with your deadly dart.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn address Indra and Agni together throughout?

The hymn pairs Indra and Agni because each fulfills complementary roles in Vedic ritual and protection: Indra is the warrior who slays foes and secures wealth, while Agni is the sacrificial fire who receives offerings and carries praise. Verses call them jointly — “Indra-Agni” — when asking for shelter, success in sacrifice, and removal of the wicked, so the petition covers both martial deliverance and ritual efficacy.

This coupling echoes how the ritual world works in the Rig Veda: sacrifice needs Agni to convey the hymn and gifts, and Indra to enact victory and grant cattle or steeds. Compare Rig Veda Mandala 1 hymns where Agni lights the ritual and Indra performs the heroic deed; together they complete the petitioners’ aims.

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