Rig Veda · 691 of 1027
Mandala 8: HYMN LXXI. Indra.
1.HASTE forward to us from afar, or, Vṛtra-slayer, from anear, To meet the offering to the meath.
2.Strong are the Soma-draughts; come nigh: the juices fill thee with delight: Drink boldly even as thou art wont’.
3.Joy, Indra, in the strengthening food et it content thy wish and thought, And be delightful to thine heart.
4.Come to us thou who hast no foe: we call thee down to hymns of praise, In heaven’s sublimest realm of light.
5.This Soma here expressed with stones and dressed with milk for thy carouse, Indra, is offered up to thee.
6.Graciously, Indra, hear my call. Come and obtain the draught, and sate Thyself with juices blent with milk.
7.The Soma, Indra, which is shed in chalices and vats for thee, Drink thou, for thou art Lord thereof.
8.The Soma seen within the vats, as in the flood the Moon is seen, Drink thou, for thou art Lord thereof.
9.That which the Hawk brought in his claw, inviolate, through the air to thee, Drink thou, for thou art Lord thereof.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn keep offering Soma to Indra with images of drinking and a Hawk bringing it?
The hymn stages Soma as a sacred, shared vitality: repeated invitations to “Drink boldly” and “sate Thyself with juices blent with milk” present the deity’s presence as arriving through a communal ritual draught. Indra’s reception of Soma links his strength and joy to the offering, making the ritual act itself the means by which the god is empowered and honored.
The Hawk image — “That which the Hawk brought in his claw, inviolate” — frames Soma as a prized, delivered treasure whose purity is preserved until the feast, a motif that matches other Vedic hymns where birds or messengers convey sacred gifts. Readers who know the Brihaddevata will recognize similar messenger-figures who carry ritual potency from divine realms to the human sacrificer.
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