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Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

Rig Veda · 884 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XLVII. Indra Vaikuntha.

1.THY right hand have we grasped in ours, O Indra, longing for treasure, Treasure-Lord of treasures! Because we know thee, Hero, Lord of cattle: vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

2.Wealth, fully armed, good guard and kind protector, sprung from four seas, the prop and stay of treasures, Fraught with great bounties, meet for praise and glory; vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

3.Wealth, with good Brahmans, Indra! God-attended, high, wide, and deep, arid based on broad foundations, Strong, with famed Ṛṣis, conquering our foemen: vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

4.Victorious, winning strength, with hero sages, confirmed in power, most useful, wealth-attracting, True, Indra! crushing forts and slaying Dasyus: vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

5.Wealthy in heroes and in cars and horses, strength hundredfold and thousandfold, O Indra, With manly sages, happy troops, Iight-winning: vouchsafe us mighty and resplentdent riches.

6.To Saptagu the sage, the holy-minded, to him, Bṛhaspati, the song approaches, Aṅgiras’ Son who must be met with homage: vouchsafe us mighty and reslendent riches.

7.My lauds, like envoys, craving loving-kindness, go forth to Indra with their strong entreaty, Moving his heart and uttered by my spirit: vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

8.Grant us the boon for which I pray, O Indra, a spacious home unmatched among the people. To this may Heaven and Earth accord approval: vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.

Asked of Guide

Why does every verse end with the same line asking Indra for 'mighty and resplendent riches'?

The poet repeats the refrain to turn each image—hands grasping, wealth sprung from four seas, Brahmans and Ṛṣis, victory in battle—into a single, cumulative petition for Indra’s bounty. The recurring line focuses the hymn’s energy: varied proofs of Indra’s power all converge on one practical request, “vouchsafe us mighty and resplendent riches.”

Repetition also makes the hymn performative; chanting the same petition binds community and ritual intention together so the words become an offering as well as a plea. This technique resembles the refrains in Psalms, where repeated lines sharpen a single communal desire into liturgical force.

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.