Listen

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 · 891 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN LIV. Indra.

1.I SING thy fame that, Maghavan, through thy Greatness the heavens and earth invoked thee in their terror, Thou, aiding Gods, didst quell the power of Dāsas, what time thou holpest many a race, O Indra.

2.When thou wast roaming, waxen strong in body, telling thy might, Indra, among the people, All that men called thy battles was illusion: no foe hast thou to-day, nor erst hast found one.

3.Who are the Ṛṣis, then, who comprehended before our time the bounds of all thy greatness? For from thy body thou hast generated at the same time the Mother and the Father.

4.Thou, Mighty Steer, hast four supremest natures, Asura natures that may ne’er be injured. All these, O Maghavan, thou surely knowest, wherewith thou hast performed thy great achievements.

5.Thou hast all treasures in thy sole possession, treasures made manifest and treasures hidden. Defer not thou, O Maghavan, my longing: thou, art Director, Indra, thou art Giver.

6.To him who set the light in things of splendour, and with all sweetness blent essential sweetness, To Indra hath this welcome hymn that strengthens been uttered by the votary Bṛhaduktha.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn call Indra both 'Mother and Father' and 'four supremest natures'?

The hymn says Indra ‘‘from thy body thou hast generated at the same time the Mother and the Father,’’ portraying him as a source of creation who contains complementary principles within himself. Calling him ‘‘four supremest natures’’ and ‘‘Asura natures that may ne’er be injured’’ marks Indra as plural in power—many modes of strength and providence concentrated in one divine figure.

This language treats divinity as composite and fruitful rather than singularly defined: Indra holds seeds of origin (mother/father) and multiple invulnerable aspects that achieve ‘‘great achievements.’’ The idea of a god with manifold powers echoes later Upanishadic and Puranic treatments of Brahman and Vishnu as both unitary and many, as in the Bhagavad Gita’s teaching of the divine manifesting diverse forms.

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.