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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 936 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XCIX. Indra.

1.WHAT Splendid One, Loud-voiced, Farstriding, dost thou, well knowing, urge us to exalt with praises? What give we him? When his might dawned, he fashioned the Vṛtra-slaying bolt, and sent us waters.

2.He goes to end his work with lightning flashes: wide is the seat his Asura glory gives him. With his Companions, not without his Brother, he quells Saptatha’s magic devices.

3.On most auspicious path he goes to battle he toiled to win heaven’s light, full fain to gain it; He seized the hundred-gated castle’s treasure by craft, unchecked, and slew the lustful demons.

4.Fighting for kine, the prize of war, and I roaming among the berd be brings the young streams hither, Where, footless, joined, without a car to bear them, with jars for steeds, they pour their flood like butter.

5.Bold, unsolicited for wealth, with Rudras he came, the Blameless, having left his dwelling, Came, seized the food of Vamra and his consort, and left the couple weeping and unsheltered.

6.Lord of the dwelling, he subdued the demon who roared aloud, six-eyed and triple-headed. Tṛta, made stronger by the might he lent him, struck down the boar with shaft whose point was iron.

7.He raised himself on high and shot his arrow against the guileful and oppressive foeman. Strong, glorious, manliest, for us he shattered the forts of Nabus when he slew the Dasyus.

8.He, like a cloud that rains upon the pasture, hath found for us the way to dwell in safety. When the Hawk comes in body to the Soma, armed with his iron claws he slays the Dasyus.

9.He with his potent Friends gave up the mighty, gave gusnia up to Kutsa for affliction. He led the lauded Kavi, he delivered Atka as prey to him and to his heroes.

10.He, with his Gods who love mankind, the Wondrous, giving like Varuṇa who works with magic, Was known, yet young as guardian of the seasons; and he quelled Araru, four-footed dernon.

11.Through lauds of him hath Auśija Ṛjiśvan burst, with the Mighty’s aid, the stall of Pipru. When the saint pressed the juice and shone as singer, he seized the forts and with his craft subdued them.

12.So, swiftly Asura, for exaltation, hath the great Vamraka come nigh to Indra. He will, when supplicated, bring him blessing: he hath brought all, food, strength, a happy dwelling.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn repeat Indra’s victories over demons and give so many vivid images of battle?

The hymn piles victories and images because it stitches together what Indra does for the community: he “sent us waters,” won “heaven’s light,” and “slew the lustful demons,” so each episode names a benefit—rain, cattle, safety—and a reason to praise him. The catalogue of feats (Vṛtra’s bolt, the hundred‑gated castle, the six‑eyed, triple‑headed demon) makes praise concrete by showing the specific harms he removes and the resources he restores.

This pattern matches other Rig Veda hymns that link mythic combat to real needs; compare Mandala 1 where Indra’s Vṛtra‑slaying likewise produces streams and cattle. The hymn turns myth into a litany of communal debts: every violent image signals a tangible gain—water, food, dwelling—that justifies ritual acclaim.

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