
Hymns to Indri from the Rig-Veda, Book I

HYMN IV. Indri
1 As a good cow to him who milks, we call the doer of fair
deeds,
To our assistance day by day.
2 Come thou to our
libations, drink of Soma; Soma-drinker thou!
The rich One's
rapture giveth kine.
3 So may we be acquainted with thine
innermost benevolence:
Neglect us not, come hitherward.
4 Go to the wise unconquered One, ask thou of Indra, skilled
in song,
Him who is better than thy friends.
5 Whether
the men who mock us say, Depart unto another place,
Ye who
serve Indra and none else;
6 Or whether, God of wondrous
deeds, all our true people call us blest,
Still may we dwell
in Indra's care.
7 Unto the swift One bring the swift, man-cheering,
grace of sacrifice,
That to the Friend gives wings and joy.
8 Thou, Satakratu, drankest this and wast the Vrtras' slayer;
thou
Helpest the warrior in the fray.
9 We strengthen,
Satakratu, thee, yea, thee the powerful in fight,
That, Indra,
we may win us wealth.
10 To him the mighty stream of wealth,
prompt friend ot'him who pours the juice,
yea, to this Indra
sing your song.
HYMN CLXXIX. Rati.
The deified object of this omitted hymn is said to be Rati or Love, and its Rsis or authors are Lopamudrd, Agastya, and a disciple. Lopamudra is represented as inviting the caresses of her aged husband Agastya, and complaining of his coldness and neglect. Agastya responds in stanza 3, and in the second half of stanza 4 the disciple or the poet briefly tells the result of the dialogue. Stanza 5 is supposed to be spoken by the disciple who has overheard the conversation, but its connexion with the rest of the hymn is not very apparent. In stanza 6 'toiling with strong endeavour' is a paraphrase and not a translation of the original khanamanah khanitraib (ligonibus fodiens) which Sayana explains by 'obtaining the desired result by means of lauds and sacrifices.' M. Bergaigne is of opinion that the hymn has a mystical meaning, Agastya being identifiable with the celestial Soma whom Lopamudra, representing fervent Prayer, succeeds after long labour in drawing down from his secret dwelling place. See La Religion Vedique, ii. 394 f.
1 'Through many autumns have I toiled and laboured, at night
and morn, through age-inducing dawnings.
Old age impairs
the beauty of our bodies. Let husbands still come near unto
their spouses.
2 For even the men aforetime, law-fulfillers,
who with the Gods declared eternal statutes,--
They have
decided, but have not accomplished: so now let Wives come near
unto their husbands.
3 Non inutilis est labor cui Dii favent:
nos omnes aemulos et aemulas vincamus.
Superemus in hac centum
artium pugna in qua duas partes convenientes utrinque commovemus.
4 Cupido me cepit illius tauri [viri] qui me despicit, utrum
hinc utrum illinc ab aliqua parte nata sit.
Lopamudra taururn
[mariturn suum] ad se detrahit: insipiens illa sapientem anhelantern
absorbet.
5 This Soma I address that is most near us, that
which hath been imbibed within the spirit,
6 To pardon any
sins we have committed. Verily mortal man is full of longings.
7 Agastya thus, toiling with strong endeavour, wishing for children,
progeny and. power,
8 Cherished - a sage of mighty strength
- both classes, and with the Gods obtained his prayer's fulfilment.
By 'both classes' probably priests
and princes, or institutors of sacrifices, are meant. M. Bergaigne
understands the expression to mean the two forms or essences
of Soma, the celestial and the terrestrial.
5 Membrum suum
virile, quod vrotentum fuerat, mas ille retraxit. Rursus illud
quod in juvenem filiam sublatum fuerat, non aggressurus, ad
se rerahit.
6 Quum jam in medio connessu, semiperfecto opere,
amorem in puellam pater impleverat, ambo discedentes seminis
paulum in terrae superficiem sacrorum sede effusum emiserunt.
7 Quum pater suam nilam adiverat, cum ed congressus suum semen
supra wrrarn effudit. Tum Dii benigni precem (brahma) prgeduerunt,
et Vastoshpatim, legum sacrarum custodem, formaverunt.
8
Ille tauro similis spumam in certamine jactavit, tunc discedens
pusillaximis huc profectus est. Quasi dextro pede claudus processit, "inutiles
fuerunt illi mei complexus," ita locutus.
9 'The fire, burning the people, does not approach quickly (by day): the naked (Rakasas approach) not Agni by night; the giver of fuel, and the giver of food, he, the upholder (of the rite), is born, overcoming enemies by his might.'
Suggestions for Further Reading
- The Rig Veda translation by Griffith, Introduction
- Hymns of the Sama veda translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith
- Yajur Veda: The Veda Of The Black Yajus School
- Hymns Of The Atharva-Veda
- Anugita English Translation
- THE Sanatsugâtîya, A Spiritual Dialogue
- Dharmashastras, the Sacred Law Books of Hindus
- The Hindu Dharmashastras, Subject Index
- The Grihya Sutras, The Vedic Domestic Ritual Texts
- The Sankhya Sutras of Kapila, Index page
- Translation of Upanishads by Swami Paramananda, Index
- A History Of Indian Philosophy - Chapter Index
- The Upanishads translated by Max Muller
- Vedic Reader for Students
- The Bhagavad-gita in a nutshell
- Essays On Dharma
- Esoteric Mystic Hinduism
- Introduction to Hinduism
- Hindu Way of Life
- Essays On Karma
- Hindu Rites and Rituals
- The Origin of The Sanskrit Language
- Symbolism in Hinduism
- Essays on The Upanishads
- Concepts of Hinduism
- Essays on Atman
- Hindu Festivals
- Spiritual Practice
- Right Living
- Yoga of Sorrow
- Happiness
- Mental Health
- Concepts of Buddhism
- General Essays
Source: An English translation of the Vedas by Ralph T.H. Griffith, 1896.