
The Rig Veda Book 3 - Verses 41 to 50

HYMN XLI. Indra.
1. INVOKED to drink the Soma juice, come with
thy Bay Steeds, Thunder-armed
Come, Indra, hitherward to
me.
2 Our priest is seated, true to time; the grass is regularly
strewn;
The pressing-stones were set at morn.
3 These
prayers, O thou who hearest prayer are offered: seat thee on
the grass.
Hero, enjoy the offered cake.
4 O Vrtra-slayer,
be thou pleased with these libations, with these hymns,
Song-loving
Indra, with our lauds.
5 Our hymns caress the Lord of Strength,
vast, drinker of the Soma's juice,
Indra, as mother-cows
their calf.
6 Delight thee with the juice we pour for thine
own great munificence:
Yield not thy singer to reproach.
7 We, Indra, dearly loving thee, bearing oblation, sing thee
hymns
Thou, Vasu, dearly lovest us.
8 O thou to whom thy
Bays are dear, loose not thy Horses far from us:
Here glad
thee, Indra, Lord divine.
9 May long-maned Coursers, dropping
oil, bring thee on swift car hitherward,
Indra, to seat thee
on the grass.
HYMN XLII. Indra.
1. COME to the juice that we have pressed, to
Sorna, Indra, bleat with milk:
Come, favouring us, thy Bay-drawn
car!
2 Come, Indra, to this gladdening drink, placed on the
grass, pressed out with stones:
Wilt thou not drink thy fill
thereof?
3 To Indra have my songs of praise gone forth, thus
rapidly sent hence,
To turn him to the Soma-draught.
4
Hither with songs of praise we call Indra to drink the Soma
juice:
Will he not come to us by lauds?
5 Indra, these
Somas are expressed. Take them within thy belly, Lord
Of
Hundred Powers, thou Prince of Wealth.
6 We know thee winner
of the spoil, and resolute in battles, Sage!
Therefore thy
blessing we implore.
7 Borne hither by thy Stallions, drink,
Indra, this juice which we have pressed,
Mingled with barley
and with milk.
8 Indra, for thee, in thine own place, I urge
the Soma for thy draught:
Deep in thy heart let it remain,
9 We call on thee, the Ancient One, Indra, to drink the Soma
juice,
We Kusikas who seek thine aid.
HYMN XLIII. Indra.
1. MOUNTED upon thy chariot-seat approach us:
thine is the Sorna-draught from days aforetime.
Loose for
the sacred grass thy dear companions. These men who bring oblation
call thee hither.
2 Come our true Friend, passing by many
people; come with thy two Bay Steeds to our devotions;
For
these our hymns are calling thee, O Indra, hymns formed for
praise, soliciting thy friendship.
3 Pleased, with thy Bay
Steeds, Indra, God, come quickly to this our sacrifice that
heightens worship;
For with my thoughts, presenting oil to
feed thee, I call thee to the feast of sweet libations.
4
Yea, let thy two Bay Stallions bear thee hither, well limbed
and good to draw, thy dear companions.
Pleased with the corn-blent
offering which we bring thee, may Indra, Friend, hear his friend's
adoration.
5 Wilt thou not make me guardian of the people,
make me, impetuous Maghavan, their ruler?
Make me a Rsi having
drunk of Soma? Wilt thou not give me wealth that lasts for ever?
6 Yoked to thy chariot, led thy tall Bays, Indra, companions
of thy banquet, bear thee hither,
Who from of old press to
heaven's farthest limits, the Bull's impetuous and well-groomed
Horses.
7 Drink of the strong pressed out by strong ones,
Indra, that which the Falcon brought thee when thou longedst;
In whose wild joy thou stirrest up the people, in whose wild
joy thou didst unbar the cow-stalls.
8 Call we on Indra,
Makhavan, auspicious, best Hero in the fight where spoil is
gathered;
The Strong, who listens, who gives aid in battles,
who slays the Vrtras, wins and gathers riches.
HYMN XLIV. Indra.
1. May this delightsome Soma be expressed for
thee by tawny stones.
Joying thereat, O Indra, with thy Bay
Steeds come:. ascend thy golden-coloured car.
2 In love thou
madest Usas glow, in love thou madest Surya shine.
Thou,
Indra, knowing, thinking, Lord of Tawny Steeds, above all glories
waxest great.
3 The heaven with streams of golden hue, earth
with her tints of green and gold-
The golden Pair yield Indra
plenteous nourishment: between them moves the golden One.
4 When born to life the golden Bull illumines all the realm
of light.
He takes his golden weapon, Lord of Tawny Steeds,
the golden thunder in his arms.
5 The bright, the well-loved
thunderbolt, girt with the bright, Indra disclosed,
Disclosed
the Soma juice pressed out by tawny stones, with tawny steeds
drave forth the kine.
HYMN XLV. Indra.
1. COME hither, Indra, with Bay Steeds, joyous,
with tails like peacocks' plumes.
Let no men cheek thy course
as fowlers stay the bird: pass o'er them as o'er desert lands.
2 He who slew Vrtra, burst the cloud, brake the strongholds
and drave the floods,
Indra who mounts his chariot at his
Bay Steeds' cry, shatters e'en things that stand most firm.
3 Like pools of water deep and full, like kine thou cherishest
thy might;
Like the milch-cows that go well-guarded to the
mead, like water-brooks that reach the lake.
4 Bring thou
us wealth with power to strike, our share, 'gainst him who calls
it his.
Shake, Indra, as with hooks, the tree for ripened
fruit, for wealth to satisfy our wish.
5 Indra, self-ruling
Lord art thou, good Leader, of most glorious fame.
So, waxen
in thy strength, O thou whom many praise, be thou most swift
to hear our call.
HYMN XLVI. Indra.
1. OF thee, the Bull, the Warrior, Sovran Ruler,
joyous and fierce, ancient and ever youthful,
The undecaying
One who wields the thunder, renowned and great, great are the
exploits, Indra.
2 Great art thou, Mighty Lord, through manly
vigour, O fierce One, gathering spoil, subduing others,
Thyself
alone the universe's Sovran: so send forth men to combat and
to rest them.
3 He hath surpassed all measure in his brightness,
yea, and the Gods, for none may be his equal.
Impetuous Indra
in his might cxccedcth wide vast mid-air and heaven and earth
together.
4 To Indra, even as rivers to the ocean, flow forth
from days of old the Soma juices;
To him wide deep and mighty
from his birth-time, the well of holy thoughts, aIl-comprehending.
5 The Soma, Indra, which the earth and heaven bear for thee
as a mother bears her infant,
This they send forth to thee,
this, vigorous Hero! Adhvaryus purify for thee to drink of.
HYMN XLVII. Indra.
1. DRINK, Indra, Marut-girt, as Bull, the Soma,
for joy, for rapture even as thou listest.
Pour down the
flood of meath within thy belly: thou from of old art King of
Soma juices.
2 Indra, accordant, with the banded Maruts,
drink Soma, Hero, as wise Vrtra-slayer.
Slay thou our foemen,
drive away assailants and make us safe on every side from danger.
3 And, drinker at due seasons, drink in season, Indra, with
friendly Gods, our pressed-out Soma.
The Maruts following,
whom thou madest sharers, gave thee the victory, and thou slewest
Vrtra.
4 Drink Soma, Indra, banded with the Maruts who, Maghavan,
strengthened thee at Ahi's slaughter,
'Gainst Sambara, Lord
of Bays! in winning cattle, and now rejoice in thee, the holy
Singers.
5 The Bull whose strength hath waxed, whom Maruts
follow, free-giving Indra, the celestial Ruler,
Mighty, all-conquering,
the victory-giver, him let us call to grant us new protection.
HYMN XLVIII. Indra.
1. SOON as the young Bull sprang into existence
he longed to taste the pressed-out Soma's liquor.
Drink thou
thy fill, according to thy longing, first, of the goodly mixture
blent with Soma.
2 That day when thou wast born thou, fain
to taste it, drankest the plant's milk which the mountains nourish.
That milk thy Mother first, the Dame who bare thee, poured for
thee in thy mighty Father's dwelling.
3 Desiring food he
came unto his Mother, and on her breast beheld the pungent Soma.
Wise, he moved on, keeping aloof the others, and wrought great
exploits in his varied aspects.
4 Fierce, quickly conquering,
of surpassing vigour, he framed his body even as he listed.
E'en from his birth-time Indra conquered Tvastar, bore off the
Soma and in beakers drank it.
5 Call we on Maghavan, auspicious
Indra, best Hero in the fight where spoil is gathered;
The
Strong, who listens, who gives aid in battles, who slays the
Vrtras, wins and gathers riches.
HYMN XLIX. Indra.
1. GREAT Indra will I laud, in whom all people
who drink the Soma have attained their longing;
Whom, passing
wise, Gods, Heaven and Earth, engendered, formed by a Master's
hand, to crush the Vrtras.
2 Whom, most heroic, borne by
Tawny Coursers, verily none subdueth in the battle;
Who,
reaching far, most vigorous, hath shortened the Dasyu's life
with Warriors bold of spirit.
3 Victor in fight, swift mover
like a warhorse, pervading both worlds, rainer down of blessings,
To he invoked in war like Bhaga, Father, as 'twere, of hymns,
fair, prompt to hear, strength-giver.
4 Supporting heaven,
the high back of the region, his car is Vayu with his team of
Vasus.
Illumining the nights, the Sun's creator, like Dhisana
he deals forth strength and riches.
5 Call we on Maghavan,
auspicious Indra, best Hero in the fight where spoil is gathered;
The Strong, who listens, who gives aid in battles, who slays
the Vrtras, wins and gathers treasure.
HYMN L. Indra.
1. LET Indra drink, All-hail! for his is Soma,-the
mighty Bull come, girt by Maruts, hither.
Far-reaching, let
him fill him with these viands, and let our offering sate his
body's longing.
2 I yoke thy pair of trusty Steeds for swiftness,
whose faithful service from of old thou lovest.
Here, fair
of cheek! let thy Bay Coursers place thee: drink of this lovely
welleffused libation.
3 With milk they made Indra their good
Preserver, lauding for help and rule the bounteous rainer.
Impetuous God, when thou hast drunk the Soma, enraptured send
us cattle in abundance.
4 With kine and horses satisfy this
longing with very splendid bounty still extend it.
Seeking
the light, with hymns to thee, O Indra, the Kusikas have brought
their gift, the singers.
5 Call we on Maghavan, auspicious
Indra, best Hero in the fight where spoil is gathered;
The
Strong, who listens, who gives aid in battles, who slays the
Vrtras, wins and gathers riches.
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.