The Rig Veda

by Anonymous

10. To him the mighty stream of wealth, prompt friend of him who pours the juice, Yea, to this Indra sing your song.

Does this mean that if you sacrifice soma Indra will make you rich?

2. Indra hath ever close to him his two bay steeds and word-yoked car, Indra the golden, thunder-armed. 3. Indra hath raised the Sun on high in heaven, that he may see afar: He burst the mountain for the kine.

10. For your sake from each side we call Indra away from other men: Ours, and none others', may he be.

O Indra, stimulate thereto us emulously fain for wealth, And glorious, O most splendid One.

I looked up both the unfamiliar words and I still don’t entirely get this passage. He seems to be stirring people up to imitate each other in a competitive way that is also pleasing or fitting under the circumstances .

The gifts of Indra from of old, his saving succours, never fail, When to the praise-singers he gives the boon of substance rich in kine.

HYMN XVII. Indra-Varuṇa 1. I CRAVE help from the Imperial Lords, from Indra-Varuṇa; may they Both favour one of us like me. 2. Guardians of men, ye ever come with ready succour at the call Of every singer such as I.

16. The Gods be gracious unto us even from the place whence Vishṇu strode Through the seven regions of the earth! 17. Through all this world strode Vishṇu; thrice his foot he planted, and the whole Was gathered in his footstep's dust. 18. Vishṇu, the Guardian, he whom none deceiveth, made three steps; thenceforth Establishing his high decrees. 19. Look ye on Vishṇu's works, whereby the Friend of Indra, close-allied, Hath let his holy ways be seen. 20. The princes evermore behold that loftiest place where Vishṇu is, Laid as it were an eye in heaven. 21. This, Vishṇu's station most sublime, the singers, ever vigilant, Lovers of holy song, light up.

17. May Waters gathered near the Sun, and those wherewith the Sun is joined, Speed forth this sacrifice of ours. 18. I call the Waters, Goddesses, wherein our cattle quench their thirst; Oblations to the Streams be given. 19. Amrit is in the Waters in the Waters there is healing balm Be swift, ye Gods, to give them praise.

Within the Waters—Soma thus hath told me—dwell all balms that heal, And Agni, he who blesseth all. The Waters hold all medicines.

21. O Waters, teem with medicine to keep my body safe from harm, So that I long may see the Sun. 22. Whatever sin is found in me, whatever evil I have wrought. If I have lied or falsely sworn, Waters, remove it far from me. 23. The Waters I this day have sought, and to their moisture have we come: O Agni, rich in milk, come thou, and with thy splendour cover me. 24. Fill me...

7. That man is lord of endless strength whom thou protectest in the fight, Agni, or urgest to the fray. 8. Him, whosoever he may be, no man may vanquish, mighty One: Nay, very glorious power is his.

13. Glory to Gods, the mighty and the lesser glory to Gods the younger and the elder! Let us, if we have power, pay the God worship: no better prayer than this, ye Gods, acknowledge.

12. Thus, Soma-drinker, may it be; thus, Friend, who wieldest thunder, act To aid each wish as we desire. 13. With Indra splendid feasts be ours, rich in all strengthening things wherewith, Wealthy in food, we may rejoice.

17. Come, Aṣvins, with enduring strength wealthy in horses and in kine, And gold, O ye of wondrous deeds. 18. Your chariot yoked for both alike, immortal, ye of mighty acts, Travels, O Aṣvins, in the sea. 19. High on the forehead of the Bull one chariot wheel ye ever keep, The other round the sky revolves.

5. Thou, Agni, art a Bull who makes our store increase, to be invoked by him who lifts the ladle up. Well knowing the oblation with the hallowing word, uniting all who live, thou lightenest first our folk 6. Agni, thou savest in the synod when pursued e'en him, farseeing One! who walks in evil ways. Thou, when the heroes fight for spoil which men rush, round, slayest in war the many by the hands of few. 7. For glory, Agni, day by day, thou liftest up the mortal man to highest immortality, Even thou who yearning for both races givest them great bliss, and to the prince grantest abundant food.

15. Agni, the man who giveth guerdon to the priests, like well-sewn armour thou guardest on every side. He who with grateful food shows kindness in his house, an offerer to the living, is the type of heaven. 16. Pardon, we pray, this sin of ours, O Agni,—the path which we have trodden, widely straying, Dear Friend and Father, caring for the pious, who speedest nigh and who inspirest mortals.

18. By this our prayer be thou, O Agni, strengthened, prayer made by us after our power and knowledge. Lead thou us, therefore, to increasing riches; endow us with thy strength-bestowing favour.

7. Whether they weep or laugh, thou hast o'erthrown them, O Indra, on the sky's extremest limit. The Dasyu thou hast burned from heaven, and welcomed the prayer of him who pours the juice and lauds thee. 8. Adorned with their array of gold and jewels, they o'er the earth a covering veil extended. Although they hastened, they o'ercame not Indra: their spies he compassed with the Sun of morning. 9. As thou enjoyest heaven and earth, O Indra, on every side surrounded with thy greatness, So thou with priests hast blown away the Dasyu, and those who worship not with those who worship.

8. The earth's eight points his brightness hath illumined, three desert regions and the Seven Rivers. God Savitar the gold-eyed hath come hither, giving choice treasures unto him who worships. 9. The golden-handed Savitar, far-seeing, goes on his way between the earth and heaven, Drives away sickness, bids the Sun approach us, and spreads the bright sky through the darksome region. 10. May he, gold-handed Asura, kind Leader, come hither to us with his help and favour. Driving off Râkshasas and Yâtudhânas, the God is present, praised in hymns at evening. 11. O Savitar, thine ancient dustless pathways are well established in the air's mid-region:

They who, self-luminous, were born together, with the spotted deer, Spears, swords, and glittering ornaments.

8. They at whose racings forth the earth, like an age-weakened lord of men, Trembles in terror on their ways.

12. O Maruts, as your strength is great, so have ye cast men down on earth, So have ye made the mountains fall.

Who shall approach the pious? who the man whose sacred grass is trimmed? The offerer with his folk advances more and more: he fills his house with precious things. 8. He amplifies his lordly might, with kings he slays: e'en mid alarms he dwells secure In great or lesser fight none checks him, none subdues,—the wielder of the thunderbolt.

HYMN XLI. Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman. 1. NE'ER is he injured whom the Gods Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman, The excellently wise, protect. 2. He prospers ever, free from scathe, whom they, as with full hands, enrich, Whom they preserve from every foe. 3. The Kings drive far away from him his troubles and his enemies, And lead him safely o'er distress. 4. Thornless, Âdityas, is the path, easy for him who seeks the Law: With him is naught to anger you. 5. What sacrifice, Âdityas, ye Heroes guide by the path direct,— May that come nigh unto your thought. 6. That mortal, ever unsubdued, gains wealth and every precious thing, And children also of his own.

How, my friends, shall we prepare Aryaman's and Mitra's laud, Glorious food of Varuṇa? 8. I point not out to you a man who strikes the pious, or reviles: Only with hymns I call you nigh. 9. Let him not love to speak ill words: but fear the One who holds all four Within his hand, until they fall.

To Rudra Lord of sacrifice, of hymns and balmy medicines, We pray for joy and health and strength.

6. O Agni, loved by many, thou of fame most wondrous, in their homes Men call on thee whose hair is flame, to be the bearer of their gifts.

5. Like a good matron Ushas comes carefully tending everything: Rousing all life she stirs all creatures that have feet, and makes the birds of air fly up. 6. She sends the busy forth, each man to his pursuit: delay she knows not as she springs. O rich in opulence, after thy dawning birds that have flown forth no longer rest.

This Dawn hath yoked her steeds afar, beyond the rising of the Sun: Borne on a hundred chariots she, auspicious Dawn, advances on her way to Men.

To meet her glance all living creatures bend them down: Excellent One, she makes the light. Ushas, the Daughter of the Sky, the opulent, shines foes and enmities away. 9. Shine on us with thy radiant light, O Ushas, Daughter of the Sky, Bringing to us great store of high felicity, and beaming on our solemn rites. 10. For in thee is each living creature's breath and life, when, Excellent! thou dawnest forth. Borne on thy lofty car, O Lady of the Light, hear, thou of wondrous wealth, our call. 11. O Ushas, win thys...

4. Thou hast unclosed the prisons of the waters; thou hast in the mountain seized the treasure rich in gifts. When thou hadst slain with might the dragon Vṛitra, thou, Indra, didst raise the Sun in heaven for all to see.

8. When, Indra, thou whose power is linked with thy Bay Steeds hadst smitten Vṛitra, causing floods to flow for man, Thou heldst in thine arms the metal thunderbolt, and settest in the heaven the Sun for all to see. 9. In fear they raised the lofty self-resplendent hymn, praise giving and effectual, leading up to heaven, When Indra's helpers fighting for the good of men, the Maruts, faithful to mankind, joyed in the light. 10. Then Heaven himself, the mighty, at that Dragon's roar reeled back in terror when, Indra, thy thunderbolt In the wild joy of Soma had struck off with might the head of Vṛitra, tyrant of the earth and heaven. 11. O Indra, were this earth extended forth tenfold, and men who dwell therein multiplied day by day, Still here thy conquering might, Maghavan, would be famed: it hath waxed vast as heaven in majesty and power. 12. Thou, bold of heart, in thine own native might, for help, upon the limit of this mid-air and of heaven, Hast made the earth to be the pattern of thy strength: embracing flood and light thou reachest to the sky. 13. Thou art the counterpart of earth, the Master of lofty heaven with all its mighty Heroes: Thou hast filled all the region with thy greatness: yea, of a truth there is none other like thee. 14. Whose amplitude the heaven and earth have not attained, whose bounds the waters of mid-air have never reached,— Not, when in joy he fights the stayer of the rain: thou, and none else, hast made all things in order due.

These our libations strength-inspiring, Soma draughts, gladdened thee in the fight with Vṛitra, Hero Lord, What time thou slewest for the singer with trimmed grass ten thousand Vṛtras, thou resistless in thy might.

Though, fain for glory, and with strength increased on earth, he with great might destroys the dwellings made with art, He makes the lights of heaven shine forth secure, he bids, exceeding wise, the floods flow for his worshipper.

To him most liberal, lofty Lord of lofty wealth, verily powerful and strong, I bring my hymn,— Whose checkless bounty, as of waters down a slope, is spread abroad for all that live, to give them strength. 2. Now all this world, for worship, shall come after thee—the offerer's libations like floods to the depth, When the well-loved one seems to rest upon the hill, the thunderbolt of Indra, shatterer wrought of gold. 3. To him the terrible, most meet for lofty praise, like bright Dawn, now bring gifts with reverence in this rite, Whose being, for renown, yea, Indra-power and light, have been created, like bay steeds, to move with speed. 4. Thine, Indra, praised by many, excellently rich! are we who trusting in thy help draw near to thee. Lover of praise, none else but thou receives our laud: as earth loves all her creatures, love thou this our hymn.

If you move that “exclamation mark” Just a bit it would say the worshipers of Indra Are rich. Other big issue is the implication that either everyone worships Indra or soon will.

THE other fires are, verily, thy branches; the Immortals all rejoice in thee, O Agni. Centre art thou, Vaiṣvânara, of the people, sustaining men like a deep-founded pillar. 2. The forehead of the sky, earth's centre, Agni became the messenger of earth and heaven. Vaiṣvânara, the Deities produced thee, a God, to be a light unto the Ârya. 3. As in the Sun firm rays are set for ever, treasures are in Vaiṣvânara, in Agni.

Vaiṣvânara, celestial, truly mighty, most manly One, hath many a youthful consort.

Using his might and favouring him who worshipped, he made a ford, victorious, for Turvîti.

Praised by Angirases, thou, foe-destroyer, hast, with the Dawn, Sun, rays, dispelled the darkness. Thou Indra, hast spread out the earth's high ridges, and firmly fixed the region under heaven. 6. This is the deed most worthy of all honour, the fairest marvel of the Wonder-Worker, That, nigh where heaven bends down, he made four rivers flow full with waves that carry down sweet water.

They spring to birth, the lofty Ones, the Bulls of Heaven, divine, the youths of Rudra, free from spot and stain; The purifiers, shining brightly even as suns, awful of form like giants, scattering rain-drops down.

pieces; they were born together, of themselves, the Men of Heaven. 5. Loud roarers, giving strength, devourers of the foe, they make the winds, they make the lightnings with their powers. The restless shakers drain the udders of the sky, and ever wandering round fill the earth full with milk. 6. The bounteous Maruts with the fatness dropping milk fill full the waters which avail in solemn rites. They lead, as 'twere, the Strong Horse forth, that it may rain: they milk the thundering, the never-failing spring.

Like the wild elephants ye eat the forests up when ye assume your strength among the bright red flames.

Upon the seats, O Maruts, of your chariots, upon the cars stands lightning visible as light.

11. They who with golden fellies make the rain increase drive forward the big clouds like wanderers on the way.

13. Maruts, the man whom ye have guarded with your help, he verily in strength surpasseth all mankind. Spoil with his steeds he gaineth, treasure with his men; he winneth honourable strength and prospereth.

14. O Maruts, to the worshippers give glorious strength invincible in battle, brilliant, bringing wealth, Praiseworthy, known to all men. May we foster well, during a hundred winters, son and progeny. 15. Will ye then, O ye Maruts, grant us riches, durable, rich in men, defying onslaught. A hundred, thousandfold, ever increasing? May he, enriched with prayer, come soon and early.

He, like the Unborn, holds the broad earth up; and with effective utterance fixed the sky. O Agni, guard the spots which cattle love: thou, life of all, hast gone from lair to lair.

4. Whoso hath known him dwelling in his lair, and hath approached the stream of holy Law,— They who release him, paying sacred rites,—truly to such doth he announce great wealth.

HYMN LXVIII. Agni. 1. COMMINGLING, restless, he ascends the sky, unveiling nights and all that stands or moves, As he the sole God is preeminent in greatness among all these other Gods. 2. All men are joyful in thy power, O God, that living from the dry wood thou art born.

All truly share thy Godhead while they keep, in their accustomed ways, eternal Law.