Prapāṭhaka 3

3.1 May the somas gladden you, O wielder of the stone; bestow your bounty. Strike down the enemies of sacred speech.

3.2 O lover of hymns, protect our pressed soma; you are anointed with streams of sweetness. Indra, glory comes only from your gift.

3.3 Indra has always been drawing you near and attending upon you duly. No god is chosen over valiant Indra.

3.4 May the soma drops enter you as rivers flow into the ocean. No one surpasses you, O Indra.

3.5 The singers praise Indra loudly, the chanters praise Indra with their hymns. The melodies have celebrated Indra.

3.6 May Indra give us food, the Ṛbhu-lord grants Ṛbhu-wealth. May the prize-winner give us the prize.

3.7 Indra alone has driven away great terror, moving against it. For he is steadfast and far-seeing.

3.8 These songs attend you at each pressing, O lover of hymns, as milch-cows seek their calf.

3.9 Let us now call upon Indra and Pūṣan for friendship, for well-being, for the winning of strength.

3.10 None is higher than you, O Indra, none is greater, O slayer of Vṛtra. None is like you.

3.11 I shall praise him who is the same to all alike.

3.12 These praises were released toward you, O Indra; they have joyfully risen up to greet you, the bull, the lord, with one accord.

3.13 That mortal is truly well-guided whom the Maruts protect, whom Aryaman, Mitra, and Āspā guard from the treacherous.

3.14 Whatever desirable wealth lies in the firm stronghold, whatever is carried off in the rocky place — bring that, O Indra.

3.15 We have heard of the greatest slayer of Vṛtra; proclaim the host of peoples for blessing and for great bounty.

3.16 May we be equal to winning your glory, O Indra, O hero who wields such power. May we be equal, O Śakra, in your leading forth.

3.17 O Indra, delight in us at dawn — in our roasted grain, our groats, our cakes, and our recitations.

3.18 With the foam of the waters, O Indra, you rolled off the head of Namuci, when you conquered all rivals.

3.19 These, O Indra, are your pressed somas, and those yet to be pressed. Be gladdened by them, O lord of abundant wealth.

3.20 The pressed somas are for you; the sacred grass is spread, O lord of brilliant light. Show grace to your praisers, O Indra.

3.21 Pour forth the most generous one with the soma drops.

3.22 Come near to us from here, O Indra, with hundredfold strength, with food and thousandfold strength.

3.23 The slayer of Vṛtra, newly born, grasped the mace and asked his mother: who are the mighty here, who are heard among them?

3.24 We call on the utterer of great hymns, of flowing and streaming songs, for aid — the one who fulfills all goals, for protection.

3.25 Varuṇa leads us by straight guidance; Mitra leads us, the wise one; Aryaman, delighting together with the gods.

3.26 The red, tawny light, as if coming from far away while standing here, has flashed forth; it has spread its radiance everywhere.

3.27 O Mitra and Varuṇa, sprinkle our pasture with ghee; you of good resolve, sprinkle the realms with sweetness.

3.28 Those sons — the hymns — have stretched toward the highest regions in the sacrifices, resonating and bending their knees to journey forth.

3.29 Viṣṇu strode this out; he set down his step threefold. His footstep, shrouded in dust, is gathered together.

3.30 At his gifting, drink the pressed soma.

3.31 What speech is recited to the great, wise-minded god? That is truly the growth of his fire.

3.32 Neither the uktha hymn when recited, nor wealth, nor the snake perceive what is here. Nor is the Gāyatra metre when sung.

3.33 Indra is most gladdened by the uktha hymns, lord of prizes and of strengths, possessor of the bay horses, friend of those who press the soma.

3.34 Come near to our pressed soma with your prizes; do not be wrathful, like a great man with a young wife.

3.35 When, O Vasu, will you be pleased with the praise? Come, halt your chariot — for a long draught of the pressed soma, that you may be satiated as by the wind.

3.36 O Indra, drink the soma from the brahmin's bounty, according to the seasons. This friendship with you is inviolable.

3.37 We indeed are your praisers, O Indra, O lover of hymns. You, drinker of soma, quicken us.

3.38 O Indra, in whatever battles, place manly strength in our bodies. O all-conquering, mighty one — virility.

3.39 For you are truly a lover of heroes, and a hero, and steadfast. Your mind is truly one that achieves gifts.

3.40 Indra, lord of this moving world, beholding the sun, lord of what stands firm.

3.41 You alone we call, O brilliant one, at the winning of the prize. You, O Indra, lord of the good — the warriors call you in battles with Vṛtra; you at the racecourses for horses.

3.42 Sing forth to Indra of great bounty, as is fitting. He, the generous one full of wealth, teaches his praisers as if with a thousand gifts.

3.43 We proclaim that wonder-worker, conqueror in battle, gladdened with the wealth of soma — as milch-cows call their calf at evening time, so we call Indra with our songs.

3.44 With penetrating songs I call Indra, finder of wealth, pressing together for your aid. Singing loudly at the sacrifice where soma is pressed, I call him like a bearer bearing a load.

3.45 The swift one truly desires to win the prize, yoked with wisdom. I bend Indra, much-invoked, toward you with my song, as a craftsman bends a well-made wheel-rim.

3.46 Drink of the pressed, flavorful soma; be gladdened, O Indra, as with one who possesses cattle. Be our ally in the shared enjoyment and growth; may your thoughts protect us.

3.47 Come to the needy one; find him a share, a dwelling of wealth. Pour out your gifts, O generous one, for the winning of cattle, for the winning of horses, O Indra.

3.48 Neither does desire regard the last, nor Vasiṣṭha reflect too carefully. Today may all the Maruts, the willing ones, drink together at our soma-pressing.

3.49 Speak of nothing else, O friends; suffer no harm. Praise only Indra the bull together at the soma-pressing; again and again recite the uktha hymns.

3.50 No one can attain him by action, the one who made the ever-growing — Indra, celebrated everywhere by sacrifices, wise and invincible, bold in his strength.

3.51 He who, even without libation, was wounded before through the collar-bones — Maghavan, the generous one, is the joiner of joints, the restorer of what is dislocated.

3.52 A thousand, yea a hundred, harnessed to the golden car — let the prayer-yoked, maned bay steeds bring you, O Indra, to drink the soma.

3.53 Come, O Indra, with your gladdening bay steeds whose hairs are like peacock-feathers. Let no one hold you back, let no bonds restrain you; pass over them as over a desert and come.

3.54 You, the god most mighty, truly do praise the mortal. There is none other than you, O Maghavan, to show mercy — I speak this word to you, O Indra.

3.55 You, O Indra, are famed as the straight-pressing lord of strength. You alone slay the obstructing Vṛtras, you who drive forward the unyielding, the upholder of all peoples.

3.56 For the divine company we call Indra; we call Indra at the sacrifice being performed; we call Indra in the battle for the spoil; we call Indra for the winning of wealth.

3.57 May these praises of mine increase you, O Purūvasas. The bright-toned, pure, and wise ones have sung forth praise-hymns to you.

3.58 These sweetest praises and lauds rise up, conquerors of wealth altogether, with inexhaustible bounty, striving for the prize like chariots.

3.59 As a wild bull, thirsting, goes to the water that has been gathered not yet drunk — come swiftly to us in the time of drinking and before the feast; among the Kaṇvas drink well in fellowship.

3.60 As one follows Bhaga, so we follow you, O hero, glorious and the finder of wealth.

3.61 The goods you brought away, O Indra, the heavenly wealth from the asuras — increase the praiser thereof, O Maghavan, and those who have strewn the sacred grass for you.

3.62 Sing forth the companionable truth-guarded speech to Mitra and Aryaman; sing the delightful praise, the sheltering hymn, to the royal Varuṇa.

3.63 The Āyus who first drank the soma have praised you, O Indra, with hymns; the Ṛbhus, joining their voices together, and the Rudras chant the ancient praises.

3.64 O Maruts, sing the mighty prayer to great Indra. The slayer of Vṛtra, the hundred-powered one, smites Vṛtra with the hundred-jointed thunderbolt.

3.65 Sing aloud, O Maruts, to Indra the mightiest slayer of Vṛtra — by whom the truth-exalting gods generated the light, the wakeful one for the god's sake.

3.66 Bring us wisdom, O Indra, as a father brings to his sons. Instruct us, O much-invoked one, in this journey, that we may live and attain light.

3.67 Do not turn away from us, O Indra; be near us in the common feast. You are our help, you are our kinship — do not turn away from us, O Indra.

3.68 We who have pressed soma and have strewn the sacred grass sit around you like waters around the pure filter, O Vṛtra-slayer; the praisers attend you.

3.69 Whatever strength and manly power you have, O Indra, among the Nahuṣa peoples, or whatever brilliance you have among the five peoples — bring it here; bring all manly powers together.

3.70 For you, the mighty bull, are heard in the distant regions; the bull is famed in the near regions.

3.71 Whether you are in the far region or in the near, O Vṛtra-slayer, O Śakra — even from there the soma-presser seeks you with hymns, O long-maned Indra, day by day.

3.72 Sing with the great hymn to the hero exhilarated by soma-draughts, the all-knowing one — Indra, renowned by name, the mighty one, as a word is heard.

3.73 O Indra, grant the triple-seated shelter, the triple-protected refuge for well-being. Grant protection to the Maghavans and to me; ward off the missiles from us.

3.74 As all things lean toward the sun, all partake of Indra's bounty. Born with strength through his births, we look toward our share as our due.

3.75 No god, no long-lived mortal has attained that power. Even as the swift steed Etaśa is harnessed, so Indra harnesses his two bay steeds.

3.76 Adorn Indra, the invocable, in all our battles; approach the prayers and the soma-pressings, O Vṛtra-slayer with highest bow — we have sung our hymn.

3.77 Yours indeed, O Indra, is the lowest wealth, yours you nourish the middle; you reign altogether over the highest of all; none bars you in matters of cattle.

3.78 Where are you now, where do you stand? For your mind ranges widely. You are roused, O warrior, breaker of the crooked ones, destroyer of citadels — the Gāyatra singers have praised you.

3.79 We have indeed fattened him here, the thunderbolt-bearer. For him therefore bring today at the pressing the pressed soma; truly adorn him who is renowned.

3.80 I praise the overcomer of all armies, the mightiest, the slayer of Vṛtra.

3.81 From where we fear, O Indra, from there make us fearless. Enable that, O Maghavan, for our protection; smite away enemies, smite away the foes.

3.82 O Lord of the homestead, you are the firm pillar, the constant protector of the soma-drinkers. The drop that breaks the everlasting citadels — Indra is the friend of the sages.

3.83 Truly you are great, O Sun; truly you are great, O Āditya. Your greatness is wondrous as you exist, O most admirable; by your greatness, O god, you are great.

3.84 The one with horses and chariot, of beautiful form, wealthy in cattle — such is your friend, O Indra; he partakes of food shared with dogs and always goes with brilliant companions to the assembly.

3.85 If there were a hundred heavens of yours, O Indra, and a hundred earths — a thousand suns could not equal you, O bearer of the thunderbolt; neither could the two worlds that were born encompass you.

3.86 Whether you are called eastward or westward, northward or led by men, O Indra — truly you are mighty, born of men; you belong to Anava and to Turvaśa, O foremost of hosts.

3.87 What mortal with wealth dares to challenge you, O Indra? For faith in you, O Maghavan, prevails in the farther heaven; the prize-winning steed ever seeks its prize.

3.88 This footless one came before those with feet, O Indra and Agni. Having left its head, it has cooked and moved with its tongue, going thirty-footed downward.

3.89 Come nearer, O Indra, with measured, wisdom-filled aids. Come with the most beneficial of conquering powers, with the best of sleep-giving gifts.

3.90 The swift one, the conqueror, the thrower, the best charioteer, the unhurried one, the increaser of Tugriya — him I praise.

3.91 May the worshippers not cause you to stray far from us. Come from afar to the common feast, or being here, hear us well.

3.92 Press out the soma for the soma-drinking, thunderbolt-bearing Indra. Cook the foods for his protection; truly he who gives fills the giver with joy.

3.93 We call on Indra, the all-conquering, all-seeing one. O you of a thousand angers, of great might, lord of the good — be our increaser in battles.

3.94 O you two who are wealthy in powers, direct your powers to us day and night. May your bounty never fail, and may our gift to you never fail at any time.

3.95 Whenever a mortal praiser calls out to the bountiful one, he should approach Varuṇa with inspired speech and voice — Varuṇa, the upholder of those who have gone astray.

3.96 Protect the cattle with the intoxication of the soma-juice for Indra, O Medhyātithi — he who is mingled with the two bay steeds, the golden one; Indra, the thunderbolt-bearer, the golden one.

3.97 May Indra hear both things and this word of ours spoken here. May Maghavan, the all-conquering one, come with wisdom for the drinking of soma, O mightiest one.

3.98 You who hold the stone are not given away from us for a great price, nor for a thousand, nor for ten thousand, O thunderbolt-bearer, nor for a hundred, O you who have hundreds of gifts.

3.99 You are better to me than a father and than a brother who does not support; you and my mother delight me equally, O Vasu, for the attainment of wealth.