LIGHT OF VEDAS: HYMN TO INDRA

HYMN TO INDRA

O Indra! the lord of the heavens,
the god of the blue sky
the most powerful of the Vedic deities.

O god! mighty and sensuous,
ever prone to drinking soma,
often losing control over yourself.

Vexed always about your Indra status,
your survival as the leader of the gods ,
seen often scheming against your potential foes.

O Indra! you share with humans their foibles
which make you look more a king
upon the earth than of the heavens.

O the four-armed! You ride the white elephant,
your gloried steed, the mighty Airavata,
overseeing the garden of paradise.

O Indra! You wield the Vajra,
that dazzling weapon of lightening
what mythical god Tvastur had made.

O you! the vanquisher of Asuras,
the destroyer of their many empires,
you regained the lost paradise by your valour .

O you! the slayer of Vratasura,
the demon of the dark skies
manifest as the black clouds.

With your weapon of lightning
You strike the demon Vrata
releasing the captive cows of celestial waters.

Your victory over the demons in crucial battles
made you Indra, the first among the gods
earned for you the status as the ruler of the heavens.

Among the gods you by your peerless penances alone
could go nearest to Brahman, to know Him as Brahman

and to learn from Him the secrets of immortality.