Page:Monier Monier-Williams - Indian Wisdom.djvu/69

 Indra, twin brother of the god of fire,

Wlien thou wast born, thy mother Aditi

Gave thee, her lusty child, the thrilling draught

Of mountain-growing Soma—source of life

And never-dying vigour to thy frame.

Then at the Thunderer's birth, appalled with fear,

Dreading the hundred-jointed thunderbolt—

Forged by the cunning Tvashtri—mountains rocked,

Earth shook and heaven trembled. Thou wast born

Without a rival, king of gods and men—

The eye of living and terrestrial things.

Immortal Indra, unrelenting foe

Of drought and darkness, infinitely wise,

Terrific crusher of thy enemies,

Heroic, irresistible in might,

Wall of defence to us thy worshippers,

We sing thy praises, and our ardent hymns

Embrace thee, as a loving wife her lord.

Thou art our guardian, advocate, and friend,

A brother, father, mother, all combined.

Most fatherly of fathers, we are thine

And thou art ours; oh ! let thy pitying soul

Turn to us in compassion, when we praise thee,

And slay us not for one sin or for many.

Deliver us to-day, to-morrow, every day.

Armed for the conflict, see! the demons come—

Ahi and Vritra, and a long array

Of darksome spirits. Quick, then, quaff the draught

That stimulates thy martial energy,

And dashing onward in thy golden car,

Drawn by thy ruddy, Ribhu-fashioned1 steeds,

Speed to the charge, escorted by the Maruts.

Vainly the demons dare thy might; in vain

Strive to deprive us of thy watery treasures.

Earth quakes beneath the crashing of thy bolts.

Pierced, shattered, lies the foe—his cities crushed,

His armies overthrown, his fortresses

Shivered to fragments ; then the pent-up waters,

will be found in the 5th volume of Dr. Muir's work, and there will also be found a complete poetical sketch of Indra (pp. 126—139). 1 The Ribhus (Greek 'Op<(>cvs) were the celestial artists of the Veda.