The mortal who yearns for strength finds himself under the rule of Agni, that fierce-jawed and generous deity. Day after day, Agni, swift as a racer and glowing like a red child of heaven, is honored and revered. When the son of Sahadeva awakens, harnessing his two bay steeds, he calls the people to the sacred offering. Those two worshipful bays, yoked by the son of Sahadeva, spring forth at his command. This son, known as Somaka, is commended to the divine Ashvins, with prayers for a long and prosperous life; the Ashvins, in their grace, are invoked to bestow longevity upon him. Now, let the truthful Maghavan—Indra—come swiftly, eager and delighted, his steeds racing towards the offering. For him, the people prepare a joyous drink, skillfully seeking his favor, and raise their voices in praise. Today, at the end of the path, let the heroes descend to this sacrifice and rejoice. The wise one proclaims the hymn, like Ushana, for the lordship of the knowing Asura. Like a sage, Indra perceives the hidden things and fulfills the sacred rites; thirsting for glory, he sings his praises. He created seven singers who, even by night, performed skillful acts as they praised him. Radiant as the sun, Indra shines with great light from his birth, dispelling darkness and granting clear vision. Through his power, men are made most heroic in their striving. Indra, mighty and eager, has grown vast, filling both heaven and earth with his greatness; from his majesty, all the worlds are spread out, for he has become their very essence. Shakra, the all-knowing, distributed the waters with his companions by his will. Even stones yielded to their words, and the Ushijas released cattle rich in milk. Indra drove away Vritra, who held back the waters, wielding his thunderbolt so that the very earth was stirred to consciousness. He released the streams and oceans, and, through his might, became the lord of all. When Indra shattered the ancient rock, Sarama, the divine hound, appeared to him. Indra is asked to be a leader, seeing abundant wealth and breaking the enclosures with the Angiras as the people praise him. He is invited to approach the sage, Maghavan, shining and striving among men, and with his aid, to grant strength and protection from the crafty, unholy Dasyu. Indra is called to come, destroyer of Dasyus, with his mind set upon the place of offering, with Kutsa as his companion in friendship. He is urged to sit in his own abode, in his true form, so that the wise woman may discern his nature. With Kutsa, Indra shares the chariot, like the lord of the two bay steeds of the wind, seeking victory, swift as thought, blazing and resplendent as he adorns the wide spaces. For Kutsa, Indra cast down Śuṣṇa, the parched one, and destroyed the thousandfold Kuyava, the ancient foe. Together with Kutsa, he vanquished the Dasyus, and the sun revealed the great wheel in the distance. Indra struck down Pipru, the roaring beast, for Ṛjiśvan and Vaidathina; he toppled fifty strongholds from the thousand, as age crumbles cities. Clothed in the form of the sun at dawn, Indra bears the visible sign of immortality. He is like a wild beast, an elephant seizing strength, and like a lion, fearsome, bearing his weapons. Those who desire wealth turn to Indra, delighting in his praise as at the soma-offering, longing for glory and rejoicing in hymns, like a splendid abundance. The people call upon Indra, easy to invoke, who has accomplished countless heroic deeds, and who brings swift rewards for the worshipper with wondrous aid. When his sharp thunderbolt falls among people, when his fierce wrath rises against the foe, he is implored to remember and protect the bodies of his devotees. Indra is the protector of Vāmadeva’s prayers, the friend, the wolf in the contest for the prize. All thoughts turn to him, the widely-praised one, and he is invoked as universal aid for the worshipper. With his companions, Indra is called upon to help the people prevail in every contest, that they may rejoice in many nights and autumns, supported by noble ones as the heavens are by their splendors. To this Indra, the bull, the mighty, hymns are offered, as the Bhṛgus offer to their chariot. He is prayed never to abandon the friendship of his worshippers, remaining the strong guardian of their bodies. Now, as ever, Indra is praised and lauded, and he is asked to pour forth sustenance for his devotees, as rivers do. A new hymn is composed for him, the wielder of the bays, with a wish that the people may, with insight, ever be his charioteers. Great indeed is Indra. For him, the earth and sky, acknowledging his might, consider his power supreme. With his strength, he slew Vṛtra, released the rivers, and consumed the coiled serpents. At his birth, the sky trembled, and the earth quaked in awe of his power. Mountains and hills shook, valleys split, and the waters rushed forth. With his thunderbolt, Indra split the mountain, revealing what was hidden, and delighted in slaying Vṛtra, so that the waters surged swiftly, their strength unbound. The sky regarded itself as the begetter of Indra’s heroism; the most skillful fashioned him, who begot the sun, the mighty thunderbolt, steadfast as the foundation of the seat. Indra alone stretches forth the two worlds, the king of peoples, much-invoked and rejoiced in by all the gods, who delight in his truth and his generous bounty. All the Somas became his, all the exhilarating draughts of the great one. He became the lord of riches for the generous, to distribute all peoples. From the beginning, Indra has distributed all peoples; with the thunderbolt, he cut down the coiled one lying across the path. The mighty, powerful, and boundless Indra is upheld—the slayer of Vṛtra, the winner of prizes, the bountiful Maghavan, rich in treasures. This Maghavan, chosen, acts in righteousness, and hears his devotees in battle. He brings the prize, wins what he seeks, and those who are dear to him are blessed in friendship. Indra is heard both in conquest and in battle, setting cattle free by his might. When he makes his wrath real, all that is firm trembles and flees. Indra, Maghavan, won cattle, gold, and horses together, and with the most heroic of men, he divides wealth and gathers riches. How much does Indra surpass even his own mother and father, who begot him? He stirs his might again and again, like the wind driven by roaring thunderclouds. Maghavan makes the perishable imperishable, stirring up dust in confusion, like the sky breaking with thunderbolts. He is called upon to grant wealth to the worshipper, ever generous and ever victorious.