With hearts filled with longing for glory, the people called upon Indra, the true and steadfast one, the lord who delights in the sacred Soma, and the bestower of prizes. They remembered how, in ages past and in the present, Indra had come to the aid of those who sought wealth and were worthy of offering. To him, they lifted their voices, praying that he would heed the call of all who invoke him. With earnest prayers and swift horses, the people entreated Indra to bring them renown and help them win the wealth they desired. For in every contest and struggle for riches, Indra—heroic and lover of song—had become great, the one whom all invoke when striving for victory. They sought his ever-ready aid, asking that, by his power, their chariot might surge forward into battle. With Indra’s chariot, skillfully driven and victorious, they believed they could overcome their foes and claim the prizes they sought. They praised Indra alone, the most discerning among all, the lord born with mighty resolve. He had always been a good friend to those who praised him, bringing them help and mercy. They called upon Indra to take up his thunderbolt, the mighty weapon, and to be most powerful against demons and enemies. They invoked the ancient companion of wealth, the inspirer of praise, and the best bearer of prayers. For Indra alone, unaging and ever delighted by song, rules over all treasures of the earth. They prayed that Indra, lord of cattle, would fill them with desire, prizes, horses, and cattle through his mighty troops. They sang his praise at the pressing of the Soma, for the much-invoked and mighty one, so that well-being would come to the cows and to all who bring joy. For the generous Indra never withholds the gift of wealth, abundant in cattle, when songs of praise reach him. They hoped Indra would go forth to the cattle-rich enclosures of their foes, and by his power, drive those riches away from the enemy and toward his devotees. Their hymns, reaching out to Indra as mothers to a calf, sought his favor. They yearned for his friendship, seeking cattle and horses, and asked that he be a swift steed for those who seek steeds. They urged Indra to delight in the Soma, for the sake of wealth and great strength, and not to abandon his praisers to poverty. Their hymns, at every pressing, longed for Indra as cows yearn for their calves, as milch cows call for their young. They prayed that the most bountiful Indra would make his praisers victorious with prizes. They wished that their praise would be the strongest and closest to Indra, that he might drive great wealth to them. They recalled how Bṛbu stood high among the Paṇis, as wide as the Gāṅgya plain, and how his generous gifts, swift as the wind and abundant in thousands, were always ready for giving. Thus, all noble singers forever praised Bṛbu, the thousand-giver, the lord of countless gifts. Again and again, they invoked Indra alone for the prize of strength, in every battle and contest. They called to the mighty one, the thunderbolt-wielder, the stone-splitter, to scatter cows, horses, and chariots for them and win the prize for the victorious. They invoked the universal helper, wise Indra, the thousand-powered, the doer of mighty deeds, asking him to be their strength in battle. Indra, with his fury, drove away foes like a bull, showering blessings, eager and strong. They asked him to be their helper in great wealth, for their persons, for the waters, and for the sun. They prayed that Indra would bring them the highest and most powerful fame, by which he filled both shining worlds. As king among the gods, helper of the tribes, they called Indra for aid, asking him to make all adversaries easy to overcome and to render the unfriendly powerless. They sought whatever strength and manliness Indra possessed among the descendants of Nahusha, and whatever brilliance among the five peoples, that he might gather all those powers for them. They called for Indra’s heroic power, whether found among the Trikshas, Druhyus, Janas, Purus, or the Vṛṣṇis, so that they might overcome enemies in battle. They prayed for triple protection, threefold shelter filled with well-being, that Indra’s shield might guard the generous and themselves, and that he would drive away the lightning from their people. Those who, desiring cattle, attacked the enemy with boldness, asked Indra, lover of song, to be their closest protector, present with his strength. They sought his support in battle, that when the winged ones—sharp-headed lightnings—flew in the sky, he would keep them away. Where heroes lay stretched out, spreading the beloved shelter of their fathers, they asked Indra to grant protection to their persons and kin, and to drive away mindless hatred. When Indra urged on the horses in the contest for great wealth, on uneven and difficult paths, may they speed like falcons seeking fame. Like swift rivers rushing down a slope, as if following a call, and as birds flock to food, so may those who grasp arms in the contest not turn back. They praised the Soma, sweet and honeyed, full of strength and essence, knowing that none who drank of it, O Indra, could withstand him in battle. This delightful drink, which brought Indra joy when he slew Vritra, was the source of his youthful might, by which he destroyed the ninety-nine cities of Shambara. Thus, with reverence and longing, the people called upon Indra, the mighty, the generous, the ever-victorious, seeking his friendship, his strength, and his abundant blessings.