Thou, Indra, oft of old hast quaffed With keen delight, our Soma draught. All gods delicious Soma love; But thou, all other gods above. Thy mother knew how well this juice Was fitted for her infant's use, Into a cup she crushed the sap Which thou didst sip upon her lap; Yes, Indra, on thy natal morn, The very hour that thou wast born, Thou didst those jovial tastes display, Which still survive in strength to-day. And once, thou prince of genial souls, Men say thou drained'st thirty bowls. To thee the Soma draughts proceed, As streamlets to the lake they feed, Or rivers to the ocean speed. Our cup is foaming to the brim With Soma pressed to sound of hymn. Come, drink, thy utmost craving slake, Like thirsty stag in forest lake, Or bull that roams in arid waste, And burns the cooling brook to taste. Indulge thy taste, and quaff at will; Drink, drink again, profusely swill! ANOTHER TO INDRA And thou dost view with special grace, The fair complexioned Aryan race, Who own the gods, their laws obey, And pious homage duly pay. Thou giv'st us horses, cattle, gold, As thou didst give our sires of old. Thou sweep'st away the dark-skinned brood, Inhuman, lawless, senseless, rude, Who know not Indra, hate his friends, And spoil the race which he defends. Chase far away, the robbers, chase, Slay those barbarians black and base. And save us, Indra, from the spite Of sprites that haunt us in the night, Our rites disturb by contact vile, Our hallowed offerings defile. Preserve us, friend, dispel our fears, And let us live a hundred years. And when our earthly course we've run, And gained the region of the Sun, Then let us live in ceaseless glee, Sweet Soma quaffing there with thee. TO AGNI Great Agni, though thine essence be but one, Thy forms are three; as fire thou blazest here, As lightning flashest in the atmosphere, In heaven thou flamest as the golden sun. It was in heaven thou hadst thy primal birth, But thence of yore a holy sage benign, Conveyed thee down on human hearths to shine, And thou abid'st a denizen of earth. Sprung from the mystic pair by priestly hands, In wedlock joined, forth flashes Agni bright; But--O ye heaven and earth I tell you right-- The unnatural child devours the parent brands. TO VARUNA