The Rig Veda: An Anthology

As the god of the thunderstorm and a fertility deity, Indra is closely associated with the Maruts, wind-god warriors who serve Indra. The Maruts are the sons of Rudra, a wind-god known for his tempestuous, unpredictable behavior, and Prsni, the earth-cow. Also known as Rudras, the Maruts always appear as a group, sometimes contending with Indra for the right to sacrificial offerings. This chapter contains seven hymns about the Maruts, the personified raincloud Parjanya, and Vata, the gale wind.

In hymn 1.85, the poet describes the Maruts as swiftly gliding horses and lovers of Soma who “create[e] the power of Indra” by howling their storm-songs (165). They adorn themselves like women, shining forth with spears, causing the rainclouds to pour water onto the earth like streams of urine or semen. Like Indra, who freed the waters, the Maruts forced open a spring for the thirsty sage Gotama. The poet encourages the Maruts to sit upon the sacred grass and drink the sacrificial Soma. The hymn ends with a prayer asking the winds-gods who perform “joyous deeds in the ecstasy of Soma” to give wealth and shelter to the worshipper (166).

Three hymns (1.165, 1.170-1.171) allude to a dispute between Indra and the Maruts over the rights to a sacrifice. The incomplete narrative has variant versions, but centers on a sacrifice offered by the sage Agastya, which either the Maruts or Indra covet or steal. In the first hymn, Indra accompanies the Maruts to a sacrifice in their honor, chastising them for not aiding him in the battle with Vrtra. The Maruts boast of their strength, but acknowledge the greater glory of Indra and appease him with praise. Pleased by their submission, Indra yields the offering to the Maruts with his blessing: “Your praise has made me rejoice, lordly Maruts, the sacred chant worthy of hearing that you made here for me—for Indra, the bull” (169). The hymn ends with the poet offering his own song of praise to the Maruts.

In the second hymn, the seer Agastya attempts to reconcile an angry Indra with the Maruts, who fear the god’s fury. The precise context of the action is unclear; it seems Agastya had intended to sacrifice to the Maruts, but instead appeases the jealous Indra with the offering. Agastya implores Indra to conciliate with the rebuffed Maruts and accept the oblation. In the third poem, Agastya prays to the Maruts and Indra, begging for their mercy. The sage explains he had laid out the sacrifice for the Maruts, but, fearful of offending Indra, diverted the offering to him. He asks Indra to convince the Maruts to put down their anger and protect him from their wrath.

Two hymns are dedicated to the androgynous Parjanya, the personified raincloud. In the first (5.83), the poet invokes Parjanya as a virile, awesome, bull whose abundant seed is the rain. He slaughters demons and evildoers, impregnating the earth with flowing streams and butter. The hymn concludes with a prayer that Parjanya, after inundating the fields and hillsides, withhold the rain that has fallen so profusely. In the second hymn (7.101), the bull full of seed is also a cow, whose udder pours forth rain like streams of milk. He gives birth to a calf (i.e., lightning, or the fire caused by it), and takes whatever bodily form he wishes: “The mother receives the milk of the father; with it the father increases and prospers, and with it the son thrives” (175). Parjanya has three voices: lightning, thunder, and rain, which parallel the three personified forms he takes as father, mother, and son.

The final hymn of the chapter addresses Vata, the gale wind. The poet imagines the gale as a powerful and glorious chariot racing along the earth and scraping the sky. Companion whirlwinds or downpours accompany the gale like women hurrying into the arms of their lovers. The gale wind takes on cosmic dimensions: “Breath of the gods, embryo of the universe, this god wanders where he pleases” (176). The poet praises the heard but unseen god with his offering.